Codex-Tutorials-Combat

Tutorials related to the art of combat.

## **Basic Melee Combat**

To attack using a melee weapon such as a sword, hold your weapon using LG/RG Button and swing it at your target. If the weapon strikes a vulnerable target, it will incur damage.

To perform a block, hold out your weapon in the path of the enemy's incoming attack before it strikes you. If the defensive move is successful, you will take no damage.

Note that some powerful attacks cannot be blocked.

## **Health and Stamina**

Your Health meter represents your vitality. If your health reaches zero, you will succumb to your wounds. Use curative items to restore your health.

Your Stamina limits how many times you can dash or perform other special actions in a row, including blocking and parrying. However, blocking or parrying with a shield consumes less stamina than other weapons.

## **Enemy Health**

Your foe's vitality is displayed in a meter usually located above their head.

When an enemy's current health reaches zero, they perish. Certain foes may use spells that restore their health.

Armored enemies do not take direct damage to their health until their runic armor is fully depleted. The only exception to this is damage caused by certain status ailments.

## **Threat Indicator**

Your divinity imbues you with a keen situational awareness, which includes the ability to sense incoming danger from all sides.

An arrow indicates a hostile presence within combat range. When an enemy is actively attacking, the attacker’s indicator will change from an outlined arrow to a filled arrow.

## **Deflecting Projectiles**

Swing your weapon to reflect a projectile before it strikes you.

Note that some powerful projectiles cannot be deflected.

## **Weapon Throw and Recall**

With your divine influence, the mortal heroes you possess will be able to throw weapons and call them back, even when they are out of reach.

To throw your weapon, pick it up using LG/RG Button, swing your weapon back to throw it, release LG/RG Button while you swiftly fling your weapon towards your foes. Or unsuspecting pots, crates, or critters.

To call it back, point your hand in the direction of the weapon, hold LG/RG Button and gesture back towards yourself. On its way back, your loyal weapon can also inflict damage on targets in its path back to your divine hands

## **Weak Points**

At opportune moments, strike at your foe's weak points to shatter their defenses. Recognizing these opportunities, or even how to trigger them, is the mark of a skilled combatant.

Some of your foes have been bestowed with magical protection that prevents direct damage to their vitality.

To overcome these foes, target their weak points to shatter their defenses.

## **Divine Protection**

As a Cosmic Guardian, the mortal you possess is imbued with your Divine Protection.

Divine Protection absorbs all incoming damage after all resistances have been applied. Once your Divine Protection is spent, any incoming damage will directly affect Health. Divine Protection may not negate damage from certain status ailments.

It is possible to restore your Divine Protection through various actions, such as performing combat finishers, using Divine Protection Wells, or by resting in your quarters.

## **Divine Protection Wells**

As a Cosmic Guardian, the mortal you possess is imbued with your Divine Protection. This ethereal power can be replenished at Divine Protection Wells.

To interact with a Divine Protection Well, strike the crystal to release its power.

In order to use it again, you must wait for the ethereal power to accumulate again.

## **Parrying**

Swing your weapon at the right time to ward off an incoming attack before it strikes you. If the move is successful, you will incur no damage and the enemy will recoil in dismay.

Successfully fending off a number of attacks can incite unique behaviors from your foes.

## **Signature Attacks**

Your foes summon all their might to perform powerful Signature Attacks, which can be recognized by a telltale blue effect.

If you successfully parry such an attack, it will provide an opportune chance to inflict tremendous damage to your foes.

## **Finishers**

Hitting a weak point on an unarmored enemy drops it to its knees and opens it up for a finishing move.

Finish it yourself or command your follower to boldly execute a finisher in order to regain some of your Divine Protection.

There are various ways to trigger weak points on different enemy archetypes. Experiment in combat to find each foe’s weakness in order to quickly trigger finishers and keep your Divine Protection filled.

## **Skill Tree**

Skill Trees allow you to develop your party. Use Skill Points to upgrade weapons, abilities, and heroics for each party member.

Buffs gained in Skill Trees are in effect only while that party member is in the active party.

## **Heroics**

Heroics are powerful combat abilities that can be purchased in the Skill Tree. Once purchased, these moves allow you to deal massive damage or change the battlefield in a critical way.

Heroics require and consume a full Divine Wrath meter.

Each Heroic is performed differently. Hover over a Heroic node in the Skill Tree for a brief tutorial on how to execute it.

## **Shield Bash**

Bash an enemy while holding a shield to stagger them, or dash towards your foe while holding a shield outward to perform a dash bash.

Bashing and parrying with a shield costs Stamina, which regenerates over time.

## **Divine Wrath**

As you take out enemies in combat you earn Divine Wrath, which will allow you to charge your weapons and deal extra damage for a limited amount of time.

You can earn Divine Wrath when you successfully dodge or prevent an enemy from hitting you through your own actions, like blocking with a shield or parrying an attack. You can also earn it by scoring a hit on a weak point, breaking an enemy's armor, or landing a killing blow.

To unleash your Divine Wrath, thrust your weapon skyward when your gauge is full. You can charge up to three levels of Divine Wrath. The temporary boost will expire when your gauge runs out. Strategically deploy it in combat encounters to mow down challenging foes.

## **Interrupting Enemies**

Your divinity imbues you with a keen situational awareness, which includes the ability to see when an enemy is particularly susceptible to being interrupted.

When the telltale pronged symbols appear, that is your cue to counterattack.

## **Charged Weapons**

Hold your weapon high in the air to charge it with Divine Wrath. When charged, your weapon deals greater damage and can more easily damage runic armor.

This requires one full charge of the Divine Wrath gauge.

Additionally, charging your weapon also knocks back foes when activated.

## **Elemental Damage**

There are six primary elements in the universe: Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Life and Death. All non-elemental damage and resistance falls under Physical damage and resistance.

Fire devours Wind; Wind erodes Earth; Earth absorbs Water; Water douses Fire. Life and Death counter each other.

Use this knowledge to target your foe's weakness, and to protect your party against its own vulnerabilities.

## **Status Ailments**

Every element has a chance to inflict a unique elemental ailment. This meter fills when taking elemental damage. Once filled, the ailment is applied for a duration.

Burn (Fire) does minor elemental damage per second for a set duration. Fatigued (Water) affects movement speed, while Rockbound (Earth) impairs movement and attack. Blowback (Wind) temporarily disables ranged attacks.

Equip Elemental Relics to mitigate an elemental ailment's effects. Armor alone only provides Elemental Damage Resistance. There are also non-elemental ailments as well, such as Poison, Paralyze, and Silence.

## **Grappling to Enemies**

You can grapple to enemies by aiming at them with your attack, then pulling the attached weapon towards yourself.

For flying enemies, this can be harnessed to pull them down from the sky. Doing so will leave your foes vulnerable to attack.

However, some foes get wise to repeated grapple counters and will pull your weapon from your hand if you overuse this ability.

## **Hunting Bait**

Castor and Polydeuces know that certain wildlife are suspectible to being drawn out with the use of bait. By crafting special hunting bait, you may be able to lure elusive and deadly beasts into battle.

Hunt these apex predators and harvest their precious resources. Ptah will be eager to transform these rarefied materials into powerful new weapons and armor for your party.