Combat Fundamentals
Simple explanations
Basics
Offense
Both characters have 2 main attacks; Light Attack ( X ) and Heavy Attack ( Y ). The attacks are both self explanatory. Although it differs a bit in application between characters, Light Attacks are generally fast and wide, but weak, whereas Heavy Attacks are generally long and powerful, but slow.
Both characters also have an array of abilities at their disposal, gained throughout the game. These consume SP when used, and will fail if the player lacks enough.
Defense
Holding the ( LB ) button allows the player to block. They will slowly strafe-- around the closest enemy, if there is one. When an attack hits the player in the direction they're facing, they take no damage (very light damage for particularly strong attacks). However, some attacks can break through a block (mostly only boss attacks). If the player takes a hit from the direction they aren't facing, they will still receive damage and will even be briefly stunned.
While blocking, if the player inputs ( LS ) + ( A ), they will roll. While rolling, the player is briefly intangible, but the roll becomes slower with successive use.
If the player has obtained the Guard Stones, guarding will create a magic barrier around the player that absorbs all attacks from any angle. It prevents the player from being staggered or stunned out of their guard, too-- but it has a limited amount of health. If it breaks, it will take 24 seconds to recharge. It very slowly regenerates health while the player isn't guarding.
If the player pulls out their guard at the moment an attack connects (there is a brief startup to a guard, making this difficult), the player will perform a Perfect Guard. When this happens, time very briefly slows, the player becomes completely intangible for a short moment, and the enemy attacking the player is briefly stunned. Some attacks and bosses even have special reactions to being perfect guarded.
If the player rolls just as an attack would have hit them, they will perform a Perfect Dodge, which refills some SP and greatly boosts the player's damage for a short window of time, indicated by the entire world (except the player) slightly darkening.
Advanced
Stats
The player has 2 active stats they need to manage: HP and SP. They are both shared between Zedekiah and Alina; swapping characters does not change them.
HP-- Hit Points-- are self explanatory. Reach zero, you die. HP does not naturally regenerate, except if the player has less than 20% health, where it will regenerate at a rate of 2% every 5s until they reach the threshold (except on Hero Mode). The player starts with 40 HP at base and can upgrade it with Endurance.
SP-- Soul Points-- are consumed by abilities. If you don't have enough, it fails. SP does not naturally regenerate during combat. Instead, the player must use items or find a Soul Flower nearby. The player starts with 20 SP and can upgrade it with Vigor.
The player also has 3 other stats to manage; Strength, Melee Defense, and Ranged Defense. Unlike the other stats, they do not scale with level. You must increase them with Sheens, Armor, Trinkets, and Soul Gems.
Strength is self explanatory. The more you have, the more damage you deal. While your melee and ranged attacks are equally affected by this, targets respond differently to them.
Melee Defense determines how much melee damage is reduced. Melee is any attack that is done directly.
Ranged Defense determines how much ranged and magic damage is reduced. Ranged is any attack done at range.
Both forms of defense do not provide any sort of protection against level hazards. Level hazards also deal damage in max HP percentages, so upgrading Endurance does not help.
Weight Classes
All enemies fall under a certain weight class. This will affect how the opponent reacts to Staggering and Knockdowns, as well as how much knockback is recieved overall.
Light enemies are very easy to stagger, but ironically, can't be knocked down.
Medium enemies are a bit harder to stagger, but can be knocked down.
Heavy enemies are even harder to stagger but can still be knocked down.
Superheavy enemies can neither be staggered nor knocked down. Instead, their stagger threshold is the threshold required to recoil instead.
Stagger and Knockdown
Every attack (with specific exceptions) has a chance to stagger or knockdown its target based on its damage vs. the target's weight class. A stagger is a longer recoil animation, preventing the target from moving. The player only recoils if they stagger, attacks that do not will not interrupt the player's actions. Enemies, however, always briefly recoil from an attack, but this cannot interrupt them while attacking, unless they stagger. If the rolled chance to stagger is twice the minimum, or if specific particularly strong combo attacks connect, they will be knocked down and usually sent flying. Knocked down enemies are vulnerable to attack, and cannot react. Defeating an enemy while it is knocked down will skip its death animation and make it die instantly. The player cannot be knocked down by random chance, but instead by specific attacks. If the player is knocked down, they must wiggle the stick in order to get back up, but are not vulnerable to attack (except in Hero Mode).
Some enemies are immune to one or both of these afflictions.
Swapping
At any point, the player can press RB to swap from one character to the other on the fly. They must be standing still on the ground in order to do so, and there is a slight cooldown. During the animation, the game will pause.
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