2b6-2. Skills primer
Buffs and debuffs
Buffs are skills that increase the caster and/or their allies’ stats, while debuffs decrease their opponent’s stats. If you came from other RPG games, you’re probably familiar with status effects such as burn or poison; in DN they’re further categorized for how they affect movement, which you can read about in Status effects.
There are 3 types of buffs: self buffs, party buffs, and Harmony buffs. Self buffs only apply to the caster, while party buffs (with yellow icons) apply to the entire party.
Harmony buffs are special party buffs introduced in your class’ Awakening. The same Harmony buff can be present in multiple classes’ kit, and when used will be on cooldown for everybody in the party who shares the same buff.
Debuffs that increase damage against the target apply to the whole party, but don’t stack. Debuffs that decrease the target’s elemental or critical resistance only apply to the caster.
Buffs and debuffs could be easily missed among the littany of skills everybody has access to, but they’re pretty important to give yourself as much advantage as possible, especially party buffs. I will be attempting to list them all in this list.
Bubble systems
The Bubble system was first conceived with the Alchemist classes, where certain skills generate Bubbles and other skills consume Bubbles to deal more damage. This system now applies to most if not all classes after Awakening, with different names and slightly different mechanics. The overhead character info also displays Bubbles info.
For example, the Sniper’s Bubbles are known as Wind Arrows, she generates Wind Arrows with a successful hit of most of her skills, and at least 20 Wind Arrows are required to use the skill Wind Shaft.
For another example, the Rangrid’s Bubbles are known as Courage, and Courage is generated not only with successful skill hits, but also with time (1 Courage every 5 seconds). Courage is consumed to use the skill Counter Flare and the extra hit of Justice Execution, and 0.2% of HP is recovered whenever Courage is generated or consumed.
Skill enhancements
This section doesn’t refer to entries in the Skill Tree as much as how the process occurs in live combat: doing some sort of set-up so that a skill is more powerful that it would be otherwise. Bubble systems are also a sort of skill enhancement with longer set-up.
Transformation is the process of skill enhancement that defines spin-off classes. When transformed, most if not all skills gain a power increase, animation change, extra hits, etc. Skills that are affected by this process will glow yellow in the hotbar.
(The same concept of Transformations also applies to non-spin-off classes in what we shall call “enhancement state”, like Sniper’s Siege Stance or Windwalker’s Show Time buff, skills are modified and given a damage boost when enhancement state is active.)
Instant is the process of using skill A to activate the Instant version of skill B. The Instant version usually has shorter animation, more damage, etc. This was one of the first concepts of skill enhancements in DN, and you can see its influence in later revamps and Bubble systems. Like Transformation, Instant skills are marked by a yellow glow on the hotbar.
Awakened Power is a skill enhancement process available to every class in Awakening. Like Instant, it’s a process where using skill A enhances skill B, but the enhancement is purely damage. Skill A of Awakened Power is usually the bottom left skill of the inner ring, while skill B can be another skill on the Awakened page, or the 2nd specialization page.
Unlike Instant, using skill A of Awakened Power activates a buff that lasts for the same time as skill A’s cooldown – usually 60s (sometimes skill A might have less than 60s cooldown, but the buff time is always 60s). This buff disappears when skill B is used or when the timer runs out. (It can be a bit confusing knowing what skill B is without reading the Skill Tree, so make sure you do so.)
