Star Savior's combat revolves around two interlocking systems: the Attribute Advantage system (Sun, Moon, Star, Chaos, Order) and the Toughness/Break system. Understanding both is key to building effective teams and clearing content.
Attribute System Overview
Every playable unit belongs to one of five attributes. Each attribute has a counter relationship with others:
| Attribute | Counters | Countered By |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Star | Moon |
| Moon | Sun | Star |
| Star | Moon | Sun |
| Chaos | Order | Order |
| Order | Chaos | Chaos |
Sun, Moon, and Star form a triangle: Sun -> Star -> Moon -> Sun. Chaos and Order counter each other mutually.
Attribute Advantage Effects
When the attacker has an attribute advantage against the target:
- Damage Dealt: +5%
- Effect Hit: +30%
- Toughness Damage: +1 (in addition to any skill-based toughness damage)
When the attacker has an attribute disadvantage:
- Damage Dealt: -5%
- Effect Hit: -30%
- Toughness Damage: cannot be dealt at all
The game displays "WEAK" on enemies when you have an advantage against them. The attribute advantage is separate from any buffs or debuffs -- it applies as a base modifier to all your attacks.
Toughness System
Every unit has a Toughness bar (displayed as Super Armor in the game's stat system). Playable characters have either 3 or 5 Toughness depending on their role and importance:
- 3 Toughness: Most Strikers, Rangers, Casters, Assassins, and standard Supporter/Defender units
- 5 Toughness: SSR Supporters, some Defenders, and story-important units
Toughness Damage
Toughness decreases when a unit is attacked. The sources of toughness damage are:
- Attribute Advantage: Grants +1 Toughness DMG per hit automatically
- Specific Skills: Some skills have built-in Toughness DMG (e.g., via the Super Armor Damage stat)
Toughness damage is blocked when:
- The attacker has an attribute disadvantage -- zero toughness damage dealt
- The target triggers Evasion -- damage is reduced by 50%, debuffs not applied, no toughness damage taken
Break State
When a unit's Toughness is fully depleted, the Break State triggers:
- The broken unit receives Armor Break -- a debuff that increases damage taken by 15%
- While broken, Toughness cannot be recovered by any means
- At the start of the broken unit's next turn, their Toughness is fully restored automatically
This creates a tactical loop: break an enemy's toughness, they take 15% more damage for the rest of the turn, then their toughness restores on their next turn.
Break Skills
When an enemy's Toughness is broken while a Break Skill is equipped, you earn Break Points:
- Normal enemy break: 1 Break Point
- Boss break: 3 Break Points
Once all Break Points are accumulated, the Break Skill can be activated:
- Triggers the skill effect and Domain Deployment (effects vary by skill)
- Break Skills do not trigger Counterattacks
Resource Stacking (Chill, Ignition, Leap, Agitation, Insight)
Each attribute has a stacking resource buff that grants incremental damage against their counter target:
| Attribute | Resource Name | Target | Effect Per Stack | Max Stacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Ignition | Star | +1% DMG vs Star | 5 |
| Moon | Chill | Sun | +1% DMG vs Sun | 5 |
| Star | Leap | Moon | +1% DMG vs Moon | 5 |
| Chaos | Agitation | Order | +1% DMG vs Order | 5 |
| Order | Insight | Chaos | +1% DMG vs Chaos | 5 |
These resource buffs are gained through character skills and passives. They apply independently of buffs and debuffs, meaning they can't be dispelled. At max stacks (5), each provides an additional +5% damage against the targeted attribute -- stacking on top of the base 5% attribute advantage for a total of +10% damage.
Putting It All Together
- Match your team's attributes to counter enemy attributes for the +5% DMG, +30% Effect Hit, and +1 Toughness DMG
- Break enemy Toughness to trigger the 15% increased damage taken debuff
- Use Break Skills for powerful Domain Deployment effects
- Stack resource buffs (Chill, Ignition, etc.) for additional damage against specific attributes