# ⚔️ Combat Combat in Pixel Odyssey is a turn-based system where your character and a monster take turns attacking each other. The outcome depends on your stats, equipment, spells, and elemental matchups. ## Turn Order Each turn, the faster combatant is more likely to go first. Speed is the primary factor, but there's always a small chance for the slower fighter to act first — so speed isn't everything, but it matters. ## Damage Damage is split into two components: **physical** and **elemental**. Both are calculated from your Attack stat, but they scale differently and are reduced by different defenses. - Higher Attack means more damage, but it doesn't scale linearly — early Attack gains feel bigger than late-game ones - Each attack has a small random variation, so you won't always hit the same number - The minimum floor prevents hits from ever doing zero damage ## Critical Hits Critical strikes deal roughly **1.75x** base damage. Your Critical Chance determines how often they happen, and your Critical Damage Bonus increases the multiplier further. Enemies also have a Critical Evasion stat that can reduce your effective crit rate. ## Dodge Dodge chance is primarily based on **Speed**. It follows a curve that starts low and caps at **50%** — you can never fully dodge everything. The enemy's Luck reduces your dodge chance. Even with a big speed advantage, there's always a small base chance to dodge (or get dodged). ## Defense & Absorption Defense reduces incoming damage through a diminishing returns formula. The more defense you stack, the less each additional point matters — but it never stops being useful. - **Physical Defense** kicks in faster but also saturates faster - **Elemental Defense** has a gentler curve, staying effective at higher values - The **Absorb** stat provides additional flat damage reduction on top of defense > [!tip] Defense never makes you fully immune — there's always some damage getting through. Focus on a healthy mix of HP and Defense. ## Elements See [[Elements]] for the full element interaction system. ## Berserk When your HP drops below **50%**, your Berserk stat activates. This adds bonus damage based on your berserk percentage — a powerful comeback mechanic for characters built around it. ## First Strike The First Strike stat adds bonus damage to your **very first attack** in combat. It doesn't affect subsequent turns, making it a strong stat for quick fights. ## Parallel Casting With the Parallel Casting stat, you have a chance to both **cast a spell and attack** in the same turn instead of choosing one or the other. Higher values mean this happens more often. ## Mana & Spells Mana regenerates each turn based on your Mana Regeneration stat. See [[Mechanics/Spells]] for details on spell casting and effects. ## Combat Limit Fights have a maximum of **250 turns**. If the fight isn't resolved by then, the monster wins. This prevents infinite stalemate builds — you need enough offense to finish the job. ## Tips - Balance offense and defense — pure glass cannon builds risk hitting the turn limit against tanky monsters - Element matchups can swing fights dramatically; check your opponent's element before engaging - Berserk builds can be powerful but risky — make sure you have enough HP to survive getting low - First Strike is especially valuable for farming weaker monsters quickly