[Beginner's Guide] Getting Ready for Expeditions and Battles

Preparing for Expeditions

Corps Crew Formation:

Before entering a dungeon, up to 5 Corps Crew members can be assigned different positions (front, center, back) on a 3 x 3 battle formation grid.
The skills that each class can use changes based on their position, so carefully consider the best Corps Crew formation.
Formation bonuses will be given based on placement in the front (GRD), center (EVD), and back (CRI).

Take Expedition Bag:

For expeditions to go smoothly, it is necessary to bring useful consumables.
However, there is a limit to how many items can be carried.

Begin Expedition:

After making the necessary preparations, press and hold the "Begin Expedition" button to start exploring.

Exploring Dungeons

The most important thing to remember during expeditions is making it back to Town safely. Keep the Corps Crew alive by moving efficiently, conserving supplies, and acquiring useful items from Debris and Treasure Chests.

Corps Crew Leader: Displays the character selected as the Corps Crew Leader in the middle of the screen. When the Expedition Skill button is pressed, it is the Leader's Expedition Skill that will be activated.
Movement: Use the Directional Buttons/Left Stick (or Arrow Keys) to move the character in any of 4 directions: up, down, left, and right. Press the "Shortcuts" button (R, R1, or D) + Directional Buttons/Left Stick (or Arrow Keys) to move diagonally.
Fullness and Luminosity: As the Corps Crew moves and performs actions, their levels of Fullness and Luminosity are depleted.
When Fullness is at more than 1, the Corps Crew will recover HP and MP over time. However, when Fullness is at 0, the reverse will happen and HP will decrease. Use Food from the Bag to keep Fullness from dropping too low.
Map: Every dungeon is mazelike with a layout that changes each time the Corps Crew enters. It is thus difficult to navigate without referring to the Map. Throughout an expedition, make frequent use of the Map to check the location of the Corps Crew.
Debris: Search Debris to acquire helpful expedition items, like consumables.
Treasure Chests and Keys: Find Treasure Chests hidden in the dungeon to acquire equipment and other items. To open a chest, a matching key must be acquired first. There are three types of Treasure Chests/Keys: Golden, Silver, and Wooden. The number and types of keys that have been found are displayed in the upper right corner.
Returning to Town: Leave the dungeon through the Exit (see image below) to retain 100% of what was acquired while exploring, including EXP, items, and gold.
If it becomes impossible to continue the expedition because of fatal wounds or otherwise, use "Run Away" to escape. Keep in mind there is a penalty for failing to use the Exit. No EXP will be awarded, and 50% of all acquired items and gold will be lost.

Basic Battle Commands

Skills: Only one skill can be used at a time. To activate a skill, an ordinary character uses MP. (The Ronin and Grim Reaper are the exceptions, and have special points called YP and SP, respectively.)
Block: Immediately recover a set amount of MP and reduce the damage dealt by future monster attacks.
Bag: During battle, accessing the Bag to use items is considered performing an action, just like using Skills or Block.
Move: Move 1 cell in any of 8 directions if a skill is unusable from a character's current position, or even to minimize the range of an enemy attack.
Analyze Status: See what effects (like Buffs/Debuffs) are active on a Corps Crew member or monster. Monster skills and skill descriptions are also viewable.
Escape: Give up on the current battle to avoid fighting or stay alive. Each character has a fixed chance of success to Escape.
Turn Order: The order of characters for every Turn is displayed as icons lined up from left to right at the bottom of the screen. After each Turn, the order changes based on the SPD of each Corps Crew member and monster. Buffs, Debuffs, and other effects during battle can also influence the Turn Order.

Corps Crew Details

We've explained MISTOVER's battle formation before in the Dev Blog "Formation and Co-op Skills," but you can check it out again by referring to the links at the bottom of this page!

Battle Skills:

Battle Skills:
The position of a Corps Crew member affects the skills they can use and their area of effect. When creating an expedition party, it is thus very important to consider the overall formation and position of each character.
Next to every skill are boxes that mimic tiles on the battle formation grid. The white boxes to the left show in what positions the skill becomes usable (front, center, back). The boxes to the right represent what range a skill will have on allies (green) or enemies (red).
Co-op Skills:
After reaching certain levels, special Co-ops skills that require cooperative casting between two Corps Crew members can be acquired.
These powerful skills are only usable when specific classes are positioned in front, behind, or next to another Corps Crew member.
Each class has a maximum of three Co-op skills. These often have a wide area of effect, causing damage, recovery, Buffs/Debuffs, and other status changes on multiple allies or enemies.

Abnormal States

During battle, Buffs apply positive effects for a specific number of Turns, while Debuffs apply negative effects.
Bleeding, Weaken, Stun and other Debuffs can be recovered from by using Bandages, Purified Water, or Corps Crew member skills that remove specific status effects.

Jinx Skills:

Corps Crew members acquire passive Jinx skills as they level up. Exchange an unfavorable Jinx for another random Jinx using "Modify Jinxes" at the Training Camp in Town.
Think carefully before equipping the cursed equipment salvaged from a deceased Corps Crew member. The Jinx attached to the items will be transferred to the wearer.

Death:

During expeditons and battles, a Corps Crew member will die if their HP falls below 0.
Death is permanent, and deceased Corps Crew members cannot be revived.
When the HP of a Corps Crew member hits 0 during battle, they enter "Limbo." By quickly recovering HP, they can evade death.

Good Luck Surviving!