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Chained Echoes is a new JRPG that just hit Game Pass and is already proving popular on Steam. Created by a solo developer, it features a ton of secrets as well as a deep combat system that rewards strategy. Even trash mobs can give you trouble if you play without thinking things through. Luckily for you, we’ve got some Chained Echoes tips.

The combat system allows you to fight with a maximum of six characters, with three in play at any one time. Each character can be backed up by another character, and you’re free to switch between them during their turn in any fight, so long as they’re alive. While status effects and HP amounts pause when characters are switched out, it’s a good way to give yourself some breathing room, and it can also impact your Overdrive gauge. Let’s start with laying out how the Overdrive gauge works.

Chained Echoes Overdrive tips

An early-game boss fight in Chained Echoes.

An early-game boss fight in Chained Echoes.

The Overdrive bar at the top left of the screen should be your main concern during each fight – whether against normal enemies or bosses. It consists of three segments: yellow, green, and red. Your goal is to keep it in the green Overdrive section while avoiding the red Overheat section.

Every action you take in battle moves a cursor either left or right on the bar, pushing you up towards red or back towards yellow. Battles always begin in the yellow section. Here’s how each of those sections affects the flow of the fight.

Yellow

  • All party members deal and receive 100% damage
  • All skills cost the baseline amount of TP

Green (Overdrive)

  • All party members deal 25% extra damage and receive 15% less damage than usual
  • All skills cost half the baseline amount of TP

Red (Overheat)

  • All party members deal 100% damage and receive 25% more damage than usual
  • All skills cost the baseline amount of TP

Most actions you or the enemy take will move the cursor to the right and closer to the red zone, but you can combat this by taking actions that force the bar to the left, including using skills that are highlighted in yellow. Here are all the actions that can move the cursor back:

  • Switch character
  • Defend
  • Ultra Move
  • Yellow skills
  • Special items
  • Certain special skills

Chained Echoes Sky Armor tips

chained-echoes-combat-tips

This combat system is made more complicated when you get access to mech suits called Sky Armor, so here are the things to bear in mind when fighting in a mech.

Rather than having three colors, there’s only red and green when you’re piloting Sky Armor, and there are two red sections – one to the left and one to the right. The aim is to keep the cursor in the middle green section, which you do by changing gears and performing certain actions.

Gear changes can only be performed once per turn and always in this order: Gear 1 > Gear 2 > Gear 0 > Gear 1.

Here’s how each gear changes your actions and damage numbers.

Gear 1

  • All party members deal and receive 100% damage
  • All skills cost the baseline amount of TP
  • Using Defend moves the cursor left, while all other actions move the cursor to the right

Gear 2

  • All party members deal and receive 25% extra damage
  • All skills cost 25% extra TP
  • Using Defend moves the cursor right, while all other actions move the cursor to the left

Gear 0

  • All party members deal and receive 100% damage
  • You can not use skills
  • Every action recovers 60TP
  • It is impossible to move the cursor left or right

As you can see, you’ll constantly need to switch between Gear 1 and Gear 2 to manipulate the cursor and keep it in the middle. Gear 0 is used for taking a breather and recovering TP, but you need to use it carefully since you also won’t be able to use healing skills in this state.

Chained Echoes - spending SP to level up skills

This is one of those things I wish I knew at the start of the game, but I somehow missed during the tutorial sections. Grimoire Shards are required to purchase new skills and stat buffs, but SP can be spent on leveling up skills you already have unlocked. 

However, you do this in the Set Skills menu, rather than the Learn Skills menu. Once upgraded to level three, a skill is maxed out and marked with a star symbol. 

You can also gain skills from Chained Echoes Class Emblems, so check out our dedicated guide on that.