All ally characters and many enemy characters have special powers they can use to influence combat other than by attacking.
Ally powers
Ally powers can be used to influence combat in the player's favor. Each companion's power can only be used when it is charged up, after a certain number of turns. Each of the Doctors' powers can only be used after the player has completed a certain number of combos, and has a second-tier effect if a higher threshold of combos has been reached; the second-tier effect is usually a stronger version of the first-tier effect, but may also be a different effect entirely.
To find out how long before the power becomes available, holding down the character portrait during the battle screen will display a pop up showing the number of turns or combos before that character's power becomes available. When the power is available, the character portrait will flash. When the Doctor's second tier ability become available, there will be a flashing outline on the Doctor's portrait. Pressing the character portrait when the character's power is available will show a confirmation screen to use the ability.
Enemy powers
Enemies also have powers, which can be detrimental to the player. Unlike allies, enemies cannot use powers and attack in the same turn; an enemy can only prepare to attack or to use a power on any given turn, not both. Some enemy powers are used only a set number of times at most, and some are used in a set order when the enemy appears. Some enemy powers will only be used when the enemy's HP falls below a certain percentage of their maximum HP.
Starting in Chapter 4, some enemies have the ability to Ambush the player and use their power (or attack) at the start of a wave, before the player has a chance to make a move. These powers will be indicated by a countdown of 0 in enemy tables.
Power types
Battery
Battery powers store up damage of one color (or all colors) dealt by the player over a number of turns. At the end of the countdown, the amount of damage stored is released back on the player. Only enemies have this power.
Blind
Blind powers obscure the player's view of the gem board; players can still see the plus or minus symbol as a result of boost and weaken powers. There are two variations of the blind power: the first will reveal gems as they are displaced while the player moves a gem, the second will not (although the gem being moved will be revealed). Only enemies have this power.
Bomb
- See also: Category:Bomb characters
Bomb powers deal a fixed amount of damage after a number of turns, displayed in a countdown. Allies with bomb powers deal damage to one enemy, while enemies with bomb powers deal damage to the player's team.
Note: The damage from a bomb bypasses damage resistance.
Bomb Gem
Bomb gem powers apply a countdown to designated color gems or random gems. If the targeted gems are not cleared from the board (either by matching or by using a reset or remove power) before the countdown reaches zero, the gems explode and deal damage to the player's team. Only enemies have this power.
Boost
- See also: Category:Boost characters, Damage formula, Healing formula
Boost powers increase the damage dealt by matching a certain color of gem or the amount of healing received from pink gems. When used, each gem of the appropriate color on the board at that time will be marked with a plus symbol.
Any combo made that includes one or more of those gems will receive an additional multiplier for each of those gems used. If not otherwise specified in the ability description, the multiplier is 10%. Only allies have boost powers.
A boost power can only affect a given gem once. A boosted gem that has already been weakened will be weakened less than before, even though it retains a minus symbol.
A power that boosts random color(s) will only boost gem colors currently on the board; if there is only one color available, the ability will only boost that particular color. A random color boost can end up boosting pink gems.
While the Wave Enhance perk is not activated by an ability, it behaves in the same way as descibed above.
Note: Boosted gems that are converted via companion or enemy powers retain their boost.
Convert
- See also: Category:Convert characters
Convert powers change all gems of one or two colors on the board into another color.
Cure Poison
- See also: Category:Cure Poison characters
Cure Poison powers cure the player's team of poison. Only allies have this power.
Cure Stun
- See also: Category:Cure Stun characters
Cure Stun powers cure members of the player's team that have been stunned. Only allies have this power.
Damage
- See also: Category:Damage characters
Damage powers deal a fixed amount of damage to either a single target or all characters. Some ally damage powers split the damage equally according to the number of targets. This damage is modified by gem color affinities as well as enemy defence (when dealt to enemies) and color resistance perk (when dealt to the player's team). In addition, some damage powers deal damage equal to a percentage of the opposing characters' current HP; percentage damage is unaffected by affinities or defence.
Defuse
- See also: Category:Defuse characters
Defuse powers allow the player to disable an active bomb effect, as long as the skill is activated before the bomb counter reaches 0. Only allies have this power.
Extra Health
- See also: Category:Extra Health characters
Extra Health powers grant a percentage increase in maximum health for 1 or 2 turns. Only allies have this power.
Extra Time
- See also: Category:Extra Time characters
Extra Time powers increase the gem moving time (usually 5 seconds, 6 if using the Move Time Increase perk) for one turn. The player has extra seconds to move the gem for this turn. Only allies have this power.
Note: This is not the same power as Increase Timer.
Frenzy
This is a combination of Convert, Remove and Weaken powers. Only enemies have Frenzy powers.
Gem Drop
- See also: Category:Gem Drop characters
After using this ability, the next time new gems are spawned, gems of the specified color are used instead of gems of random color. Only allies have this power. This has some limitation/quirks:
- Gem drop is applied from left to right. If more gems are spawned than are available through this power, then the contingent of the specified color is added to the left first.
- It is only valid for the single next time new gems are spawned:
- If a match is made after gems fall, then the newly added gems aren't from the Gem Drop power, even if the number of gems isn't used up.
- If no matches are made, the activation is still valid and can be used during a later turn or after an enemy attack (for example, because of the Remove power).
- If Reset power is used, the gem drop will be activated.
- Multiple Gem Drop powers don't stack; the last one activated will be applied when gems are spawned. Nevertheless it is possible to profit from two gem drops during a single turn by activating the first, then resetting the board with the Reset power (which uses the first gem drop), then activating the second gem drop that will be used after the attack.
Healing
- See also: Category:Healing characters
Healing powers restore the HP of the player's team when used by an ally. There are two variations of healing powers for enemies: the first heals the enemy itself, the second heals one of its allies. Only enemies from Chapter 3 and beyond have the second variation of this power.
Note: Healing characters shouldn't be confused with healer characters, though some companions are considered both healing and healer characters.
Illuminate
Illuminate powers remove the Invincibility condition from the target enemy. Only allies have this power.
Immunity
Immunity powers make the enemy who used it resistant to the effects of Bomb, Life Tap, Poison and Stun for a specific number of turns. When Immunity is used, it will also remove any of these effects already in progress. Only enemies have immunity powers.
Increase Timer
- See also: Category:Increase Timer characters
Increase Timer powers increase the number of seconds allowed in time attack levels. Only allies have this power.
Note: This is not the same power as Extra Time.
Invincibility
Invincibility powers make the enemy who used it resistant to all damage and power effects for a specific number of turns. As with Immunity, it will also remove any power effects already in progress. Only enemies have invincibility powers.
Life Tap
- See also: Category:Life Tap characters
Life Tap powers cause a specific amount of damage after a number of turns, displayed in a countdown. This is similar to the bomb power, but the character who used the power gains an amount of health equal to the damage caused. As with the bomb power, this bypasses damage resistance.
Lock
There are two variations of lock powers. Lock variation 1 prevents a certain number of gems on the board from being swapped as part of a move for a number of turns. Gems in this kind of lock can still be part of a combo, and they are also affected by other color-specific powers such as boost, convert and weaken.
|
|
|---|---|
|
Gem board with gems under lock variation 1 |
Gem board with gems under lock variation 2 |
Lock variation 2 prevents gems from being used in combos. Gems in this kind of lock can be swapped as part of a move, retain their color, and are still affected by other color-specific powers such as boost, convert and weaken.
Only enemies have lock powers.
Poison
- See also: Category:Poison characters
Poison powers inflict the poison condition, which reduces the HP of the affected character or team by a percentage of its maximum HP each turn. The number of turns is displayed in a countdown. Allies using poison powers affect a single target enemy, while enemies affect the player's team.
Reflect
Reflect powers reflect a percentage of damage of one color or all colors for a number of turns, displayed in a countdown. The reflected damage can be reduced by color resistance and resist damage perks. Only enemies have this power.
Remove
Remove powers remove all gems of one color from the board, or all gems in a specific configuration around a selected gem (row, column, or cross shape).
Reset
- See also: Category: Reset characters
Reset powers replace the entire board, including removal of all boosted, weakened and locked gems, and provide you with new gems to work with. Only allies have this power.
Resistance
Resistance powers reduce the amount of damage dealt by a particular color gem, analogous to color resistance perks. Only enemies have this power.
Shuffle
Shuffle powers shuffle all gems on the board. Only enemies have this power.
Stun
- See also: Category:Stun characters
Stun powers inflict the stun condition. A character with the stun condition may not attack or use powers for a certain number of turns. Allies and enemies may have stun powers which affect a single enemy character or the entire opposing team. Enemies may also stun all characters with a specific color, which also stuns characters with the corresponding secondary color.
Summon
Summon powers summon other enemies to the battlefield. Summon will fail if there are no empty slots on the enemy side of the battlefield. Only enemies have this power.
Unlock
- See also: Category: Unlock characters
Unlock powers free locked gems on the board so they can be moved and/or used in combos again. Only allies have this power.
Weaken
- See also: Damage formula, Healing formula
Weaken powers reduce the effectiveness of a designated color gem. When used, the designated color gems on the board at that time will be marked with a minus symbol. Any combo made that includes one or more of those gems will receive an additional negative multiplier to its healing or damage for each of those gems used; the specific multiplier varies for different enemies. Only enemies have this power.
Weakness
Weakness powers increase susceptibility to damage from a designated color gem for a specific number of turns. Only enemies have this power.