PNC Combat

Overview

Battles in Project Neural Cloud take place on a grid of 6×5 hexagonal tiles where the player units start on the two leftmost rows while the enemy units start on the rest of the field. Some tiles are usually obstructed by structures to create paths and pockets, and some special tiles have an effect on units. Player units are mostly automated; they will seek targets according to the current engagement rules and use their Auto Skill as soon as it is available.

By default, melee classes (Guard and Warrior) will try to move to the nearest accessible enemy to attack. Units can move through tiles occupied by allies, but an enemy must have a non-occupied tile adjacent to them to be a valid target. If there is no enemy that is directly accessible, melee units will destroy non-permanent structures in their way to the nearest accessible enemy and will stand in place if there are still none present.

By default, ranged units (Sniper, Medic and Specialist) will target the nearest enemy and remain at their starting position as long as there is an enemy in range (ranged attacks are not hampered by structures). If there is no enemy in range, they will move forward until there is.

Default engagement rules can change on case-by-case basis depending on used Skills, active Functions, Statuses such as Snipers targeting the farthest enemy rather than the nearest, or Taunts that force enemy units to focus their attacks on a single target.

Players can influence a battle by: Using their Tactical Skills which includes teleportation of a unit or forced focus on a specific enemy, deciding when and how to use Ultimate Skills once the gauge is full, and using Active Functions if they have one.

It is possible to double the battle speed if the player feels they won't need to time their actions precisely. When the battle reaches a certain duration or (if present) the timer runs out, Battlefield Overload will start, causing attacks to deal a percentage bonus damage while healing and shields will receive a debuff. Overload effects will keep growing with time to hasten the resolution of the battle.

At the end of successful battle, one of the Dolls will be elected the MVP with a title depending on performance such as "Iron Wall" for highest damage absorption, "Savage" for highest damage output, Asclepius for highest healing output, and "Impeccable" for highest overall performance. In story stages, a battle can be attempted again up to 10 times if it is lost.

Combat Screen

Combat Preparation

The Backup Units are stationed on the column to the left of the battlefield. You can freely swap units between the Main Team and the Backup Units. You can also rearrange the position of the Backup Units to make use of the special backup tiles if any are present.

1. Current Layer (stage level) and Battle Progress (in Battle of Endurance stages). Tap Menu to retreat (cancels the stage) or to return to the main menu (saves your progress to play later).
2. Function Row. Tap a Function to see its details. Slide to see more Functions if the bar is too full.
3. Function Cards Deck Size. You will have to discard a Function if it goes over the limit but there are ways to upgrade it. Protocols will show up at the bottom if any are active. Hover over the icon to display their effect.
4. Active Function Chains. Tap the arrow or the Function Chains themselves to see details.
5. Player Unit. Indicates its Class, Power, HP, and Auto Skill recharge. The symbols floating around the unit indicate which Function cards will be applied during combat. Tap to see details of the Doll and the effect tile if the unit is standing on one.
6. Enemy Unit. Same characteristics as Player Units. Tap to see their attributes and skills.
7. Tactical Skills (Player Skills). Tap to switch between Flexible Strategy and Offensive Build, and equip Advanced Skills.
8. Overclocking. Available after Stage 2-10 and lets you exchange Cache Coins for bonuses. See PNC Exploration#Overclock.
9. Battle Start!

Battle Phase

1. Menu button. Same options as before.
2. Pause/Play button.
3. Tap to enable Auto Mode. Every player action will be automated.
4. Battle Speed. Switch between 1x and 2x speeds. Can be used safely on easy missions but you might miss the opportunity to help a Doll in trouble in harder stages at 2x speed.
5. Damage Stats. Can be rolled up by tapping the tiny button.
6. Ultimate Gauge Multiplier. Dictates how fast the Ultimate Gauge is filled up by combat actions, usually at a normal speed of 1.0 but can be higher in resource stages and tutorials.
7. Ultimate Gauge: Fills with blue and orange when performing actions, up to 100% and 200% respectively. The gauge is carried over between combats in Regular Battles but not between layers. Tap the portrait of a Doll when it is highlighted to spend 100% of the gauge and use its Ultimate Skill (remember that only Dolls of 3-stars rarity and above can use their Ultimate Skill), or hold to see Ultimate Skill details. Critically damaged Dolls have their portrait in red.
8. Active Functions: Tap to use.
9. Tactical Skills and Tactical Energy gauge. Tap the icons to use (here shown during initial cooldown). Tactical Energy carries between stages in Normal Battles but not between layers.

Status Effects and Damage Types

Status Effects

• HP Shield: Attacks damage the HP Shield first; shield value cannot be healed. Usually enabled by Guard and Medic Function Cards.
• Focus: All characters are forced to attack the target. Melee units will automatically move into attack range. Once this effect ends, they will find new attack targets.
• Taunt: Control Debuff. Forces the target to attack the taunting unit. Taunted units cannot use Auto Skills while taunted.
• Stun: Control Debuff. Immobilizes the target. Interrupts Auto Skill release and halts its recharge.
• Frozen: Reduces Move Speed by 50%. Each stack reduces Attack Speed by 2 points, up to 10 stacks. Each stack lasts 5 seconds. Usually enabled by Sniper Function Cards.
• Bleed: Damaging Debuff. Take 0.2% of the target's Max HP in Derivative Physical Damage per second, to a maximum of 10% of the highest ATK/Hashrate of any Doll in the battle. Duration is 5 seconds and can stack up to 10 times. Usually enabled by Warrior Function Cards.
• Revitalize: Each stack recovers the target's HP by 10% of its Hashrate every 3 seconds over a total of 6 seconds, up to 5 stacks.
• Bloodthirst Sigil: Buff. Normal Attacks are guaranteed to Crit and grant an extra 30% of its damage as Life Steal. 1 stack of this buff is consumed every time this effect is triggered.
• Disarm: Control Debuff. Prevents and interrupts Normal Attacks and Normal Attack Skills.
• Silence: Control Debuff. Prevents and interrupts Auto skill release and halts its recharge.
• Knockback: Control Debuff. The target is pushed backwards in a direction. Interrupts Normal Attacks and Auto Skill release.
• Airborne: Control Debuff. The target is briefly knocked into the air. Interrupts Normal Attacks and Auto Skill release.
• Vulnerability: Debuff. Damage received is increased by 3%, up to 10 stacks.
• Trojan: Debuff. Attack Speed reduced by 10 points. Units that accumulate 6 stacks of Trojan are Stunned for 2 seconds.

Damage Types

• True Damage is damage that ignores the target's Physical DEF and Operand DEF and is affected by Damage Multipliers and Damage Reduction but does not trigger Backlash, Life Steal and other damage related-effects, and damage conditions for Functions and Skills.
• Derivative Damage is affected by Physical and Operand DEF, but does not trigger Backlash, Life Steal and other damage related-effects, and damage conditions for Functions and Skills.
• Wallbreak occurs when a damage absorption barrier is broken.

Tactical Skills

Tactical Skills require Tactical Energy to be used. Tactical Energy is gained automatically in combat and is carried between them.

Flexible Strategy

• Teleportation - Immediately teleport a selected ally Doll to a specified empty tile. Cannot be performed on Dolls that are stunned, frozen, or currently targeted by a boss unit such as Raven's charge. 10s cooldown.
  • Offensive: Costs 8 Tactical Energy. After a successful teleportation, all damage dealt by this Doll is increased by 10% for the next 5 seconds.
  • Survival: Costs 8 Tactical Energy. After a successful teleportation, the HP of the selected Doll recovers by 5% of their Max HP.

• Cyclonic Gust - The selected target is interrupted and sent airborne for 3 seconds. They cannot be targeted during this period. Cannot be used on stunned, frozen, or summoned units, and structures. 16s cooldown.
  • Stun: Costs 10 Tactical Energy. If the target is an enemy unit, they will be Stunned for 2 seconds after landing.
  • Concealment: Costs 10 Tactical Energy. If the target is an ally, they will become invisible for 2 seconds after landing.

• Rapid Recharge - Select a unit to increase or reduce their Auto Skill charge. 10s cooldown.
  • Supercharge: Costs 15 Tactical Energy. Select an ally Doll to cast their Auto Skill Immediately. This does not affect its cooldown. Boost their Skill Haste by 400 points for the following 5 seconds.
  • Interference: Costs 15 Tactical Energy. Select an enemy unit and reduce their Auto Skill's charge by 50%. This does not affect enemies with Skills that take effect over time.

Offensive Build

• Orbital Strike - Deal [Derivative] Operand Damage (equal to 80% of greatest ally Hashrate) to the enemy with the lowest remaining HP. 3s cooldown.
  • Breakpoint: Costs 7 Tactical Energy. For every 2% HP the target has lost, the damage dealt is increased by 1%. If the target dies from this strike, restore 4 points of energy.
  • Assault: Costs 3 Tactical Energy. Boosts all damage dealt for the next 5 seconds by 30% if target dies from this damage, up to 3 stacks. Removes cooldown.

• Coordinated Fire - Deals [Derivative] Operand Damage (equal to 50% of greatest ally Hashrate) to all enemies in the selected area and stuns them for 1 second. 12s cooldown.
  • Suppression: Costs 10 Tactical Energy. Reduces the damage of targets' next 3 Normal Attacks by 10%.
  • Ordinance: Costs 10 Tactical Energy. Inflicts an Ignition effect on the enemies that lasts 7 seconds, dealing Operand Damage (equal to 10% of greatest ally Hashrate) every second.

• FC Illumination - Focus Fire on 1 enemy for 4 seconds. Allies will not retarget at the end of this effect. 10s cooldown.
  • Focus: Costs 10 Tactical Energy. Tactical Skills deal 50% more damage to the target during the effect's duration.
  • Reflow: Costs 10 Tactical Energy. Ally units regain 5% of their Max HP by landing Normal Attacks to the target. This HP Recovery can only trigger once for each ally unit.

Effect Tiles

Some tiles on the battlefield or on the backup column will produce effects to the units who start a battle on them. This applies to both ally and enemy units.

Field Tiles

These effect tiles take effect at the start of the battle and cannot be reapplied after it starts.

• Overdrive: Unit on this tile can release their Auto Skill immediately at the start of battle.
• Snipe: Gives infinite range, ignores HP shields, and targets the farthest enemy rather than the closest to ranged units for the current battle. Only applies to Ranged Units.
• Teleport: Melee unit on this tile will be teleported to the enemy furthest away from them. The teleportation will be delayed by 1 second on ally Dolls. (Hatsuchiri cannot trigger this effect tile.)
• Power Strike: When units on this tile damages Ranged and Melee HP shields, an equal amount of damage is dealt directly to the target's HP.
• Ranged Damage Reduction: Unit on this tile gain an HP Shield of 15% Max HP against ranged attacks.
• Ranged Resistance: Unit on this tile gain an HP Shield of 50% Max HP against melee attacks.
• Melee Resistance: Unit on this tile gain an HP Shield of 50% Max HP against ranged attacks.
• Taunt: Unit on this tile will have its Physical DEF doubled and all enemies will be forced to attack the aforementioned unit. This effect lasts 5 seconds.
• Flash Attack: Unit on this tile has its ATK decreased by 30% and Attack Speed increased by 60%.

Sector-specific effect tiles

Though the category says Sector-specific tiles, it is better to say that these tiles are instead introduced in said sectors.

Helios Sector

• Energy Herb: Continuously takes effect. Generates an Energy Herb for the last unit passing through this effect tile every 4.6 seconds. Energy Herbs recharge a unit's Auto Skill to full.
• Pseudo-Energy Herb: Permanent effect. Generates a Pseudo-Energy Herb for the last unit passing through this effect tile every 4.6 seconds. Pseudo-Energy Herb recharges a unit's Auto Skill by 25%.
• Lure: Immediately teleports the unit on this effect tile to the nearest Energy Herb Tile.

Enigma Sector

• Data Adherence: Takes effect at the start of battle. Units on this effect tile are immune to the effects of [Trojan] and applies 2 stacks of [Trojan] every 6 seconds to enemies within a range of 1 tile.

Peirides Sector

• Entropy Liquid: Permanent effect. These effect tiles continuously spread on the battlefield. On these effect tiles, all units deal 30% more damage and Entropics recover 5% of their Max HP every 3 seconds while non-Entropics lose 7.5% of their Max HP every 3 seconds.
  • Note: The effect of Entropy Liquid can be mitigated by the Function Cards Multi-core Computing (enhance ally Skill Haste by the number of Entropy Liquid on stage), High-risk Node (enhance ally damage to enemies on Entropy Liquid) and Node Reparation (recover Max HP every 5 seconds when standing on Entropy Liquid). These Function Cards can be acquired at the start of a stage for free by combining the Overclock Function and Free Overclock Procedural Efficiency nodes. The Procedural Efficiency node Entropization Blocker, which reduces damage from Entropy Liquid by up to 30%, can also be unlocked after beating 5-1D.

Copley Sector

• Waves: Permanent effect (thought it goes away after a few seconds). Units on the water have their movement speed reduced and deal less damage.

Backup Tiles

These are effect tiles used by the Backup Units.

• Rest: Additionally recover 30% Max HP after battle.
• Off-field Shot: Unit on this tile deals Physical damage of 50% Hashrate to enemy with the lowest HP every 5 seconds. Specialist units deal 30% more damage with this effect.
• Coordinated Inspiration: Unit on this effect tile buffs while the ATK of all ally Dolls on the battlefield by 16% of its own ATK.
• Coordinated Buff: Unit on this tile buffs all ally Dolls on the battlefield by 16% of its Hashrate.
• Coordinated Heal: Unit on this tile heals unit with the lowest HP percentage by 50% of own Hashrate every 5 seconds. Medic units gain an additional 30% Healing Effect boost.
• Coordinated Missile Strike: Unit on this tile deals True Damage of 100% Hashrate every 5 seconds to all enemies on the same horizontal row. Sniper units deal 30% more damage with this effect.
• Trade-off: Unit on this tile loses 50% of its current HP at the start of battle to deal an equal amount of damage on enemy with the highest HP. Guard units deal 30% more damage with this effect.
• Daredevil: Unit on this tile gains the [Assault Readiness] effect: When participating in the next battle, ATK is increased by 70% with Warriors gaining an additional 30% ATK. However, HP will be set to 1 after the battle. This effect persists for one battle.