Honkai Impact 3rd basics: attack types and game mechanics

This gigantic guide will give you a detailed information about the differences between different attack types and some important game mechanics.

Русская версия | Russian version

Basic attack

Pretty obvious way of attacking. Every valkyrie in the game has basic attacks.

Combo attack

An attack that is considered a part of basic attacks and hath several types:
● the one that can be performed right away by holding the basic attack button for a second;
● the one that requires performing a few basic attacks first, then holding the button;
● the one that can be performed by holding the basic attack button and pressing the same button several times shortly after releasing it;
● the one that requires filling up the bar(s) above the health bar first;
● the one that requires filling up the bar(s), but can be performed without the bars;
● the one that requires pressing (not holding) certain buttons in the right order;
● an SP skill that requires performing a few basic attacks, then pressing the basic attack button when a circle appears on the character;
● the aerial one;
● the one that requires marking the enemy with basic attacks first, then holding the basic attack button to activate the mark with a combo attack (Gyakushinn Miko mains, rise up!).

Examples of different combo attacks

Darkbolt Jonin's Naraka Finisher combo attack requires filling up the bars first in order to be performed. When the bars are filled, hold the basic attack button, then press it several times shortly after that.


Night Squire's Ri-Ki: Raptor Strike combo attack requires pressing the basic attack button two times in a row, then pressing (not holding!) the ultimate skill button to perform an uppercut. Filling up the bars in this case simply makes the combo attacks deal more damage.


Starlit Astrologos' Black Tortoise combo attack requires holding the basic attack button and releasing it when a yellow circle appears on her. Darkbolt Jonin has an SP skill combo attack with circle, too, but in her case, the circle is pink.


Herrscher of Flamescion's Blazing Chariot's Trail aerial combo attack requires pressing the ultimate skill button and holding the basic attack button mid-air. However, she then enters Herrscher form which is not considered a combo attack.

List of combo attack valkyries

Kiana Kaslana

White Comet
Valkyrie Ranger/Void Drifter
Divine Prayer
Knight Moonbeam
Herrscher of Flamescion

Raiden Mei

Crimson Impulse
Valkyrie Bladestrike/Striker Fulminata
Shadow Dash/Danzai Spectramancer
Lightning Empress
Herrscher of Thunder

Theresa Apocalypse

Starlit Astrologos

Fu Hua

Night Squire
Valkyrie Accipiter/Hawk of the Fog
Phoenix
Shadow Knight
Azure Empyrea
Herrscher of Sentience

Yae Sakura

Gyakushinn Miko
Flame Sakitama
Darkbolt Jonin
Goushinnso Memento

Kallen Kaslana

Ritual Imayoh
Sündenjäger
Sixth Serenade

Mobius

Infinite Ouroboros

Pedofallus

Reverist Calico

Eden

Golden Diva

Aponia

Disciplinary Perdition

Griseo

Starry Impression

Charged attack

An attack that is considered a part of basic attacks and has several types:
● the one that requires filling up the bar first, then holding the basic attack button;
● level 1, 2, and 3 charge shot which requires holding the basic attack button for some time;
● laser which requires holding the basic attack button util the weapon overheats;
● «METEOR STRIKE!» the one that requires filling the bar first, then, while holding the basic attack button, using the movement buttons adjust where to strike;
● the long-lasting one: fill up the bar, hold the basic attack button, then smash the basic attack button until the enemy dies… or util the charge bar depletes;
● the one that requires marking the enemy with basic attacks first, then holding the basic attack button to activate the mark with a charged attack.

Examples of different charged attacks

Swallowtail Phantasm's Fluttering Ripple charged attack. Fill up the bar, then hold the basic attack button.


Броня Зайчик's the most useless charged attack known as laser. Hold until it dies or until the weapon overheats.

Good for melting shields with a limited amount of hits they can take, though.

Pervert Tempo Δ's Dissociated Harmony long-lasting charged attack. Fill up the «juice» bar with basic attacks and evasions, then hold the basic attack button to enter some kind of berserk mode and smash everything until the bar depletes. Attacks during that so-called-by-Enduhchi berserk mode are considered charged attacks and is not the same as Burst mode!

List of charged attack valkyries

Kiana Kaslana

Herrscher of the Void

Броня Зайчик

Valkyrie Chariot
Yamabuki Armour/Drive Kometa
Snowy Sniper
Wolf's Dawn
Haxxor Bunny
Dimesion Breaker
Black Nucleus
Herrscher of Reason

Murata Himeko

Battle Storm
Valkyrie Triumph
Scarlet Fusion
Kriegsmesser
Blood Rose
Vermillion Knight: Ecipse

Theresa Apocalypse

Valkyrie Pledge
Luna Kindred
Sakuno Rondo
Celestial Hymn
Violet Executor/Twilight Paladin

Rita Rosweisse

Umbral Rose
Stalker: Phantom Iron
Fallen Rosemary
Argent Knight: Artemis

Оленьевы

Blueberry Blitz
Molotov Cherry/Fervent Tempo Δ (has unique Fervent Mode, so the Sleeper's Dream weapon will be the most beneficial only for Fervent Tempo Δ)

Seele Vollerei

Swallowtail Phantasm
Stygian Nymph
Sarcasm Nyx

Bianka Ataegina (Durandal)

Valkyrie Gloria
Dea Anchora
Bright Knight: Excelsis

Asuka Langley Soryu

Blazing Hope

Amy/Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort

Prinzessin der Verurteilung!

Elysia

Miss Pink Elf♪

Наташа «Raven» Чоара

Mignight Absinthe

Burst mode

Burst mode is an attack type when a valkyrie enters enhanced state through her ultimate skill and is about to bring a massacre. In other words, it is a long-lasting ultimate skill that usually does not deal a lot of damage right away, like Herrscher of Flamescion's nuke, but allows a Burst mode valkyrie deal a lot of damage over time and is fun to play.

For example: Dio's daughter Shadow Knight enters Burst mode dealing quite a low amount of damage to nearby enemies, but shortly after that she can use various enhanced attacks to eliminate the enemy and jump to another one.

Attacks during Burst mode are considered Burst mode attacks, so anything that increases basic /combo/charged attack damage is useless here. Damage bonus for the ultimate skill also does nothing.

Now, let's see the difference between «normal mode» and Burst mode. Enduhchi will use Shadow Knight as an example.
Shadow Knight's «normal mode» combo attack: she launches herself towards the enemy and deals some damage. Nothing special about it.


And now the same combo attack, but during Burst mode. MUDA-MUDA-MUDA

The difference is obvious.

Different Burst mode valkyries have different attacks. Swallowtail Phantasm requires using charged attacks during Burst mode to prolong it while Night Squire is quite simple: non-stop smash the basic attack button during Burst mode until it ends. Similar to «berserk mode» long-lasting charged attacks, is it not?

List of Burst mode valkyries

Kiana Kaslana

White Comet

Raiden Mei

Crimson Impulse (the Spirit Blade skill)
Valkyrie Bladestrike/Striker Fulminata

Броня Зайчик

Yamabuki Armour/Drive Kometa
Dimension Breaker
Herrscher of Reason

Theresa Apocalypse

Sakuno Rondo

Murata Himeko

Scarlet Fusion
Blood Rose

Fu Hua

Night Squire
Shadow Knight
Herrscher of Sentience (her ultimate skill is considered both Burst mode and Herrscher form)

Rita Rossweisse

Argent Knight: Artemis

Yae Sakura

Gykushinn Miko

Seele Vollerei

Swallowtail Phantasm
Starchasm Nyx

Bianka Ataegina (Durandal)

Bright Knight: Excelsis

Herrscher form

A special state very similar to Burst mode, but available only to Herrschers. As usual, different Herrschers have different requirements for entering Herrscher form. This form significantly enhances a Herrscher-type valkyrie and is pretty simple to use.

The difference between «normal form» and Herrscher form

Herrscher of Flamescion performing basic attacks in «normal form»:


Herrscher of Flamescion performing basic attacks in Herrscher form:
Eat this, you pesky street light!

During Herrscher form, Herrscher of Flamescion also can use combo attacks creating black holes, pulling in enemies, and dealing a huge amount of damage.

Overall, different Herrschers have different effects during Herrscher form. Herrscher form is considered Burst mode only if it requires using the ultimate skill, which means Herrscher of Flamescion whose Herrscher form requires using a combo attack will not benefit from Burst mode-related equipment while Herrscher of Sentience actually will benefit from it due to her Herrscher form activation condition (requires using the ultimate skill).

Herrscher form valkyries

Kiana Kaslana

Herrscher of the Void (will not benefit from Burst mode-related bonuses)
Herrscher of Flamescion (will not benefit from Burst mode-related bonuses)

Raiden Mei

Herrscher of Thunder (will benefit from Burst mode-related bonuses)

Броня Зайчик

Herrscher of Reason (enters Herrscher form during charged attacks; her ultimate skill is Burst mode)

Fu Hua

Herrscher of Sentience (will benefit from Burst mode-related bonuses)

Stigmatas and weapons

Always pay attention to stigmata and weapon descriptions!
If a stigmata like this one:

…Has a basic attack damage bonus, combo and charged attacks will benefit from it while the ultimate skills, Burst mode attacks, and Herrscher form attacks will not benefit from it.

Another example:

Enduhchi will ask you now: will the combo and/or charged attacks benefit from it?
NO. Only Burst mode valkyries and Herrschers that enter Herrscher form through the ultimate skill will benefit from it.

Will Night Squire activate this stigmata's bonus by attacking the enemy during Burst mode?

She will not.

Just in case. If a stigmata or a weapon has weird conditions, like these two:


…Read the description carefully. Global Time Fracture is not the same as Time Lock or Time Slow!

So, long story short:
● basic attacks (including combo and charged) — combo/charged attacks valkyries shall benefit;
● combo attacks — only combo attack valkyries will benefit;
● charged attacks — only charged attack valkyries will benefit;
● the ultimate skill — only the ultimate skill will benefit;
● Burst mode — only for Burst mode attacks;
● Herrscher form — only for Herrschers;
● Elemental DMG will not benefit from Crit DMG bonus since it cannot crit.

Damage from host

Quite simple thingy.
Means that if a valkyrie applied a certain debuff on an enemy that makes it take more damage from host, this enemy will take increased damage from this one valkyrie and not any other.

Retaliation

Currently there are three valkyries that can retaliate.
One of them is Blueberry Blitz whose ultimate skill makes her enter defence stance and perform a heavy attack after some time or immediately after taking damage.
But wait! There is more! Лилия can use the 6★ version of her sister's weapon for a perfect counter! Just press the ultimate button and the weapon's active skill button, and boom — an immediate attack.

The same goes to Fervent Tempo Δ's retaliation.

The third valkyrie that can retaliate is Bright Knight: Excelsis. She is pretty simple: hold the evasion button and wait for an enemy to attack thee.

Elemental DMG cannot crit

Elemental valkyries actually are able to score a critical hit… of physical damage. Not elemental.
There are literally no elemental stigmata or weapon that increases crit rate or crit damage.
Honkai Impact 3 is not Genshin Impact where elemental damage can crit.
Do not try to change Enduhchi's mind. In fact, it is a fact (wat) that elemental damage in Honkai Impact 3 does not crit.

Time mastery

There are several different time mastery-related abilities:
● Time Slow makes the enemy move slower. Does not stop the time;
● Time Fracture literally stops the in-game timer and time itself. Usually applied by QTEs. Often abused in Memorial Arena to stop the timer and make the game think that you defeated the boss in one second when you actually defeated it in five real-time seconds;
● Time Lock is a local time-stop, a time bubble that can be applied to a single enemy. Usually has small range.

…Is it finally over?

Please give this guide a thumb up, so it will be more popular and more players will easily find it.


Related guides:
How damage multipliers and stigmata affixes work
How to find crit rate
5★ stigmatas
Fu Hua

[EʅɠҽɱɱST]

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[Blade]

this is great! thank you! <3

[Senti]

"sarcasm nyx"

[Táiga Rivers]

Thank you so very much, kind sir.

[Crying Surrogate]

Take all my points. I've figured it out myself, but the guide is so well-written, I might be coming back when the memory fails. And the explanation of bursts VS Herrcher forms is definitely something that's missing in many places.

You have our appreciation and gratitude.

[Loom]

great guide!

[Táiga Rivers]

No need for awards. Comments like that warm my cold heart, and that is more than enough.

[Aya]

I'd give one award if i had some points. Incredible guide, thanks for the info!