Basic Tutorials

A transcription of in-game tutorials and NPC help text from near the start of the game, for those who missed or forgot some details.

Basic Tutorial 1! Style and Hyper!

Performing different moves in combat will increase your style (the percentage below your health). More style equals more damage & ailment success!
Enemies gain style too! The longer the battle lasts, the more dangerous they become!
Besides style, characters gain a Hyper Point each turn. When a character reaches their max hyper amount, they go into Hyper Mode!
In Hyper Mode, your damage and ailment success is doubled! Plan ahead and make sure you have a powerful ability ready to take advantage of Hyper Mode!

Developer comment: Some clarification on style: it gives damage/ailment bonuses up to 100%. It caps at 300%. Having over 100% is useful for burst moves (which take advantage of all style, even past 100%) and to give you a buffer to make up for the style you lose when you go into desperate mode. Enemies don't have style caps in the same way (I think there is a max, but it's a lot higher than player characters) & most enemies gain 10% style per move (there are some noticeable differences throughout the game).

Currently planning to add a tutorial menu into the game with one of the patches to make this kind of stuff more clear. - rwb36 on 4/12/17

Editor note: You can see how often each character enters Hyper Mode from the equipment screen.

Basic Tutorial 2! Recharge! Abilities, programs, and items!

Most character abilities can be used once and then they're disabled. Use a defend command like Rest to recharge your character abilities!
Besides their own abilities, characters can also use items and programs. Items and programs recharge at the start of battle, but can't be recharged mid-battle.
Items are shared by the party. Search for item treasure chests carefully to gain new items!
Programs are attached to shields. Equip the right shield and if your hackitude stat is high enough, you'll be able to use its programs!
In the main menu, you can equip abilities, items, and shields. You can also read detailed information about different abilities, programs, and items.

Basic Tutorial 3! Desperation!

Normally, losing all HP knocks a character out for the rest of the battle. Usually, but not always!
If you have enough style points (50 on most difficulties), you can survive with negative HP! This is called Desperation Mode! Amazing, isn't it!
In Desperation Mode, damage is increased but self-HP restoration is reduced.
If a character is still in Desperation mode at the end of their turn, they get knocked out! Heal quickly or go out with a bang!
That's it for the Cosmic Star Heroine basic tutorials! Additional information and tips can be found in the manual and from talking to different people!
Don't forget that you can raise or lower the difficulty if things are too hard or too easy. Good luck and have fun!
One more thing! Don't forget to save! You can save your game from the system submenu (in the main menu).

Developer comment: There is currently no manual - we were planning on making a manual for the physical edition of the game and then posting it digitally. We'll add an in-game tutorial menu in a patch soon in the meantime. - rwb36 on 4/12/17

Editor note: The tutorial says Desperation reduces self-HP restoration, but based on my (limited) experience, Desperate characters receive reduced healing no matter who is healing them.

NPC Dialog: Stats

You need four things to be an amazing agent: physique, hackitude, sparke, and cunning.
Physique affects your Max HP, increases physical damage, and physical defense.
Hackitude affects your tech damage and which programs you can use.
Sparke affects your magic damage, magic defense, and style bonus at the start of combat.
Cunning affects your ailment damage, ailment resistance, item effectiveness, and speed.
Want higher stats? Fight enemies, gain XP, level up, and find better equipment and you'll get them!

Developer comment: only character's innate Physique affects HP - rwb36 on 4/12/17

NPC Dialog: Ailment Mechanics

You know how sometimes enemies resist ailments? It's not random.
For example, if you want to stun an enemy, you need to deal enemy "Stun Damage" to lower their "Stun HP" to zero.
This means that if an ailment ability doesn't work, it's not a waste since it makes it easier for the next ability to succeed.
Enemies gain resistance as they recover from ailments so it becomes harder and harder to inflict the same ailment on them.
There. Now you have all the information you need to be an ailment master!

NPC Dialog: Ailment List

Interested in learning about ailment effects? I've got all the info right here!
Stun: Skip a turn.
Charm: Attack allies. Lasts one turn.
Disarm: 35% damage penalty. Lasts one turn.
Vulnerable: Take double damage from the next hit.
Enrage: All hits received taunt. 25% damage penalty on attacks that hit multiple targets. Lasts for the rest of the battle.
Poison: Take damage every turn. Only works on organic creatures. Lasts for the rest of the battle.
Rust: Cut defenses in half. Reduces turn frequency. Only works on robotic enemies. Lasts for the rest of the battle.
Curse: 15% damage penalty. Lowers ailment resistance. Only works on astral enemies. Lasts for the rest of the battle.
I think that's all of them. Whew.

[Theologamer]

And i'm kinda baffled by the wording of "Enrage"... All hits received Taunt? what does that mean?

[Theologamer]

Does "Tech" damage bypass all resistance, given that it isn't Magic or Phyiscal?

And does Cunning's "Ailment Damage" affect the damage of the ability that also inflicts a status ailment, or does that only refer to, say, the tick damage from poison?

[Manxome]

They're just categories of abilities. Some of the attacks in the game are considered "tech", and they do more damage if your hackitude is high. Some attacks are considered "magic", and they do more damage if your sparke is high.

[stxlstxl]

"Tech" and "Magic" are mentioned in this game but are never defined. what is tech and what is magic?

[Manxome]

I don't mind.

[CaptRobau]

Hey Manxome. I'm working on a wiki for CSR. I used this guide to create the pages related to the above subjects. I hoped you don't mind.

https://cosmic-star-heroine.wikia.com/wiki/Cosmic_Star_Heroine_Wiki

[Nixitur]

Thanks a lot for this, I was kinda annoyed when I found out that I couldn't reread the tutorial messages.

[D00hickey]

Thanks. By far the biggest issue with this game is not having this information to refer to in game or with a digital manual.

[Dark Bahamut]

Taunt means the enemy's single-target attacks will necessarily be aimed at whoever tauntend them.

[Master SoloWan]

Thanks a lot man !