Varnir of the Dragon Star battle overview trailer, details, and screenshots

Fight on three layers while hovering in the sky.

Compile Heart has updated the official website for Varnir of the Dragon Star: Ecdysis of the Dragon with a new trailer, information, and screenshots of the game’s battle system.

If you missed it, read up on our previous coverage of the game here, here, here, and here.

Get the new details below.

■ Character Transformations
Zephy

Minessa
■ Battle System
Basic Rules
In Varnir of the Dragon Star, allies and enemies fight while hovering in the sky.
While players start in the “Middle Layer,” there is also a “Upper Layer” and “Lower Layer” for a total of three layers that players can freely move between.
It is no exaggeration to say that all actions during battle are done for the sake of devouring dragons with “Devour Skills,” which are a major feature of the game.
Character and enemy actions will be performed in turns based on agility. The upper-right of the screen displays the “Action Order,” and since each layer of the field is separated by a line, you can get a grasp of which characters and enemies are on which layers.
Physical Skills and Magic Skills
Physical Skills, by which you attack with a weapon, can only attack an enemy on the same layer. There are different types of attacks for each character—Slash, Strike, Pierce, and Shoot—and if you manage a critical hit by using the attack type that the enemy is weak against, you can block that enemy’s turn.
Magic Skills have the benefit of being able to attack enemies on other layers. Since you do not have to move to the same layer as the enemy, it is difficult for the enemy to target you, but you cannot cause a critical. There are various types of magic—Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light, and Darkness—and if you use the attribute that the enemy is weak against, you can deal major damage.
Devour Skills
By attacking the enemy, the enemy’s Fear Level will rise. When using critical attacks and weak points attacks, even more Fear will build up, and the more it rises, the easier it is devour the enemy. By devouring an enemy with a Devour Skill, you can obtain the Skill Tree possessed by that enemy. Also, if an enemy’s Fear Level reaches 100 percent, a Weak Point Rush can be activated. This technique, which sees three party members use consecutive rush attacks before unleashing a Devour Skill, will reduce the enemy’s HP to zero and has a 100 percent chance of devouring them.
Support Members
While only three party members can participate in battle, each can be equipped with a support member. In addition to being able to substitute in battle at any time, support members can also:
Guard when you are attacked
Attack enemies with a counter
Pursue the enemy when you are attacked
Formation Effects
By setting the Formation of your party ahead of battle, Formation Effects will occur in battle.
Example: Delta Force. This effect occurs when two party members are stationed on the middle layer and one is stationed on the lower layer. It increases the attack and defense of the middle layer party members by three percent, as well as the magic attack and magic defense of the lower layer party member by three percent.
Since Formation Effects are determined by layer placement, the Formation Effect you start with will disappear if you move between layers during battle. But in the same way, you can also gain the new effects of the layers you move to.
Dragon Awakening
As you receive damage from enemies during battle, your characters’ Dragon Gauge will rise. This gauge carries over between battles, and when it reaches 100 percent, you can activate a Dragon Awakening.
A Dragon Awakening significantly powers up the character as they don their inner dragon power as armor. Characters can also use Dragon Awakening-only Deadly Devour Skills.
However, if a Dragon Awakening is activated when the character’s HP is considerably low, their power will run wild and they will enter the Mad Dragon state. In this state, attack power and evasion rate significantly increase, but defense power significantly lowers. It is a super risky, do or die-level state of transformation.
Huge Dragon Battles
There are also boss battles against huge dragons who fill up all three layers of the battlefield. Reducing the HP of the body parts on each layer to zero will block those parts’ ability to attack, as well as temporarily stun the boss.
■ New Artwork