Fights in Ashen Veil play out on a single 16:9 battle screen that always fits your window, with no scrolling mid-turn. This guide walks through it from top to bottom. For the rules behind the numbers, read the combat guide as well.
The scene and the range tabs
Along the top are three tabs, FAR, MID and CLOSE, and the lit one shows where the fight currently stands. Every battle starts at MID. Moving the whole fight one zone costs 1 AP, using Charge to close in or Pull Back to open the gap. A label on the left of the tab row may read BASE RAID or SLAUGHTERHOUSE WAVE 2/4 with TOXIC GAS added when the wave damages you every turn.
Under the tabs, the hint line tells you how your equipped weapon behaves at this distance. A gun shows something like Ranged x1.15 here (best FAR, weak CLOSE), with the live multiplier. A melee weapon shows strikes only at CLOSE and reminds you to Charge. If any living enemy is a melee type, the line adds melee enemies close in each round.
| Zone | Your gun | Your melee weapon | Enemies |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAR | x1.15 damage | Cannot strike | Melee enemies spend their turn charging; ranged enemies deal 75% damage |
| MID | x1.00 damage | Cannot strike | Melee enemies lunge in for half damage and the fight moves to CLOSE |
| CLOSE | x0.85 damage | Full damage | Melee enemies hit at full strength |
These gun multipliers are further changed by the weather, and the hint line already includes that. A leg shot that lands on a melee enemy knocks it back one zone and makes it limp for two rounds, which buys you free turns.
Log, target panel and unit cards
The combat log sits at the top left. The newest line is at the bottom. Lines about your own actions are green, lines containing MISSED are yellow and most others, including enemy attacks, are red. The target panel at the top right names the selected enemy and its number, then shows its HP, its damage range and whether it is MELEE or RANGED. Click any living enemy to make it the target. Hovering over an enemy card also shows the same figures as a tooltip.
You and your back-line allies stand on the left, the enemies on the right, and front-line allies step across the VS marker. Each card has a portrait, a name, an HP bar and an HP count, plus a small tag line:
- Your card: a row of AP pips (filled pips are Action Points left), the AMMO count, or SCRAP if you carry a Scrap Launcher, and the COVER tag while you are covered.
- Ally cards: their own AP out of maximum, and FRONT or BACK for their lane. A gold outline marks the ally whose turn it is, and a grey card marked KIA is down.
- Enemy cards: a red HP bar, MELEE or RANGED, and > TARGET < on the one you have selected. A STUNNED tag means it will lose its next action.
The bottom HUD on your turn
The lower third is your control panel. It shows ">>> OPERATOR TURN" with your Action Points left, and it is arranged in rows.
Movement shows the current distance. Charge and Pull Back cost 1 AP each, and each is greyed out at the end of its range. Beside them are buttons to send an ally forward or recall one to the back for 1 AP. A forwarded ally draws most of the enemy fire.
Attacks appear when you can actually strike. Out of ammo, a red warning offers to switch to a Combat Knife. A melee weapon at the wrong distance replaces the attacks with a TARGET OUT OF REACH notice.
| Action | AP | Chance | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Torso | 1 | 85% | Base 8 to 14 plus your damage bonus |
| Headshot | 3 | 35% plus talents, max 95% | Base 12 to 20 plus bonus, multiplied by 2.5 |
| Arm shot | 2 | 65% | Weak hit, then the enemy misses half its attacks for 2 rounds |
| Leg shot | 2 | 60% | Weak hit, enemy deals 40% less for 2 rounds, melee foes are pushed back |
| Take Cover | 1 | Certain | Halves the next enemy phase's damage against you, minimum 1 per hit |
| Bandage | 1 | Certain | Heals 15% of max HP, uses one Sterile Bandage |
| Stimpack | 2 | Certain | Heals 40% of max HP, uses one Medical Stimpack |
| Capture | 2 | Certain | Needs rope, CLOSE range, target at 25% HP or less |
| Flee | 1 | Certain | Back to camp empty-handed; not possible while held down |
Every ranged shot spends one unit of ammo. The Capture button and what you get for it are explained in the prisoners guide, and the cover tag clears itself when the enemy phase ends.
Ally turns and the enemy phase
When you press END TURN -> ALLIES, your companions act one by one. The panel then changes to the active ally's name and shows their own buttons, each with an AP cost. NEXT ALLY passes to the next living ally, and it disappears for the last one. END TEAM TURN skips every ally who has not acted. If no ally is alive, your button reads END TURN -> ENEMY SQUAD instead and goes straight to the enemy.
The enemy phase is headed "Enemy squad counter-attack phase". Stunned enemies lose their action, melee enemies advance, and each attacker picks a victim. With a front-line ally standing, enemies aim at that ally 85% of the time and at you otherwise. With nobody in front, they usually go for you. Results are added to the log, and when you are ready you press PROCEED TO NEXT ROUND. Your Action Points refill and your turn starts again.
Combat effects and the FX buttons
The new view plays short effects after each action. They are drawn from the combat log and the change in HP, so they never alter the outcome of a fight.
- Muzzle flashes and tracers for gunfire, with a three-shot burst for suppressive fire, and a glowing orb for plasma.
- Slashes when a melee fighter lunges at its target.
- Heal sparkles: a green ring and rising plus signs, with a green number for the amount.
- Damage numbers in red, with CRIT before the number on a critical, and a death flash when a unit falls.
- MISS in yellow when an attack fails, and DODGE when an enemy misses you. A blue ring marks COVER.
HP bars stay at their old value until the hit lands, then slide down. Two small buttons sit in the top-right corner next to Classic View. FX ON / FX OFF toggles the effects, and your choice is remembered by the browser, so it stays when you reload the page. FX TEST plays a sample shot, a slash and a heal on the current screen, a quick way to check your setting. Effects exist only in the new battle view.
Victory banner and Classic View
When the last enemy falls, the bottom HUD hides and a banner appears in the middle of the scene: ALL HOSTILES DOWNED! YOU WIN! Click LOOT CORPSES to continue to the rewards screen. If another wave is coming, the banner says VANGUARD DOWN! and the button reads BRACE FOR WAVE instead. With FX on, the banner fades in once the final effects finish.
The CLASSIC VIEW link in the top right switches to the older stacked layout, and a link there switches back. The choice is part of your save. The classic screen has larger portraits but changes some rules: there are no range tabs or Movement panel, melee weapons can strike from anywhere, guns always use a flat multiplier, melee enemies do not advance, and enemies pick between you and a random ally without regard to front or back. There are no effects either.
Related pages
- Combat Guide covers Action Points, armor, criticals and cover rules.
- Squad Strategy Guide explains front and back lanes and ally roles.
- Prisoners and the Labor Pits covers the Capture button in depth.
- Gear and Rarity Guide helps you choose between guns and melee weapons.
More guides
Beginner's Guide
Your first week decides the rest of the run. Here is what to do, in order.
OPEN →Combat Guide
Fights are turn-based and every Action Point counts. This guide explains the rules underneath.
OPEN →Squad Strategy Guide
Who you place where before the first shot matters as much as what they carry.
OPEN →