Underkeep Combat: Turn Order, Damage and Status

Underkeep combat is a grid-based turn game where each hero gets one action per round, potions are free, and the combat log tells you exactly why an attack failed. The side that spends fewer actions on healing wins.

How does a combat round work?

Every hero gets one action: a basic attack or an assigned active skill. Items, including potions, do not consume the action. A few skills are also free actions, which makes them the strongest buttons in the game.

The round ends when every hero has acted or when you press the hourglass. After any hero acts, the party cannot move until the round ends. That rule is why positioning has to be decided before the first attack, not in the middle of the round.

Free actions are not free resources; they still cost stamina or Zeal. They are free in the action economy, which is the part that decides fights. The skills page→ marks every free action by class.

How is damage calculated?

The game uses flat armor subtraction, not percentages.

• Base damage = STR / 2 + weapon damage + bonuses.
• Physical damage = base damage − target armor + Sharpness.
• Critical damage = ×1.75.
• Melee crit chance = DEX / 10.
• Ranged crit chance = DEX / 7.
• Ranged hit chance = DEX × 10 − enemy evasion.
• Evasion = DEX × 2%, capped at 60%.

Two conclusions follow. First, armor is strongest against many weak hits and weakest against one large hit. Second, DEX is both an accuracy stat and a crit stat, which is why Thief and Ranger scale so well with it.

Magic does not use the physical formula. Each spell has its own damage range and resistance check, and WIS provides 2% fire, ice, lightning, and poison resistance per point. Blood magic resistance comes from END instead.

Why does the combat log matter?

The log names the exact failure: miss, out of reach, immune, resisted, or no valid target. Reading it saves whole runs.

If an attack says Out of Reach, the hero is in the wrong row or the weapon lacks Reach. If a status never lands, the enemy is immune; stop spending actions on it and switch to raw damage. If a heal does nothing, check for Disease or a healing reduction effect.

Which status effects matter?

Bleed and poison are damage-over-time effects, so they favor long fights. Stun and freeze are tempo effects, so they favor burst. Paralyze is unusual: the target can still attack but cannot move, which matters when the whole party is stuck in place.

What is the best turn order?

Open with free actions and debuffs, then spend the round on focused damage. A typical round looks like this:

1. Paladin uses Righteous Strike as a free action and builds Zeal.
2. Voidcaller applies Unholy Convergence or refreshes an aura.
3. Ranger marks the priority target with Hunter's Prey.
4. Warrior uses Champion's Grip, then hits.
5. Wizard casts the element the target is weak to.
6. Thief finishes a bleeding target with Shadow Lunge.

The exact order depends on who is in danger, but the principle is stable: buffs and marks first, damage second, healing only when someone would otherwise die.

How do you handle a losing fight?

End the round and retreat while you still have actions. A retreat costs progress, not the run. If a hero is down, decide whether to revive in combat or fall back; reviving into the same losing position just spends resources twice.

Against undead, stop relying on bleed and poison. They ignore both, and fire is the reliable answer. Against animals, Elk armor helps the front row. Against armored orcs, Sharpness and armor-ignoring skills are worth more than raw damage. The bosses page→ applies these rules to the named fights.

FAQ

Is there a turn order initiative stat?

The game does not expose an initiative stat in the tooltips covered here. Heroes act once per round, and the hourglass ends the round early.

Do potions really not cost a turn?

Correct. Potions and inventory items are free actions. That is why carrying cures is stronger than carrying one more damage item.

Why did my attack miss?

Check the combat log. Common causes are low DEX against an evasive enemy, blind, or attacking from the wrong row without Reach.

Community source: Steam community player guide ↗

Official source: Underkeep on Steam ↗

Official source: Underkeep news hub ↗

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