In the mystical world of The Thaumaturge, combat is inevitable, and mastering the art of battle requires more than just brute force. Players must strategically utilize status effects and the unique abilities of Wiktor and his Salutors to emerge victorious.

While dealing damage is essential, disrupting an enemy's focus can be equally effective in securing success. By draining an enemy's focus, players can limit their ability to attack and set them up for devastating blows. Finding the right balance between dealing damage and reducing focus is key to triumph in The Thaumaturge. The ability to diminish enemy focus is introduced in the game's second tutorial battle, following Wiktor's reconnection with the Salutor named 'Upyr'.

Mastering Focus Reduction

After regaining Upyr's power, Wiktor gains access to the 'Diversion' ability, capable of reducing an enemy's focus by 1. Additionally, Upyr can utilize the 'Liberum Veto' ability to both decrease an enemy's focus and cleanse negative status effects from Wiktor. While these abilities provide an initial means of focus reduction, they may prove insufficient against stronger foes. The 'Thief of Thought' upgrade in the skill tree's Deed section empowers equipped abilities to reduce focus by 1 when the target is afflicted with the 'suffering' status. Pairing this upgrade with 'Diversion' and Salutor 'Bukavac' offers a potent focus-reducing combination. As the game progresses, new Salutors like Lelek introduce even more formidable focus-manipulating tactics.

Mastering Breakdown Exploitation

When an enemy's focus hits zero, they enter the 'Breakdown' status, rendering them immobile and vulnerable to Strong Attacks. These powerful strikes inflict substantial damage and often carry secondary effects. For instance, Upyr's Strong Attack can heal Wiktor for half of his missing health, while Bukavac's can afflict the 'suffering' status on all foes. During an enemy's breakdown phase, both Wiktor and his active Salutor can execute a Strong Attack, making it an opportune moment to focus fire on a single target.

Mastering Focus Preservation

Players must safeguard Wiktor's Focus points, which diminish when attacked by enemies, leading to the Breakdown effect. To prevent this, strategic use of Wiktor and his Salutor's abilities is crucial. The 'Relaxation' upgrade in the skill tree's Mind section replenishes 3 focus every time its attached ability is used, mitigating the impact of focus-reducing enemy assaults in prolonged engagements. Upgrades like 'Fortune' and 'Lucky Chance' enable players to disrupt or delay enemy actions, aiding Wiktor in minimizing damage to his health and focus during combat.