Combat System

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Combat System

Combat in Chatsubo is deadly, fast-paced, and rewards preparation. This guide covers everything you need to know to survive the violent streets of Night City.

Combat Basics

How Combat Works

Chatsubo uses turn-based auto-combat: 1. You initiate combat with the attack command 2. Combat enters automatic mode with 2.5-second turns 3. You and your opponent exchange attacks each turn 4. Combat continues until someone dies, flees, or is knocked unconscious 5. You can intervene with commands during auto-combat

Why auto-combat? - Keeps combat moving and exciting - Prevents slow, stalled fights - Allows you to focus on tactics rather than command spam - You can still make strategic decisions mid-fight

Starting Combat

attack <target>

Examples:

attack ganger
attack hostile thug
attack security guard

What you can attack: - Hostile NPCs (marked as attackable) - Some neutral NPCs (if hostile tags allow) - NEVER other players - PvP is prevented by the safety system

What you CANNOT attack: - Other players (PvP disabled) - Quest NPCs (protected) - Service NPCs like bartenders and vendors (protected) - Anything not explicitly marked as attackable

Combat Safety: The game prevents you from attacking invalid targets. If you can't attack something, it's intentionally protected.

Combat Mechanics

Initiative and Turn Order

Combat starts with initiative rolls: - Your Reflexes attribute determines initiative - Higher Reflexes = act first more often - First striker gets immediate advantage

Turn order: 1. Initiative is rolled 2. Higher roll acts first 3. Each combatant takes one action per turn 4. Turns cycle every 2.5 seconds

Attack Resolution

Each attack follows this process:

  1. Hit Check - Did the attack land? - Attacker rolls accuracy - Defender's defense is calculated - Hit rate starts at ~75% and varies based on stats

  2. Damage Calculation - How much damage? - Base damage from Strength attribute - Random damage roll (1-6) - Combat skill bonus (flat +damage per skill level) - Level scaling applied

  3. Miss Streak Protection - If you miss repeatedly, you get cumulative bonuses - 3 misses in a row: +2 to hit - 5 misses in a row: +5 to hit - 7+ misses in a row: +8 to hit - Prevents frustrating 8-9 consecutive miss chains

Damage and Health

Your health determines survival: - Health shown as current/max (e.g., "85/100") - Damage reduces current health - Reaching 0 health = unconscious or death

Health is restored by: - Medical treatment (Street Medics, clinics) - Med kits and healing items - Rest and time (slow natural healing) - Visiting the Black Clinic after respawn

Combat Display

During combat you'll see: - Your current health - Your current target's health - Attack results (hit/miss, damage dealt) - Special combat events (critical hits, status effects) - Not shown: Other combatants' health (keeps display clean)

Combat Commands

During Combat

attack <target>

Switch targets mid-combat (if multiple enemies).

flee

Attempt to escape combat. Success based on Reflexes attribute.

status

Check your current health and condition.

Fleeing Combat

Fleeing is always an option: - Type flee to attempt escape - Success chance based on your Reflexes vs enemy stats - One flee command escapes the entire encounter - Successful flee grants reduced XP reward (better than dying!) - Failed flee wastes a turn - enemy attacks while you try to escape

When to flee: - Health below 30% - Outnumbered by multiple enemies - Enemy is higher level than you - You're unprepared or underequipped

Don't be ashamed to flee - living to fight another day is smart strategy.

Death and Respawn

What Happens When You Die

  1. You become unconscious at 0 health
  2. Auto-respawn triggers after a short delay
  3. You wake at the Black Clinic with 20% health
  4. Minor XP loss (very small penalty)
  5. Equipment intact - you don't lose your gear

Recovery After Death

At the Black Clinic: - Use medical services to heal fully - Purchase healing items - Rest to regain strength - Plan your next move

Quick recovery commands:

rest

Restore health slowly over time (if at clinic).

buy medkit

Purchase healing items for field use.

Combat XP and Rewards

XP Rewards

You gain XP for: - Combat victories - Full XP based on enemy level - Successful fleeing - Reduced XP for escaping alive - Assist kills - Partial XP for group combat

XP scaling: - Higher level enemies = more XP - Enemies much lower than you = reduced or no XP - Level difference affects XP (within ±5 levels optimal)

XP awarded automatically - no special commands needed.

Loot and Drops

Some defeated enemies drop: - NuYen (currency) - Equipment and weapons - Medical supplies - Quest items

Use loot or loot all to collect drops after combat.

Combat Strategy

Before Combat

Preparation wins fights: 1. Check your health - Enter combat at full HP when possible 2. Equip best gear - Weapons, armor, cyberware active 3. Stock healing items - Med kits for emergency healing 4. Know your enemy - Scout before engaging 5. Choose your ground - Don't fight in disadvantageous locations

During Combat

Tactical decisions: - Focus fire - Eliminate enemies one at a time - Manage health - Use healing items when health drops below 50% - Know when to flee - Retreat is sometimes the best option - Switch targets - If one enemy is nearly dead, finish them first

After Combat

Post-combat checklist: 1. Loot defeated enemies 2. Check your health and heal if needed 3. Verify equipment condition 4. Plan next engagement or retreat to safety

Combat Tips by Role

Street Samurai

  • Your strength: High combat skill and reflexes
  • Tactics: Aggressive, frontline fighting
  • Focus: Maximize damage output, invest in combat cyberware
  • Weakness: Limited ranged options, expensive cyberware maintenance

Console Cowboy

  • Your strength: Avoid combat through hacking
  • Tactics: Disable security, avoid direct confrontation
  • Focus: Intelligence-based solutions, minimal combat investment
  • Weakness: Very low combat ability - flee or avoid combat

Fixer

  • Your strength: Versatility and tactical thinking
  • Tactics: Balanced approach, use environment
  • Focus: Moderate combat skill, leverage contacts for backup
  • Weakness: Not specialized - good at nothing, adequate at everything

Tech

  • Your strength: Superior equipment quality
  • Tactics: Rely on modded gear to compensate for low combat skill
  • Focus: Craft/acquire best equipment, avoid fair fights
  • Weakness: Low combat skill - depends entirely on gear advantage

Street Medic

  • Your strength: Self-healing capability
  • Tactics: Attrition warfare - outlast enemies
  • Focus: Medical supplies and endurance, heal through damage
  • Weakness: Low damage output - fights take longer

Advanced Combat Concepts

Enemy AI Behavior

Enemies have different AI profiles: - Aggressive: Attacks on sight, pursues fleeing targets - Defensive: Only attacks if threatened - Service: Never initiates combat (vendors, quest NPCs) - Civilian: Flees from combat, non-threatening

Enemy coordination: - Multiple enemies will gang up on you - Enemies never attack each other - Fleeing from one enemy flees from the entire encounter

Hostile Encounters

Some areas have hostile NPCs: - Entering certain rooms triggers automatic combat - Hostiles detect and attack on sight - Common in dangerous zones (alleys, gang territory, corporate areas) - Use caution in unknown areas

Avoiding hostiles: - Scout ahead with look before entering - Use taxi system to bypass dangerous areas - Travel with groups in hostile zones - Level up before exploring dangerous content

Combat Difficulty

Enemies are tiered by difficulty: - Tier 1: Tutorial enemies (levels 1-5) - Tier 2: Mid-game enemies (levels 6-15) - Tier 3: End-game enemies (levels 16+)

Level recommendations: - Don't fight enemies more than 5 levels above you - Optimal XP comes from enemies ±2 levels from you - Tutorial enemies don't grant XP after level 6

Combat Builds

Glass Cannon (High Damage)

  • Max Combat skill
  • Invest in Strength and Reflexes
  • Best weapons and damage cyberware
  • Accept low survivability for high damage

Tank (High Survivability)

  • Max Body attribute (via cyberware)
  • Heavy armor and defensive cyberware
  • Moderate combat skill
  • Outlast enemies through endurance

Balanced Fighter

  • Even investment in combat skills and health
  • Mix of offensive and defensive cyberware
  • Versatile equipment loadout
  • Good for solo players

Skill Specialist

  • Max one combat skill (e.g., just handguns)
  • Use only weapons matching that skill
  • Extreme effectiveness with specialized weapons
  • Vulnerable if forced to use other weapon types

Common Mistakes

1. Fighting While Injured

Never enter combat below 50% health. Heal first or flee.

2. Ignoring Equipment

Outdated weapons and armor get you killed. Upgrade regularly.

3. Fighting Above Your Level

Enemies 5+ levels higher are extremely dangerous. Avoid or flee.

4. Not Having Healing Items

Always carry med kits. They save lives.

5. Staying in Lost Fights

If you're losing badly, flee immediately. Don't wait until you're at 10% health.

6. Fighting Unnecessarily

Not every problem requires combat. Sometimes talking, hacking, or sneaking is better.

Combat in Night City is brutal and unforgiving. Prepare well. Fight smart. Survive.

Last Updated: October 2025

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