Combat basics: damage types, hero synergy and turn order
Updated 25 Oct 2026
The rules behind every space fight: the counter triangle, matching heroes to ships, what ATK, INT and DEF really do, Command Points, and when skills fire.
- Applies to: Oct 2026 — confirm on the in-game screen
- Sources: Game screens and community combat notes
- Checked: 25 Oct 2026
- Confidence: Community analysis — not a Nyx measurement
The short version
- Beam beats Kinetic, Kinetic beats Ion, Ion beats Beam. Advantage = +5% damage.
- Match heroes to the ship's type: 2 matching heroes give +10% ATK/DEF/INT, 3 give +20%.
- Skills fire left to right in formation order. Put the hero who must act first in slot 1.
- More Command Points than your opponent = more damage and extra damage reduction.
- Power is a rough guide only. See Power isn't everything.
Damage types
Every ship uses one of three damage types:
Type | Style | Strong against | Weak against |
|---|---|---|---|
Beam | Sustained, precise damage that breaks armour | Kinetic | Ion |
Kinetic | Heavy projectiles, high burst | Ion | Beam |
Ion | Control and disruption | Beam | Kinetic |
The flagship hull (Gram, Opportunity, Demerzel…) and the damage type are separate. The core component decides the damage type, so any ship can be any type. Switching core components to counter an opponent gives the 5% advantage.
Heroes and ships
Each champion has a damage type. Put champions on ships of the same type:
Matching heroes | Bonus |
|---|---|
2 | +10% ATK, DEF, INT |
3 | +20% ATK, DEF, INT |
Flagship components add base ATK, DEF and INT; better quality gives more. You get them from the Glory Shop, Ascendancy Shrines and Tribute Vessels.
What the stats do
- ATK: normal attacks, counterattacks, and skills that say they scale with ATK.
- INT: skill output for champions and ships (damage, healing or shields, depending on the skill).
- DEF: reduces damage taken. Does nothing for your damage.
- Damage reduction: the strongest defensive stat, because it cuts every source of damage.
- Command Points (CP): having more than your opponent raises your damage and adds damage reduction. A 20 CP lead is roughly a 15% swing, so CP upgrades are high priority.
The fight timeline
In serious PvP with maxed ships, combat runs on a 1-second tick:
- each side fires one normal attack per second, and each hit triggers a counterattack from the target;
- champion abilities fire at second 4, then every 9 seconds, in formation order from left to right.
That's why order matters: a hero whose skill sets up the others (like Killer Bee) belongs in slot 1.
Tooltips aren't always right
Players have measured skills that behave differently from their tooltip. Cocoon's shield, for example, averages 110–150% of DEF in combat. When something seems off, test it, and share what you find on the guild board.
Notes
Based on fgfwiki's Mastering Fleet Power and Combat Mechanics & Formulas.