This page will feature quick and easy to find answers to the most common questions people have about Dusk Tactics. It’s divided into sections based on what the scope of the question covers. I’ll expand this page as I get more questions (so keep asking!). I will also eventually add links to more in-depth information regarding game systems mentioned in the answers (and cut down on some of the longer answers…).

Note: Many of the Gameplay questions assume the reader is familiar with the tactical rpg genre.

What type of game is Dusk Tactics?

Dusk Tactics is a turnbased tactical role playing game which is a terribly long name for a genre. It’s basically a tactical rpg (TRPG), or strategy rpg (SRPG). It features many of the elements that an RPG/JRPG would have but focuses on a larger group of characters, fighting larger battles in a large continent spanning saga. Exploration is done via a World Map interface with battles being the main focus.

Battles can be somewhat large and involve dozens of enemies. Much of the gameplay will be building and maintaing a small army which you will deploy in battle and control in a turn-based manner. Each battlemap is handmade, crafted with the freshest ingredients and includes varying terrain, dynamic weather, an active day/night cycle, and plenty more. You will need to take into account all of these variables if you hope to successfully command your troops.

The main story takes place over a sprawling, living world which you experience via battles and scenes. As you complete story battles, new locations will open for you to explore. Inbetween story missions you can participate in free battles at some locations as well as take part in quests or other activies at the various Guild Halls. You can also visit towns to shop for Items & Equipment, and even do some Crafting. Over the course of your journey, you’ll meet many unusual characters from all over the world. Some may join you, while others may impede you. (Here’s where I would add something like “your decisions can influence many things, etc”, but in order to complete the game in my lifetime, I had to put ‘diverging story lines’ on the backburner. I honestly hope to one day add that into the game as it’s the one major feature I’ve had to cut.)

When will Dusk Tactics be released?

This is the ultimate question and one I hope to be able to answer soon. As this project is currently being developed by one person chained to a computer, it’s difficult to give an accurate or even approximate release date.

I’ve learned to stop giving estimated dates this early as you can probably find a few places on this site where it says “It’ll be out in 2020”. No, it will not be out in 2020.

Will there be a demo? When will that be released?

Yes! There is a vertical slice demo (contains a little bit of everything) currently in the works that will start off as a closed alpha test that will eventually roll into an open beta. A playable open release demo may come from this once it has been debugged and polished.

The vertical slice demo has been completed but we are currently performing very small scale closed alpha testing. This should expand to include open alpha testing by 2024.

When released, where will the game be available?

The initial release is planned for PC and will be released via Steam and itch.io. Mac and Linux versions will be released via these same sites once the PC build is finished.

How long will the main game take to complete (playthrough time)?

A rough estimate would put completing just the main story at around 40-60 hours. This is a VERY ROUGH estimate, however, and only includes running through the story missions.

The current build is the vertical slice demo which features a few dozen (40+) scenes and 10 story battles. It takes around 4 to 6 hours to complete the main battles if you ignore everything else.

Will there be post-game content? New Game+?

It’s definitely a long term goal to have a proper post-game and even a New Game+ system where certain things are carried over to a new game upon completion. This is still very far off, though, and currently my focus is on completing the main game.

In battle, is unit turn order team-based (i.e. Fire Emblem) or individual?

Dusk Tactics uses individual speed-based initiative to determine turn order, so units will take turns one at a time based on several factors which include base speed, actions they took on the previous turn, and their overall equipment weight (which detracts from speed).

On average, how many units can be deployed at once? Is there a maximum amount?

Story maps will vary from allowing as few as 1 or 2 units, to as many as 8 or 10. While I don’t have a specific number in mind for maximum deployment, it will probably be around 12.

What type of restrictions are there when it comes to deploying units in story battles?

Some story battles will require certain main characters to participate. Most will require at least 1 or 2 main characters that will have a pre-set starting position. You’re free to choose the rest of the party from your own units and can deploy them onto any of the chosen starting areas.

You may also find that some battles restrict or prohibit certain main characters due to plot reasons so it’s always good to keep a healthy amount of units in your reserves.

Are there different objectives for story scenarios other than “defeat all enemies”?

The objective “Defeat all enemies” is used more often in free battles and will be less common in story missions. The current demo build includes 10 scenarios that have many different objectives.

Each scenario can have up to 3 “Win” objectives, and 3 “Lose” conditions. Most scenarios will allow you multiple paths to victory and some may have multiple paths to defeat. While “Defeat all enemies” is often a secondary objective, it’s often very hard to do this. Lastly, the Objective can change during the battle depending on whatever new events unfold.

Here’s a short list of some of the “Win Condition” Objectives currently in the game:

• Defeat All Units
  Much like Conan the Barbarian’s take on what is best in life, you must crush all who oppose you.
• Survive for X Turns
  Have at least one unit survive until the specified turn comes to an end.
• Escape!
  Have at least one unit reach a specific tile.
• Protect/Save
  You’ll be tasked with making sure a non-player character survives the battle. You may be asked to defeat all enemies in the meantime, or simply help them reach a certain location.
• Defend for X Turns
  You must not let any enemy units go beyond a certain point, you can choose to defeat them or simply rebuff their advances.
• Collect X Items
  The battlefield may contain one or more special items you need to acquire. Do all you can to acquire all of them.
• Defeat the Boss
  A particularly strong enemy will be on the battlefield, simply defeat them and you can claim victory.

Sometimes the “Lose Condition” will be something besides simply having a single unit surviving.

• All Allies Defeated
  Almost always a losing condition, if all of your units are defeated, it’s Game Over.
• Ally X is Defeated
  Some battles may depend on a specific unit making it out alive.
• Turn Limit Expires
  You must complete the objective before the turn limit is reached.
• Enemy Units Reach Location X
  In these cases, you’re trying to keep the enemy away from a specific area, if they reach it, it’s all over.

These win/lose conditions work in tandem to create Objectives that can heavily influence what strategy you use in battle.

How does this game handle unit movement over different terrains? Can units swim?

Battlefield maps are made up of “tiles” that have terrain properties based on what they represent. There are four major categories for terrain:

• Land
  The majority of terrain falls under this category which usually means the tile can be traversed by almost anyone or anything.
• Water
  Water comes in different depths, which will restrict who can move within them and how efficiently they are able to do so.
• Lava
  A rare terrain type with restrictions similar to Water. Most units can not move through these tiles let alone stand on them.
• Void
  An endless pit. Represents a major gap which no unit can land on and only few can traverse.

Units, meanwhile, have a stat called MoveType which is often based on their currently equipped Job. There are 16 different types, each of which defines which tiles you can traverse and how efficiently you can traverse them. Along with MoveType there are two more stats: Move and Jump.
The Move stat determines how far a unit can move while the Jump stat determines vertical movement limitations. Terrains that are walkable typically have a move cost of 1, so a Move value of 3 allows you to move through 3 tiles. MoveType can alter the cost of moving through a terrain by making it cost more or less.

Most Jobs have one of the following:

• Frail
  Very restricted Land movement. Unable to traverse Water, Lava, Void.
• Slow
  Restricted Land movement. Restricted Water movement. Unable to traverse Lava & Void.
• Normal
  Normal Land movement. Restricted Water movement. Unable to traverse Lava & Void.
• Athletic
  Normal Land movement. Normal Water movement. Unable to traverse Lava & Void.
• Agile
  Efficient Land movement. Normal Water movement. Unable to traverse Lava & Void.
• Fast
  Efficient Land movement. Efficient Water movement (walk on water). Unable to traverse Lava & Void.

There are also some special types such as:

• Hover
  Travel over terrain by hovering a bit above the ground. Less constrained by tile height. Able to “stop” almost anywhere.
• Fly
  Fly over any terrain with no regard for height. Must land on a walkable tile.
• Warp
  Teleport instantly to any Land terrain, unfettered by obstacles. Does not work over Water or Lava, can bypass Void.
• None
  Default for anything that cannot move such as objects.

Some more specific movement types are built around specific terrain types, these are usually reserve for monsters:

• Aquatic
  Move exceptionally well in water, but unable to move in other terrain types.
• Amphibian
  Very good water movement with the added bonus of some basic land movement.
• Molten
  Very rare MoveType that’s similar to Aquatic but for Lava.

Lastly there are some special types that allow for unusual feats:

• Aquawalk
  Walk on Water as if it were Land.
• Firawalk
  Walk on Lava as if it were Land.
• Allwalk
  Walk on all terrain as if it were Land.

While each unit will always have one of the above MoveTypes set, they can always be augmented by Equipment, Passives, Abilities, and Items. For example, there is an item that when consumed, allows you to temporarily walk across the surface of water. Depending on the method used, these changes may have a time limit, or require you to have a specific Passive or Item equipped.

Is there fall damage, can units die from falling off the edge of a cliff?

Units can get knocked or pushed around the map which may cause them to fall off of cliff edges. Slamming into a wall or falling from high up can cause damage, sometimes enough to kill you!

Fall damage is based on the distance the unit fell as well as the weight of currently equipped items. Other types of terrain damage, such as colliding with a structure or wall is also based on equipment weight and how hard you were pushed.

Again, you can die from this damage if your HP falls to 0. The greater the fall distance, the more likely it will kill you. Always remember that this effects the enemy as well.

How many Jobs are in the game?

The current build contains 12 Generic Jobs, 2 Special Generic Jobs, 5 Unique Jobs, and several more enemy-only or scene-only Jobs. There are around 48 Jobs currently planned split into 5 Tiers. Generic Jobs have a male and female version, the only difference being the gender and the sprite.

• Generic Jobs is a term used to describe Jobs that are available to anybody, the core of the Job System.
• Special Generics are specialized versions of a Generic Job that you may come across. These are similar to “named generics” in Tactics Ogre in that they are attached to a character who isn’t exactly a main character, but may feature in parts of the story. These Jobs feature different base stats as well as different Abilities and Passives than their generic counterparts. They also have unique sprites.
• Unique Jobs are something every main character has, and it is unique to them. They have a bit more Abilities and Passives to unlock than normal Jobs and have a Max Rank of 12. Every main character has a Unique Job with a unique sprite. When a main character changes to a Generic Job, they will have a special Generic Job sprite but everything else will be the same.

Do Jobs have their own levels/ranks? How does one increase Job Rank?

Yes, Jobs have a Rank that starts at 0 when the Job is first acquired. Your Job Rank will increase as you perform actions in battle and win story missions. You’ll receive JP (Job Points) which goes towards Job Rank as well as giving you points to spend on Abilities and Passives. With each JP earned you will receive AP which is used to purchase Abilities and Passives.

The lowest tier of Jobs, the Starter Tier, has a Max Rank of 3. The higher the tier, the higher the Max Rank and more JP you’ll earn. Increasing Job Rank and potentially reaching the Max Rank will help unlock more advanced Jobs.

In battle, when you gain JP, all units currently alive on the battlefield will gain a small percentage of that JP for whatever Job the original unit is.

For example, let’s say you have a team of three (3) Soldiers and one (1) Scribe. For each action the Soldiers take, all units will receive some Soldier JP, even the Scribe who may not even know that Job yet. Once that Scribe unlocks the Soldier Job, they will start with whatever JP they earned. It’s possible for units to gain access to new Jobs and already be Rank 1 or Rank 2. This method helps keep units who are starting a new Job keep pace with others and allows for you to try out and experience a variety of Jobs.

How are Jobs unlocked?

Jobs are unlocked a number of different ways. The most basic way is by meeting the Job Requirements. Many Jobs have requirements that equate to reaching a certain Rank in one or more Job of a lower tier. Some have special requirements that you’ll have to find out through gameplay.

New units will have access to one of three Starter Tier Jobs: Soldier, Scout, and Scribe.

Once a Job’s Requirements are met, it will appear in that unit’s Job Wheel and will have a CP cost associated with it. Once that cost is paid, you can activate the Job.

Does Dusk Tactics have a YouTube channel?

Yes! Visit and follow us here: Dusk Tactics YouTube Channel

Does Dusk Tactics have a Twitter?

Yes! I actively post updates a few times a week. Dusk Tactics Twitter

Does Dusk Tactics have a Discord?

Sort of. It will be used when Closed Alpha testing starts. For now it’s still a WIP.