DragonSword : Awakening Status Ailments

Active Skills vs Signal Skills

Active Skills are direct inputs — two per hero, plus evolving combat options after engaging (grab skills, enhanced chains). Signal Skills trigger when ailment thresholds or Break conditions are satisfied; they often play off-screen while your active hero keeps fighting.

Build ailment stacks with Actives and basics first; Signal second. New players who treat Signal as a hoarded ultimate waste the stagger windows Break creates.

Break gauge and stagger

Many enemies display a white Break bar under HP. Depleting it staggers the target — juggles connect, Super Armor drops, and teammates can be called for combo support. Focus one ailment type while breaking armor; spreading debuffs slows Break progress.

Airborne gauge and juggles

Airborne attacks show a blue wing icon. When the airborne gauge under HP empties, launch attacks connect and enemies cannot act until they land. Johnny's Phantom Slash and Raina's Rising Cutter are reliable starters — chain swaps to keep foes airborne. Air juggles are among the strongest status ailments routes in open-world elite fights.

Swap persistence and grab

Long animations (Castella axe spin) and grab latches persist after hero swap — your previous ally keeps dealing ailment damage while you reposition. This is how single-player squads simulate two active fighters. Tutorial: beginner guide.

Knockdown

Knockdown slams enemies to the ground for downed damage and Signal routes. Alex (Down Smash, Guard Stance), Ornette (shields + slam), and Othello (Hero Quest bruiser) are primary applicators. Scion's Divine Smash lodges a relic for Knockdown plus a toggled damage/defense zone.

Knockdown pairs with melee finishers (Lute, Theresia) who burst during downed windows. Double-Knockdown frontlines (Alex + Ornette) stabilize co-op boss phases.

Airborne

Airborne is the juggle ailment — blue wing icon, gauge under HP. Johnny (Phantom Slash), Raina (Rising Cutter, Wind Slayer), Eileen (Barging Spear), and [object Object] apply it. Deplete the gauge, launch, extend with swaps until the enemy lands.

Airborne is helplessness time — the enemy cannot attack back during a well-maintained juggle. Pair with Familiars that buff crit after ailments for extra burst.

Bleed

Bleed stacks DoT through repeated strikes. [object Object] (protagonist), Roxy (Crimson Spiral, Bloody Shower), and Theresia (Consecration flail) anchor Bleed teams. Theresia adds Stun via Celestial Verdict for follow-up slams.

Bleed excels on sustained single-target — Tower bosses and Subjugation checks where Airborne juggles are interrupted.

Frost / Freeze

[object Object] and ice golem Chako apply Frost — slow, freeze setup, and aggro control. Chako Shield absorbs damage while Donna applies frost independently. Frost teams play slower but safer — popular for relaxed endgame clears with Scion and Othello.

Shock

Shock comes from relic and tome casters. Scion (Divine Crash spinning relic) and Tart (Lightning Shock, Bolt Bubble) apply electro pressure. Scion's buff zone toggles red (damage) or blue (defense) — team-wide utility rare among ailment dealers.

Stun

Stun hard-stops enemies for combo setup. Theresia (Celestial Verdict shockwave), Kalin (one Burn kit attack), and [object Object] (fox spirit kit) apply Stun. Stun follows detonation or Bleed routes — rarely the solo primary ailment for a full squad.

Burn

Burn fuels detonation chains. Kalin (Fox Parade, Fox Chase) swarms fox spirits that detonate Burn on contact; Kalien adds Burn + Stun from story progression. Touch-active detonation (Kalin touching her fox) rewards positioning — see detonation section below.

Poison

[object Object] is the flagship Poison applicator — Poison Dagger projectiles plus venomous Karma crafting. Poison stacks feed Signal routes alongside her Airborne and Knockdown tools, making her the most flexible ailment hero in the exchange roster.

Icon reading checklist

Before swapping finisher: (1) Is primary ailment icon active? (2) Is Break gauge low or empty? (3) For Airborne, is wing gauge depleted? (4) For Burn/Poison, are stacks ready to detonate? Affirmative on Break + ailment = Signal window.

Co-op stack etiquette

In 2-player boss and 3-player Raid co-op, two players applying the same ailment overwrite stacks. Assign one applicator per element — details on co-op guide and team building.

Tag combo attack logic

Building different status elements powers your tag combo attack — the system's name for chained Signal and swap finishers. Multi-ailment heroes reach tag combo thresholds faster because one rotation applies several element types without bench swaps.

Detonation is not optional on Burn teams: Kalin's fox swarm exists to pop Burn icons — running Fox Parade without follow-up detonation wastes the ailment slot.

Familiar ailment synergies

Select Familiars amplify ailments — e.g., launch promotions grant crit damage after status application. Match mount passives to your squad's primary ailment before min-maxing hero Karma. Familiars guide.

Recommended pairings by ailment

Airborne: Johnny applicator → Raina finisher → Charlotte flex. Bleed: Lute → Roxy → Theresia Stun follow. Frost: Donna → Kalien Burn overlap → Castella CC. Knockdown: Ornette → Alex → Othello downed burst. Burn: Kalin → Kalien → Johnny melee detonate.

Who to unlock first for ailment coverage

First ticket: [object Object] (triple ailment), Raina (Airborne), or [object Object] (Frost). Story freebies already cover Bleed (Lute), Airborne (Johnny), and Knockdown (Castella) — plan tickets to fill gaps, not duplicate.

Astria and non-ailment kits

Astria uses Siege Assault and Wideshot without applying ailments — viable as secondary ranged if your trio already has an applicator. Do not field Astria as sole ailment source in Signal-focused content.