Rune Star has a great deal of combat mechanics that all impact the flow of combat.  These can be a bit confusing to the casual player, but knowing how every little detail works is not necessary to have an enjoyable experience in Rune Star.  Read on only if you are curious, or if you really want to get the most out of your abilities.  


Stats:
Power - This stat determines how much damage your character does with any attack. 
Armor - This stat determines how much damage your character can take before being defeated. 
Speed - This stat determines how fast you character moves when walking and dashing, and during certain attacks that involve movement.
Dexterity - This stat determines your attacks' stun time and ability to overcome resistance, as well as the rate and effectiveness of most elemental attacks. 
Resistance - This stat determines how likely you are to resist an attack and to avoid contracting an elemental status change, as well as how well you can push other combatants upon contacting them.


Controls:
Movement - Default keys(directional buttons) - Press up, down, left or right to move your character in the given direction.  Double tap left or right (like double clicking) to dash in that direction.  While dashing you will move forward twice as fast and have access to your character's 'dash attacks'. 

Tip:  Master dashing to unlock the full potential of your character.  It allows you to cover distance much more quickly and react effectively to changes in the battlefield, and it gives you access to your character's dash attacks which allow your character to be  more versatile.

If you move into another combatant, enemy or ally, you will be stopped and the two of you will push against each other.  Characters with higher Res have more pushing power.  Some attacks will allow you to slip past enemies without pushing, or negate the push of other combatants.  

Tip:  Because moving out of the way is the most reliable way to avoid being hit, it's important to keep moving and don't let yourself get boxed in.  Try to avoid being caught between two enemies or between a wall and an enemy, it's good to have an escape route if things start to get dangerous. 

Attacks - Default keys (F and D) - Press F to do a normal attack and D to do a special attack.  Press repeatedly to do a combo attack, press and hold to do a charge attack, press while dashing to do a dash attack.  Certain characters can also do combos or charged attacks from a dash attack.  Not all characters have every combination of attack, for instance Psychons do not have a charged normal attack and Legionaries do not have a dash special attack. 

The Move List in the Character Select screen and Sandbag mode indicate which combinations your character can use.  >> indicates a dash attack, c indicates a charge attack, F,F or D,D indicates a combo attack.  
Tip:  It's possible to input the dash command while executing an attack, although some attacks will cancel dashing.  You can use this to reduce your reaction time between attacks, quickly executing a dash attack after a normal one.  Some attacks will be altered depending on whether or not you are dashing at a specific moment in the attack.  For example, dashing while a Templar is using his charged normal attack will cause him to lunge forward while striking.  

Certain attacks are BREAK attacks, meaning that they can BREAK an opponent if they hit under specific conditions.  Only specific attacks are BREAK attacks, so make sure that you are attacking correctly when you attempt to BREAK an enemy. 

Tip:  In Survival Mode you get extra kill credit for BREAKing opponents, and it raises your kill combo, but in Arcade Mode, BREAKing is not always the best way to handle an opponent.  If an opponent seems vulnerable, go for the BREAK, but don't get yourself killed trying to finish off your enemies with 'style'.  

Certain attacks will  become Elemental attacks, based on your selected element.  Usually the ends of combos or strong attacks are elemental. 

Tip:  It's important to pick elements that match your fighting style, and it is often necessary to change tactics slightly when using different elements.  Certain characters also have attacks that will always be the same element no matter what, you can use these properties to get unique combinations. 

Characters with high enough Resistance can 'resist' an attack.  A purple energy field will flash and the character will take only 70% normal damage and will not be stunned or knocked back.  Characters that are attacking will not be canceled if they resist an attack. 

Certain attacks are 'flinchless', meaning you will automatically resist while performing them. 

Tip:  These can be helpful if you find yourself being pushed around too much to pull off a standard attack, but they can sometimes force you to take more damage than normal because you will not get knocked away from your attacker.  If an enemy is using a flinchless attack, it's often better to just avoid getting hit and strike back quickly with a counter attack once they are more vulnerable.  Using your flinchless attacks wisely is an important aspect of victory, especially in one-on-one fights. 


Potions - Default key (S) - Press S to use a potion and heal yourself.  This will raise your HP to max (20x your Armor rating), and will restore your helper to full HP, bringing him/her back to life if defeated.  You cannot use a potion if you are flinching or attacking.  If your HP drops to zero while you have a potion remaining, it will be used up to restore you to 1/4 your max HP, your helper will not be healed or revived.  Once you have no potions left, you will be defeated and have to try the level again.  The number of potions you get is based on the difficulty of the level.  No potions are given for Duel Mode.
Tip:  It is EXTREMELY important to choose the right time to use your potions.  If you choose too early, the potions will not be as effective, but if you choose too late, you will be forced to use one up for much less effectiveness.  Either way, you will run out of potions faster, and you may not have enough to complete the level.  Pay attention to your health and to how much damage your enemies are doing so that you can use your potions at just the right time.  Rationing your potions wisely is easily just as important to victory as attacking or dodging well.