Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories/Battle basics

Below are listed the basics of Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories, and the essential information you'll need to fight effectively.

Base Map
The Base Map for all intents and purposes is your "headquarters". You can buy items here, arrange your troops, nearly anything outside of battle is done in the base map. The first and most-often seen base map in Disgaea 2 is Holt Village. Other base maps include Innocent Towns in the Item World, or the Colosseum in Episodes 6 and 7.

Base Map Menu
You can bring up this menu anytime you're in the base map by pressing psx: T.


 * Items - View and re-arrange all of your items, and move them from the Item Bag to the Warehouse or vice versa. Items in the Item Bag are brought into battle and can be used or equipped mid-fight, while items in the Warehouse are left behind and unavailable in battle.  Only a couple dozen items can be held in the Item Bag, but 512 items can be stored in the Warehouse.
 * Equip - Check your characters' current armor and weapons, and remove or equip items.
 * Status - Check your characters' stats, abilities, etc.
 * Arrange - Rearrange your unit listing. This can be done manually or through several automatic options.
 * Help - View tutorials on the basics of combat.
 * Settings - Change sound levels, toggle on/off Special Move visuals, switch between English and Japanese audio, toggle Geo Effects between normal speed and fast, etc.
 * Quit - Reset the game and return to the main menu. Unsaved progress will be lost.
 * Save - Save your progress up to this point.
 * HL - Abbreviation for "Hell", the currency found in Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories. This displays your current amount, which can be earned in battle or by selling item to the local Rosenqueen shops.  It is used to buy items and weapons from the base map's shops or from stores in the Item World, and is also used for healing at the Hospital.

Shopping
There are three stores on every base map: Rosenqueen Weapon Shop, Rosenqueen Armor Shop, and Rosenqueen General Store, each uses HL as currency. As expected, the Weapon Shop sells weapons (characters can only hold one weapon). The Armor shop sells defensive items (characters can hold up to three armors) and other items that boost stats. Power Belts, Glasses, Shoes, and Weights can be added to the armor shop by passing certain Dark Assembly Bills. The General Store sells usable items that can restore HP or SP and remove status abnormalities in the midst of battle. When buying equipable items, you have the option of trying them on and comparing their stats to your characters' current equipment.

Customer Rank
To raise customer rank, simply buy items from any shops. Relatively expensive purchases raise Customer Rank more than cheaper purchases.

Product Rank
Higher product rank means more expensive and more valuable items available for purchase. Product Rank can be increased by passing the "More Expensive Stuff" bill in the Dark Assembly. Product Rank cannot exceed Customer Rank.

Netherworld Hospital
By paying HL, you can revive and completely restore characters injured in battle and remove any abnormal status. Revival has an additional cost when compared to simple HP/SP restoration. The healing costs for all characters and classes is uniform, save for Prinnies, who never cost more than a single HL to heal.

Other Services
The Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories/Dark Assembly and Item World can also be accessed through the Base Map. The Post Officer can be spoken with to accept Subpoenas needed to earn Felonies. Local characters can also be spoken with for advise or just random conversations. The Dimensional Gatekeeper can be spoken with to enter the main stages, and the Dark World Dimensional Gatekeeper can be talked to to access Dark World stages.

Battle Stages
You can access basic stages by talking to the Dimensional Gatekeeper, but battles can also be found in the Item World, Dark Assembly, and other areas.

Sending out Allies
By moving the cursor to your Base Panel (glowing blue panel) and pressing psx: X, a selection of all available characters appears. Selecting one of these units will cause them to appear on the Base Panel and ready for commands. Characters who move back onto the Base Panel will disappear from the map and back into safety (this can also be done by highlighting a character standing on the base panel and pressing psx: C), and able to be replaced with other characters. Up to ten characters can be sent out from the Base Panel at once.

Battle Commands
By highlighting one of your characters and pressing psx: X, a selection of commands for that character will appear.


 * Move - Move the character a number of panels equal to or less than their MV stat. Characters cannot jump to ledges with a height difference from the current level greater than their JM stat.
 * Attack - Perform a standard attack on the selected target. This action will not be executed immediately, by will activate after selecting "Execute" or "End Turn" from the main Battle Menu.
 * Special - Perform a selected Special Move on the targeted unit or area. More about about these moves can be found in the Special Moves section of this guide.  Like regular attacks, Specials will not be performed until selecting the "Execute" or "End Turn" commands from the main Battle Menu.
 * Defend - Increase defensive capabilities until the next turn, but decreases chance of counterattacking.
 * Lift / Throw - One character can lift an adjacent character whether or not they're an ally, foe, or innocent character. Once lifted, the character can be thrown within the thrower's throw range.  Characters can lift characters who are already lifting, and characters can throw characters into the hands of other characters.  If your turn ends while one of your units is lifting an enemy character, you will take damage proportional to that unit's ATK.  Monster characters cannot lift or throw, but they can still be lifted or thrown.  Enemy characters will never use the Lift or Throw commands.
 * Ascend - Only available in stages with a Dark Sun. For more information on this, see the Dark World portion of this guide.
 * Item - Use or view items in the item bag.
 * Equipment - Switch equipped items with those in the Item Bag.
 * Status - View the selected character's status, equipped items, etc. This can be used on either allies or enemies.

Move can only be performed once per turn. Attack, Special, Defend, Lift / Throw, Ascend, OR Item can only be used once per turn. Equipment and Status can be used anytime in the same turn, but Equipment cannot be selected after throwing or attacking.

Certain actions can be canceled by pressing psx: C. Move, Defend, and Lift can be canceled anytime. Attack or Special can be canceled if you have not yet selected 'Execute' and performed the attack yet. Throw, Ascend, and Item cannot be canceled. Equipment cannot be canceled, but it can essentially be redone by re-equipping the same item.

Battle Menu

 * Execute - Executes Attacks and Specials in the order they were commanded. By targeting several attacks on the same unit before selecting Execute, combos can be built.  Move, Lift, and other commands given before selecting Execute can still be canceled.
 * End Turn - Performs the same actions as Execute, if any unperformed commands have been given, and passes the turn onto the enemy.
 * Character - All characters on the stage map are listed by name, ally characters are listed as blue and enemies as red. When the list's cursor highlights a character on the list, the map cursor moves highlights that character on the stage.
 * Bonus - Displays bonuses you will earn for clearing the stage, and directly corresponds to the "Bonus Gauge". If the Bonus Gauge reaches level two, you will receive the item labeled two on the bonus list.  The Bonus Gauge can be filled slightly by attacking or stealing, but rises much more from long Geo Effect chains, lengthy combos, or queuing a long line of attacks/specials before selecting Execute.  By passing certain Dark Assembly bills or visiting specific Mystery Rooms in the Item World, the Bonus Gauge can get a boost for one battle.
 * Help - View tutorials on the basics of combat.
 * Settings - Change sound levels, toggle on/off Special Move visuals, switch between English and Japanese audio, toggle Geo Effects between normal speed and fast, etc.
 * Quit - Reset the game and return to the main menu. Unsaved progress will be lost.

Stats
Lv - Level The character's current level. After gaining a certain amount of EXP, a character's level will rise. On each level up, all of their basic stats (Total HP, Total SP, ATK, DEF, INT, RES, HIT, and SPD) will increase slightly. Higher levels generally mean more powerful units.

Basic Stats
These stats can be increased by leveling up and many different types of equipment.

Character's current amount of health. When damage is taken, this will decrease. Characters will die if it reaches 0. HP is generally represented as "Current HP/Total HP". Current HP can be restored through Special Moves, the Hospital, and many other things. Works in the same fashion as HP, but only decreases when using Special Moves. When this reaches 0, Special Moves can no longer be used. SP can be restored through using Items, Visiting the Hospital, or a Ghost's innate ability. Affects the amount of damage certain attacks will cause, more ATK equals more damage given. Monster, Sword, Axe, Spear, and Staff normal attacks use this to determine damage. Bow normal attacks use half of ATK and half of HIT to determine damage, and Fist normal attacks use half of ATK and half of SPD to determine damage. Special Moves that use this stat to determine damage will have "ATK" at the beginning of the move's description. Any attacks fueled by this stat are considered "physical attacks". Affects the defensive capabilities against physical attacks (attacks based on ATK, HIT, and/or SPD). Higher DEF means less damage taken. Affects the amount of damage certain attacks will cause, more INT means more damage. Certain Special Moves are the only attacks that utilize this stat, and will declare so in the move's description. Any attacks fueled by this stat are considered "magical attacks". Affects the defensive capabilities against magical attacks (attacks based on INT, or Rozalin's Rose Liberation special move). Higher RES means less damage taken. RES fuels the strength of most healing Special Moves, such as Giga Heal. Determines if attacks hit or miss, higher HIT means attacks is more likely to meet its target. Gun attack damage is fueled by HIT, and Bow attack damage is determined by half of HIT and half of ATK. A few Special Moves use this stat to affect the damage. High SPD means the character is more likely to dodge attacks. In addition, it causes enemy attacks to be more likely to be a Nick, and less likely to be a Critical. Fist attack damage is determined by half of SPD and half of ATK. The chance of
 * HP - Health Points
 * SP - Skill Points
 * ATK - Attack
 * DEF - Defense
 * INT - Intelligence
 * RES - Resistance
 * HIT - Accuracy of Hits
 * SPD - Speed

Static Stats
These stats do not increase through leveling up. Most items, besides Shoes or Fists, that can increase these stats must be modified to do so in the item world.

When one unit executes a normal attack on another unit, the defending unit has a chance to execute a counterattack after taking damage if the defender has at least one COUNTER. Counterattacks can also be countered just like normal attacks. COUNTER refers to the maximum amount of counterattacks one can execute in a turn, including regular counters, counter-counters, counter-counter-counters, etc. More COUNTERS and higher SPD mean higher chances of successful counters. The only way to raise this stat is by passing the "Increase Counterattack" Dark Assembly bill, which increases it by one, by equipping a Fist-type weapon, or by passing the "Increase Counterattack" in the Item World Assembly and equipping the item. It does not increase through leveling up. MV refers to how many panels a character can move by using the "Move" command. MV can be increased by equipping Shoes, or items that have been modified in the item world, or by passing the "Increase Movement" Dark Assembly bill. Some characters have Innate Abilities that can increase their MV under certain circumstances. MV does not increase through leveling up. The amount of dm a character can leap in a single bound. This can be increased by equipping Shoes, or items that have been modified in the item world. Throw is a hidden stat exclusive to humanoid characters, and only reveals itself when a character selects the "Throw" command. The first number defines the maximum amount of panels a character can throw, and the second number determines how many dm high the character can throw. This stat cannot be increased in any way.
 * COUNTER
 * MV - Move / Movement
 * JM - Jump
 * Throw

Elements
Every character has affiliations for the three elements: Fire, Wind, and Ice. Fire is represented by Red, Wind by Green, and Ice by blue. The standard amount is 50% in one of these three elements, 0% in another, and -50% in another (Special Characters may have 0% in all three). When a character as 50% in Fire, they only take half damage from attacks utilizing fire, and have enhanced attack power when striking with any Special Move that utilizes fire. If a character has -50% in Ice, they take x1.5 damage from attacks using Ice, and their Ice attacks are weakened. When a character has 0% in an element, there is no change.

Affiliation in these elements can be increased by equipping items with certain specialists (Firefighter increases fire, Aeronaut increases wind, and Cryophile increases Ice). Special Moves exclusive to the Rune Knight class can increase or decrease elemental affinities. The Elemental affinity for any given element cannot exceed 99%, and cannot fall below -99%.

If a Special Move has an elemental affinity, it will include (fire), (ice), or (wind) in its description.

"Star", often seen as the fourth element, is treated as non-elemental by a Holy Dragon's Innate Ability. Elemental affinities seem to have no effect on the power of star-based attacks either.

Other Stats
The total amount of experience gained since Lv1 is listed, not including EXP lost through reincarnation. Once a character has enough EXP, their level will advance. EXP is gained by killing foes, destroying Geo Symbols, or opening chests within a stage. EXP is not gained by damaging foes without killing them, defeating foes with Geo Effects, or defeating foes by throwing. If characters are finished off through Team Attacks or Tower Attacks, EXP is split equally between all participants. This is the amount of EXP needed to advance to the character's next level. Gained from killing characters, much in the same way as EXP. This is a currency used to pass bills and create characters in the Dark Assembly.
 * EXP - Experience
 * NEXT
 * Mana

Abnormal Status Effects
Abnormal status effects refer to ailments a character currently has. These can be received or given through Special Moves, certain Item Specialists, some Innate Abilities, or effects of the Dark Sun. All effects will wear off within a few turns, usually close to four or five. Each status effect is represented by a small icon hovering above the affected character. If the character has multiple abnormal status effects, the icons will cycle through all currently held status ailments.

Aside from waiting for the effects to wear off, all abnormal status effects can be cured through several methods: Visiting a Hospital, casting Espoir on affected characters, or using a Fairy Dust item on the affected character.

Weapon Types and Weapon Mastery
Human-type characters can equip seven different types of weapons. Whenever a character uses one of these weapon types, their "Weapon Mastery" for that weapon type will increase slightly. To increase weapon mastery faster, it would be best to have characters stick with only one type of weapon, or occasionally two if there's a specific need for it. When a character has high weapon mastery, they can do more damage with that type of weapon. After advancing the weapon mastery of a weapon type to a certain point, the character also gains Special Moves that can only be used when these types of weapons are equipped.

Each type of character has different levels of weapon proficiency of each weapon type. The highest proficiency is S, the second-highest is A, third is B, fourth is C, fifth is D, and the worst is E. The higher a character's proficiency is, the faster their weapon mastery can rise. While it's normally more beneficial for a character to use weapons they are proficient with, the bonus certain weapons offer may be more beneficial to that type of class (for example, giving a Samurai an axe to maximize its ATK potential).

Monster Classes only have two weapon choices, both exclusive to monsters: Red and Blue. Red typically increases ATK and HIT, while blue will normally focus on ATK and INT. There are no weapon-specific abilities for these weapons, there isn't any weapon mastery for them, and they don't offer bonuses like the human weapons do.

Humans' Weapon Mastery attack boost is matched by a hidden stat all monsters have. While humans rely on using their weapons to increase their boost, monsters simply need to level up to increase theirs. This makes monster classes much easier to manage, and there is no need for "Weapon Training".

Many argue the best way to increase Weapon Mastery is finding a map with Invincibility or Reverse damage Geo Panels, and positioning your own characters on the panels. Then, have them repeatedly attack each other and activate counterattacks. To maximize this effect, both characters should have higher counter. The counter of weapons can be increase in the Item World's Dark Assembly, and the character's counter can be increase through the normal Dark Assembly.

Attack Direction
When attacking a foe, greater damage can be inflicted if you're facing their sides, and greatest damage when facing their back, as opposed to their front. Accuracy is also increased alongside attack power.

Use this to defend against attacks as well, and never show your back to the enemy. During your turn, you can change any of your character's facing by highlighting them, holding down psx: S, and pushing psx: neutral dpad in the direction you wish for them to face.

Team Attacks
When a character executes a normal attack, there's a chance adjacent allies will join in the attack for extra damage. Fist-users have a higher chance to join in on team attacks, and any units that wield the same types of weapons are more likely to support one another in team attacks. A Pupil has a higher chance to join in on their Master's team attack and vice versa. The chances of Team Attack success can be seen in a window that appears when you select a target for your attack. When the attack leader isn't adjacent to their target (when they use ranged attacks), there is a 0% chance of a Team Attack.

When trying to execute a team attack, you can move characters adjacent to the attack leader, and then cancel their movement after the attack is executed. This will add the bonus of team attacks without any sacrifice.

Combos
Attacking the same enemy or group of enemies consecutively within the same Execute or End Turn command is called a "combo". For example, if you command four of your characters to attack the same enemy, and then select "Execute" a combo of 3 will result (the first attack doesn't count as part of the combo). The later an attack is in a combo, the greater its power and accuracy will become. Combos also increase the Bonus Gauge faster than unchained attacks or specials.

If the target is changed during 'Execute', the Combo will break. However, if you are using area-of-effect attacks, the combo will continue as long as one of the targets in the affected area was targeted in the last part of the combo. "Miss" attacks will not break the combo, but will in fact add onto it like a regular attacks.

Since the combo bonus works as a percentage increase, it would be best to start with weaker attacks and end with stronger attacks.

Stand-Still Bonus
When a character goes several turns without moving, a message like "Combo 2 times +10%" will above their character information. For every turn a character doesn't move a panel, the percentage amount will increase (usually by 10%). This is a temporary percentage bonus to all of that character's stats, and is often referred to as the "stand-still bonus". Once the affected character uses a Move command, their stand-still bonus will be reset to 0%. If the character is thrown, or they are moved by the effects of a Special Move, the stand-still bonus will not break.