Combat

Combat in Underkeep is turn-based, and one rule shapes it more than any other: once any hero acts, the party can't leave its tile until the round ends. Each hero gets one regular action per round, such as an attack or an active skill.

Until someone acts, you can still step back or choose where to fight from. The first action locks all four of you in place, even if the other three haven't done anything yet. A weak attack from one hero is enough. Before you click that first attack, check your reach and what's around you. You won't get to retreat until next round, and the enemies get their turn before that.

Against groups, a community guide recommends drawing enemies into narrow passages so they can't all attack your party at once. Start any retreat before a hero acts that round. A narrow passage doesn't guarantee a safe escape.

The guide recommends resting after you've put some distance between you and the enemies. You still need food and no enemies nearby; gaining distance alone doesn't guarantee the game will let you rest.

The party has two spots up front and two in the back. Regular melee weapons need the front row. If a hero in the back gets Out of Reach, they can't hit the enemy from where they're standing. A stronger short sword won't fix that; the problem is reach. Give your back row Reach weapons, ranged weapons or spells.

Swapping a hero between the front and back row isn't the same as stepping on the map: it costs that hero their action. If you need to pull a wounded fighter back, you pay with the attack they could have made that round. So sort out roles before the fight.

Drinking a potion doesn't use up a hero's regular action. They can drink and still attack or use a skill in the same round. If your Wizard is short on Mana for a spell, have them drink a Mana potion first and cast right after.

Some skills are explicitly free actions – their description tells you. They don't cost an action, but they still cost resources.

When an effect doesn't land, read the combat messages. Being out of reach, an immune enemy, running out of resources and a blocked attack each need a different fix.

The hourglass ends the round, and any unused actions are lost. Before you use it, check your party: a back-row hero with the wrong weapon might still have a usable spell, and a caster out of Mana can still hit with a staff. At the start of the next round you can move again. If you attack instead, you give up your chance to retreat for that whole round.

A bug that reset an item skill's cooldown when you loaded a save has been fixed.