Combat in NEXUS is dynamic and often frenetic. Players will be presented with a
Heads Up Display layout that tracks
Weapons and ammunition, special
abilities,
status effects,
shields,
Health,
Stance and Symmetry,
special grenades,
Radar, a contextual
live feed, and more. They can also activate their
internal AI to give status updates, mission information,
waypoints, and other helpful options.
Movement
Movement is action packed but at a moderate pace. Since players cannot simply start over if they
die or otherwise fail a mission, movement and actions are more deliberate and tactical. Characters have a sense of momentum and are able to run, slide, jump, dodge, and mantle. Jumping and reaching a corner that can be climbed will cause the player to climb on top of it, allowing for interesting vertical traversal options.
Thrusters
Combat and
exploration are improved with the Thruster mechanic, allowing players to float during jumps and even take flight for a short period. They can perform surprising acrobatic maneuvers, however they will suffer fall damage from high enough falls. Generally they are able to recover after taking fall damage, but some heights may be fatal. If the game determines an altitude is high enough to become fatal, a brief alert will sound indicating the player must take immediate action to prevent an imminent death by activating their Thrusters.
In addition to flight, Thrusters can be activated for a quick burst of energy to perform a Dodge. Doing so utilizes a portion of the player's Thruster energy and cannot be activated again for several seconds.
Loadout
Players can carry up to three weapons in addition to the
Skills they have unlocked and items they have discovered or
brought with them. They can carry a primary and secondary gun as well as a
melee weapon. Some items can replace these pieces of gear as well. The composition of the equipped weapons is determined by the
Loadout Power System and must stay within the maximum 100 Gear Points range. As long as they are under 100 total points, all three may be equipped simultaneously (for example: primary is 15, secondary 50, melee is 35, total is 100 or less). More powerful weapons and items and generally worth more points.
HP & SP
Players have an Overshield with Shield Points (SP) to block incoming damage and a limited amount of health represented by a Health Points (HP) bar. HP does not recharge naturally, however SP does. The rate of either is dictated by many factors such as gear, skills, and items. They can equip
armor to reduce incoming damage or mitigate certain negative effects as well.
Taking damage causes several audio and visual cues, such as a vignette, blur, and grime displayed around the screen. Being hit also displays directionality on the edges of the screen with a subtle flash of color.
Targeting Enemies
Enemies that have been targeted will have a small health bar displayed above their character model along with their name or a short description. Some enemies will have weak spots or important hit locations that stand out such as a glowing target. Enemies affected by certain statuses will be outlined or have relevant visual indicators applied to them. Targets become vulnerable to
Execution attacks which instantly defeat them after a short animation once they reach a certain health threshold.
Stance & Symmetry
Stance & Symmetry are two states that must be maintained during combat as well. Stance is the player's physical state where Synergy is their mental state. Certain attacks can build up their respective meters, which when passing certain thresholds will apply negative effects to the player such as being Stunned and unable to move. Status effects will be prominently shown on the HUD.
As such, many enemies are affected by Stance & Symmetry as well.
Damage
Weapons are generally considered hitscan, meaning that the game will calculate a hit or miss instantaneously when fired, without any projectile travel time. Essentially, when the player pulls the trigger, it is instantly determined if the shot hits the target based on the player's aim and the target's location at that moment. However, some weapons do not have hitscan and rely on travel time, speed, etc. Most weapons fire as soon as the trigger is pulled if they are loaded, but there are certain types that require them to be charged before firing. Melee weapons are the same, but they are proximity based as well as have travel time.
When a player deals damage,
indicators will appear on or next to the target with the amount of damage caused. The numbers will vary in color and slightly in size as well, depending on the effects applied to or ignored by the target. Hitting a target’s weak spot such as their head will inflict
Precision damage with the chance for a
Critical Strike as well.
Aiming & Interface
While a weapon is equipped and drawn, a hipfire reticle will appear on screen when it is aimed. These have slight differences between weapons. Holding the aim/zoom button will zoom in on the screen and cause the reticle and surrounding weapon optics to appear as if aiming down the sights of a real weapon.
Players interfacing with a
controller will have aim assist, targeting stickiness, and bullet magnetism applied to their aim. Mouse & keyboard players will not have this same handicap.
Ammunition & Reloading
Ammo can be acquired from ammo boxes found from enemies or from using specific items. Reloading a magazine will always cause it to be full upon insertion if there is sufficient ammo reserves to do so, otherwise it will be filled as much as there is ammo remaining. Weapons will automatically reload when they have run out of ammo, and players may opt to manually initiate a reload as long as there is room in the magazine. Additionally, players can attempt to activate a
Tactical Reload once the skill has been unlocked, giving an opportunity for a skill-based boon.
Skills
Skills can be chosen through the
Upgrade Trees, up to four of which may be equipped during the
Loadout sequence. These four skills can be chosen and activated through the
Skill Grid, a radial selection wheel that players can activate at any time.
Critical Failure & Death
Because NEXUS is a team game with complex fights, friendly fire does not occur from any source. However, players may inflict damage on themselves if not careful with explosives or other weapons. If a player receives enough damage to reduce their HP to zero, they will enter the
Disabled state. This is a short period where they are able to be revived by an item or skill, or if there is an ally that can come to their aid. If neither happens before the timer runs out, the player
dies. Allies can come to the aid of a teammate and help revive them by interacting when they are next to each other.
Camera
Camera movement is dictated primarily by player inputs. Moving the character’s body with one set of inputs and moving the aim and reticle with the other is how players will interact with and view the world.
