Focus, Stances & Perfect Dodge

The core systems

Putting it together

• Bank Focus during safe windows so a whiffed boss attack becomes an instant charged Heavy.
• Pillar stance's vault has invulnerability frames — use it to dodge sweeps and punish.
• Perfect-dodge the big telegraphed wind-ups rather than rolling early out of fear.
• Vary stances mid-fight: Thrust to poke from range, Smash to burst a staggered boss.

Mind's Eye & dodging

• The Mind's Eye skill tree widens your perfect-dodge window — invest early.
• A perfect dodge leaves an afterimage and can refund Focus, feeding your next Heavy.
• Dodge into attacks, not away; the counter window is on the far side of the swing.
• Combine perfect dodges with Immobilize to control a boss almost completely.

The four resources

The loop the game wants from you

1. Poke to build

   Open with light attacks you can cancel out of. They build Focus and chip Mana back up without committing you to a long animation.

2. Control

   Spend a spell to create a window — a freeze, a stone stance, a clone drawing attention. This is what separates a spell from a panic button.

3. Convert

   Cash the Focus into a charged Heavy inside the window you just made. This is where the bulk of your damage comes from.

4. Reset

   Back out, let stamina and Mana recover, and read the next pattern. Trying to extend the window is the most common way to lose a won fight.

The three staff stances

Habits that fix most deaths

• Perfect dodges build Focus. If you are dodging anyway, dodge *late and into* the attack.
• Never start a charged Heavy on reaction — start it during a recovery you already know.
• Mana regenerates faster while you are landing hits, so passive play starves your spells.
• Respec is cheap. A build tuned for the boss in front of you beats a general one.

Still to verify