You control a party of four and swap between them mid-fight. Each character has Esper Abilities, and the whole combat system is built to reward chaining one character's move into the next character's opener. Beginners mash one Esper until they run out of energy. Good players are always mid-swap.
The tag-cancel
The core skill is the tag-cancel: fire a big ability, then swap out during its animation. Your new character enters instantly while the first one's move still resolves — so you get two payoffs for one opening, and you keep pressure up without eating the recovery frames. When in doubt, swap on the flash: characters telegraph a bright cue at the ideal cancel moment.
The swap isn't a panic button. It's your highest-damage button. NTE combat, in one line
Feed the reaction
Swaps aren't just for damage — they're how you keep an element reaction alive. One character sets a state, you swap, the next character transitions it, and your Main DPS spends the result. Get that order right and the reaction (Blossom, Remora and friends) refreshes on a loop instead of firing once and fizzling.
Drill this loop
Set the state
Open with your state-setter (a DoT or Sub-DPS of a different element).
Tag-cancel into the trigger
Swap during the animation to your reaction trigger — the flash is your cue.
Cash out on the Main DPS
Swap to your carry while the reaction is fresh and dump damage.
Reset with support
Swap to your support to re-shield and re-prime, then repeat from step one.
Dodging also cancels animations — a well-timed dodge into a swap keeps your combo going and gets you out of danger. Practise dodge-into-swap; it's the highest-skill, highest-reward habit in the game.