Some helpful info, at the top. I've attempted to make this guide as spoiler-friendly as possible.

In addition, for fun, here's a compiled list of all of the movies that can be watched in-game over the Weekend that I've bothered to add to a list, as well as cultural references that the characters make.[letterboxd.com]




You will, while playing, come across a symbol that appears on your party members' Relationship bars that looks like this. This is conveying that your next Relationship quest is time-gated. You need to progress the story in order to see the next part of it. Some of these are LONG waits. One lasts from the very early game, all the way to Week 1. Don't sweat them when they appear and just keep progressing through the main scenario quest.

Characters increase in Relationship with Faye through quests but they also increase in relationship with each other by fighting battles together.
Characters with max relationship with each other will do +1 DMG in Combos with both characters.

I don't know what "Infernal" damage type is but I assume it's simply boss damage.

The One-Three Punch achievement is, as far as I know, ONLY achievable with a specific early game party member and their Special. The character is the fifth unlocked and it can be done as soon as Week 7. Info on it is as follows:
Ti, the fifth unlocked party member, has a Special move which spreads enemies in multiple directions. She is, at the moment, the ONLY party member AT ALL to have a move with this property. If you use her Special, you can place two other party members in the path of the scattered enemies, achieving a Combo attack with one move but three party members. You'll know this is done by the graphic which pops up, showing Ti doing a combo attack that flashes between the two other party members participating.

ASPECT SHIFTS are found in the very top of the ability chart. There's a dividing line between them and other abilities. They are specific changes to game styles that can be applied universally or to only specific Classes. Each requires three Study members.

The Abilities chart is divided up into different sections which either denote a purpose, character, or a Class they effect. You can reverse engineer what section does what.

Here's a rough outline.
Aspect Shifts have twelve abilities.
Modifiers have ten abilities. Anti-debuff skills have three abilities. Anti-elemental skills also have three. Phasers have four. Miscellaneous general universal skills have twelve. Brawlers have seven.

Early game spoilers:
Mercy, the sole Animist, has four.

Mid game spoilers:
Jem, the sole Range, has two.

Late game spoilers:
Henk, the sole Crafter, has five.
Fossa, a unique Displacer, has one.
Primrose, the sole Possessed, has two.
Faye has one.

The merchant's shop is restocked every Monday.

Likewise, the Van Man rents tapes out each Weekend, which is critical to beating the Man of Culture achievement. These tapes are then reviewed each Monday in the newspaper.

Some minigames or activities will tell you when they're done, like searching the Junk Pile or Beetle Racing. They'll make it clear that they're done in a small cutscene and dialogue.

Mercy is a party member whose role gets revealed over the course of the story. She is not meant to be immediately useful, she is not fully functional at the start, and this is intentional.

Destin's final social encounter is INCREDIBLY late into the game, tied to a story beat. Just be patient with it and you'll get to it eventually.

All the unique Classes, in order of appearance:

1. Brawler
   
2. Phaser
   
3. Modifier
   
4. Animancer
   
5. Range
   
6. Displacer
   
7. Crafter
   
8. Possessed

Each character is unlocked in specific weeks, no sooner or later. Weeks are in a countdown format, but I'll tell you how early into the game they are. NO characters are optional and all characters are unlocked in the story. Side quests do not influence that.

1. Namako, Knute, and Destin are unlocked on the first week of gameplay, Week 11.
   
2. Week 9 -Mercy is unlocked on Wednesday Night, Week 9. She isn't a full character and story progress needs to be made before she can use her full abilities.
   
3. Week 8 -Nobody is unlocked Week 8.
   
4. Week 7 -Ti is unlocked mid Week 7.
   
5. Week 7 -Aina is unlocked late Week 7.
   
6. Week 6 -Jem and Ocean are unlocked mid Week 6.
   
7. Week 6 -Kestrel is unlocked on the Weekend between Week 6 and Week 5.
   
8. Week 5 -Pangxie and Varka are unlocked Week 5.
   
9. Week 4 -Henk is unlocked Friday Morning, Week 4.
   
10. Week 4 -Fossa is unlocked Friday Night, Week 4.
    
11. Week 3 -Primrose?! is unlocked Wednesday Morning, Week 3.

Info on all of the fifteen characters in Demonschool's party roster. The lower images will have spoilers.

• Faye, Brawler Class
  
• Element ALMIGHTY
  
• Weak: Infernal | Resist: -

BRAWLER type who knocks enemies back with powerful kicks. Her unique Almighty element SPECIAL attack is strong against all basic enemies. If it kills, it costs no action points.

• Namako, Phaser Class
  
• Element FLOOD
  
• Weak: Curse | Resist: Dark

PHASER type who passes through enemies, reducing their defense and stunning them. Her Flood element SPECIAL attack hits 9 surrounding tiles.

• Destin, Brawler Class
  
• Element FLAME
  
• Weak: Spirit | Resist: Curse

BRAWLER type who knocks enemies back with big punches. His Flame element SPECIAL attack knocks demons back as far as they'll go.

• Knute, Modifier Class
  
• Element Earth
  
• Weak: Dark | Resist: Spirit

MODIFIER type who heals friendly students. If healing someone with full health, they will gain an attack buff. His Earth element SPECIAL heals three friendly students in a row.

• Mercy, Animist Class
  
• Element Flame
  
• Weak: Curse | Resist: Spirit

Unique type who uses animals to fight. During her SPECIAL attack her familiar passes through all enemies in a straight line followed by an attack from Mercy doing Flame damage.

• Ti, Brawler Class
  
• Element Earth
  
• Weak: Dark | Resist: Spirit

BRAWLER type who knocks enemies back with both fists. Her SPECIAL uses the Earth element to push enemies in all directions around her, allowing for multi-person combos.

• Aina, Phaser Class
  
• Element Earth
  
• Weak: Dark | Resist: Spirit

PHASER type who attacks enemies while passing through them. Her Earth element SPECIAL slashes across the entire playfield.

• Jem, Range Class
  
• Element Flood
  
• Weak: Curse | Resist: Dark

RANGER type who throws their incense pig at enemies from one tile away. SPECIAL produces a Flood element attack in a cross pattern.

• Ocean, Modifier Class
  
• Element Flame
  
• Weak: Spirit | Resist: Curse

MODIFIER type with the greatest healing power, but who does not give character buffs. SPECIAL produces a straight line across the whole board.

• Kestrel, Phaser Class
  
• Element Flood
  
• Weak: Curse | Resist: Dark

PHASER type who hits enemies as she passes through them. Her Flood element SPECIAL passes through enemies, delivering a shockwave to knock back enemies directly in front as well.

• Pangxie, Modifier Class
  
• Element Flood
  
• Weak: Curse | Resist: Dark

• Varka, Displacer Class
  
• Element Earth
  
• Weak: Dark | Resist: Spirit

Unique type who pulls enemies toward himself with a chain. His Earth element SPECIAL allows him to pull an enemy from across the board.

• Henk, Crafter Class
  
• Element Flame
  
• Weak: Spirit | Resist: Curse

Unique type who brings items from the demon world when he lands on an empty space. His Flame element SPECIAL drops four items in a straight line.

• Fossa, Displacer Class
  
• Element Flame
  
• Weak: Spirit | Resist: Curse

Unique type who switches places with her opponents, damaging them with her wire garrote. Her SPECIAL uses Flame element to instantly kill most enemies at the cost of double action points.

• Primrose, Possessed Class
  
• Element Earth
  
• Weak: Dark | Resist: Spirit

Unique type whose default attack is unremarkable. Her SPECIAL allows her to steal techniques from demons, which she will then use for the rest of the match until she replaces it.

All abilities in the game, what they do, and who can equip them

Each takes three characters to study. Most are universal. They're usually large gameplay changers that can be applied to additional builds. From the top left, proceeding right.

• ATK+2. Take 1 DMG every turn.
  
• Equippable by all characters

• Forward movement reduced by 1 TILE but sidestep increased by 1 Tile
  
• Equippable by all characters

• Pass through allies while healing them.
  
• Equippable by all Modifier Class characters
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with with Big Plus Modifier Ability

• If HP<2 gain ATK +1
  
• Equippable by Faye, Namako, Destin, as well as all Brawlers, Phasers, Animists, Range, Displacers, Crafters, and Possessed

• Normally-negative effects (POISON, FIRE) confer benefits, but ally-supplied buffs do not apply.
  
• Equippable by all characters
  
• I believe the buffs are a combined Poison Heal and Fire Heal. This frees those two abilities to be placed on other characters, giving you a maximum party immunity of one Poison Heal, one Fire Heal, one No Debuff, and Demon Crown.

• Inflict DOOMED status on enemies with 2 turn timer.
  
• Equippable by all Crafters
  
• Very handy to have as you can hit, apply DOOM, stun an enemy, waste their turn, and then kill them at the start of the next turn automatically, disregarding HP or weaknesses.

• Character has +2 HP but can't be healed.
  
• Equippable by all characters
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with Self Heal Universal Buff Ability
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with Hunger Possessed Ability
  
• COMPATIBLE with Poison Heal and Fire Heal Abilities
  
• COMPATIBLE with Mercy's Unfathomable Animist Ability
  
• COMPATIBLE with Faye's Immortal Ability

• Phaser no longer passes through enemies. Instead, attacks in an X pattern focused on targeted enemy.
  
• Equippable by all Phasers
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with Filler Killer Phaser Ability
  
• As of right now, this ability does not proc hits on bosses who need to be attacked directly! If you attack and do direct damage to a boss, killing an add with this move will not damage the boss.

• ATK UP at start of turn if 10 or more enemies are on the field.
  
• Equippable by Faye, Namako, Destin, as well as all Brawlers, Phasers, Animists, Range, Displacers, Crafters, and Possessed

• ATK +1. Enemies deal +1 DMG to this character
  
• Equippable by Faye, Namako, Destin, as well as all Brawlers, Phasers, Animists, Range, Displacers, Crafters, and Possessed

• Adds POISON tiles under ATK path.
  
• Equippable by all Phasers
  
• A unique ability, which I've used a lot. The order of operations of it (iirc) are: Attack, Damage Calculation, apply POISON tile under enemy, enemy is POISONED, shift enemy's position off of it... I think
  
• I believe the POISON tiles last for two turns and then disappear but I haven't tested it yet.

• Allows non-combatants to deal 1 DMG to enemies.
  
• Equippable by all Modifiers.
  
• Non-Modifiers all deal 1 DMG with a normal attack, except for Namako who does a 0 DMG "attack".
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with Passing Through Modifier Ability

Damage type buffs can only be applied to people who aren't already resistant. There's no doubling up on resistances.

• Resist DARK.

• Resist CURSE.

• Resist SPIRIT.

• HEAL 1 HP per turn when POISONED instead of taking damage.
  
• COMPATIBLE with Berserker.
  
• Wildly fun, one of my favorite abilities that becomes more and more interesting as time goes on. Using this and the Toxic Aspect Shift makes for some really engaging planning strategies.

• Immune to TETHER.
  
• Very little use-cases, though I'm sure some people can make it work. It's easy enough to break a tether or avoid being hit.

• Immunity to ATK DOWN, DEF DOWN, DOOMED, POISON, and BURN
  
• A good late game ability if you're playing with DoT skills.

These are "universal" in that there's no specific Class they're all tied to. However, individual skills are partially gated. Starting at the top.

• BURN status HEALS 1 HP instead of inflicting 1 DMG.
  
• One of my favorite skills in the game for making the tactics of each fight more varied when paired with Burning Fist, detailed further below.

• Add STUN to attack.
  
• Perhaps the most critical single ability in the game. You unlock it early and it stays useful for the entire time. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say you may want to have this equpped for every regular fight.
  
• Cascades over enemies knocked into each other, rewarding good enemy positioning when equipped to a Brawler. Faye is the only character in the game who is mandatory in every fight.

• Moving over dangerous terrain does not apply its effects.
  
• Useful with the Toxic Aspect Shift. Fine overall.
  
• Different than but similar to the Modifier Ability "Dispel", which removes negative terrain by walking over it.

• HEAL 1 HP after moving to an empty tile.
  
• A very handy ability. While you almost never want to be spending AP on positioning that doesn't garner you any DPS, having a near-universal healing skill can turn a fight if you're under pressure.

• Upon equipped member's death HEAL ALL teammates completely.
  
• Applies before Immortal.
  
• Unknown interaction with Berserk, which selectively prevents a character from being healed.

• ATK +1 when SPECIAL bar is full but unused (does not stack).
  
• Decent DPS.

• Enemies drop more loot when killed by this character.
  
• The only loot that drops is Opals.
  
• The amount of things that can be bought from the sole merchant character is pretty limited but this can help you gain an Opal advantage in the early game so that you can afford things earlier in the late game weeks.

• Counterattacks if hit by enemy.
  
• Equippable by Brawlers, Animists, all Phasers EXCEPT Namako, Range, Displacer, Crafter, and Possessed
  
• Good for characters that want to disrupt enemy plans by getting in the middle of them or in their back-lines.

• Increase SPECIAL charge rate.
  
• Pretty universally good. SPECIALs are a big deal so being able to apply them as much as possible is a huge advantage.
  
• Using an offensive SPECIAL with this equipped can, in the right scenarios, actually charge your offensive character's SPECIAL immediately after they use it, refilling you to a full bar despite expending.

• Deflect enemy projectiles.
  
• Quite an advantage in certain fights. Deflection works by completely negating an attack while Resist only decreases an attack's power by 1. When enemies start using more powerful ranged attacks, this will keep a character protected no matter the damage type. Any rider effects to an enemy's attack should (I believe) also be negated as if they were never hit.
  
• Works for the entire enemy's turn, deflecting as many projectile attacks that a character fields.

• SPECIAL ATK +1.

• Adds BURN to attack.
  
• Some enemies resist burn, making this DoT useless while others are weak to FLAME.
  
• DoTs apply after the enemy's turn but before the next Planning phase. If the required amount of enemies die while a party member is in the end-zone, the next turn won't happen and you'll leave the fight on the turn you just enacted.
  
• Adds a lot of unpredictability to fights, which can work against you or in your favor.

• Push standard enemy 2 TILES.
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with No Knock Back
  
• I believe this does not effect push attacks. You will knock enemies further but if you knock an enemy into another enemy with the extended range, it will not cause damage. I'm unsure if this is a bug.
  
• Situationally useful. There's a chance this puts an enemy out of position for another character, causing you to spend more AP to reach the enemy again. It's generally a niche problem, however.

• Attacking enemy does not push them, but deals +1 DMG.
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with Knockback Up

• Knocking enemies into each other with SPECIAL activated passes on Elemental DMG.

• Pushes allies 1 TILE, dealing 1 DMG to anything they collide with.
  
• This can get in the way of positioning, as you can no longer sidestep next to an ally for 0 AP.

• Pushes allies 1 TILE, dealing 1 DMG to anything they collide with.
  
• This can get in the way of positioning, as you can no longer sidestep next to an ally for 0 AP.

• Can't be moved by standard enemies.

• Confers +1 DMG when knocking enemy into obstacle.
  
• This can pair well with a Crafter party member.

• Ability to push otherwise-unpushable standard enemies.
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with No Knock Back

All of these skills are equippable on all Phasers.

• Adds POISON effect to attack.
  
• One of my absolute favorites. An important piece to note is that the turn timer only changes on the next Planning phase. If the amount of enemies needed to progress die from DoTs after they take an action and you're in the end zone, you continue to the victory screen without another turn passing.

• Adds DEF DOWN to attack, making enemy 2X more vulnerable to DMG.
  
• Can be applied to Namako, who I think does this naturally?
  
• Useful for the Overpowered achievement.

• Slashes through obstacles.
  
• Handy to have with a Crafter in the party.

• Attacks move through consecutive enemies even if they are 1 TILE apart.
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with with Cross Slash
  
• Incredibly useful in almost all fights. The AP economy it saves for Phasers is immense.

All of these are Modifier only abilities and can be equipped on all Modifiers.


Upsettingly, I'm missing a single skill called "Paladin I." I've done everything in the game but, I believe, there was a patch which replaced an unlock for Paladin I with Paladin II. Right now, my Paladin I is bugged and impossible to get. I won't be beating the game until this becomes available so. whatever. I'll update it when it does.

Tbqh, I think a lot of these aren't worth much, aside from some big ones which are fantastic.

• Healer can pass through enemies (dealing no damage).
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with Heal Train Aspect Shift
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with Attacker Aspect Shift

• "Healing" an enemy DEBUFFS ATK causing them to do -1 DMG.

• "Healing" an enemy DEBUFFS DEF making them 2x more vulnerable to DMG.

• Healing an ally also charges their SPECIAL gauge by 1 unit.
  
• Quite handy in late-game, as an increase in both ATK and SPECIAL become more important with beefier enemies.

• Healing an ally also BUFFS DEF making them take 1 fewer DMG.

• Replaces HEAL with shield for ally that absorbs 1 hit.

• Replaces HEAL with shield for ally that absorbs 2 hit.
  
• A very fun ability that, unfortunately, only gets unlocked deep into the story, in the last three weeks.

• Modifier effects (HEAL, BUFF, DEBUFF) are now distributed in a + pattern.
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with Heal Train
  
• THE best ability for Modifiers by all measures. Especially important for your opening moves with Knute and Pangxie

• When landing on an empty tile, create a force barrier that serves as an obstacle.
  
• Very niche but, honestly, not unusable. I was happy to use it in later stage fights where blocking adds and creating something behind the characters matters, like if a boss pushes them back as far as possible.

• Removes negative terrain effects by passing over them.

All skills equippable by Animists exclusively and only one can be equipped at a time. I believe all but the first is unlocked over the course of social quests for a party member.

• Dog familiar. STUNS enemy and confers DEF DOWN, making enemy 2X more vulnerable to DMG. Passes through all enemies when SPECIAL activated
  
• It's cute! And named Pocket!

• Demon familiar. Attacks enemy for 1 DMG and HEALS Mercy for 1 HP. Passes through all enemies when SPECIAL activated.
  
• Spontaneous self-heal is very handy, especially since Modifiers need another party member to heal themselves.
  
• COMPATIBLE with Berserker

• Bat familiar. Inflicts POISON. Passes through all enemies when SPECIAL activated.
  
• My favorite, as DoTs are equal damage to a familiar like Unfathomable but are "set and forget" against an enemy. They do not expire, so it's 1 DMG per turn forever.
  
• The drawback being, you can't deal more than 1 DMG per turn to each enemy. The Bat does not do damage. It hits, it inflicts Poison, Mercy approaches, Mercy hits and does 1 DMG. Then the enemy moves and takes 1 DMG of Poison.

• Bat familiar. Attacks 1 enemy for 1 DMG. Passes through all enemies when SPECIAL activated.
  
• No idea. Seems like it's a worse version of the Unfathomable, with the same damage per round.
  
• It is cute though.

All abilities for the Range Class.

• If the character walks more than 1 TILE before attacking the targeted enemy they will deal +1 DMG.
  
• Not as handy as I would have liked for me, personally. It necessitates GREATER THAN 1 tile of space between you and your Range character.. It's good for an opening of a fight but harder to apply after you've hit an enemy once and move up to it.

• Attack range is increased by 1 TILE.
  
• Generally good.

• Targets enemies +1 TILE from movement distance.
  
• Only equippable by Fossa.
  
• Handy! It's good!

My favorite Class and character.

• Keep first stolen attack type for the rest of battle.
  
• I have barely used this, so I'm not sure if the Possessed SPECIAL still applies a ATK UP buff on use or if this merely takes away the ability to steal.

• Eat grunts for +1 HP.
  
• Grunts are the category of enemy you fight that can crawl along the ground and rip open the boundary to the stage. It's handy and fun.
  
• INCOMPATIBLE with Berserker

A Faye only ability, unlocked near the end of the game.

• Revive with 1 HP once per battle.
  
• Useful with Angel of Death.
  
• Faye spawning in chooses a spot on the grid that an enemy is on and seems to insta-kill the enemy there.