Battle system/Victory
The battle system in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory is turn-based by unit, where each character's turn comes based on their speed. Characters roam around the established battlefield within their movement range. Players can choose for the characters to either attack, guard, or use skills. Depending on what option is chosen, the range of an attack or skill's effect will depend on the skill or the equipment the character has.
Area of Effect
The Area of Effect (AoE) element is present in the game. Combo attacks have an area measured in square grids. Certain Skills have a longer area range or have an AoE effect measured in a circle with the targeted enemy as the center point. Any character or enemy present within the AoE may be subjected to the attack. This also pertains to certain Skills.
Attacks and Skills
There are two types of attacks that can be performed in battle. Some Attacks and Skills can be acquired by leveling a character up, seeing certain events, or partnering up a character with a certain character.
Combos
Combos are consecutive attacks. The 1st Attack will always be fixed, which is dependent on the character's weapon. The 2nd to 4th Attack can be customized by the player according to his/her preferences. If an Attack is left blank for a slot, the player must either end the turn or press a button in which an attack is assigned at. If there are no Attacks set for a character, the character will only perform their initial attack.
Combos can be created by setting up Attacks for 3 types of attacks:
| Attack Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Rush | An attack focused on the number of hits. This type of attack increases the EXE Drive Gauge the fastest. |
| Power | An attack focused on raw damage. |
| Break | An attack focused on lowering the foe's GP. |
EX Finishers
The player can choose to finish an attack chain with a certain EX Finisher if the EXE Drive Gauge is filled to a certain level. Once an EX Finisher is used, the character's turn will end. An exception is the Combo Link, which can be used once to create another attack chain starting from the 1st Attack.
EXE Drive Skills
Once per turn, the player can expend the EXE Drive Gauge and unleash an EXE Drive Skill, a Coupling Skill, or a Formation Skill.
SP Skills
SP Skills are unique commands a character has that expend SP. They can either be debuffs, stat enhancements, attacks with an effect radius (AoE), or a very powerful move. Once the executed Skill is performed, the character's turn automatically ends, regardless of the SP the character has left.
Coupling Skills
A Coupling Skill is a linked/assisted attack with the characters in the front row and back row. Damage output and the ability to unleash a Coupling Skill depends on the Lily Rank between the front row character and the back row character.
Formation Skill
A Formation Skill is a linked attack performed by characters in the front row.
Battle commands
During a character's turn, the player can command the character to do various types of moves.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Skill | Characters specific skills that require SP to use. |
| EXE Drive | EXE Drive Skills are far more powerful than ordinary Skills. |
| Attack | The player's character can perform regular attacks and combos by closing in on an enemy unit and pressing the  button. A character's turn ends if the combo ends.
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| Defend | Take less damage from enemies. |
| HDD On | Activates HDD form for a CPU. |
| Switch | Switches the front row character with the back row character. |
| Item | Use an item. |
| Retreat | Escape from battle if possible. Only works if the character is in the outskirts of the battlefield. |
Elements
There are four elements present in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory. The affinity for an element affects the damage output of an elemental attack and elemental resistance a character/enemy has against elemental attacks. The higher percentage of affinity a character/enemy has for an element, the higher the damage output and resistance a character/enemy have for that particular element.
| Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Fire | Ice | Wind | Thunder |
Guardbreak
Guard Break allows the player to deal more damage to an enemy if its guard gauge (GP) is depleted. Aside from HP, dealing damage to enemies will also decrease their GP. If the GP is completely depleted, the enemy will enter into a Guardbreak status, increasing the damage output and leaving the enemy vulnerable to all attacks. The guard gauge recovers gradually when the enemy takes action, and Guardbreak will be removed once the gauge refills. If the player attacks while the gauge is being refilled after being guard broken, the first attack, the entire attack not just one hit, will count the enemy as being guard broken. However, this attack will remove the guard break status but leave the gauge at how far it refilled. So if a guard broken enemy gets a turn, it refills a little. But if you attack him, the attack will do more damage, stops the gauge from refilling, and knocks him out of guard break. NOTE: The amount the gauge will drop by is determined by the attack. But remember, the number listed for the guard break of the attack is how much each individual hit will do, not the entire attack. But, when looking at the damage of the attack, it is the damage for the entire attack.
Hard Drive Divinity
A CPU can transform to HDD form if the character has at least 20% of the total SP to expend. The character can remain in HDD form for an indefinite time without expending on extra SP in order to maintain the form. If the CPU is inflicted with the Virus status ailment or hits 0 HP, the character will revert back to human form. NOTE: some abilities in the game state they reduce SP drain after performing HDD. HDD no longer causes SP drain in this game, the ability actual causes skills to cost less SP after HDD has been used.
Movement
Area movement
The movable area of a character in a single turn is measured in a circle with the character acting as the center point. Mobility is determined by the character's MOV stat and may move a certain distance within the radius in a single turn.
Escape
If a character is near the boundary of the playable area, the player has an option to escape the battle. The chance of escape is determined by the character's AGI and LUK stat. Scripted encounters, including boss battles, are inescapable.
Passive abilities
There are two types of passive abilities that are present in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory.
Abilities
Each character has a set of passive abilities that they gain as they level up. They are always active during a battle.
Support effects
In addition to Abilities, each character has two support effects. When a character is partnered with another, their support effects take effect for each other in battle. Support effects only work if the Lily Rank is high enough.
Stats
The player can increase/decrease a character's stats by either leveling up and changing the character's certain equipment. The descriptions are directly taken from the manual.
| Icon | Stat | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Hit Points (HP) | Hit Points, or health. If this falls to zero, the character will be incapacitated. |
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Skill Points (SP) | Skill Points. You spend these points when using a Skill or transforming into HDD forms. |
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Strength (STR) | Effects physical attacks. |
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Vitality (VIT) | Effects physical defense. |
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Intelligence (INT) | Effects magic attacks. |
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Mentality (MEN) | Effects magic defense. |
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Agility (AGI) | Effects speed, evasion, and escape probability. |
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Technique (TEC) | Effects attack accuracy. |
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Luck (LUK) | Effects critical hit rate as well as accuracy and evasion. |
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Movement (MOV) | Effects the character's movement radius. |
Status ailments
There are five status effects in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory: Poison, Paralysis, Skillseal, Virus, and Heal. Each ailment can last up to eight turns. The probability of it fading away increases with each passing turn. If the player end a battle with any of these ailments, they will automatically disappear.
| Icon | Ailment | Effect |
|---|---|---|
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Poison | Character loses 1/16th of maximum HP per turn. |
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Paralysis | Character's turn is automatically skipped. |
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Skillseal | Character doesn't have access to  skills.
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Virus | Hard Drive Divinity (HDD) is sealed. Only enemies can inflict this ailment. Any character can be afflicted, but only CPU and CPU Candidates experience the effect. Character is reverted to human form if already in HDD form. |
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Regen | Character gains 1/6th of maximum HP per turn. This ailment invariably lasts for 8 turns. |
Turn order
Turn order is determined by the character's Agility (AGI) skill. Sometimes, a character/enemy might have multiple consecutive turns and/or might be the character's turn again should the player end the current turn, displayed by the action order interface (displayed on the upper right of a battle screen with a character's or enemy's icon). The turn order is subject to change depending on the action taken. Attacking with a full combo will push the character farther down the list. However, one can stop combos in between in order to keep the order the same. Guarding and using items will most often keep the list the same and sometimes give consecutive turns. NOTE: The EX Finisher, Combo Link, lets one use their combo again, but this will cause the character to be pushed further back in the order.