HERESY — Dissident Field Manual

01 — CONTROLS // DISSIDENT FIELD MANUAL

LEFT CLICK (empty)	Move to destination
WASD	Move character
LEFT CLICK (enemy)	Attack
1 2 3 4 5	Use assigned skills
SPACEBAR	Dodge — invincible during dash
Q W E	Use Flask A / B / C
F	Interact with objects / NPCs
I	Open Inventory
J	Open Quest Log
K	Skill Assignment
P	Protocol Board
ESCAPE	Pause Menu

Dodge has an invincibility window during the dash animation. Timing dodges through enemy attacks is a core survival mechanic at higher difficulty tiers.

02 — CLASSES // CHOOSE YOUR PROCESS

DISSIDENT

"The protocol layer was always visible. You were just looking at the wrong frequency."

FLUX RESOURCE

Resource: Dual bar — Protocol Charge and System Stability. Both bars deplete independently. The HUD begins to glitch and distort when System Stability drops below 30%, creating a visual challenge alongside the mechanical one.

PLAYSTYLE

The Dissident is a high-control class that reads and exploits protocol vulnerabilities. Requires careful resource management. Rewards players who understand timing and positioning over raw aggression. The glitch state below 30% Stability is dangerous but enables certain skills.

SKILLS

SKILL	DESCRIPTION	COST	CD
PROTOCOL STRIKE	Melee attack that drains enemy Protocol Charge	20 Charge	0.5s
SIGNAL JAM	Disables nearby enemy targeting for 3s	40 Charge	8s
SUBSTRATE PULSE	AoE blast revealing the protocol layer briefly	60 Charge	12s
PROTOCOL BREACH	Channel 2s — exposes all enemy weakpoints	80 Charge	20s
CONVERGENCE	Ultimate — temporarily align with substrate, major buff	Full Charge	45s

SPLICE

"Every connection is a weapon. Every node a door. Stand still and you're already dead."

SYNC RESOURCE

Resource: SYNC builds on kills and decays when stationary. Maximum SYNC unlocks Splice's most powerful abilities. Staying still for too long resets momentum — the class demands constant aggression.

PLAYSTYLE

The highest sustained damage ceiling of the three classes. Excels in dense combat with many targets. Struggles against single powerful enemies unless SYNC is maintained. Rewards players who chain kills rapidly and never stop moving.

SKILLS

SKILL	DESCRIPTION	COST	CD
NODE SPLICE	Ranged attack that chains to 2 nearby enemies	15 SYNC	0.3s
NETWORK BURST	Explosion at target location, builds SYNC on hit	25 SYNC	5s
SIGNAL CASCADE	All attacks chain for 4s, SYNC decay paused	40 SYNC	15s
DEADLINK	Silence a target — prevents skill use for 5s	35 SYNC	12s
BLACKSITE	Ultimate — auto-turret spawns, SYNC drain reversed	Full SYNC	40s

IRONCLAD

"They built walls to keep things out. I built walls to keep things in. Mostly heat."

HEAT RESOURCE

Resource: Three heat states — Low (below 33%), Optimal (33–66%), Overdrive (above 66%). Skills generate heat. Optimal band provides the best damage and defense coefficients. Overdrive is powerful but risks thermal lockout. Low heat wastes potential.

PLAYSTYLE

The highest base defense class. Punishes both passive and reckless play. The best Ironclad players maintain Optimal heat at all times, using specific skill rotations to stay in the band. Overdrive is a controlled risk — not a failure state.

SKILLS

SKILL	DESCRIPTION	HEAT	CD
THERMAL STRIKE	Heavy melee hit, generates significant heat	+20	0.8s
HEAT VENT	Release heat as AoE damage — reduces heat by 25	-25	8s
IRON SHELL	Absorb next hit, converts to heat instead of damage	+15	10s
FORGE BLAST	Ranged projectile, damage scales with current heat	+30	6s
MELTDOWN	Ultimate — enter Overdrive for 8s, immune to lockout	Max	50s

03 — ITEM TIERS // LOOT CLASSIFICATION

SANCTIONED

Common drops from standard enemies. Below current power level by mid-game. Salvage for 1 Resonance Shard. No loot beam. Cannot be Awakened. Replace immediately.

FLAGGED

Uncommon drops. Useful in early game, worth comparing to equipped gear. Small blue loot beam. Cannot be Awakened. Salvage for 3 Shards when outgrown.

BLACKLISTED

Rare drops. Affixes start to become build-relevant. Yellow loot beam. Awakening eligible. Can roll 1 Awakening affix at the Consciousness Engine. Salvage for 10 Shards.

EXILED

Very rare. Comes with an Exiled Aspect slot — a build-defining secondary affix. Orange pillar loot beam. Awakening eligible. These items define endgame builds. Salvage only to upgrade another Exiled item.

ARTIFACT

Impossibly rare. Fixed stats — cannot be modified by any mechanic. Pre-corruption relics from before the simulation's current runtime cycle. White pillar beam with gold glow. 10 Artifacts exist in the game. Cannot be Awakened. Do not salvage.

04 — AWAKENING SYSTEM // CONSCIOUSNESS ENGINE

Visit the Consciousness Engine in Reader's Workshop. Select any BLACKLISTED or higher equipped item. Choose from 3 randomly offered Awakening affixes. Each affix adds a powerful benefit and a meaningful drawback. Costs 150 Resonance Shards.

"The protocol did not intend for its instruments to modify themselves."

ALL AWAKENING AFFIXES

AFFIX	BENEFIT	DRAWBACK
FRACTURED RESONANCE	+35% skill damage	Skills cost 20% more resource
SIGNAL BLEED	Kills heal 4% max health	Defense reduced by 20%
PROTOCOL ECHO	Skills fire twice at 50% damage	Cooldowns increased 30%
ENTROPY DRAIN	+50% attack speed	Each attack drains 2% health
SUBSTRATE LINK	+100% area of effect radius	Movement speed -25%
GHOST CLOCK	Dodge cooldown reduced 50%	Dodge invincibility window halved
CORRUPTED CORE	+200% damage when below 25% health	Cannot receive healing above 25%
TEMPORAL SPLICE	Pause enemies in range for 2s on skill use	Resource regeneration halved
PROCESS HUNGER	Gain 3% of enemy max health as bonus damage	Lose 1% health per second out of combat
FINAL PROTOCOL	On death: survive at 1 HP once per zone	All resource pools reduced 40%

RECOMPILE overwrites an existing Awakening affix. Costs 5 salvaged Artifacts. Use with intent.

05 — GHOST PARTITIONS // ENDGAME SYSTEM

Ghost Partitions are isolated simulation fragments — pockets of the substrate that broke away from the main runtime. They contain anomalies that have been running unchecked for unknown cycles. They are not zones. They are errors.

ACCESS

Tier Keys drop from Boss and Champion enemies. Each key has a tier value (T1–T20). Insert the key at the Ghost Partition terminal in The Verity. Higher tier keys grant better rewards and harder content. Unlocked at Level 10.

INTEGRITY METER

The Integrity meter starts at 100% and depletes over time and on taking damage. If Integrity reaches 0%, the partition collapses — you are ejected with minimal rewards. Completing objectives slows depletion. Reaching the extraction point above 50% Integrity grants the Clean Exit Bonus.

ANOMALY TYPES

SIGNAL STATIC — Ranged enemies that drain Integrity on hit. High priority targets.

PROTOCOL ENFORCER — Heavy melee unit with interrupt on skill use. Cannot be stunned.

CASCADE NODE — Stationary emitter that buffs nearby enemies. Destroy first.

FRACTURED ELITE — Champion-tier enemy with random Awakening effect. Drops Tier Key.

SUBSTRATE WRAITH — Becomes untargetable when hit. Telegraphs attacks heavily.

NULL ECHO — A copy of your own character with your current gear. Final boss of T10+ partitions.

TIER REWARD TABLE

TIER RANGE	KEY DROPS	GEAR TIER	SPECIAL
T1 – T5	T1–T3 Keys	FLAGGED – BLACKLISTED	First completion: Flask upgrade
T6 – T10	T4–T8 Keys	BLACKLISTED – EXILED	Chance of Awakening Affix reroll
T11 – T15	T8–T13 Keys	EXILED	Guaranteed Exiled on clean exit
T16 – T20	T15–T20 Keys	EXILED – ARTIFACT	Artifact chance; Leaderboard entry

The final chest in any partition always contains one item one tier above the run's average drops. A clean exit above 50% Integrity doubles the final chest roll.

06 — PROTOCOL BOARD // NODE GRID SYSTEM

The Protocol Board unlocks at Level 15. It is a hex grid of 37 nodes that represents your character's deeper integration with the simulation's protocol layer. Nodes are unlocked with Protocol Fragments, which drop from bosses, champions, and rare encounters.

MECHANIC	DETAIL
Boards per class	3 — each with different node distribution and legendary node
Nodes per board	37 — mix of passive bonuses, socket nodes, and one legendary
Unlock currency	Protocol Fragments (boss/champion drops)
Fragment Sockets	Special nodes that accept Resonance Fragments for bonus stats
Legendary Node	One per board — the build-defining passive unique to that board
Board switching	Costs 50 Fragments to switch boards — nodes do not carry over

Identify the legendary node on your target board early. Build your fragment investment path toward it before spending on peripheral nodes.

07 — ROGUE PROCESS GEAR // CHAOS MECHANIC

Some items flicker with an unstable icon — a glitching amber border and a corrupted display name. These are ROGUE PROCESS items. They are not EXILED. They are not ARTIFACT. They are gear that has been running too long inside the substrate without oversight and has started to deviate from its original parameters.

WHAT MAKES AN ITEM ROGUE PROCESS

ROGUE PROCESS items have higher base stats than their equivalent tier — but they contribute to your Process Load meter. Each ROGUE item equipped adds approximately 16% Process Load.

PROCESS LOAD METER

LOAD LEVEL	EFFECT
0–49%	No effect. ROGUE items function as normal.
50–99%	Cascade Threshold begins. Bonuses described below activate.
100% — OVERFLOW STATE	5 second window of extreme power. HUD glitches. All cooldowns halved. After 5 seconds: 8 second lockout. Plan around this.

CASCADE THRESHOLDS

2 ROGUE items: Attack speed +20%. Resource generation +15%.

4 ROGUE items: All damage +30%. Every 10th attack triggers OVERFLOW for 2 seconds.

6 ROGUE items: OVERFLOW STATE duration doubled. Lockout duration halved. You are now a problem.

ROGUE PROCESS items cannot be Awakened. Do not attempt to bring them to the Consciousness Engine. The Engine will reject them and consume the Shard cost anyway.

08 — CLASSIFIED // INSUFFICIENT CLEARANCE

⬛

SEASON 2 — TESTAMENT: NEW DISTRICT

CLASSIFIED — DISSIDENT CLEARANCE LEVEL INSUFFICIENT

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SEASON 3 — THE NULL: ENDGAME REWORK

CLASSIFIED — DISSIDENT CLEARANCE LEVEL INSUFFICIENT

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TESTAMENT: CHAPTER 6 — ORIGIN PROTOCOL

CLASSIFIED — DISSIDENT CLEARANCE LEVEL INSUFFICIENT