Use the readiness route
Default: recruit for the missing job first, then treat a matching synergy as support for that decision.
Reason: a listed effect can still be blocked by permanent progress or by a missing Ability in the current run.
Premise: the offered Survivor is eligible and no mission condition requires a different recruit.
Cost: a recruit widens the offer pool, and the effect may require both a purchased node and a later Ability pick.
Alternative: choose the recruit with the clearer immediate job, or take Liberate when neither candidate improves the run.
- Open the Survivor who owns the effect.
- Confirm that the linked partner is in the active squad.
- Check the owner’s listed Rank and purchased permanent node.
- Acquire the named owner Ability when the effect requires one.
- Make the combat event in the description happen.
The Full Release 1.0 roster contains 36 owner-specific effects. Each of the 9 Survivors owns four records. The roster is the lookup surface: open one Survivor, read one effect, and follow its partner or Ability link. This guide explains why that one record may still be inactive.
Start from the owner
A pair of names does not tell you who owns the permanent node. The owner is the Survivor whose open record lists the effect. That record supplies the Rank gate and description. The linked partner only satisfies the squad relationship.
Some connections run in both directions, but those are two separate owner records. can own an effect linked to , while Tank can own another effect linked back to SWAT. Each record has its own Rank, purchased node, named Ability, and result. Activating one does not activate the other.
SWAT
TankOpen SWAT’s record for a concrete example. The SWAT and Pyro effect belongs to SWAT and modifies Helicopter Strike. Having in the squad satisfies the partner step. It does not purchase SWAT’s permanent node or add Helicopter Strike to the run.
PyroClear four separate gates
Treat “ready” as four checks, not one unlock flag.
- Pair present. The owner and linked partner are both active Survivors.
- Rank eligible. The owner has reached the Rank printed on that effect. The Rank only makes the permanent node reachable.
- Node purchased. The owner has bought the synergy node in the permanent Survivor tree. Reaching the Rank does not buy it automatically.
- Trigger ready. If the description begins with a named Ability, that Ability is in the current run. The combat condition described after it must then occur.
An independent effect skips the named-Ability check, but it does not skip the other three. A chance, kill, spawn, Marked-target, or similar clause still controls when its result can appear.
Use the Survivor roster before a run when you need the Rank and relationship. Use the Ability query when the description names an Ability and you need its complete current path. These are direct lookups for one record, not a squad ranking.
Diagnose one inactive effect
The pair is present but no usable node appears
Check which Survivor owns the effect. You may be looking in the partner’s tree, the owner may not have reached the listed Rank, or the node may still be unpurchased. When both directions exist, one owner can be ready while the reverse record remains blocked.
The node is purchased but the effect is absent
Read the first words of the description. If they name an Ability, that owner must acquire the Ability during this run. Recruiting the partner does not force that Ability into the next offer.
The Ability is present but nothing visible happens
Read the rest of the sentence. Conditions such as an explosion, a kill, a spawn, or a hit against a particular status must occur. A chance-based result also needs its roll to succeed. Ready prerequisites do not make an event continuous.
A Mission counter moved before the combat result was obvious
Use the Mission’s own progress display for Mission completion. Use the effect description and its actual combat event when checking the mechanic. A counter change does not prove that every permanent and in-run gate for another effect is ready.
Decide on a recruit
Name the run’s missing job before reading synergy text. If enemies are closing the space, look for control or coverage. If priority targets remain alive, look for focused damage that can reach them. If the squad cannot stabilize, inspect recovery or defensive effects.
When an offered recruit fills that job, open the candidate’s single Survivor record and inspect effects that support the same plan. Check the owner Rank and whether the node is already purchased. If the effect names an Ability you do not have, count that as another choice the run must still offer.
Do not choose from a table of team totals. The number of linked effects does not measure damage, safety, card probability, unlock state, or whether the current objective rewards that squad. One ready effect that solves the named problem is more actionable than several records whose gates or combat conditions are absent.
FAQ
Does reaching the required Rank activate the effect?
No. Rank eligibility makes the permanent node reachable. The owner must still purchase that node.
Does adding the partner grant the named Ability?
No. The pair satisfies one gate. The owner must acquire the named Ability through the run’s normal choices.
Do all effects name an Ability?
No. Each Survivor has one independent record alongside three records tied to Abilities. Independent means the named-Ability gate is absent, not that the pair, node, or combat condition is ignored.
Where is the Rank shown?
Open the effect owner in the Survivor roster. Each synergy entry shows the owner’s Rank and links to the partner and named Ability when one is required.
Can the site prove that an effect fired during my run?
No. It can show the current record and the states you need to check. It cannot observe a running game or prove that a chance-based combat event occurred.