Back to the Dawn Guide | How The Combat Moves Work

Here's a guide on all the Combat Moves in Back to the Dawn.

Game Guide by Ragib Rawnak on Jul 25, 2025

Understanding all the Combat Moves is crucial to winning any fights in Back to the Dawn. You need to understand all the Combat Moves first to apply different combos during a fight.

Back to the Dawn Guide, How the Combat Moves Work

Emergency Surgery

When your health drops dangerously low, Emergency Surgery becomes your lifeline with a 6-second cooldown.

This technique instantly restores 20% of your maximum health, but if you find yourself with less than 10 health remaining, the healing effect increases to 30% of your maximum health.

You'll need to enable the Surgeon skill to access this vital recovery option in Back to the Dawn.

Adrenal Stimulation

Adrenal Stimulation provides both energy recovery and defensive benefits with its 6-second cooldown. When activated, you'll recover 60% of your maximum energy while gaining a protective shield equal to 30% of your maximum health in Back to the Dawn.

This powerful combination requires you to activate the Adrenaline Rush specialty first.

Necronomicon-Based Abilities

Blood Pact

The dark arts offer powerful offensive capabilities through Blood Pact, which has a 5-second cooldown. This move summons mysterious energy that allows you to absorb your opponent's health by an amount equal to double your Intelligence stat in Back to the Dawn.

The higher your Intelligence compared to your opponent's, the better your chances of landing this attack. However, this power comes at a cost - you'll gain two layers of Bleed before using this move. You must have the Necronomicon equipped to access this ability.

Pain Spell

Pain Spell channels otherworldly forces with a 6-second cooldown to please an unknown deity and reduce your opponent's health by 10% of their maximum health.

Like other Intelligence-based moves, your success rate improves when your Intelligence exceeds your opponent's.

Additionally, when this move successfully hits, it transfers all your debuffs to your opponent. The Necronomicon must be equipped to use this technique in Back to the Dawn.

Abyssal Call

The most powerful of the Necronomicon abilities, Abyssal Call has a 7-second cooldown and reduces your opponent's remaining health by 10%.

Beyond the immediate damage, this move creates an echo effect that increases your opponent's damage taken by 20% for the entire fight duration.

Your opponent can only remove this devastating status effect by using Rest, and even then, there's only a 50% chance of success. As with other dark arts, you need the Necronomicon equipped and higher Intelligence than your opponent for optimal hit rates.

Back to the Dawn Guide, How the Combat Moves Work

Surprise Attack

Surprise Attack offers quick engagement with a 5-second cooldown and carries both Unarmed Attack and Rapid Action traits.

This technique allows you to perform an unarmed strike against your opponent, though the damage output is reduced to half of normal. You'll need to activate the Surprise Attack specialty to use this move.

Assassination

Building upon stealth tactics, Assassination replaces Surprise Attack when you meet its requirements. With a 5-second cooldown, this move carries traits from your secondary weapon along with Rapid Action.

You'll attack using your secondary weapon at half damage. To unlock this upgrade, you must equip a secondary weapon after enabling the Another Tooth+ skill.

Polar Pummel

Polar Pummel is a strong, blunt attack with a 6-second cooldown, which can drop to 4 seconds under certain conditions.

This move inflicts damage equal to 20% of your maximum health. It completely bypasses your opponent's shield and ensures a hit. You'll need to have the Wrestler skill enabled to use this powerful technique in Back to the Dawn.

Holy Sword

The Holy Sword technique requires a 6-second cooldown (reducible to 4) and uses the Blunt trait. When you do a successful hit, your opponent's Damage Reduction is halved for the entire fight in Back to the Dawn.

Your opponent can only remove this debilitating effect by performing a Wrap action, and even then, there's only a 50% chance of success. You must equip a weapon with the Cut effect and have the White Wolf IV skill enabled.

Magic Throw

Magic Throw offers an instant attack option with just a 1-second cooldown, carrying weapon traits, Rapid Action, and Death Slice properties.

This technique involves throwing your equipped weapon, and any successful hit is guaranteed to be a critical strike. The Magician skill must be enabled to perform this flashy maneuver.

Master Pickpocket

Master Pickpocket in Back to the Dawn provides a unique non-damaging option with a 2-second cooldown and Unarmed Attack trait.

Instead of dealing damage, this move steals money equal to the damage that would typically be inflicted. You'll need the Gentlemanly Pursuits II skill enabled to master this technique.

Back to the Dawn Guide, How the Combat Moves Work

Sand Throw

Sand Throw is an excellent tool for debuffing with an 8-second cooldown. This move lowers your opponent's health by 2 points and reduces their Hit Rate and Crit Chance by 15% for the whole fight. Your opponent can try to remove this status using Rest.

Distract

Distract offers crowd control through an 8-second cooldown technique that uses words to confuse your opponent, inflicting Stun for one turn in Back to the Dawn.

This move also removes any status your opponent needs to maintain Attention. Your success rate depends on how much your Charisma exceeds your opponent's Intelligence.

You'll need to enable the Distract specialty to use this social manipulation tactic.

Counterattack Stance

Counterattack Stance establishes a defensive position with a 10-second cooldown that lasts until the fight ends.

While in this stance, whenever your opponent successfully hits you, there's a 40% chance of automatically returning an unarmed attack. The Counterattack specialty must be enabled to adopt this defensive strategy.

Dodge Counterattack

Dodge Counterattack improves upon the basic counterattack concept, featuring a 10-second cooldown that replaces Counterattack Stance entirely.

This enhanced version triggers a 40% chance of returning an unarmed attack whenever you successfully dodge an opponent's attack. You'll need the Comet+ skill enabled to access this superior defensive option in Back to the Dawn.

Weapon Counterattack

Weapon Counterattack represents the pinnacle of defensive stances, carrying weapon traits and maintaining a 10-second cooldown while replacing Counterattack Stance.

This advanced technique provides a 40% chance of returning an attack when hit, prioritizing weapon attacks over unarmed strikes. The Weapon Counterattack skill must be enabled to master this technique.

Concentration

Concentration sharpens your focus through an 8-second cooldown ability that keeps your eyes fixed on your opponent.

This intense focus boosts your Hit Rate by 20% for the whole fight. To achieve this heightened awareness, you must enable the Concentration specialty in Back to the Dawn.

Double Lunacy

Double Lunacy embraces chaotic combat with a 10-second cooldown ability that changes your fighting style significantly.

This technique raises your damage output by 20%, but it also increases the damage you take by 10% for the entire fight. You must enable the Double Lunacy skill to access this high-risk, high-reward approach.

Rose Thorn

Rose Thorn turns your social skills into combat strength with a 7-second cooldown. This special ability transforms any Charisma points you have that exceed your opponent's level into extra Attack Power for the entire fight duration. You must enable the Rose Thorn skill to channel your charm into deadly force in Back to the Dawn.

Back to the Dawn Guide, How the Combat Moves Work