Limit Skills

Limit Skills are a game mechanic in Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City, succeeding Force Skills from Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard in function. This is a gauge-based mechanic that allows limited use of powerful game-changing skills.

Overview

Limit skills are introduced after first creating your party, and can be assigned from the main menu in Custom → Limit while out of combat. You are given three basic Limit skills as an introduction to the mechanic, and other Limit skills are typically discovered from completing Sea Quests unlocked through seafaring. Each Limit requires a certain number of party members assigned to it to execute, and stronger Limit skills typically require more participants.

Limit skills can be executed in addition to the party member's normal action for the turn, so an offensive but slow Limit skill can be augmented by charge skills performed on the same turn. If a Limit skill is an attacking skill, it will calculate off the average STR or TEC of all participants involved, and account for buffs and debuffs only from the party member initiating it. Limit skills do not require any unbound body parts to execute, but the penalties from binds will affect the party member initiating the skill. Offensive Limit skills also cannot miss, unless stated otherwise.

Limit Gauge

Each party member has a Limit Gauge (viewable under the Escape command in battle) that accumulates as they take actions in battle. Once the Limit Gauge maxes out at 100, they can initiate their assigned Limit skill from their Skills command menu (original DS version) or the Limit command (HD version). For Limits that require multiple participants, only the party member initiating the Limit skill requires a maxed gauge to trigger, but doing so will completely deplete the gauge of all participants. If anyone participating in a Limit skill gets KO'ed or incapacitated before it executes, the Limit skill fails and nothing is deducted.

Whenever a party member performs an action in battle (attacking, defending, using a skill or item), they gain Limit according to the formula below:

$LimitGain=\max \{5+random(0,10)+SkillLevel+LimitBoostLevel+LimitForges,15\}+LimitForges$

Limit gain per turn is capped at 15, and can only be increased past this cap by the Limit Forge icons on the party member. This means that any one party member, at best, can fully charge their Limit gauge in seven actions.

If a party member, summoned Beast, clone, Bot, or decoy dies (but not dismissed) then all remaining party members gain Limit equal to the amount of a normal action. A dead party member retains their Limit at time of death, which is then halved when they are revived. Running from a battle or resting at the inn will also halve the Limit amounts of everyone doing so. A victory in battle will award the same amount of Limit to all surviving members as a normal non-skill action.

List of Limit Skills

Cross Slash クロススラッシュ
Limit Skill Deals cut damage to the target at the start of a turn. Requires two participants Available from the start. Stat(s) used: STR
Level	1
Damage	230%
Action Speed	+23000

Indomitable 決死の覚悟
Limit Skill The user will survive the next deadly blow with 1HP. Does not protect against instant kill. Requires one participant This effect does not take up a buff slot. Available from the start.
Level	1
Action Speed	+23000

Charge Tactic 突撃陣形
Limit Skill At the start of the turn, buffs the party's physical and elemental damage for 5 turns. Requires two participants Also affects almighty damage. Available from the start.
Level	1
Damage Increase	25%
Action Speed	+23000

Mumyouken 無明剣
Limit Skill Deals stab damage to random targets 3 times at the start of the turn. Requires three participants Unlocked after defeating Meregho Saeno for the first time. Stat(s) used: STR
Level	1
Damage per Hit	140%
Total Damage	420%
Action Speed	+23000

Guard Tactic 守護陣形
Limit Skill At the start of the turn, buffs the party's physical and elemental defenses for 5 turns. Requires two participants Also reduces almighty damage taken. Found in a chest in B3F.
Level	1
Defense Increase	25%
Action Speed	+23000

Second Wind 武息
Limit Skill Recovers the user's HP at the end of the turn. Requires one participant Unlocked after defeating the Cruel Roamer for the first time
Level	1
HP Recovery	100%
Action Speed	-10000

Lethal Tactic 必殺陣形
Limit Skill At the start of the turn, buffs the party's critical hit rate for 5 turns. Requires two participants Only affects normal attacks. Found in a chest in B6F.
Level	1
Critical Rate Increase	100%
Action Speed	+23000

Aegis Defense イージスの護り
Limit Skill Blocks all physical attacks on the party this turn. Requires three participants Unlocked after defeating the Ghost Ship for the first time.
Level	1
Action Speed	+23000

Hellfire 業火
Limit Skill Deals Fire damage to random enemies 3-5 times at the end of the turn. Requires two participants Unlocked after defeating the Hammerhead for the first time. Stat(s) used: TEC
Level	1
Damage per Hit	65%
Damage Range	195% - 325%
Average Damage	260%
Action Speed	-10000

Wind Tactic 風魔陣形
Limit Skill At the start of the turn, buffs the party's evasion for 5 turns. Requires two participants Found in a chest in B11F.
Level	1
Evasion Increase	30%
Action Speed	+23000

Absolute Zero 絶対零度
Limit Skill Deals Ice damage to random enemies 3-5 times at the end of the turn. Requires two participants Unlocked after defeating Corotrangul for the first time. Stat(s) used: TEC
Level	1
Damage per Hit	65%
Damage Range	195% - 325%
Average Damage	260%
Action Speed	-10000

Aegis Barrier イージスの護りII
Limit Skill Blocks all elemental attacks on the party this turn. Requires three participants Unlocked after defeating the Golem for the first time.
Level	1
Action Speed	+23000

Sungrazer サングレイザー
Limit Skill Deals almighty damage to one enemy at the start of a turn. Requires four participants Unlocked after defeating the Ruin Caller for the first time. Stat(s) used: TEC
Level	1
Damage	500%
Action Speed	+23000

Regroup Tactic 介護陣形
Limit Skill The party will recover HP and heal ailments at the end of a turn. Lasts 5 turns. Requires three participants Does not cure binds. Cures poison and plague before these ailments can inflict damage. Cures plague before it gets to spread. Unlocked after defeating the Manticore for the first time. Stat(s) used: TEC
Level	1
Healing Power	30%
Action Speed	+23000

Typhoon Bolt 渦雷
Limit Skill Deals Volt damage to random enemies 3-5 times at the end of a turn. Requires two participants Found in a chest in B16F. Stat(s) used: TEC
Level	1
Damage per Hit	65%
Damage Range	195% - 325%
Average Damage	260%
Action Speed	-10000

Aegis Shield イージスの盾
Limit Skill Negates all damage to the party. Requires four participants Unlocked after defeating the King Penguin for the first time.
Level	1
Action Speed	+23000

Quintessence クインテセンス
Limit Skill Deals almighty damage to the enemy party at the end of the turn. Requires five participants Unlocked after defeating Scylla for the first time. Stat(s) used: TEC
Level	1
Damage	320%
Action Speed	-10000

Star Smasher スターバスター
Limit Skill Deals powerful bash damage to an enemy at the start of a turn. Requires five participants Found in a chest in B20F Stat(s) used: STR
Level	1
Damage	800%
Action Speed	+23000

Lucky Hammer 幸運のハンマー
Limit Skill Deals bash damage at the end of a turn. If the enemy is killed, all items will be dropped. Requires one participant Enemies killed by this skill will yield all possible item drops, including conditional items, at the end of battle. Unlocked after defeating the Leviathan for the first time. Stat(s) used: STR
Level	1
Damage	130%
Hit Rate	98%
Action Speed	-10000

Uroboros Guard ウロボロスの盾
Limit Skill Negates all damage to the party. Damage that would have been taken will recover HP. Requires four participants Found in a chest in B23F.
Level	1
Damage Absorption	50%
Action Speed	+23000

Immortal イモータル
Limit Skill At the end of the turn, revives all fallen party members, cures all binds and ailments, and fully restores the party's HP and TP. Requires three participants Unlocked after defeating the Elder Dragon for the first time.
Level	1
Action Speed	-10000

References

• Limit Skills datamining by DrFetus/Araxxor