Tenebris is a turn-based tactical sci-fi RPG that borrows its structure from Darkest Dungeon: you run a roster of named heroes, send squads of four into missions, and spend everything they bring back on base facilities that keep the roster alive. Two systems decide most fights, and two currencies decide how fast your bench grows.
Quick answer: Kills build combat concentration, which fuels combo attacks. At base, the Cryocenter’s Database Search upgrade costs 250 credits, and pulling a hero out of hibernation costs 500 credits plus 100 bio-materials.
Combat concentration and combos in Tenebris
Combat in Tenebris runs on two linked resources. Combat concentration is gained from kills, and combos are triggered by using specific skills in sequence rather than by a separate resource bar. The instructor in power armor who meets your squad at the start of the story mission “TRAIN HARD, FIGHT EASY.” explains both before the first battle, which makes that mission the cleanest place to learn them.
In practice this means kill order matters more than raw damage. Finishing off a wounded insectoid feeds concentration back into the squad, and the skills you chain afterwards are what set off combo damage on the next target. Status effects carry the rest of the load: stun, bleed and acid are the tools that take down the scorpion-like boss at the end of the mission.
Green rings on the ground mark movement, purple markers show targets, and red indicators flag active combat. Skills seen in this tier of play include Toxic Shot, Shotgun Shot, High-Explosive Grenade and Blow To The Gut, each tied to a class rather than to a specific character.
“TRAIN HARD, FIGHT EASY.” mission: enemies, structure and rewards
This is a main story mission rated for Enemy Level 4–5, and a squad of four covers it comfortably — a Technicus, a Defencor, a Medicus and one damage dealer is enough. Check the briefing screen before you deploy: it lists each hero’s level next to their portrait, so you can confirm nobody is under-levelled for the bracket.
The mission itself is a hangar crawl. You move through the bay, loot containers and crates between encounters, and fight three set pieces: an opening battle against Stenocara, Regenus and Lampyris, an ambush that specifically rewards combo attacks, and the boss. A lockpicking minigame on a chest sits just before the exit, so clear it before you finish.
You will know the run paid off from the WIN summary, which breaks down kills per character, experience gained and the loot pulled off enemies. Completing it pushes squad members into Level 5.
Loot every container in the hangar before triggering the next fight. Crate contents feed directly into the gear you sell or equip during the base phase.
Cryocenter costs: Database Search and hero revitalization
New heroes do not arrive from recruitment screens. They are already on the ship, asleep in hibernation capsules, and the Cryocenter is where you wake them. Two purchases gate the process.
| Purchase | Cost | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Database Search | 250 credits | Replacing heroes in cryo-capsules |
| Revitalize a Level 5 hero | 500 credits + 100 bio-materials | Adds the hero to your active roster |
A woken hero starts with nothing equipped. Fit them out in the Armory immediately; Praesidio medium armor is a reasonable Level 5 baseline before they see a mission.
Medbay gene stimulation and Armory gear
The Medbay applies gene stimulations, which are permanent passive benefits attached to a specific hero. The list covers Sanus, Patet, Felix, Hospitaller, Infinitus, Callous, Strenuus, Terminatus, Expansio, Harpago and Umbra. Treat these as long-term investments in heroes you actually field, not as filler spending.
The Armory handles weapons and armor, and gear is level-gated in the same way missions are. Equipping Level 5 Murus heavy armor and a matching helmet raises armor and fear resistance, which matters because fear is a separate pressure on your squad rather than a health bar. Armor and weapon families you will cycle through at this stage include Murus, Mortiferum, Minax, Crucis, Stimulus, Umbra, Praesidio, Pertus, Cruor, Alveo, Cataegis, Refectio and Fortis.
Sell low-level gear rather than hoarding it. Credits are the bottleneck on Cryocenter purchases, and outgrown armor is the most reliable source of them.
Passive missions and idle rewards
Heroes not in your active squad should never be idle. Passive missions run in the background while you play, returning resources and experience that you collect from the Operation HQ screen. Heroes on passive duty level up from that experience alone — a benched hero can reach Level 4 without ever entering a fight.
- CAVE DESTRUCTION — Level 1
- SEARCH OPERATION — Level 3
- PREDATOR HUNT — Level 3
- DATA COLLECTION AND PLANTING MINES
Send low-level heroes to the Level 1 operations and keep your mid-tier bench on the Level 3 ones. Assign them before you start a story mission, because the payout accrues while the main squad is deployed.
Squad classes, skill upgrades and dossiers
Five classes carry the roster, and each hero is locked to one. Skill upgrades are bought per hero from their class tree back at base, so points spent on a Technicus do nothing for a Miles.
| Class | Example heroes | Sample skills |
|---|---|---|
| Technicus | Falco | Improved Welding, Tech-Nanobots, Combat Firmware |
| Miles | Blade, Latinius, Sylla | Deep Cuts, Sharp Blade, Fragmentation Grenade |
| Defencor | Brutus | Special Training, The Heat of Battle |
| Medicus | Amanda, Ivy | Panacea, Medical Mastery, Nano Immunity |
| Pellentes | Nova | Predator Bullets, Piercing Shot, Sniper in Action |
Some heroes also carry career paths on top of their class — Belisarius, for example, can branch toward Centurio, Phoenix, Legionnaire or Ignifer. That choice sits on the Career screen, separate from the skill tree.
Cosmetics are handled in each hero’s dossier, where you can change the portrait, the frame color and the background color. Heroes can also be renamed freely at any point, which is purely organizational and has no effect on stats.
The loop is tight enough that the base phase is where runs are won. Clear a mission, collect the idle payouts, sell the gear you have outgrown, and put the credits into the Cryocenter before they go anywhere else — a deeper bench is what keeps the roster functioning when the next fight goes badly. All of the costs and systems above reflect version 1.0.02.
