Chain Skills are where most of a well-built Guardian Tales party's damage comes from. Every Hero's Chain Skill triggers off one of three Ailments on the enemy and leaves a different Ailment behind — so if you order your party so each Hero's leftover Ailment matches the next Hero's trigger, you can fire all four Chain Skills back to back and hold the enemy stunned for up to ten seconds. This guide explains the mechanic, the separate Team Combination Skill system, and lists every Hero's Chain Skill so you can plan a chain. The interactive Team Builder does this check for you.
The three Ailments
An Ailment is a short stun. You inflict one with a Weapon Skill (the party leader's) or a Chain Skill (any party member's). A full Weapon-Skill infliction lasts about 2.5 seconds — that is your window to start a Chain Skill.
Downed: the enemy is knocked to the ground and takes +50% from Melee attacks while down.
Airborne: the enemy is launched into the air and takes +50% from Ranged attacks while up.
Injured: a 5-second damage-over-time bleed — ten ticks totalling 200% of the applying Hero's DPS. Each tick counts as a hit, so Heroes with on-hit passives (Future Princess is the classic) benefit from it directly.
An enemy can only be under one Ailment at a time. Weapon Skills fill an Ailment gauge to 100% to trigger; Chain Skills apply their Ailment outright on their final hit.
How a Chain Skill chain works
Chain Skills unlock through Awakening — you need every node around the Hero's central icon plus the centre node itself. 1★ Heroes don't get one (The Knight is the exception).
In combat: the leader's Weapon Skill stuns the enemy, a Hero icon appears, and tapping it fires that Hero's Chain Skill. That Chain Skill leaves its own Ailment behind. If another party member's Chain Skill triggers off that Ailment, its icon lights up next, and so on.
Best case is all four Heroes chaining for a ~10-second stun. Worst case is a party whose Chain Skills don't connect at all and only the leader's fires. Order matters: arrange the party so each Hero's "leaves behind" Ailment feeds the next Hero's trigger.
Heroes whose Chain Skill triggers on "All" can start from any Ailment, so they are flexible glue in a chain. A common high-end trick is to chain your main damage dealer immediately before an "All" support Hero's Chain animation ends, funnelling the Ailment advantage onto the carry.
In Co-op you can fill more than one Ailment gauge at once but still only activate one. In Arena the Ailment gauge carries between rounds.
Team Combination Skill — a separate system
Team Combination Skills are not Chain Skills. They are a single shared party skill with its own on-screen button that charges by defeating enemies, fires once, and resets. There are two, and each needs a specific party shape:
Guardian Cannon — hits the whole field for heavy damage. Needs a full 4-Hero party with at least 3 Ranged Heroes, all evolved to 5★.
Shine Spark — crashes into a single target for massive damage. Needs a full 4-Hero party with at least 3 Warrior Heroes, all evolved to 5★.
Team Combination Skills cannot be used in Colosseum or Guild Raid, and depending on stage length you often only get one cast — save it for a boss or a dangerous wave.
Chain Skills that trigger on Airborne
Fire these after a Weapon Skill or Chain Skill that leaves the enemy Airborne. The "leaves behind" column is what the next Hero in your chain needs to trigger on.
| Hero | Element | Chain Skill | Leaves behind |
|---|---|---|---|
 Autonomous Android Mk.2 |  Dark | Napalm | Injured |
 Battleball Girl Rie |  Basic | Bat Swing | Downed |
 Beach Racer Rachel |  Water | Hit and Run | Injured |
 Desert Mercenary Marvin |  Earth | Smashing Blow | Downed |
 Dimension Traveler Catherine | Water | Infinite Loop | Injured |
 Dragon Knight Shapira | Dark | Divine Punishment | Downed |
 Dragon of the Vast Sea Yun | Water | Ascension | Injured |
 Eight-Star Demon Lord Rimuru Tempest | Water | Megiddo | Injured |
 Elder Dragon's Daughter Ameris | Earth | Land Boom! | Downed |
 Exorcist Swordswoman Saya |  Fire | Evil Spirit Purge | Downed |
 First-class Mage Fern | Basic | Demon-Slaying Magic (Zoltraak) | Downed |
 God of Harvest Kamael | Earth | Earthly Purification | Injured |
 Golem Rider Alef | Earth | Avalanche | Downed |
 Horn Huntress Toga | Fire | Scorch | Downed |
 Incarcerated Scholar Vinette | Dark | Charge Knuckle | Downed |
 Inspector Yuna | Earth | Scythe of Judgment | Downed |
 King of the Hill Cornet |  Light | Fruit Meteor Burst | Downed |
 Knight Captain Eva | Light | Weapon Surge | Downed |
 Little Android AA72 | Water | Midnight Summer | Downed |
 Little Baroness Daisy | Water | Frozen Slay | Downed |
 Mage Popp | Fire | Medroa | Downed |
 Movie Star Eugene | Light | Motorcycle Somersault | Injured |
 Noble Succubus Bianca | Water | Ice Field | Downed |
 Red Hood Elvira | Fire | Great Explosion | Injured |
 Scrivener Lahn | Basic | Fu of Balance | Injured |
 Succubus Adventurer Yuze | Dark | Dark Thunder | Injured |
 The Bound Child Clara | Fire | Meteor Swarm | Injured |
 The Knight | Basic | Judgment | Downed |
 Trickster Lucy | Fire | Flourish | Downed |
 Warlord Mercenary Orca | Water | Execution | Downed |
 White Snow | Water | Snowman! | Injured |
Chain Skills that trigger on Downed
Fire these after an effect that leaves the enemy Downed.
| Hero | Element | Chain Skill | Leaves behind |
|---|---|---|---|
 Android Mk.99 | Light | Beam Saber | Injured |
 Aspiring Warrior Craig | Earth | Battle Cry | Airborne |
 Baby Dokkaebi Eunha | Basic | Shapeshifting | Airborne |
 Beach Cleanup Hitter Rie | Basic | Inside-the-Parker | Injured |
 Chocolate Collector Ameris | Basic | Cacao Blast | Injured |
 Codename J | Water | Dolphin Dive | Injured |
 Contractee Crosselle | Dark | Code Injection | Airborne |
 Cyborg Monk Chun Ryeo | Light | True Skill : Ultimate Ice Flame Bomb | Airborne |
 Dark Magician Beth | Dark | Dark Invasion | Injured |
 Demonshire's Count Claude | Dark | Corrupted Field | Airborne |
 Destroyer Pymon | Fire | The Demon God's Back Says It All | Injured |
 Divine Beast of Harvest Mayreel | Earth | Terra Blast | Injured |
 Dragon Seeking Girl Neva | Light | Outcry of Rage | Injured |
 Drunken Swordmaster Lynn | Fire | Throwing Dagger | Injured |
 Dual-personality Maid Amy | Basic | Murderous Blow | Injured |
 Eight-tailed Fox Nari | Basic | Fox Magic Reflux | Airborne |
 Elite Royal Guard Captain Valencia | Light | Judgement Edge | Injured |
 Engineer Marianne | Earth | Concentrated Fire | Airborne |
 Flame Harpy Scintilla | Fire | Blaze Kick | Injured |
 Future Knight | Basic | Magiton Grenade | Airborne |
 Goddess of War Plitvice | Fire | Power Liberation | Injured |
 H.E.R.O.S KAI | Light | Justice Judgment | Injured |
 Hero Dai | Basic | Giga Strash | Injured |
 Jade Exorcist Tasha | Earth | Puppetry Spell (Liberation) | Airborne |
 Knight Lady Lapice | Light | Giant Umbrella | Airborne |
 Kung Fu Master Fei | Light | Hard Blow | Injured |
 Kung Fu Master Mei | Light | Hard Blow | Injured |
 Kunoichi Sumire | Dark | Mystic Dream Slash | Injured |
 Laid-back Muncher Xiaoman | Earth | Roll~ Roll~ | Injured |
 Legendary Hero Erina | Basic | Lightning Slash | Injured |
 Lifeguard Yuze | Water | CPR | Airborne |
 Lord of Dark Beasts Klen | Dark | Eternal Shadow - Burst | Airborne |
| Dark | Move aside, please! | Injured | |
 Mage of Over 1000 Years Frieren | Light | Judradjim | Airborne |
 Master Swordsman Gourry | Light | Blade of Light | Airborne |
 Mecha Warrior Oghma | Dark | Multiple Rocket | Injured |
 Model Employee Parvati | Earth | Task Completion | Injured |
 Mystic Violet Haruka | Light | Star Power Beam | Injured |
 Nine-tailed Fox Garam | Water | Spirit Tornado | Airborne |
 Novice Heavenly Maiden Dabin | Earth | Overwhelming Firepower | Airborne |
 Overlord of the East Morrian | Earth | Commander Order | Injured |
 Party Crasher Mad Panda Trio | Earth | Protocol: Party Crasher | Injured |
 Pill Refiner Win Ling | Fire | Ascending Fire Dragon Fist | Airborne |
 Plague Doctor | Dark | Total Eclipse | Injured |
 Ronin Cat Mikke | Basic | Mikke Style Slash | Injured |
 Santa's Little Helper Rue | Earth | Gift Box Launch | Injured |
 Scientist Sohee | Light | Ghost Ejector | Airborne |
 Sea Witch Ara | Water | Black Rain | Injured |
 Sniper Hekate | Earth | Bullseye | Injured |
 Southpaw Fireballer Randi | Fire | Perfect Strike | Airborne |
 Star Cluster Chief Scrivener Lena | Light | Cosmic Sign | Airborne |
 Summer Innkeeper Loraine | Basic | Devastation Beam | Injured |
 Swindler Magician Dolf | Fire | Meteo Shower | Injured |
 Sword of Heaven Angie | Water | Judgment Shield | Injured |
 Twin Fighter Lavi | Fire | Take this! | Airborne |
 Tyrant of Destruction Milim Nava | Dark | Drago Buster | Injured |
Chain Skills that trigger on Injured
Fire these after an effect that leaves the enemy Injured.
| Hero | Element | Chain Skill | Leaves behind |
|---|---|---|---|
 1st Corps Commander | Dark | Event Horizon | Airborne |
 Android Twin Nifty | Dark | Delta Ray Burst | Downed |
| Light | Flame of Creation | Downed | |
 Beach Dragon Knight Shapira | Light | Shining Shovel | Downed |
 Beach Maid Amy | Fire | Violent Blows | Airborne |
 Dancing Archer Tinia | Earth | Storm Arrow | Airborne |
 Defender of the Forest Estel | Earth | Purge Forest | Downed |
 Demon Queen Lilith | Dark | Demon Clutch | Downed |
 Dragon Talon Clan Ranpang | Basic | Rolling Dragon | Airborne |
 Elemental of Christmas Carol | Light | Shooting Star | Downed |
 Elite Ninja Natsume | Water | Rainstorm | Downed |
 Executive Red Hood Arabelle | Dark | Plasma Shock Wave | Downed |
 Fire Dragon Girgas | Fire | Flame Strike | Airborne |
 Flower Girl Bari | Earth | Rose Grab | Downed |
 Free-Spirited Squirrel Chriselle | Earth | Surprise Gift! | Airborne |
 Future Princess | Light | Dimension Barrier | Downed |
 Grim Reaper Hana | Water | Punishing Chains | Downed |
 Half Vampire Priscilla | Light | Destruction | Downed |
 Huntress Rosetta | Earth | Rapid Fire | Airborne |
 Ice Witch Lupina | Dark | Claws of a Beast | Airborne |
 Innuit Girl Coco | Water | Hail | Airborne |
 Main Eventer Callie | Dark | Highlight | Downed |
 Martial Artist Maam | Earth | Refractor Fist | Airborne |
 No.9 Miss Chrom | Basic | Invisible Mine | Downed |
 Onmyoji Wakamo | Water | Fox Claw | Airborne |
 Osprey Anna | Basic | Surprise | Downed |
 Pirate Rachel | Water | Bombardment | Downed |
 Private Investigator Odile | Light | Private Investigator's Trap | Downed |
 Pure Flame Illuni | Light | Beeeeaaaaam! | Airborne |
 Risen Hero Alicia | Basic | Singular Dragonfly | Downed |
 Robbers' Killer Lina | Fire | Dragon Slave | Airborne |
 Scientist on the Beach Sohee | Basic | Wave Splash | Airborne |
 Streamer Ruri | Light | Donation | Airborne |
 Sweet Troublemaker Girgas | Basic | Piñata Rush | Downed |
 Sword of Werebeasts Rey | Fire | Blazing Spin Slash | Downed |
 Swordsman Akayuki | Fire | Feiyan | Downed |
 The First Avatar Kahlor | Fire | Flame of Creation | Downed |
 Warrior Stark | Fire | Lightning Strike | Airborne |
 White Beast | Water | Onslaught | Airborne |
Chain Skills that trigger on any Ailment
These Heroes' Chain Skills start from Downed, Airborne or Injured — the flexible links in a chain, and the Heroes used to funnel the Ailment window onto a carry.
| Hero | Element | Chain Skill | Leaves behind |
|---|---|---|---|
 Archangel Gabriel | Light | Descent of Angels | Injured |
 Chosen One's Archpriestess Veronica | Water | Light of Courage | Downed |
 Dragon Avatar Vishuvac | Fire | Flame Blessing | Injured |
 Druid Kanna | Basic | Grrr!! | Downed |
 Exorcist Miya | Fire | Flame Festival | Downed |
 Gnome Doctor Noel | Earth | This might sting a little | Downed |
 Goddess of Wealth Eleanor | Light | Blessing Anthem | Downed |
 Grand Admiral Marina | Water | Blessing of the Ocean | Injured |
 Herald of Counterattack Seira | Earth | Electromagnetic Pulse | Injured |
 Idol Captain Eva | Basic | Brave Sound | Downed |
 Innkeeper Loraine | Basic | Poisonous Mushroom Drop | Injured |
 Kind Wet Nurse Nelluru | Fire | Soaring | Downed |
 Leaf Fairy Aoba | Earth | Purification Dew | Downed |
 Mad Scientist Gremory | Dark | Dangerous Experiment | Airborne |
 Necromancer Noxia | Dark | Spirit Joint Attack | Airborne |
 Priest Xellos | Dark | Blast Bomb | Downed |
 Princess Aisha | Light | Taking Lead | Downed |
 Sea Vendor Sia | Water | Healing Wave | Downed |
 Shrine Maiden(Kannagi) Shuna | Fire | Holy Bell | Downed |
 Slayer Andras | Water | Cold Death | Downed |
 Soul Mage Dohwa | Basic | Avian Spirit Ascent | Downed |
 Twin Healer Favi | Water | Healing Water Drop | Injured |
 Vampire Girl Karina | Dark | Bat Storm | Downed |