- Introduction
- Stats
- Stat Buffs/Debuffs
- Skill Points
- Rank
- XP
- Extra XP
- XP Table
I am happy to make any corrections if more accurate information is discovered. If you have any comments, you can either post here or e-mail me at: byzantinekitty@gmail.com
All of the screenshots in this post were taken by me.
1. INTRODUCTION
Dispatch is a new game which is a partnership between AdHoc Studios (founded by developers who worked with Telltale Games) and Critical Role (Dispatch shares a comedic style similar to Critical Role's shows and many of the voice actors lend their talents to the game). Dispatch is more of an interactive animated movie where your choices lead to several potential paths. There is a game element where you dispatch superheroes to resolve calls but the emphasis is on the interactive movie.
This is a thorough guide for the game portion that will explain the difference between stats, skill points, rank, and XP. Newer players often get confused by the level cap because the random skill points that you can get may make it appear like you are exceeding the level cap. We'll also discuss the various ways you get get extra XP.
If you find this guide helpful, you may also want to check out my other Dispatch guides:
Dispatch: Hero/Power Tier Lists & Analysis
Dispatch: Optimized Hero Builds
2. STATS
Each hero has a rating (minimum of 1, maximum of 10) in each of 5 different stats:
- Combat
- Vigor
- Mobility
- Charisma
- Intellect
There is a visual grid representation of what the hero can handle by themselves.
If you're familiar with comic books, this is reminiscent of how comic book heroes and villains are often rated on their various stats, especially on trading cards.
Each call has certain fixed stat requirements. Some heroes have powers that let you see the stat requirements beforehand (Invisigal, Malevola) but you'll also be able to see the requirements after resolving that call.
Depending on the call, you can send one or more heroes and their combined stat values (minimum of 1, maximum of 10) are used to resolve the call.
Most calls simply have a percentage of success or failure depending on how well you covered the area:
Easier calls let you get an automatic (100%) success chance if you fully cover the call's area:
However, there are some harder calls where even if you completely cover the grid with 10's in all 5 stats you still max out at only an 85% chance of success (though that can be boosted to 100% with synergy bonuses).
Some calls will get disrupted where you then have to choose between several options. Normally, each choice will be associated with a particular stat and you need to meet a specific threshold for that stat. Sometimes, if you fail a threshold you may be offered alternative options which may cover different stats. With disrupted calls there is no percentage chance of success or failure and you can't squeak by by being just below the requirements. Either you meet the threshold and you succeed or you don't meet the requirement and you fail (Coupe and Sonar's powers to reattempt the call won't help here).
Occasionally a disrupted call will have a character-specific option (which almost always results in an auto-success). This is what the game means by choosing the "perfect hero" when it compiles the end-of-shift and end-of-episode game stats.
3. STAT BUFFS/DEBUFFS
There are a handful of conditions that can result in temporary increases (buffs) or decreases (debuffs) in a hero's stats for the current shift or call.
- Flambae's revealed On Fire power means that his Combat and Mobility increase for the remainder of the shift with each successful call. These buffs are reset after a failure.
- If you get Flambae's unlocked Supernova power, then after two successes, Flambae's Combat and Mobility are set to max (10) for the shift. However, a failure will drop his stats to 1.
- Each time Malevola heals another hero with her revealed Life Trade power, she gains +1 Charisma or Vigor for the remainder of the shift.
- Coupe's revealed En Pointe power grants her a Combat or Mobility bonus for that specific call if placed in the first or second slot (in calls with >2 slots).
If you unlock her A la Seconde power, she gets larger bonuses and they apply regardless of the number of slots available.
- Golem's revealed Diamond in the Rough power means that if placed in certain slots he gains +2 to one stat but -1 to his four other stats for that specific call. If the slot doesn't have an icon then there is no change to his stats.
- An injured hero has -1 to all of their stats.
The exception is Punch Up who doesn't receive debuffs while injured due to his revealed Hard Head power. If Punch Up has the unlocked Harder Head power he actually gets +2 Combat and +2 Vigor while injured.
- Near the end of the game, certain decisions may cause a hero to have low morale. Demoralized heroes have -1 to all of their stats.
4. SKILL POINTS
Most heroes start at Rank 1 with a total of 12 stat points:
However, there are a handful of exceptions:
- Invisigal is slightly below par with only 11 stat points at Rank 1.
- Waterboy begins significantly below par with only 8 stat points at Rank 1.
- Phenomaman starts (and is fixed) at Rank 12, which is higher than what heroes can normally obtain. Although he follows the standard formula (12 stat points at Rank 1 + 11 more skill points for his ranks) he does have more stat points than average.
- Blonde Blazer is a deus ex machina that only appears at the end of the game if you need additional help. She is fixed at Rank 20 with a whopping 36 stat points, which means she has 5 more stat points than usual and 10 more ranks than normal. Of course the devs could have simply made her Rank 25 instead.
Every hero can gain up to 9 additional skill points through XP (the exceptions being Phenomaman and Blonde Blazer, who do not gain any XP). Once a hero has gained their 9th skill point through XP they will stop accumulating XP even though it might visually appear like they could get more XP.
Furthermore, throughout the game you will get 4 random skill points which can be assigned to any hero present at the end of that shift.
Golem has an unlocked Found Himself power which lets him reassign all of his stats but this doesn't change the total number of stat points he has.
Skill points gained through XP (or by reassigning Golem's stats) do not have to be used immediately and can be saved for later.
The 4 random skill points gained after a shift do need to be assigned immediately.
5. RANK
Rank is a function of the number of spent skill points earned through XP + the number of random skill points assigned.
Newer players often get confused because they don't realize that the 4 random skill points that you get as a dispatcher will increase the rank of the hero you gave the skill point to.
Most heroes start at Rank 1 and can gain up to 9 skill points through XP which will typically limit them to Rank 10.
Phenomaman is an exception - he starts fixed at Rank 12 and cannot gain XP.
At the end of the game, Blonde Blazer briefly becomes available - she is fixed at Rank 20 and cannot gain XP.
The 4 random skill points will increase the rank of that hero - but each hero is still limited to only 9 skill points gained through XP. If you assign all 4 skill points to one hero, then that hero can reach Rank 14 (while all your other heroes will max out at Rank 10). If you distribute the 4 skill points to 4 different heroes, those heroes will each be able to reach Rank 11 (while the others are capped at Rank 10).
(In this example, Prism got 2 of the random skill points which is why she is Rank 12 instead of Rank 10).
Also note that Rank only reflects spent skill points. If you've earned skill points through XP but haven't spent them yet, your Rank won't factor that in.
6. XP
XP is gained by successfully completing calls. Failed calls do not provide XP. Each call has a total amount of XP and upon succeeding that call, that XP pool is evenly distributed among participating heroes. That means a hero who solos a call is going to get a lot more experience than if they are just one of four participating heroes. The total XP is generally the same but due to rounding issues there might be slight variances.
If a hero does not finish the call (sabotaged, leaves early, depressed) they do not count as participating in the successful call and do not get a share of the XP.
It does seem like heroes who have maxed out their Rank will still use up a portion of the XP pool, which gets wasted. That means if you select Phenomaman early on, assigning him on calls will waste XP (though there is plenty of XP in the game).
7. Extra XP
There are several ways to get extra XP:
A. Perfect Hero Option
If a call is disrupted and you have the perfect hero for a hero-specific option, that will generate extra XP for the perfect hero. If there are multiple heroes on the call, everyone will get a base amount and the perfect hero will get extra XP.
B. Invisigal Wolf Pack
If you unlock Invisigal's Wolf Pack power, then any time she is on a team (with at least one other hero) then the XP rewards are doubled.
This doubling of XP does NOT seem to stack with calls which already offer double XP if you meet a stat threshold (i.e. in these cases the XP is NOT tripled or quadrupled, so it's usually not worth sending Invisigal on these calls unless you really need to).
I haven't confirmed it but I suspect that the doubling of XP MIGHT apply to cases where the entire team gets XP. In those calls, meeting the bonus XP stat threshold does seem to increase the XP that the entire team gets.
C. One Hero Gets 200% XP Or Entire Team Gets Bonus XP
Some calls give you two mutually exclusive options - either a specific hero completes a call and receives 200% XP or you complete a different call variant where every member of your team gets a smaller XP bonus.
D. Risk vs Reward
Another variation gives you the mutually exclusive choice between an easier call with a low risk of injury or a tougher call with a high risk of injury but an XP bonus for the whole team:
E. Bonus XP Threshold
And finally, some calls have a "*" threshold where if you meet a specific stat level and succeed, you will get double XP. Note that the double XP does NOT stack with Invisigal's Wolf Pack power.
8. XP Table
This table shows the amount of XP heroes need to get additional skill points:
| Rank | XP | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterboy | 400 | |
| Invisigal | 700 | |
| 1 | 1000 | |
| 2 | 1300 | |
| 3 | 1600 | |
| 4 | 1900 | |
| 5 | 2200 | |
| 6 | 2500 | |
| 7 | 2800 | |
| 8 | 3100 | |
| 9 | 3400 | |
| 10 | 3700 but stops gaining XP | |
| Phenomaman | 10500 but doesn't gain XP | |
| Blonde Blazer | 10500 but doesn't gain XP |
The table does not factor in the 4 random skill points you may assign. The game separately tracks the number of skill points a hero has earned through XP. So if you are referencing rank, you may need to do some mental subtraction for the heroes you gave random stat points to.
Each hero is limited to a maximum of 9 skill points earned through XP. Waterboy and Invisigal start with fewer stat points so they have slightly different tables. They will rank up quicker but are still limited to the cap of 9 skill points earned through XP.
Waterboy gets his first skill point at 400 XP, his second point at 700 XP, his third skill point at 1000 XP, and his ninth and final skill point at 2800 XP.
Invisigal gets her first skill point at 700 XP, her second skill point at 1000 XP, her third skill point at 1300 XP, and her ninth and final skill point at 3100 XP.