The Skill Crack system is a game mechanic in Devil Survivor and Devil Survivor 2. Introduced as early as the first day, the Skill Crack system allows for the protagonists to be able to copy and use the abilities of the opponents they defeat.
There are different types of skills which can be cracked:
- Command Skills, which serve as attacks or support spells
- Passive Skills, which can affect a character's innate defensive or offensive capabilities
- Auto Skills, which are automatically cast at the start of each battle the equipping team enters
Racial Skills are exclusive to demons and cannot be cracked. Certain skills are also unique to enemies and cannot be cracked either.
Cracking[]
After it is introduced, at the start of every battle prior to dispatching the teams, the "Skill Crack" option appears, and different team leaders can choose between the skills available for cracking, and the opponent they want to crack it off of. In order for the crack to be successful that team (either the leader or the demons) must defeat the targeted opponent. After cracking, the leader can opt either to set the cracked skill for immediate use, provided he or she meets the requirements (e.g. immediately setting a cracked Agidyne skill requires 18 Magic), or leave it in the skill library for use in future battles.
Multiple team leaders can choose to crack the same skill from the same or other target(s), but once a skill is cracked, further attempts to crack the same skill will fail, since only one copy of each skill can be distributed amongst the team leaders. Though the player can only crack a skill once, the cracked skill can be redistributed among the party leaders at any time when not in battle. There are occasions where an enemy (usually a boss) possesses a skill that is compatible with team leaders but cannot be cracked. This is largely because that enemy, due to events during the battle, could change their skills and deny cracking to unaware players.
In Devil Survivor 2, if the main character has a Fate Ranking of 2 or greater with any of his party members, the crack is successful if his team defeats the opponent with a skill being cracked by that party member. The reverse also applies, making it entirely possible to crack 2 or more skills from a single enemy.
The Factors[]
At the end of the Triangulum arc in Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker, the protagonists proposes an idea of stealing the Prime Factors that otherwise make Canopus immortal, using their power to defeat Canopus and free the world from the Administrator system. The Anguished One, designer of Nicaea and all its components, is intrigued by this idea, and upgrades the Skill Crack function so that the party can steal the Factors.
During the final battle, the regular Skill Crack can still take place on demons and enemies. Defeating a Factor with the enhanced Skill Crack in tow will automatically steal its abilities and bestow it upon the entire party, without a need to set a target.
Magnetite[]
Cracked skills can also be taught to demons within a team. In Devil Survivor, as the team wins battles and earns Macca, an invisible Magnetite meter is charged up. Once it reaches full, a message stating this is displayed, and the player can teach one cracked Command Skill to any demon in the team, regardless of the skill's requirements for team leaders. This makes it much easier for one to get a demon with a desired skill rather than going through multiple fusions to pass it there.
In Devil Survivor 2, the Magnetite function is absent. Instead, the player can gain "Set" Add-Ons. When used during fusion, these Add-Ons allow the player to be able to teach the demon any cracked skill within a designated skill set, e.g. "Fire Set" can teach any cracked Fire skill.
| Overclocked - Manga | |
| Playable Characters | Protagonist - Atsuro Kihara - Yuzu Tanikawa - Naoya - Amane Kuzuryu - Keisuke Takagi - Midori Komaki - Mari Mochizuki - Kaido - Black Frost - Gin - Misaki Izuna |
| Non-Playable Characters | Haru - Shomonkai Founder - Gigolo - Yasuyuki Honda - Shoji - Azuma - Commander Fushimi - Beldr - Belial - Jezebel - Belzaboul - Belberith - Metatron - Okuninushi |
| Locations | Shibuya - Aoyama - Roppongi - Ikebukuro - Akasaka Tunnel - Omotesando - Shinjuku - Akihabara - Nagata-Cho - Shiba Park - Ueno - Kudanshita - Asakusa - Kanda |
| Music | Devil Survivor OST Remix - Reset - Soul Survive |
| Terminology | Extra Turn Battle - COMPs - Shomonkai - Tokyo Lockdown - Demon Summoning Program - Laplace Mail - Death Clock - King of Bel - Devil Auction - Dance Skills - Skill Crack - Racial Skill - Auto Skill - Demon World - Four Devas |
| Archives | Demons (DeSu - DSO) - Skills (DeSu - DSO) - Status Ailments - Titles - Endings |
| Record Breaker - The Animation - Thursday 23:54 | |
|---|---|
| Characters | |
| Playable | Protagonist - Daichi Shijima - Io Nitta - Yuzuru Akie - Hinako Kujou - Keita Wakui - Airi Ban - Jungo Torii - Fumi Kanno - Makoto Sako - Otome Yanagiya - Yamato Hotsuin - Ronaldo Kuriki - Anguished One - Miyako Hotsuin |
| Non-Playable | Tico (Male / Female) - Dera-Deka - Koharu - Jungo's Cat - Polaris - Canopus |
| Locations | |
| Tokyo | Tokyo Tower - Sunset Blvd - Diet Building - Akasaka Palace - Cine City Plaza - Sky Tower - Karamachi - Terminal - Bugeikan Arena - Central Gate - Sengakuji - Eikokuji |
| Osaka | Tsuutenkaku - Main Branch (JP's) - Festival Gate - Bickman - Ebisu Bridge - Sankyu Line |
| Nagoya | TV Tower - Planetarium - Gold Clock - Centering Park - Nagoya Branch (JP's) - Parking Garage |
| Other | Fukuoka Tenjin - Sapporo - Akasha Stratum - Stake Terminal - Providence |
| Archives | |
| Terminology | Extra Turn Battle - Demon Tamers - Devil Auction - Fate System - JP's - Nicaea β ver. - Septentriones - Dance Skills - Racial Skill - Auto Skill - Skill Crack - Demon Summoning App - Add-On - Dragon Stream - Terminal - Administrator - Akashic Record - Void - Triangulum - Astrolabe |
| Lists | Demons - Skills - Ailments - Titles (RB)- Translations |
| Other Media | |
| Songs | "Mugen no Sekai" - "Take Your Way" - "Be" |
| Publications | -Show Your Free Will- - The Animation Manga - Cetus's Prequel |
| Mobile Games | The Extra World |
| Misc | Merchandise |