Every Day We Fight character builds and skills
Every Day We Fight: trigger the right character reaction
Dylan's Proximity Punch responds to an enemy getting close on its turn. Leo's Covering Fire responds when he witnesses an ally become Suppressed. Vivian's Kill Assist responds when an ally brings an enemy near death. The ability must be available and its Reflex opportunity must still be usable.
The three unique reactions do not all trigger when someone is shot. Identify whose condition is being met before assuming a missing prompt is a bug.
On this page
Match the event to the Thorn
| Thorn / reaction | Setup to check | Success feedback |
|---|---|---|
| Dylan / Proximity Punch | Enemy approaches close enough on its own turn | Select the offered target and resolve the punch. |
| Leo / Covering Fire | An ally becomes Suppressed by an enemy attack | Trigger the opportunity and shoot from Leo's view. |
| Vivian / Kill Assist | Another Thorn brings the enemy near death | Trigger the opportunity and take Vivian's finishing shots. |
If no prompt appears
- Check that the relevant ability is unlocked on the correct character.
- Inspect the Reflex indicator. Placing Overwatch spends the Reflex up front; a used reaction is not automatically available again just because the next action would suit it.
- Check the actual triggering condition. An enemy shooting an ally does not by itself establish Suppressed, and ordinary damage does not necessarily create a finishing opportunity.
- Check the reaction's usable target and firing line before relying on it to finish the turn.
- When offered an opportunity, decide before cancelling: the reference says a triggered Scramble spends its Reflex even when cancelled. Do not treat cancellation as a general way to refresh reactions.
Upgrades change conditions rather than the base rule
Some purchased skills add exceptions or rewards. For example, Vivian's Trigger happy changes her finishing threshold, while final branch skills can preserve a reaction after a successful trigger. Those benefits are not defaults for a new character. Read the selected card rather than copying a late-game video loadout into an early-run expectation.
This page identifies the trigger. The build guides explain which follow-up benefits are worth choosing for a particular role.
Use the reaction controls added at 1.0
The official1.0notes increase Kill Assist and Covering Fire sensitivity and allow switching weapons and fire modes while reacting. They do not publish a new universal trigger percentage or distance. If the opportunity appears but the current gun is unsuitable, inspect the available weapon or mode choice before cancelling it.
If it does not work
- Overwatch was already placed: use the separate Reflex tradeoff guide.
- The character has no usable shot: fix the firing setup instead of counting on a prompt to remove cover or reload the gun.
- A video gets a second reaction but your character does not: compare purchased exception skills.
- Do not use an unsourced distance or base HP percentage as a universal trigger threshold.
How to tell it worked
The expected prompt appears under the matching condition and the intended character resolves the reaction. Any extra benefit is checked against the skill actually purchased.
Sources & version
Steam / Windows PC. Published Codex/reference entries checked 2 November 2026; their exact capture build/date is not declared. Use the conditions on your installed game's cards when they differ. No personal playtest or all-later-build claim.
- IndieTome — Combat tactics — Relevant complete action, status and fire-mode entries checked 2 November 2026. Exact capture build/date not declared; no personal playtest.
- IndieTome — Characters & skills — Relevant full skill entries and prerequisites checked 2 November 2026. Codex transcription/reference; exact capture build and date are not declared.
- IndieTome — Getting started — Complete discoveries, skills, reticle, cover and stash entries checked 2 November 2026. Exact capture build/date not declared.
- Official 1.0 release notes — 22 October 2026 — Contemporaneous official body/source record reused from this site's first-release research. It confirms expanded weapons and parts, difficulty/saves and balance changes; it does not verify every third-party build or later build.
Source check: 2026-11-02. See our source and version policy.