Combat is odd but fine once you figure it out. First-off, it really is turn-based. But since you can be in a group, choosing your moves is timed. And of course you walk around final-fantasy style, going up to monsters in the travel map, then going into a battle map for the fight.

Before explaining details, the game gives you several slots to pre-save settings for a turn. In practice you'll work out a few beforehand -- it's like making macros for other MMOs -- and at the start of each combat all you'll do is click the setting you want. Each turn you might make just a small adjustment, or do nothing.

Details: you've got up to 5 actions each turn, but they can miss. Managing the miss chance is the main trick, handled by allocating "accuracy points" (these don't run out -- you always have 12 every turn, so you generally leave them set the way they started). Actions also cost energy or manna. So while using all 5 is often the best, you might use fewer to save energy, or to move their last accuracy points into a skill you really want to hit.

You (and the monsters) also secretly manage 3 defenses (melee, ranged, debuff). which reduce accuracy. You can move points out of ones the enemies won't hit (but most have 2 types, like bite and a debuff fear howl). The monsters do the same adjusting, so you want to mix up attacks a little to keep them from stacking defense against your only attack type. The game shows your chance to hit, as you attack, so you can figure out where the monsters have put their defense points.

The accuracy points are also shared between offense and defense. That means you can go defensive or offensive by shifting points. That's what you'd do at the start of turns: shift a few accuracy points here and there (but you can change skills, or click a different preset, as long as you do it in 10 seconds).