In what order do psi abilities expire during the next turn

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Some psi abilities have effects that last for a turn, and then do something special on the next turn. The Codex's Psi Bomb and (spoiler)

Avatar's Dimensional Rift

are the two abilities that come to mind.

Stasis is another psi ability that will last for a turn, which protects a unit (friendly or otherwise) from damage for a turn.

I had a situation where I cast Stasis on a soldier who was surrounded by a pack of Chryssalids, then nuked the pack with a Dimensional Rift and grenades. The Stasis bubble protected my soldier from friendly fire, but on the next turn, the Stasis bubble expired before Dimensional Rift's second detonation effect activated, which meant that my soldier ended up taking damage from Dimensional Rift's second effect on the following turn.

I'm curious about in which order do psi abilties expire in general, when they're interacting with Stasis. Does it matter whether or not the psi ability is cast by my own soldier (e.g. Dimensional Rift), or an enemy unit (e.g. a Codex Psi Bomb)?

If a Codex casts Psi Bomb on a soldier, and then I cast Stasis on the same soldier, during the next turn, will Stasis expire before or after the Psi Bomb detonates?

Best Answer

Psi abilities expire in the order you cast them.

I confirmed this by testing it out myself, with the following results:

  • Casting Stasis before Dimensional Rift will have Stasis expire first, causing damage from the secondary explosion from Dimensional Rift.
  • Conversely, casting Stasis on a soldier after Dimensional Rift will cause them to take damage from the first blast (obviously), but not the second.

Stasis will keep your soldier safe if they are targeted by an enemy Codex's Psi Bomb, since damage is applied at the beginning of the next enemy turn while the soldier is still under the effects of Stasis.

If you have mind controlled a Codex and cast Psi Bomb followed by Stasis during your turn, your soldier's weapon will probably be disabled, but they should be safe from taking damage. (This last part is currently conjecture, since I didn't have any Codices at hand to mind control.)

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