Case 001 · Free STS2 research · Published 15 October 2026

The 8-HP decoy.

The smallest health bar wanted attention. The other enemy was about to hit for 14. Two energy. One target-priority question.

GamePilot strategy audit/replay prototype (free research), not live verified AI autopilot.
This is an editorial audit of a third-party public game trace, prepared with AI assistance. It is not a GamePilot user's testimonial or an automatically discovered in-game result.

The 8-HP decoy: a GamePilot replay auditAn original abstract diagram of a public STS2 trace. Recorded: split attacks and lose 14 HP. Untested candidate: focus both attacks on the 37 HP attacker, potentially avoid this turn's 14 damage while leaving the buffing enemy alive. GAMEPILOT / REPLAY FILE 001 The 8-HP decoy. A low health bar can be a very expensive distraction. FRAME 5 / 53 of 80 HP / 0 block / 2 energy COMBAT ID 18 HPIntent: buffVulnerable 1 / no block COMBAT ID 237 HPIntent: attack 14Vulnerable 1 / Strength 2 / no block HAND: Strike x2 (6) / Defend (5 block) / Dismantle+ (10 x2 if Vulnerable) RECORDED / FRAMES 5–8 Strike → 8-HP enemy: defeated.Dismantle+ → attacker: 37 → 7 HP. End turn: 53 → 39 HP. CANDIDATE / NOT EXECUTED IN GAME Dismantle+ → attacker: expected 37 → 7.Strike → same attacker: expected 9 ≥ 7. Potentially avoid this turn's 14 damage. The 8-HP enemy lives and buffs. Full-fight benefit is unknown. Target priority is the point. Order alone is not the fix. Public trace: lain-wood/sts2core · MIT · recorded 2026-08-15 Source reports v0.107.1 · not a current-patch test · original schematic art Free research: GamePilot strategy audit/replay prototype. Not live verified AI autopilot. Source + voluntary review entry on the case page.
Original abstract schematic, not a game screenshot. Solid panel: recorded outcome. Dashed panel: untested candidate. Inspect the immutable source trace.

What the record shows

Round 2, frame 5: 53/80 HP, no block, 2 energy. Enemy 1 has 8 HP and a buff intent. Enemy 2 has 37 HP, Strength 2, Vulnerable 1 and an attack-14 intent. Both enemies have no block and Vulnerable 1.

Strike defeats enemy 1. Dismantle+ then deals 30 to enemy 2, leaving 7 HP. After end turn, frame 8 shows 39 HP: a recorded loss of 14.

A line worth checking

Use Dismantle+ on enemy 2 first, then Strike on that same enemy. The recorded 30-damage effect suggests 37 → 7. The source's Vulnerable rule gives an expected Strike of 6 × 1.5 = 9, enough for the remaining 7.

Potential benefit: avoid this turn's 14 damage. This candidate has not been executed in the game or tested in a simulator.

Same cards. Different job.

The hand contains two Strikes (6 damage each), Defend (5 block) and Dismantle+ (10 damage, two attacks if the target is Vulnerable). All cost one energy. The candidate uses one Strike and Dismantle+: two energy for an expected 39 damage focused on the attacker.

Changing the target allocation is essential; simply reversing the recorded order while keeping the original targets does not solve the problem. The low-HP enemy is tempting, but it is not attacking this turn. The candidate leaves it alive at 8 HP to buff.

The receipt, and its limits

EvidenceWhat it supports
Frame 4 → 5Thunderclap+ has already been played. Both enemies are Vulnerable; two energy remain.
Frame 5 → 6Strike kills combat_id 1. The surviving attacker keeps combat_id 2, although its entity_id changes from NIBBIT_1 to NIBBIT_0.
Frame 6 → 7Dismantle+ lowers that attacker from 37 to 7 HP; Vulnerable 1 remains.
Frame 7 → 8End turn lowers player HP from 53 to 39.
Candidate arithmetic30 + 9 ≥ 37, at a cost of two energy. This is an inference from recorded effects and source rules, not a new game observation.

The transfer assumption matters: the recorded Dismantle+ happened after the other enemy died. The proposed line uses it while both enemies are alive. No omitted interaction may change its effect, and Vulnerable must persist through the two plays. Re-read target identity and hand slots after every action.

Full-fight HP savings, optimal play, win-rate improvement and current-patch compatibility are unknown. Leaving the buffing enemy alive can change later turns. No claim of 14 HP saved across the entire fight is made.

Provenance: recorded 2026-08-15, Act 1, floor 7, Ascension 0, Ironclad. The repository README reports v0.107.1 for its recorded traces; the JSON itself does not independently identify the game build. The source attributes the trace to actual-game recording. Whether its operator was human or automated has not been independently established.

GamePilot community · Issue 001

Three new game questions, with evidence

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Sources & attribution

Source license notice
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