Turbo, Escape, Auto-Combat: The Assists That Save Runs
There are moments on Dovion where thinking is a luxury: three enemies closing in, a full hold, health draining fast. That's exactly what the game's assists are for — turbo, the escape button, and auto-combat. Used well, they save entire runs. Misunderstood, they give a false sense of safety. Let's sort it out.
Three assists, one goal
These assists share a philosophy: taking part of the management load off your hands when a situation gets too dense, so you can focus on what matters — trajectory and decision-making. They're especially present on mobile, where the touch interface offers dedicated buttons for auto-combat, escape, and turbo, positioned to be reachable with a thumb without letting go of the joysticks. The full layout is in our guide to touch controls.
On PC, the spirit is the same: emergency tools, to be pulled out when the sea starts closing in on you.
Turbo: a few meters worth a life
Turbo is a burst of acceleration — a few moments of extra speed that reshape the geometry of a situation. Its three classic uses, from best to most questionable:
- Breaking off a losing fight. Turbo widens the gap right when your opponent thought you were caught. Its signature use.
- Seizing an opportunity. Catching a fleeing target a hair's breadth from sinking, reaching a mystery barrel before a rival: turbo turns "almost" into "done."
- Going faster just to go faster. The impatient beginner's reflex — who then finds themself without turbo the moment they actually needed it.
Golden rule: treat your turbo like life insurance, not a spare engine.
Escape and auto-combat: delegating without giving up
The escape button helps you do what pride tends to prevent: disengaging cleanly. Having it under your thumb removes the main obstacle to survival — hesitation. As for auto-combat, it handles part of the engagement so you can keep your attention on positioning, which is invaluable in the chaos of a melee, especially on a touchscreen.
But beware the trap: these assists execute, they don't decide. The choice to fight or flee is still yours, and that choice is what makes good captains. Auto-combat will never make up for a bad engagement, and an escape button pressed too late is just a defeat button.
Fleeing smart: the terrain is your ally
Assist or not, an escape is built with geography:
- Islands break line of sight: put land between you and your pursuer. Our tactics around islands dig into this.
- The center's fog swallows silhouettes — a risky refuge, but a refuge nonetheless.
- Enemy log booms (those floating wooden walls from the Traps lineage) block ships AND cannonballs: never flee blindly toward a trapped zone.
- A mystery barrel crossed along the way can offer a life-saving bonus — including regeneration, or the rare golden bubble that deflects shots.
And if the escape fails anyway, all isn't lost: the death clip will show you exactly where it went wrong.
In short
Turbo for emergencies, escape for clarity, auto-combat for mental load — and your own head for everything else. Go put this theory to the test: Play Dovion for free, and next time the sea closes in, you'll know exactly which button to press.