False Start (or Cannot activate skills at start of turn[1]) is a status effect that neutralizes effects that occur at start of turn. 
False Start does not neutralize the transformation of 
Beast units. For sources of this status effect, see the category page Sources of False Start.
Skill Interaction
Main article: Skill interaction
- False Start neutralizes effects that trigger "at start of turn".
- If False Start is inflicted at the same time as the foe's start-of-turn effects, False Start only neutralizes start-of-turn effects that deal out of combat damage, restore HP, or set Divine Veins.
- False Start does not neutralize:
- Transformation effects of Beast weapons.
Duo/
Harmonized skills that become available to reuse "at start of turn".- Effects that trigger "at start of player phase or enemy phase" such as
Dream Deliverer+ or 
Def/Res Ploy 3.
- Transformation effects of
- If False Start is removed at start of turn by skills such as
Paranoia or 
Odd Recovery 3 only start-of-turn effects that deal out of combat damage or restore HP will trigger afterwards.
- If
When a unit has this status effect, an icon is shown on their sprite on the map.
| Icon | Type | Example Source | Description 【Switch】
|
Sound Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
【Penalty】 effect |  Staff of the Saint
|
Through their next action, target cannot activate skill effects that trigger at start of turn. (Start-of-turn effects that cause unit to transform or that refresh availability of Duo Skills or Harmonized Skills will still trigger. If this effect is neutralized at start of turn by skills like Even Recovery, Odd Recovery, etc., effects that would have triggered at start of turn, like healing and damage, will then trigger.) | Cannot activate start-of-turn effects |
Sources of False Start
List of Weapons
List of Unrefined Weapons
| Weapon | Description |
|---|---|
| Staff of the Saint | Foe cannot counterattack. At start of turn, grants Def/Res+6 to allies within 2 spaces of unit for 1 turn and inflicts【False Start】on foes in cardinal directions of unit with Res < unit’s Res. (If False Start is inflicted at the same time that start-of-turn effects trigger for the opponent, effects other than healing, damage, or Divine Vein will trigger simultaneously.) 【False Start】 Through their next action, target cannot activate skill effects that trigger at start of turn. (Start-of-turn effects that cause unit to transform or that refresh availability of Duo Skills or Harmonized Skills will still trigger. If this effect is neutralized at start of turn by skills like Even Recovery, Odd Recovery, etc., effects that would have triggered at start of turn, like healing and damage, will then trigger.) |
List of Refined Weapons
| Weapon | Refined Description |
|---|---|
| Staff of the Saint | Foe cannot counterattack. At start of turn, grants Def/Res+6 and 【Bonus Doubler】to unit and allies within 2 spaces of unit for 1 turn. At start of turn, inflicts Atk/Res-7 and 【False Start】on foes in cardinal directions with Res < unit's Res through their next actions (if False Start is inflicted at the same time that start-of-turn effects trigger for the opponent, effects other than healing, damage, or Divine Vein will trigger simultaneously). If unit is within 3 spaces of an ally, grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+5 to unit, neutralizes effects that guarantee foe's follow-up attacks and effects that prevent unit's follow-up attacks, and deals damage = 20% of unit's Res during combat (excluding area-of-effect Specials; calculates damage from staff after combat damage is added). 【Bonus Doubler】 Grants bonus to Atk/Spd/Def/Res during combat = current bonus on each of unit's stats for 1 turn. Calculates each stat bonus independently. 【False Start】 Through their next action, target cannot activate skill effects that trigger at start of turn. (Start-of-turn effects that cause unit to transform or that refresh availability of Duo Skills or Harmonized Skills will still trigger. If this effect is neutralized at start of turn by skills like Even Recovery, Odd Recovery, etc., effects that would have triggered at start of turn, like healing and damage, will then trigger.) |
List of Skill Refined Weapons
None, currently.
List of Assists
None, currently.
List of Specials
None, currently.
List of Passives
List of A Passives
None, currently.
List of B Passives
None, currently.
List of C Passives
None, currently.
List of Attuned Skills
None, currently.
List of Sacred Seals
None, currently.
List of Emblem Effects
None, currently.
List of Captain Skills
None, currently.
List of Status Effects
None, currently.
List of Duo Skills
None, currently.
List of Harmonized Skills
None, currently.
List of Items
None, currently.
List of Structures
None, currently.
In other languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Japanese | ターン開始スキル不可 |
| German | Fehlstart |
| Spanish (Europe) | Falso inicio |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Falso inicio |
| French | Faux départ |
| Italian | Falsa partenza |
| Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) | 無法發動回合開始技能 |
| Portuguese | Início falso |
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English (US) | Cannot activate skills at start of turn |
| Japanese | ターン開始スキル不可 |
| German | Fähigkeiten werden zu Beginn des Zuges blockiert |
| Spanish (Europe) | No se pueden activar las habilidades al principio del turno |
| Spanish (Latin America) | No se pueden activar las habilidades al inicio del turno |
| French | Impossible d'activer les aptitudes au début d'un tour |
| Italian | Non si possono attivare le abilità all'inizio del turno |
| Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) | 無法發動回合開始技能 |
| Portuguese | Não é possível ativar habilidades no início da rodada |