Witness in Overture

Witness is the HOURS-family generalist that keeps showing up in Overture base-character footage next to Invader and Prophet. In HOURS you unlocked him by finishing Downcast Days. In Overture public solos he is treated as an early / base host — if your lobby does not offer him yet, you are on a different unlock card; check the class unlock checklist after a universe bump.

Overture has no Tempos. Witness does not get Undo, Gate, Mood, or Dust. You get the instrument kit, a stamina bar, and health that ticks back. The Conduit-style idea (casting an ability shaving other cooldowns) is the HOURS reading; play the Overture version as a cooldown-weaving melee that can raise a short shield instead of a time stop.

The kit you actually press

HOURS wiki numbers still describe the buttons. Use them as a feel sheet, then lab in the rest field because Overture retunes values.

• Bash (M1) — ukulele swings, about 16 damage a hit in HOURS, a four-hit combo with knockback that changes direction per swing. This is your filler in an endlag window.
• Kick — about 10 damage plus stagger. The button you press when you need the boss to stop, not when you need a dump.
• Shield — a short 25 HP bubble for a few seconds. This is why Witness is the first-hour tankette. You do not Halt. You eat one chip on purpose and walk.
• Smite — a charged lightning dump (HOURS: three-charge delay, about 40 plus stun). In Overture you still have to finish the charge. Canceling into a panic dash wastes the only real stun you own.

Health in HOURS was 100 with speed around 12. Overture regen (the global rule) plus that shield is why Witness feels safer than Invader on a first Erlking even if the DPS is lower.

Community Cazerdus deathless footage as Witness used named upgrades (Ghom’s Last Regret, Under The Weather, Immortal Mantle). Those are HOURS-mode upgrade cards, not a gacha banner. If your HOURS-mode run offers a similar trio, take the defensive one first. The HOURS mode page is the road; beat Cazerdus is the other raid that kit already cleared in public.

Where Witness belongs

First Erlking. You do not have Redcliff yet. Witness lets a nervous lobby live long enough to see phase two. You are not the carry. Bloxxer is the carry. You are the person who still has HP when the carry overextends.

Resident Mind / Vestige farm. The beat Resident Mind guide is a stamina exam. Shield plus Smite is a better first Hard attempt than Invader panic-dashing.

Cazerdus. Longer endlag, fewer windows. Witness already has a public deathless on Normal. Kick into the real sit, not into the red extras clash and parry told you auto-parry will not eat.

Not Timeless wave 20. That farm is Drifter. Witness can climb, but the badge the community cares about is not on this kit.

What not to copy from HOURS

• Do not pick Tempos. They are not here. Anyone selling Mood for Overture is describing the wrong game or a script.
• Do not stand in Erlking’s red slash because Shield is up. The slash still deletes you.
• Do not skip dash lab. Hold W, then Q. Controls.
• Do not buy Donation just to “be” Witness. You likely already own him. Spend Robux on the pass only if you want ClassDen.

Compare Witness to Vestige after you earn that badge: Vestige wants distance; Witness wants a short steel and a kick. Rank both on the class tier list. Getting started if this is still hour one. Updates if a bump hides the host. Links for Trello when upgrade names move.