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Overview
The Axiom Bracelet is Kliff's primary magical tool. Kliff has no innate magical ability; the bracelet is the source of all his elemental power. It channels elements through a dial interface visible in gameplay, allowing players to switch elements mid-combat without pausing. The bracelet connects elemental combat to the Abyss and the game's progression mechanics.
The in-game description reads: "A bracelet imbued with the providence of nature. The mysterious power within it awakens the wearer's latent abilities." It is classified as a Key Item and cannot be sold or discarded.
How to Obtain
The Axiom Bracelet is acquired through story progression during Chapter 1. The main quest Abyss Without Balance, the twelfth main mission in the game, takes place in the Axiom Archive within the Abyss. During this quest, Kliff learns the Force Palm skill by observing a holographic demonstration. Completing the quest rewards two Abyss Artifacts and unlocks the Force Palm ability on the skill tree. The prerequisite quest is Polar Opposites, and the follow-up quest is Woman in White, which introduces White Crow the Witch.
Elements
Four elements are confirmed: Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Wind. A fifth element (Nature) has been observed in gameplay footage but has not been officially named or confirmed by Pearl Abyss. Each element can be applied to weapons, ranged ammunition, and abilities through the bracelet's dial interface.
Fire
Fire deals burning damage over time on top of base attack values. It is particularly effective against clustered enemies since fire spreads pressure across grouped targets. Fire can be applied to weapons for elemental melee strikes, cast as area-of-effect fields, or infused into arrows for fire-arrow detonations on impact. A fire-infused Force Palm shoves an enemy and sets them ablaze. Fire pairs well with wide-arc weapons like greatswords and axes.
Puzzle use: Fire clears thorny terrain blocking paths and burns away wooden barriers or vegetation concealing hidden passages.
Ice
Ice freezes enemies solid, halting their movement and interrupting attacks. This creates tactical windows for repositioning or unleashing a full combo. Applied without fully freezing, ice slows movement and attack speed. Ice can stagger field bosses with a well-timed freeze, making it the primary crowd control element.
Puzzle use: Frost-tipped arrows fired into water create ice sheets that float to the surface. Players can stand on these ice platforms to cross water or use them in environmental puzzles. Explosive arrows can break ice platforms if they need to be removed.
Lightning
Lightning stuns and shocks enemies. An area-of-effect lightning attack can fell three clumped-up enemies at once. Lightning disrupts shielded enemies and electrifies the ground beneath targets for lingering area damage that chains between grouped targets. Combining a charged lightning strike with a wet enemy yields bonus damage through environmental interaction.
Puzzle use: Electricity conducts through water to activate submerged mechanisms and powers ancient devices.
Wind
Wind is the fourth confirmed element. It leaves brief afterimages under attacks, visualized as leaves trailing behind each strike. This suggests phantom strikes or lingering hitboxes that extend the effective reach and duration of each attack. Wind attacks send enemies flying on impact, providing crowd control through knockback. Wind magic can also launch Kliff into the air for aerial dive kicks. A possible fifth element (Nature) has been observed in footage but has not been officially confirmed.
Key Abilities
The Axiom Bracelet grants access to three primary ability families: Force Palm, Axiom Force, and elemental skills. Each ability family can be upgraded through the skill tree using Abyss Artifacts and skill points earned from story progression.
Force Palm
Force Palm is the core spirit-based attack unlocked during the Abyss Without Balance quest. It condenses and releases energy through unarmed strikes, reducing the target's defense on hit. Force Palm can be upgraded to rank 5 through the skill tree.
Skill | Description |
|---|---|
Condenses and releases energy through an unarmed strike. Reduces target defense. Up to 5 ranks. | |
Unleashes energy toward the floor while airborne, granting increased height. Combines with Double Jump for up to six total jumps. | |
Delivers restorative energy to targets, recovering ally health. | |
Enables two consecutive Force Palm strikes. | |
Enables three consecutive Force Palm strikes. | |
A swift, powerful follow-up strike after a standard Force Palm. | |
A charged, penetrating inner-core strike that targets a single enemy. | |
A ground slam performed via Axiom Force for area damage on landing. | |
A long-range pulse that travels along the Axiom grapple before causing an explosion. Effective for staggering bosses and destroying mineral deposits and trees. |
Axiom Force
Axiom Force is a telekinetic manipulation ability unlocked through story progression. It allows Kliff to grab, push, pull, and move objects in the environment. Axiom Force is essential for solving puzzles throughout the Abyss and the open world. It upgrades through three ranks, each unlocked by reaching specific story milestones.
Rank | Effect |
|---|---|
Rank 1 | Grants a magical hand for object manipulation. Aim and release to shoot the Axiom grapple, then pull (L2/LT) or push (R2/RT) objects. |
Rank 2 | Adds grapple-style leaping (Aerial Maneuver), enabling instant leaping across long distances. |
Rank 3 | Enables pendulum swinging (Aerial Swing), allowing momentum-based leaping. Also unlocks the Winch skill when combined with Grappling rank 3. |
Controls: On PS5, hold L3 to aim and release to shoot the Axiom grapple. Press L2 to pull or R2 to push. Tilt the right stick while holding L2 or R2 to move objects. On PC, hold and release TAB, then press Q to control the Force.
Elemental Skills
The red branch of the skill tree contains dedicated elemental attack skills powered by the Axiom Bracelet. Each costs 10 Spirit to use.
Skill | Element | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Fist of Flame | Fire | Imbue fists with fire and charge forward. Can be used while casting other skills. Costs 10 Spirit. |
Mantle of Frost | Ice | Freeze the surroundings to create a protective barrier that blocks one hit. Costs 10 Spirit. |
Surge of Sparks | Lightning | Release electricity into the ground to create a shock area dealing area-of-effect damage. Costs 10 Spirit. |
Imbue Elements
The Imbue Elements skill (up to rank 4) allows players to apply elemental effects across multiple attack types. Each rank unlocks a new infusion option.
Infusion | Description |
|---|---|
Applies the active element to Turning Slash attacks, adding elemental damage and status effects to the sweeping melee strike. | |
Infuses Charged Shot with the active element, allowing ranged attacks to apply burning, freezing, or shocking effects. | |
Adds elemental damage to Force Palm. A fire Force Palm shoves and ignites; an ice Force Palm shoves and freezes. | |
Specifically uses Lightning infusion to enhance Meteor Kick with electrical damage on impact. |
Controls
Input | Function |
|---|---|
Radial menu | Opens an element selection dial visible in the HUD. Players rotate through elements and select one to imbue their weapons. Switching is instantaneous and does not interrupt combo flow. |
D-pad | Selects elemental types for Palm Attacks directly without opening the radial menu. Allows quick element switching during fast-paced combat. |
L2 / R2 (Triggers) | Handles context-sensitive Palm Attack execution. Used in conjunction with D-pad element selection. |
The control scheme allows players to imbue regular weapon attacks through the radial menu while using the D-pad and triggers for dedicated elemental Palm Attacks, keeping both systems accessible during combat without interruption.
Elemental Infusion Methods
Elements can be applied to combat in multiple ways, layering directly onto existing attacks without changing the player's combat style.
Method | Description |
|---|---|
Weapon infusion | Coat melee weapons with elemental energy. Fire-wreathed swords burn on contact, ice-coated spear thrusts freeze targets. |
Ranged ammunition | Infuse arrows and bolts with elemental effects. Fire arrows detonate, freezing arrows freeze, lightning arrows stun. |
Ability enhancement | Abilities like Force Palm can be infused with any element. A fire Force Palm shoves and ignites; an ice Force Palm shoves and freezes. |
Standalone casts | Some elemental attacks are cast directly from the bracelet without weapon integration, like the area-of-effect lightning blast. |
Mid-air detonation | Apply an elemental charge to an airborne enemy, then detonate it before they land for significantly increased impact damage. |
Combat Examples
The following combat sequences have been demonstrated in hands-on previews and gameplay footage.
Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
Fire ground-slam combo: | Jump high, apply fire enhancement mid-air, then launch a powerful ground-slam kick. Fire damage hits on impact and the knockdown follows. |
Multi-element aerial combo: | Explode enemies on the ground with fire, electrocute them with shock (stunning them), or freeze them. Follow up with several arrow shots in mid-air while time slows down, shattering frozen enemies one by one. |
Lightning + wet enemy: | Combine a charged lightning strike with a wet enemy for bonus damage through environmental interaction. |
Ice platform navigation: | Fire frost-tipped arrows into water to create floating ice chunks, then stand on them to cross bodies of water. |
Force Current demolition: | Activate Axiom Force grapple on a mineral deposit or tree, then trigger Force Current to send energy along the grapple and cause an explosion, destroying the object. |
Progression
Elemental powers and Axiom abilities can be leveled up through the skill tree using Abyss Artifacts dropped from bosses and quests, plus skill points earned through character progression. Higher-level elemental abilities deal more damage, have larger areas of effect, and may unlock additional effects. Some elemental enhancements also come from boss-dropped gear with baked-in Signature Abilities.
Skills unlock in three ways: observing enemies or Axiom actions during gameplay, spending Abyss Artifacts at the skill tree, and reaching story milestones that auto-grant certain abilities. The Axiom Force ranks (1 through 3) are gated behind story progression and cannot be purchased with Abyss Artifacts alone.
Mystical Storage
The Mystical Storage skill allows Kliff to seal objects inside a Kuku Iron Pot using Axiom Force. This provides access to an infinite-dimensional storage space for items during exploration.
Exclusivity
The Axiom Bracelet is exclusive to Kliff. Damiane and Oongka have their own combat abilities but do not have access to the elemental system. When playing as Damiane or Oongka during character switching segments, the elemental dial is not available.