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Picking the right skills in the first few chapters of Crimson Desert determines how smoothly you progress through boss fights, exploration, and crowd encounters. Kliff is the primary playable character for most of the campaign, so the majority of your early Abyss Artifacts should go toward his skill tree. Damiane joins the party during Chapter 3 and Oongka becomes playable in Chapter 7, so their skill investments come later but still draw from the same shared artifact pool.
This guide ranks every skill worth grabbing during the early and mid chapters, explains the reasoning behind each recommendation, and highlights the free skills you can pick up through the Watch and Learn system so you do not waste precious artifacts on abilities available at no cost.
The skill tree is split into three color-coded branches that converge at a central node. Blue covers Stamina and physical combat, Green covers Spirit and defensive techniques, and Red covers Health and elemental abilities. All three branches share a single pool of Abyss Artifacts across KliffDamianeand Oongkaso every artifact spent on one character is unavailable to the other two.
Abyss Artifacts are the currency used to level up skills. Unlike a traditional experience bar, there is no character level in Crimson Desert. Instead, defeating enemies fills a progress gauge displayed beneath the minimap. Each time that gauge completes, you receive one Abyss Artifact. Beyond combat, there are several other ways to earn them:
Enemy kills: Every enemy defeated contributes to the artifact gauge. Larger and tougher foes contribute more.
Main questsCertain main story missions award an Abyss Artifact directly upon completion.
Abyss Cressets: Mysterious Energy circles scattered across Pywel contain Abyss Cressets that yield an artifact when interacted with.
Sealed Abyss ArtifactsFound in chests and rewarded from challenges. Each sealed artifact lists a specific requirement (for example, reaching Spear Mastery 2) that must be met before you can consume it. Check the Sealed Abyss Artifact Locations page for a full list.
Puzzles and ruins: Ancient ruinsabyss island puzzlesand hidden mazes throughout Pywel frequently reward artifacts.
Merchants: The Witch's Lair shop (available from Chapter 3 onward) and the wandering merchant Patrigio both sell Abyss Artifacts.
Achievements: Certain accomplishments, such as beating every arm wrestler in the Hernand tavern, reward an artifact.
Because artifacts are limited, especially in the opening chapters, it is important to spend them wisely. If you need to reallocate, you can respec your skill tree at any time by using a Faded Abyss Artifactwhich refunds all spent artifacts for the selected character.
To respec, open the Skills menu and press and hold F on keyboard, X on Xbox controller, or Square on PlayStation controller. This consumes one Faded Abyss Artifact and refunds every artifact you have spent on the selected character's tree. Skills learned through the Watch and Learn system are permanently kept even after a respec, since no artifacts were spent on them.
Faded Abyss Artifacts can be obtained from multiple entries:
Story questsCompleting certain main story missions rewards Faded Abyss Artifacts directly.
Sealed Abyss Artifacts: Some sealed artifacts scattered along roads and behind rock cairns reward a Faded version once you complete the challenge listed in your Journal.
Treasure chests: Chests on the floating Abyss sky islands have a high chance of containing respec items.
Witch vendorsWitch vendors throughout Pywel sell Faded Abyss Artifacts for 2.85 silver each, with up to three available per vendor.
CraftingDuring Chapter 4, start the "Research on the Abyss Energy Restoration Phenomenon" project at Scholastone. It costs 12 silver and takes 8 real-world hours. Once the recipe is learned, you can craft Faded Abyss Artifacts at Witch cauldrons using one Abyss Celldropped by Abyss-corrupted creatures near Abyss Nexus teleporters.
Because respecs are relatively easy to come by, do not stress over early skill choices. If a build is not working, reallocate and try a different approach at minimal cost.
The following table summarizes the highest-value investments during the early chapters for Kliff. Skills are grouped into tiers based on how much of an impact they have on your survivability, damage output, and exploration.
Tier | Skill | Branch | |
|---|---|---|---|
S | Health (stat) | Red | Increases maximum HP; lets you survive boss combos and heal between hits |
S | Stamina (stat) | Blue | Fuels dodging, sprinting, attacks, climbingglidinghorseback sprinting, and crow feather flight |
S | Keen Senses (Lv 3) | Green | Unlocks ParryDodgeand Counteressential for surviving every boss |
A | Armed Combat (Lv 3+) | Blue | Boosts base sword damage and unlocks Evasive SlashChargeand Rush |
A | Forward Slash (Lv 3) | Blue | Fast heavy attack; pairs with Nature's Echo for double damage. Synergizes with Crow's Pursuit Abyss Core |
A | Stab (Lv 1+) | Blue | Cheapest gap closer at 40 Staminainflicts bleedRend Armor ignores super armor |
A | Green | Creates a phantom clone that repeats your attack, easily doubling overall damage output | |
B | Blue | Easy AoE attack that clears enemies collapsing on you from multiple directions | |
B | Turning Slash (Lv 3) | Blue | Spinning overhead strike; Lv 3 Rend Armor breaks super armor like Stab |
B | Focus (Lv 3) | Green | Slows time, regenerates SpiritLv 2 Focused Repulsion adds AoE knockback; Lv 3 Focused Insight adds instant parry |
B | Blue | Blinds groups for free heavy attacks; effective against elites, trolls, and bosses | |
B | Flight (Lv 2) / Swift Flight | Red | Faster gliding for exploration; combine with Force Punch jump for extended traversal |
B | Axiom Force (Lv 2) | Red | Grapple hook for vertical traversalAerial Maneuver for wall climbing |
B | Green | Breaks magical walls hiding rewards; unlocks Howling Hill camp teleporter | |
B | Blue | Pulls ranged and flying enemies to you; requires Grappling Lv 3 + Axiom Force Lv 3 |
Before chasing combat skills, the most impactful investment in the early game is raising Health and Stamina. This advice is not glamorous, but the math backs it up: even the strongest attack skill is worthless if Kliff dies in two hits or runs out of stamina mid-combo. Several skill guide writers, including 's team, specifically recommend spending your early levels on stats rather than flashy abilities that you can often learn for free through Watch and Learn.
Health scales all the way to level 18 and each point provides a significant chunk of additional HP. Bosses in the early chapters, such as the Reed Devil and Hornsplitterdeal punishing damage. A larger health pool gives you the room to survive a missed parry, eat a stray hit during a chaotic mob fight, and recover with food or Healing Force Palm. Being able to absorb an extra hit or two can make a world of difference when facing off against tough foes.
Aim to keep your Health level at or above the average difficulty of the enemies you are fighting.
Stamina caps at level 14 via Abyss Artifacts and is arguably your single most important resource. Every dodgesprint, attack, climb, and glide pulls from the same stamina bar. Stamina also dictates how long you can swing a weapon during combos, how far you can sprint on horseback, and how long you can sustain flight with the crow feather. Running out in the middle of a fight leaves Kliff completely vulnerable, and running out during traversal can send you plummeting off a cliff face.
Try to reach at least 200 Stamina as early as possible; this is the threshold where you can comfortably chain a dodge into an attack combo without bottoming out. A good habit is to alternate between Health and Stamina upgrades each time you earn a few artifacts.
Spirit scales to level 12 and fuels special abilities like Force PalmFocusand Nature's Echo. It is less urgent than Health and Stamina in the early chapters because Kliff does not have many Spirit-consuming skills yet. Start investing in Spirit around Chapter 3 or 4 once you have a few combat techniques that actually use it.
After establishing a solid base of Health and Stamina, these are the combat skills that provide the highest return on investment during the first four chapters.
Keen Senses is the foundation of Kliff's survivability and the single most important skill in the entire tree. Without it, your only defensive option is a basic guard that still takes chip damage. describes this as a "must have" skill to acquire early, and for good reason.
Leveling Keen Senses unlocks three critical tools
Level | Unlock | Effect |
|---|---|---|
1 | Guard right before an attack connects to deflect it. Successful parries generate Spiritturning defense into offense. | |
2 | Evade just before an attack lands to avoid all damage. Triggers a slow-motion window when timed perfectly. This is the single most critical defensive skill in the game. | |
3 | Attack right before being hit to interrupt the enemy and deal damage simultaneously. |
Getting Keen Senses to level 3 as fast as possible gives you a reliable response to every incoming attack: parry for Spirit generation, dodge for safe evasion, or counter for punishing predictable wind-ups. If you only have one or two artifacts to spend in the first chapter, this is where they should go.
If you are using Kliff's standard sword-and-shield loadoutArmed Combat should be your top Blue branch priority. Each point you invest increases your base melee damage, and the unlocks along the way are all practical:
Level | Unlock | Effect |
|---|---|---|
2 | Strike while dodging backward. Provides a safe damage option when you need to create distance and disengage from enemies. | |
3 | Close distance to an enemy quickly with a gap-closing attack. | |
4 | Extended charge variant that covers more ground. | |
5 | Switch weapons instantly without opening the radial menu, allowing mid-combo weapon changes. |
Evasive Slash at level 2 is particularly valuable because it lets you deal damage during what would otherwise be a purely defensive maneuver. Quick Swap at level 5 is a quality-of-life improvement that becomes essential once you start carrying multiple weapon loadouts. Most players will benefit from getting Armed Combat to at least level 3 before the end of Chapter 2.
Forward Slash is a heavy attack that executes at nearly the same speed as a light attack, giving you strong burst damage without a lengthy animation lock. At level 2 it gains the Proficiency perk, and at level 3 (Sure Hit) it gains bonus hits against enemy stun gauges. Forward Slash also synergizes with the Crow's Pursuit Abyss Core, which sends crows toward your target for extra damage on every Forward Slash connection.
More importantly, Forward Slash pairs directly with Nature's Echo later on: each echoed Forward Slash effectively doubles your damage for minimal additional cost. Getting Forward Slash to level 3 early makes the Nature's Echo combo devastating once you unlock it.
Spinning Slash is an easy-to-use area-of-effect attack that sweeps in a circle around Kliff. While it does not deal the highest single-target damage, its real value is crowd control. When multiple enemies are collapsing on you from different directions, Spinning Slash clears space and gives you breathing room without needing to reposition. It combos naturally after light attacks and works well as a panic button during hectic encounters.
Spinning Slash is not your primary damage tool, but it fills a utility role that Forward Slash and Stab do not cover. Think of it as your go-to response when surrounded rather than fighting a single strong opponent. It also pairs with Nature's Echo at Echoing Spinning Slash (Nature's Echo level 2), letting your phantom clone replicate the AoE sweep for even more crowd coverage.
Turning Slash is a spinning overhead strike activated by pressing light and heavy attack simultaneously. It sends enemies flying and deals solid area damage. At level 3, Turning Slash unlocks two important perks:
Proficiency: Allows you to chain other skills into Turning Slash, creating fluid combo routes.
Rend ArmorBypasses super armor on bosses and elite enemies, functioning the same way as Stab's Rend Armor perk.
Having two separate skills with Rend Armor gives you more flexibility when breaking through boss defenses. Turning Slash is especially useful in group fights where the spinning animation can hit multiple enemies around you.
Stab is one of the most efficient damage-dealing skills in Kliff's early toolkit. It costs only 40 Stamina to execute, making it cheap enough to spam repeatedly. The lunge closes distance to enemies who try to back away, and the initial hit inflicts a bleed effect that deals damage over time. At higher levels, Stab unlocks:
Swift StabA faster variant with reduced recovery frames.
SkewerA follow-up thrust that deals additional damage.
Aerial StabA diving stab usable from the air.
Rend Armor (Mastery): Ignores the super armor of bosses and elite enemies, staggering them even during their most protected attack animations.
Rend Armor is what makes Stab a standout investment. Bosses in later chapters have extended super armor phases that prevent most attacks from interrupting them. Rend Armor cuts through that protection, giving you an interrupt tool that few other skills can match.
Nature's Echo creates a phantom clone of Kliff that replicates his most recent attack. When paired with Forward Slashthis easily doubles your overall damage output with minimal extra effort or stamina expenditure. The clone mirrors your timing precisely, so each hit from Forward Slash is followed immediately by an identical phantom hit.
The Echo variants unlock in stages:
Level | Unlock | Effect |
|---|---|---|
1 | The phantom repeats your Forward Slashdoubling the hit. | |
2 | The phantom replicates Spinning Slash attacks. | |
3 | The phantom replicates Stabdoubling its bleed application. |
Nature's Echo requires both Keen Senses level 3 and Forward Slash level 3 as prerequisites, plus one additional Abyss Artifact. It is not available in the first chapter, but once you meet the prerequisites (typically around mid-Chapter 2), it becomes one of your strongest offensive tools for the rest of the game. Multiple guide writers single out the Forward Slash plus Nature's Echo combo as the best damage loop in the early game.
Blinding Flash is an area-of-effect stun that costs 5 Spirit. When the Finisher variant is unlocked, you can follow up with heavy attacks on stunned targets for massive damage at no additional stamina cost. This skill is one of the best crowd-control tools in the game.
When you are surrounded by multiple enemies, casting Blinding Flash gives you several seconds of uninterrupted offense. It is also highly effective against elite enemies, trolls, and certain boss phases where the stun window lets you land a full combo without retaliation. The combination of Blinding Flash into Finisher heavy attacks is one of the safest burst damage rotations available to Kliff, making it useful well beyond the early chapters.
Focus slows time and regenerates Spirit while active. Each level adds a powerful new layer:
Level | Unlock | Effect |
|---|---|---|
1 | Slows time and regenerates Spirit. Useful for surveying chaotic fights. | |
2 | Releases an AoE knockback blast that pushes all nearby enemies away. Can trivialize certain boss encounters like the Crimson Nightmare by repeatedly knocking the boss out of its attack patterns. | |
3 | Automatically tracks incoming attacks and enables instant parry or dodge while Focus is active. Provides a defensive safety net during hectic moments. |
Focus is not mandatory in the earliest chapters, but it becomes increasingly valuable from Chapter 3 onward when multi-enemy encounters escalate. The Focused Repulsion upgrade at level 2 deserves special attention: its AoE knockback can create breathing room against bosses that would otherwise pressure you relentlessly. Players who have struggled with the Crimson Nightmare boss fight, in particular, report that Focused Repulsion can simplify the encounter significantly by interrupting its attack chains.
The open world of Pywel is massive, and investing in movement skills significantly improves your quality of life when exploring. These skills are not combat essentials, but the time they save and the hidden areas they open up make them high-value investments once your combat core is in place.
Flight is unlocked automatically through the "Woman in White" main story quest early in the campaign. Upgrading to level 2 unlocks Swift Flighta passive that lets Kliff glide faster at the cost of extra stamina consumption. You can combine Swift Flight with a Force Punch jump to launch yourself into the air and then propel forward at high speed, covering large distances that would otherwise require horseback riding or lengthy detours.
Because Pywel is a vast open world with towering cliffs and deep valleys, faster gliding saves enormous amounts of travel time. Make sure your Stamina is high enough to sustain extended flights before investing here.
The Axiom Bracelet functions as a magical grappling hook. Leveling Axiom Force to 2 unlocks Aerial Maneuverwhich lets you latch onto elevated surfaces and pull yourself up walls. Level 3 adds Aerial Swing for horizontal traversal between grapple points, allowing you to jump and swing over large obstacles.
Both abilities transform how you navigate the world, turning sheer cliffs and fortress walls into climbable surfaces. If you enjoy exploring off the beaten path, Axiom Force is one of the most rewarding investments you can make.
Double Jump costs a single Abyss Artifact and gives Kliff a secondary magical jump in midair. For a one-artifact investment, the utility is surprisingly high. It synergizes with both Flight and Axiom Forcelaunch a double jump off a cliff edge, chain into a grapple, and then glide across a canyon. Double Jump also works while mounted once your horse reaches level 5, giving you new mounted traversal options.
Do not overthink this one. It is a single artifact for a skill that opens up hard-to-reach places throughout Pywel and makes platforming sections much more forgiving.
Force Palm is Kliff's melee Spirit attack. The Focused Force Palm variant is critical for exploration because it breaks through the magical walls scattered across Pywel that conceal hidden rewards, including the item required to activate the Howling Hill camp teleporter.
This skill is one of the most easily missed in the game: during Chapter 4, a spirit guide appears near Scholastone Institute to teach it to you through the Watch and Learn system. Look for a blocked passageway with distorted, shimmering pixels along the road to Scholastone. If you fast-travel past the trigger zone, the spirit guide will not appear, and the skill becomes unavailable until Chapter 9. Pay close attention during Chapter 4 to avoid missing it.
Force Current activates through the Axiom Force grapple and provides several utility benefits beyond simple traversal. It allows faster resource gathering from nodes by breaking them with Axiom Force instead of slow hand-harvesting. It also solves certain environmental puzzles and can push blocks and objects remotely.
Force Current has a prerequisite chain: you need Force Palm at level 2 and Axiom Force Access at level 2 before you can unlock it. While not a combat priority, Force Current is a significant time-saver once you start farming gatherables and working through world puzzles. Players who invest in it early report spending far less time on resource collection during crafting-heavy segments.
Winch is a grapple-based skill that pulls enemies toward you rather than pulling you toward them. It requires Grappling at level 3 and Axiom Force at level 3 as prerequisites, making it a mid-game unlock rather than an early rush. Its primary value is pulling flying or ranged enemies down to melee range where Kliff's sword skills can reach them.
Against enemies that hover or maintain distance with projectilesWinch eliminates the need to chase them around the arena. You grab them with the Axiom Bracelet and yank them into your attack range, where you can immediately follow up with Stab or Forward Slash. This is particularly useful in encounters where archers or flying creatures would otherwise force you into awkward positioning. The Grappling and Axiom Force prerequisites overlap with your traversal investments, so you may already be partway there by the time you are ready for this skill.
The Watch and Learn system is one of Crimson Desert's most distinctive mechanics. During combat or exploration, time occasionally slows down and a blue highlight appears around an enemy or NPC performing a unique technique. A "Learning" bar appears in the top left corner showing the skill name and progress (for example, 1/3). If Kliff observes the full animation enough times, he permanently learns that skill at no Abyss Artifact cost.
These learned skills survive a respec and cannot be lost. This system is essential for early-game planning. Any skill obtainable through Watch and Learn should not be purchased from the skill tree; save those artifacts for skills that can only be unlocked through spending. Skills that can be learned for free are indicated in the skill tree interface, so check before buying. Note that you need to avoid getting hit while observing, or the learning progress will be interrupted.
The following table lists the confirmed free skills available in the early chapters.
Skill | How to Learn | When |
|---|---|---|
Observe Matthias during the duel encounter. Watch his attack technique closely. | Chapter 2 | |
Observe the Hornsplitter boss during its fight. Stay close and watch for the blue glow. | Chapter 2 | |
Watch specific NPC combat encounters during early chapter missions. | Chapters 2 to 3 | |
Follow the road toward Scholastone Institute. A spirit guide appears near a blocked passageway with shimmering pixels. | Chapter 4 | |
Various grappling moves | Observe enemy grapple techniques during encounters with larger foes. | Various |
Evasive Roll is particularly important because it gives you i-frames (invincibility frames) during the roll animation, allowing you to pass through attacks unharmed. It also restores a small amount of stamina on a successful evasion. Learning it for free during the Hornsplitter fight saves you an artifact that is better spent on Health or Stamina.
Pump Kicklearned during the Matthias duel in Chapter 2, is one of the earliest Watch and Learn opportunities in the game.
The following path assumes you are focusing primarily on Kliff and investing the majority of your Abyss Artifacts into his tree. Adjust based on your playstyle and how quickly you want to unlock Damiane and Oongka skills.
Health to level 2 or 3. Survivability is the immediate bottleneck.
Stamina to level 2. Ensure you have enough stamina to dodge consistently.
Keen Senses to level 1. Parry is your first reliable defensive tool.
Keen Senses to level 2. Dodge is now available and transforms combat.
Learn Evasive Roll for free during the Hornsplitter boss fight.
Armed Combat to level 2. Evasive Slash gives you a safe damage option.
Continue alternating Health and Stamina upgrades.
Keen Senses to level 3. Counter completes your defensive toolkit.
Forward Slash to level 3. Prepare for the Nature's Echo pairing.
Nature's Echo level 1. The Echoing Forward Slash combo is now online.
Armed Combat to level 3 or 4. Raw damage increase plus Charge for gap closing.
Flight to level 2 (Swift Flight) once exploration opens up.
Learn Focused Force Palm through Watch and Learn near Scholastone Institute. Do not skip this.
Axiom Force to level 2. Aerial Maneuver opens vertical traversal.
Focus to level 2 or 3. Focused Repulsion adds AoE knockbackFocused Insight adds a safety-net parry.
Stab to level 1 or 2. Cheap stamina cost and bleed damage.
Blinding Flash Finisher. Crowd control for multi-enemy fights.
Consider Axiom Force to level 3 if you want Winch for pulling flying and ranged enemies.
Continue raising Health and Stamina every few artifacts.
Start the Faded Abyss Artifact research project at Scholastone for future respecs.
Damiane joins the party during Chapter 3 and fights with a rapiershield, and pistol. Her playstyle is faster and more mobile than Kliff's. This puts emphasis on quick melee bursts and ranged pistol follow-ups. Because she draws from the same Abyss Artifact pool, be selective about which of her skills you invest in early.
Skill | Branch | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
Sword Flurry + Proficiency | Blue | Quick melee burst damage that forms the foundation of her close-range combo chains. |
Blue | Gap-closing stab that shreds armor on bosses. Damiane's stab moves are among her strongest attacks. | |
Shield Toss (Lv 2) | Blue | Throws her shield as a projectile that bounces up to 3 times. At level 2, deploys a Shield Sentinel that fires beams of light at nearby enemies. |
Smiting Bolt + Sure Hit | Blue | Reliable ranged damage with guaranteed accuracy. Core skill for her mid-range playstyle. |
Green | Slows time while aiming, marks enemies, then releases up to 4 charged shots. Transforms the pistol into a multi-shot burst tool. | |
Red | Traversal and repositioning. Useful for the same exploration reasons as Kliff. |
Damiane's early loadout pairs well with the White Wind Rapier for melee speed and the Spencer Pistol for ranged damage. Prioritize Sword Flurry and Piercing Light first, then expand into Shield Toss and ranged skills once her melee combos are solid.
Oongka becomes playable during Chapter 7 at Ashclaw Keep when Kliff is incapacitated during the fight against Lava Myurdin. He is a powerhouse melee fighter who wields greataxes, greathammers, and dual weapons. His playstyle is slower but hits significantly harder than Kliff's, and his Stamina management is more demanding because his heavy attacks drain the bar quickly.
Skill | Branch | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
Blue | Unique to Oongka. Lets him wield two-handed weapons with a single hand and boosts Rampage and Spinning Slash damage. | |
Blue | Charge forward cleaving through enemies. Core offensive skill for dealing with groups. | |
Blue | Spinning sweep into a downward strike. The Rend Armor perk shatters boss defenses for maximum impact. | |
Green | Enters a Super Armor state that lets Oongka ignore incoming hits while attacking. Essential for his aggressive playstyle. | |
Blue | Fires a spread of cannon shots at nearby enemies. Strong crowd-control ranged option. | |
Red | Jump to a targeted location and land with explosive force. Good gap closer and area damage. | |
Stamina (stat) | Blue | Even more critical for Oongka than for Kliff. His heavy attacks drain Stamina quickly, so invest heavily here. Stamina caps at 14. |
Oongka rewards players who understand enemy attack patterns and can commit to punish windows. His heavy weapons deal significantly more damage than one-handed alternatives but sacrifice mobility. When paired with Rage for super armor, Oongka can trade hits during attack windows that would force Kliff to dodge away. Start with Dual Wielding Mastery and Rampagethen add Quaking Fury once you are comfortable with his slower attack animations.
Certain boss fights in the early chapters are significantly easier if you have specific skills unlocked beforehand. The table below lists the key bosses and the skills that help the most.
Boss | Chapter | Why | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Health Lv 2+Keen Senses Lv 1 (Parry) | Reed Devil hits hard and fast. Extra HP absorbs mistakes, and Parry lets you deflect its lunges for free Spirit. | |
2 | Keen Senses Lv 2 (Dodge)Armed Combat Lv 2 | Hornsplitter's charge attacks are best avoided with Dodge. Evasive Slash lets you punish after dodging. Also teaches Evasive Roll for free if you observe it. | |
3 | Stab Lv 1+Forward Slash Lv 3Nature's Echo | Stoneback Crab has long vulnerable windows where Forward Slash plus Nature's Echo deals massive burst damage. Stab's bleed chips away at its large HP pool. | |
3 to 4 | Staglord mixes fast combos with area attacks. Counter punishes its predictable swings, and Blinding Flash creates openings when it summons minions. | ||
4+ | Focus Lv 2 (Focused Repulsion)Keen Senses Lv 3 | Focused Repulsion's AoE knockback can trivialize this fight by repeatedly interrupting the boss's attack chains. Combine with Dodge and Counter for a reliable survival loop. |
Not every skill is worth investing in during the first four chapters. Some abilities are too situational, too expensive, or are simply outclassed by alternatives until later in the campaign.
Imbue Elements (Red Branch): Elemental infusions like Fist of Flame and Surge of Sparks look flashy, but they require multiple artifacts in a branch that competes with Health upgrades. Save elemental skills for the mid-game when your Health is already comfortable.
Unarmed Combat (Blue Branch): The unarmed combat tree is fun but niche. Its damage output does not match Armed Combat until fully leveled, and the encounters where unarmed skills shine are rare in the early chapters.
Grappling Level 5 (Lariat Follow-Up): Grappling is useful at levels 2 to 3 (especially as a prerequisite for Winch), but the Lariat Follow-Up finisher at level 5 costs a lot of artifacts for a move that is mostly style over substance. The earlier grapple levels already handle crowd control adequately.
Nature's Snare (Green Branch): This projectile-deflection barrier is situational. You will not face enough ranged enemies in the early chapters to justify the investment over Keen Senses and Nature's Echo.
Multishot (Blue Branch): Fires 10 arrows in a spread pattern. It sounds impressive, but archery is generally less efficient than melee in the early game, and the stamina cost is high.
Starting from Chapter 3, you gain access to the Witch's House in Hernandwhere you can slot Abyss Cores into your equipment. Abyss Cores are extracted from boss drops and provide passive bonuses: health regeneration, damage reduction, attack power boosts, and unique effects. The right Abyss Cores amplify your skill choices:
Destruction Cores increase attack power, stacking well with Armed Combat and Forward Slash upgrades for higher burst damage.
Fortification Cores boost defense, complementing your Health stat investments to create a durable frontline build.
Swift Cores improve speed, which pairs with Evasive Slash and Dodge for a hit-and-run combat style.
Crow's Pursuit (from Crowcaller) sends crows toward your target for extra damage, synergizing with Forward Slash and Nature's Echo for even more hits per attack window.
Silver is used to open Abyss Core sockets on your weapons and armor. Once a socket is opened, you can swap cores in and out freely. Prioritize opening sockets on your primary weapon and body armor first, as these provide the most impactful stat bonuses.
Do not neglect stats for flashy skills. Health and Stamina provide steady, compounding value at every stage of the game. A few extra points of HP can be the difference between surviving a boss combo and seeing the death screen.
Stamina is the single most versatile resource. It dictates how long you can swing your weapon, how far you can sprint on horseback, how long you can fly with the crow feather, and how many dodges you can chain in a fight. When in doubt between any skill and another Stamina upgrade, pick Stamina.
Check for Watch and Learn prompts. Whenever time slows and a blue glow appears, stop attacking and observe. Missing a Watch and Learn opportunity means you either have to come back later or spend an artifact. The learning bar in the top left shows progress (for example, 2/3), so keep watching until it completes.
Respec freely. Faded Abyss Artifacts let you respec at no penalty. Witch vendors sell them for 2.85 silver, and you can craft them once the research project at Scholastone is complete.
Save before bosses. Boss fights often teach Watch and Learn skills. Save beforehand so you can retry if you accidentally kill the boss before observing its technique.
Alternate between combat and traversal. A good approach is to invest heavily in combat skills before a major boss, then switch to traversal skills during open-world exploration segments.
All three characters share the artifact pool. When Damiane and Oongka join your party, be mindful that artifacts spent on their trees come from the same pool as Kliff's. Plan ahead before committing artifacts to secondary characters.
Check the skill tree for free skills. Skills obtainable through Watch and Learn are marked in the skill tree interface. Always check before purchasing to avoid wasting artifacts on something you could learn for free.
Level stats roughly evenly. A good rule of thumb is to raise Health and Stamina by at least one point each every couple of chapters, keeping both stats progressing alongside your combat abilities.
Skills - Full list of all skills in the game
Kliff Skills - Complete Kliff skill tree breakdown
Damiane Skills - Complete Damiane skill tree breakdown
Oongka Skills - Complete Oongka skill tree breakdown
Skill Acquisition Guide - Detailed explanation of how skills are acquired
Watch and Learn Skill Locations - All Watch and Learn opportunities across every chapter
Abyss Artifacts Farming Guide - How to farm artifacts efficiently
How to Respec Skills - Using Faded Abyss Artifacts to reallocate points
Best Skills to Get First - Skill recommendations covering all three playable characters
Build Guide: Kliff - Optimal Kliff build for endgame content
Combat System - Overview of combat mechanics
Beginner's Guide - General tips for new players
Best Accessories Guide
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