5 Essential Skills to Get First in South of Midnight

As soon as you embark on the adventure called “South of Midnight“, you’ll be able to unlock upgrades once you gather the Weaver’s Hooks and your initial spells. The game offers numerous skills for players to acquire in exchange for Floofs, a valuable blue currency that can be used to purchase enhancements.

In the game ‘South of Midnight’, a total of 21 skills are featured. Many of these skills become accessible as you buy necessary upgrades earlier in any of the four upgrade paths. Some skills might not be beneficial to obtain early or may only become available later in the game. However, if you’re playing with Floofs (assuming that’s a game mechanic), you can acquire some of the most advantageous ‘South of Midnight’ skills by around the halfway point of the game.

Aerial Rend

Slam Attack That Interrupts Enemies

While in the air, press X to slam the ground, damaging nearby enemies.

Among the initial abilities that “South of Midnight” players can acquire, Aerial Rend stands out as a crucial one for managing battle sequences effectively. This skill enables Hazel to leap into the air and come crashing down, inflicting damage in the surrounding vicinity. However, its primary function lies in its ability to halt enemies during combat, making it an invaluable tool in your arsenal.

Utilize this skill to dodge Haints’ regular assaults, taking care that it’s ineffective against unblockable yellow attacks or specific moves from the South of Midnight bosses.

Aerial Rend can be found in the General Upgrade tree, but you must unlock Rending Step first.

Amplified Rend

Rend Becomes Wider & Deals More Damage

Amplified Attack can be charged further, inflicting increased damage over a larger area of effect.

In battle, grabbing Objects of Station will enable you to empower your standard Hook attack with a charge, though without Amplified Rend, its damage output and charging speed may not be effective in intense combat situations. However, this upgrade significantly expands both the area and damage of your long-range charge attack, while only slightly extending the time needed for full charging.

To unlock the ‘Going the Distance’ achievement, it’s necessary to make this upgrade as it calls for Hazel to untangle Haints following their defeat using the amplified Rend ability.

To access Amplified Rend, you’ll need to navigate to the General Upgrade tree initially. However, it’s important to note that before you can find Amplified Rend, you should have previously unlocked both Rending Step and Amplified Rend within the tree.

Crouton Detonation & Crouton Surge

Upgrade Crouton For Significantly Easier Combat

When Crouton’s control ends, it sets off a Strand Blast.

While Crouton is Controlling an enemy, it deals increased damage.

In Chapter 4, you’ll meet Crouton, a formidable ally for any Weaver. He’s more than just a companion – he’s a powerful asset in battle. You’ll discover how to summon him at your beck and call. During exploration, you can direct Crouton to uncover hidden spots or squeeze through tight spaces. But when it comes to combat, Crouton has a unique trick up his sleeve: he can momentarily control an enemy, making them fight against other Haints instead.

With these two enhancements to Crouton, players of South of Midnight will trigger a Strand Blast when Crouton’s control ends, and while controlling a Haint, it will inflict greater damage. Essentially, this transformation turns Crouton from a handy companion for combat control into an efficient killing tool that might excel at eliminating Haints even more effectively than Hazel.

As a gamer, here’s how I would rephrase it: “In the upgrade menu, you’ll find Crouton Detonation and Crouton Surge at the lower right corner. You should have already obtained Crouton by Chapter 4, and to get Crouton Detonation first is key for unlocking Crouton Surge later on.

Cleansing Rend

Close-Range AoE That Deals High Damage

Hold Y to unleash Strand, damaging enemies in a wide area.

In certain mid-to-late battlefields filled with Haints, Cleansing Rend proves to be an extraordinarily potent move. What makes this ability unique for Hazel is its capacity to launch powerful Strands at nearby adversaries in close quarters, though the impact can be quite intense.

Depending on your difficulty, this can outright kill low-tier Haints.

Rend, the cleansing ability, takes some time to recharge, so it’s best to use it when you find yourself in a tight spot during combat and need an escape route. Additionally, using Rend to take down five Haints simultaneously contributes towards the ‘Took ‘Em Down A Peg’ achievement.

As a dedicated fan, I discovered that to acquire the powerful ability called Cleansing Rend, it’s essential to navigate through the General Upgrade tree. However, before you can unlock this skill, make sure you’ve already invested in all the General Upgrades located in the upper half of the tree. This includes not only Amplified Rend and Weaver’s Blitz, but also every upgrade that precedes them on your path. Enjoy the journey!

Bob and Weave

Doubles Hazel’s Dodge Capacity

Dodge twice in quick succession

In the game “South of Midnight“, the most beneficial technique is called Bob and Weave. Normally, Hazel can dodge just once every two seconds, making it tough to evade swift spirits one after another. By using Bob and Weave, you can dodge consecutively twice, significantly increasing your ability to dodge special attacks that seem inevitable, as well as activating skills associated with dodging, such as the Perfect Dodge Strand blast.

To acquire the skills Bob and Weave, navigate downward on the General Upgrade tree; however, to access this ability, you need to have already mastered Cleansing Rend and all preceding General Upgrades first.

2025-04-07 22:06