Best Skills to Get First in Ghost of Yotei

Atsu can learn many different skills by using the Altar of Reflections in Ghost of Yotei, but once you choose a skill, you’re stuck with it – there’s no way to reset your choices. Because of this, it’s important to pick carefully. We’ve reviewed the best skills in Ghost of Yotei to help you prioritize and make the most of your skill points, allowing you to become a powerful warrior capable of defeating the Yotei Six and freeing Ezo from their control.

Perfect Parry

Slow Time and Perform a Powerful Counter Attack

Parry an attack at the last second to slow time and perform a counterattack.
Earns a moderate amount of Spirit.
L1 to Parry, then Square or Triangle to counterattack

Players should prioritize investing in the Perfect Parry skill first. This makes combat feel smoother and more dynamic, letting players time their blocks with L1 just before an attack lands. This slows down time and allows for a strong counterattack that opponents can’t defend against. This attack is incredibly effective and greatly improves combat possibilities, but it requires quick reflexes to execute successfully. The Perfect Parry offers a chance to inflict significant damage and demonstrate your combat prowess, particularly when enemies use easily predictable attack patterns, allowing you to chain multiple counterattacks together.

Roll

Roll to Evade Red Glint Attacks and Fire

Roll away from attackers, evade slow red glint attacks, and extinguish Fire.
L + Circle, Circle to Roll

The Roll is a crucial skill for Atsu, so it’s worth getting early in the game. It allows Atsu to escape danger more quickly and from a greater distance than the Dodge; she’ll swiftly roll across the floor to create space. This is helpful for both getting your bearings and avoiding devastating attacks from large, powerful enemies that have red-highlighted attacks which can’t be blocked or parried. A great benefit is that the Roll also extinguishes any fire on Atsu, so if you’re hit by a fire arrow or a flaming sword, quickly stop, drop, and roll!

Perfect Dodge

Dodge at the Last Second to Slow Time and Perform a Powerful Counter Attack

Time your Dodge at the last second before an enemy’s attack lands to slow time and perform a deadly counterattack.
L + Circle to Dodge, Square or Triangle to counterattack.

Now that you’ve unlocked the Roll ability, you can start investing in the Perfect Dodge ability. It functions much like the Perfect Parry – you need to press the Circle button at just the right time to briefly slow down time and launch a counterattack. Perfect Dodge creates more openings for attacks during fast-paced combat. You can use it not just against enemies with red glows, but against any attack, so you might even prefer it to Perfect Parry for a safer defensive option.

Onryo’s Will

Revive Yourself From Death

Draw on your inner rage to revive yourself when downed.
Down D-Pad when defeated.
Costs 3 Spirit.

The combat in Ghost of Yotei feels significantly more intense and unforgiving than it did in the last game. Atsu can be defeated quickly-you might be surprised to fall after only a few sword strikes-but that’s where Onryo’s Will comes into play. Atsu can harness her anger (and spend her Spirit points) to revive herself, returning from defeat to continue fighting. Although it costs 3 Spirit, it’s a useful safety net for players who didn’t react quickly enough to heal, allowing them to rejoin the battle-which can be crucial during katana duels.

Killer’s Instinct

Show a Flashing Aura On Watched Enemies to Avoid Detection on Kill

Enemies show a flashing aura if their death will alert nearby enemies.

Killer’s Instinct is the first perk players can unlock that focuses on assassinations, and it’s quite helpful. It’s always good to double-check before taking a shot, and this perk helps with that. With Killer’s Instinct, simply hovering your cursor over an enemy you’re planning to assassinate will display an outline. This outline shows whether it’s safe to eliminate them or not. If the outline flashes red, it means the enemy is currently being watched, and killing them will raise an alarm.

Chain Assassination

Assassinate 2 Enemies at Once

Assassinate 2 nearby enemies in quick succession.
Use R to switch targets.

As a big fan of stealth in this game, I really think unlocking the Killer’s Instinct perk is worth it, because it lets you get the Chain Assassination perk. This is a game-changer! Basically, it allows me to take out two enemies with a single move. You know how often you see two guards standing next to each other, chatting away? I used to try and separate them with sake bottles, but that’s not always reliable. With Chain Assassination, I can eliminate both of them at once, which is awesome because it stops one of them from raising the alarm and alerting the whole camp. It’s so much cleaner and faster! Definitely a perk I recommend.

Brute Assassination

Assassinate Larger Enemies

Assassinate large Brute enemies.

Brutes are massive, comparable in size to a bear, and can disrupt stealthy approaches to camps. Normally, you can’t defeat them while hidden, forcing you to deal with them last. However, the Brute Assassination perk changes everything – it allows you to eliminate them with stealth, just like any other enemy. This perk is a fantastic investment for players who prefer a quiet, stealth-focused playstyle, removing a major obstacle to completing camps unnoticed. With this perk, you won’t have to worry about any enemy type ruining your stealth runs.

Heavenly Slash

A Brutal Unblockable Attack

A fast unblockable attack that interrupts enemies and inflicts extra damage against Staggered enemies.
Press Circle + Triangle to perform.
Costs 1 Spirit.

Heavenly Slash is a Katana skill players can learn, costing 1 Spirit, but it’s a worthwhile investment. While Spirit is normally used to restore Atsu’s health, Heavenly Slash encourages an aggressive playstyle, potentially eliminating the need to heal. This attack is quick, cannot be blocked, and disrupts enemy actions. It also deals increased damage to enemies who are already off balance. It’s an excellent way to keep enemies pressured and prevent them from recovering, functioning as a powerful forward dash that can overwhelm anyone in your way.

Concentration

Slow Time While You Shoot Your Bow

Slow time when aiming with a Ranged weapon.
R2 while aiming.

Getting a bow will make fighting simpler, because a headshot can instantly defeat enemies without helmets (with the exception of brutes). However, enemies are quick and rush towards you rapidly, making it difficult to aim for the head. Fortunately, the Concentration skill lets you slow down time while using a bow, giving you the reaction time to land an easy headshot and send another enemy tumbling. This skill is very useful!

2025-10-02 14:02