South Of Midnight: Best Upgrades, Ranked

Although South of Midnight‘s skill tree isn’t broadly varied, it provides several outstanding enhancements that significantly impact the battle experience.

Regardless of whether you’re battling swarms of Haints or tough opponents, these upgrades can often make the difference between life and death on the battlefield.

In other words, if you’re just starting your journey in South of Midnight, I’ll be emphasizing the top upgrades in the game that you should prioritize unlocking initially.

This list ranks the usefulness of each skill, and since South of Midnight features a straight-forward skill progression system, I won’t take into account the sequence in which skills are meant to be obtained.

7. Amplified Rend

Attack From Afar With Ease

In the game South of Midnight, the enhanced version called Rend serves as an upgrade for your initial long-range attack. This improvement, when utilized with a charged attack, becomes more valuable and rewarding.

However, employing this skill when faced by numerous adversaries effectively signals to nearby hostile entities that you’re exposed and ripe for uninvited attacks.

When confronted with tougher challenges, it’s risky to take any hits, even if you’ve fully restored your health, as common adversaries can cause significant damage in such situations.

One situation where I often employed this skill was during the battle with Two-Toed Tom and Huggin Molly, as they would move slightly too far away when I stunned them. In response, I utilized the Amplified Rend to attack their vulnerabilities from a distance.

As I vanquish these Haints, I’ll not only savor the thrill of victory but also earn myself the “Going The Distance” accolade for making it through.

6. Weave Of Life

Free Heals!

I found myself relying on this ability whenever I was near death during Haint encounters.

Not only does this move momentarily stun the opponent, but it also provides an opportunity for you to recover some health. This can be achieved through executing the Rendering Step, Enhanced Attack, Amplified Rend, and Airborne Rend attacks.

Or more concisely:
This attack not only stuns your foe temporarily, but also lets you regain some health with moves like Rendering Step, Amplified Attack, Amplifying Rend, and Aerial Rend.

To be completely open, my sole utilization of the Aerial Rend skill throughout the game was aimed at replenishing some additional health following the activation of the Weave of Life power.

5. Close The Loop

Two Birds, One Stone

Among all abilities in the game, perhaps none is more beneficial than Close The Loop. This skill enables you to briefly generate Haints using Strand Blasts by tying up loose ends.

The convenience of this skill lies in its automatic creation of a Haint during an effortless dodge, which is quite straightforward in the South of Midnight region. After being momentarily stunned, you’re free to execute a powerful combo for significant damage.

Simultaneously evading and incapacitating your foes, this skill additionally enables you to maneuver through nearby adversaries once you’ve defeated one using a finishing move.

You definitely shouldn’t miss out on ‘Close The Loop’, which is hands down one of the top passive abilities in the game. Try to obtain it as quickly as possible once you gather sufficient Floof.

4. Fettered Rend

“GET OVER HERE!”

In battles, I frequently employed the Fettered Rend skill, a move that ties up an enemy’s defenses following a regular strike after a Strand Pull. This Strand Pull function allows me to draw nearby foes towards myself or move towards larger opponents instead.

I discovered that this skill was particularly beneficial when dealing with the Hurlers and Overseers, given their preference for maintaining a safe distance.

Following a decrease in their vitality, the Leashed Ones gave me an opportunity to swiftly approach them, momentarily disorient them, and deplete their remaining health using my series of attacks before they could respond further.

3. Cleansing Rend

Attack In All Directions

In every confrontation with Haints since I acquired it, I’ve certainly made use of this power at least once.

The Powerful Surround Attack, dubbed the Cleansing Rend, inflicts significant harm on surrounding foes across all angles. Its one drawback lies in its lengthy cooldown period, but beyond that, it’s an excellent skill to have.

It’s extremely handy when you find yourself in a tight spot or surrounded by numerous specters, and you can enhance this skill to become a powerful Purify Blast at the culmination of the skill tree.

In the realm of South of Midnight, I’ve found that wielding this ability feels like a swift, lethal strike. It escalates its power to such an extent that even against weaker adversaries in lower challenges, it often feels like a one-hit knockout. This makes it undeniably the most damaging skill within the game.

2. All Crouton Upgrades

Your Very Own Sidekick

Although Crouton might seem adorable, it’s surprisingly powerful and can take out Haints more swiftly than you could imagine. As soon as you acquire it in Chapter 4, focus on unlocking all three of its enhancements right away.

These features consist of Crouton Explosion, Crouton Rush, and Crouton Knot, each providing unique benefits to make your adorable pet more versatile.

I enjoyed using Crouton most when he controlled a Hurler, as its shots already inflict significant damage. When combined with the boosted damage from the Crouton Surge upgrade, it becomes an incredibly effective tool for defeating Haints.

Don’t overlook the fact that you can utilize your Crouton not just for combat, but also to delve into underground burrows to collect Floof or access narrow spots where Hazel can’t go.

1. Bob And Weave

The Standard But Necessary Double Dodge

In my opinion, Bob and Weave is hands down the top enhancement in South of Midnight, had it not been an essential and crucial one to acquire in the whole game.

Typically, Hazel manages to evade an attack once every two seconds. However, with this upgrade, she can now dodge twice quickly in a row. In all honesty, I doubt I would have completed the Grand Weaver difficulty level without this skill.

Navigating through various assaults and moving across the battlefield becomes significantly smoother, particularly during boss battles. This feature also boosts your chances of landing precise dodges, thereby enabling you to utilize the Close The Loop skill more frequently.

Unlocking the Bob And Weave ability should be the top priority for all South of Midnight players.

2025-04-17 16:39