At the core of ranking up in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor are Skill Trees, letting players invest their earned Skill Points (SP) into improve their Survival, Lightsaber or Force abilities. But which are the best skill upgrades in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and how exactly do Skill Trees work?
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Skill Points & Trees Explained
As players work their way through Survivor’s narrative and delve into the world of Cal Kestis once again, they’ll earn Skill Points frequently.
These can be monitored by the progress bar at the top of the HUD as they play, which lets players know how many they currently have to spend and their progress towards earning their next. To access and invest their SP, players need only visit a Meditation Point and select ‘Skills’.
These SP are invested into three distinct Skill Trees, allowing players to rank up various aspects of Cal’s Jedi abilities. The Skill Trees are Survival, Lightsaber and Force. Each Tree has upgradeable tiers within it.
In Survival there is one: Resilience. In Lightsaber there are five, relating to the Stances players can choose: Single, Double-Bladed, Dual Wield, Blaster and Crossguard. In Force, there are three: Jedi Concentration, Telekinesis and Confusion.
Below, each is broken down in full to let you know every possible upgrade within that Skill Tree, what the upgrade provides and how many SP it will cost you. The prerequisites listed for each refers to previous Skill Upgrades players must have unlocked to be able to invest their SP in that specific upgrade.
Survival Skill Tree
Resilience
| Skill | Cost (SP) | What It Provides | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survival Skills | 1 | Cal’s maximum Life is increased | None |
| Improved Survival Skills | 2 | Cal’s maximum Life is increased | Survival Skills |
| Expert Survival Skills | 2 | Cal’s maximum Life is increased | Survival Skills, Improved Survival Skills |
| Improved Stim Formula | 1 | Cal recovers additional Life when using a stim canister from BD-1 | Survival Skills |
| Perfected Stim Formula | 2 | Cal recovers additional Life when using a stim canister from BD-1 | Survival Skills, Improved Stim Formula |
| Teamwork | 1 | Reduces time required to heal with a BD-1 stim | Survival Skills, Improved Stim Formula |
| The Power of Friendship | 2 | BD-1’s stim canisters refill some Force Meter | Survival Skills, Improved Stim Formula, Teamwork |
| Focused Sight | 2 | Hold (relevant command) to automatically evade incoming melee attacks | Survival Skills |
| Greater Reflexes | 1 | Block Meters refills faster | Survival Skills, Improved Survival Skills |
Lightsaber Skill Tree
Single
| Skill | Cost (SP) | What It Provides | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunging Strike | 1 | Hold (relevant command) to perform a long-reaching thrust attack | None |
| Aerial Assault | 2 | Press (relevant command) while in the air to attack straight down at a target below | Lunging Strike |
| Cyclone Slash | 2 | Hold (relevant command) after a basic attack to perform a powerful overhead swing | Lunging Strike |
| Charged Throw | 2 | Hold (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) for a stronger lightsaber throw that hits more damage and moves a short distance through the target | Lunging Strike, Cyclone Slash |
| Improved Footwork | 1 | Lunging Strike now reaches further | Lunging Strike |
| Twofold Reflection | 1 | Press (relevant command) just before contact to reflect up to two blaster projectiles in a row | Lunging Strike |
| Aerial Ace | 1 | Aerial Assault does more damage and staggers enemies hit by it | Lunging Strike, Aerial Assault |
| Dash Strike | 2 | Hold (relevant command) then press (relevant command) to dash and strike a target out of normal melee range | Lunging Strike, Aerial Assault |
| Aerial Dash Strike | 1 | Unlock the ability to perform a Dash Strike while airborne | Lunging Strike, Aerial Assault, Dash Strike |
Double-Bladed
| Skill | Cost (SP) | What It Provides | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gathering Tempest | 1 | Hold (relevant command) to deal fast strikes towards a single enemy | None |
| Vortex Drive | 1 | Hold (relevant command) and press (relevant command) to dive forward while spinning the lightsaber | Gathering Tempest |
| Double Orbit | 1 | Press (relevant command) again to perform a second lightsaber throw around Cal | Gathering Tempest, Vortex Drive |
| Endless Hurricane | 1 | Continue pressing (relevant command) to add additional attacks to the end of the double-bladed attack chain | Gathering Tempest |
| Multifold Reflections | 2 | Hold (relevant command) right before blaster shots connect to reflect them back towards nearby enemy targets | Gathering Tempest, Endless Hurricane |
| Controlled Throw | 2 | Hold (relevant command) and (relevant command) to throw the lightsaber. Keep (relevant command) held to maintain the lightsaber’s position and use (relevant command) to direct it around | Gathering Tempest, Endless Hurricane, Multifold Reflections |
| Repulsing Burst | 2 | Press (relevant command) while airborne to slam down, dealing damage in an area | Gathering Tempest, Endless Hurricane |
| Rising Storm | 2 | Hold (relevant command) to perform an attack that pulls enemies in a small area and takes Cal into the air | Gathering Tempest, Endless Hurricane, Repulsing Burst |
Dual Wield
| Skill | Cost (SP) | What It Provides | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backstep Slash | 1 | Hold (relevant command) then press (relevant command) to attack and leap backwards, creating distance from the target | None |
| Uncoiled Strikes | 2 | Delay (relevant command) input to perform a flurry of quick, targeted swings | Backstep Slash |
| Serpent’s Bite | 1 | Hold (relevant command) through the flurry to execute a strong final overhead swing | Backstep Slash, Uncoiled Strikes |
| Focused Parry | 1 | Perform a spinning strike on releasing (relevant command) | Backstep Slash |
| Precision Release | 2 | Release (relevant command) right as an enemy hits to perform an even more devastating follow-up attack and stagger nearby enemies | Backstep Slash, Focused Parry |
| Split Reflection | 2 | Press (relevant command) right before a blaster bolt hits to split the incoming bolt and reflect an additional target | Backstep Slash |
| Twin Vipers | 2 | Hold (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) then press (relevant command 2) again to throw the second blade at a target to double up damage | Backstep Slash, Split Reflection |
| Dancing Blades | 3 | Hold (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) to throw both lightsabers that bounce between multiple targets | Backstep Slash, Split Reflection, Twin Vipers |
Blaster
| Skill | Cost (SP) | What It Provides | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Lunge | 1 | Hold (relevant command) to close the distance to your enemy with a leaping thrust | None |
| Blaster Cooldown | 1 | Gain additional ammunition each time you strike an enemy with the lightsaber | Flying Lunge |
| Improved Clip | 1 | Increase maximum blaster ammunition by three | Flying Lunge, Blaster Cooldown |
| Energizing Flurry | 3 | Hold (relevant command 1) and press (relevant command 2) to perform a sequence of quick swings that rapidly replenishes ammunition if they connect | Flying Lunge, Blaster Cooldown, Improved Clip |
| Efficient Heat Transfer | 2 | Reduces time required to fully charge a blaster shot | Flying Lunge |
| Point Blank | 1 | Press (relevant command) just before an enemy hits to blast them away | Flying Lunge, Efficient Heat Transfer |
| Quick Draw | 3 | Hold (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) to focus and target multiple enemies at once with the blaster | Flying Lunge, Efficient Heat Transfer |
Crossguard
| Skill | Cost (SP) | What It Provides | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rending Strike | 1 | Hold (relevant command) to perform a single, high damage swing with a long windup | None |
| Impact | 2 | Press (relevant command) while airborne to slam into the ground, causing a shockwave | Rending Strike |
| Greater Impact | 1 | Increased shockwave range | Rending Strike, Impact |
| Greater Cleaving Swing | 1 | Reduces focus attack charge-up time | Rending Strike |
| Reaching Cleave | 1 | Increases range of Cleaving Swing | Rending Strike, Greater Cleaving Swing |
| Sundering Swipe | 2 | Hold (relevant command 1) and press (relevant command 2) to perform a wide, sweeping lightsaber attack | Rending Strike |
| Charged Reflection | 1 | Press (relevant command) right before a bolt makes contact to send back a charged bolt that hits the target and nearby enemies | Rending Strike, Sundering Swipe |
| Rolling Thunder | 2 | Hold (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) to throw the lightsaber in a line through multiple targets | Rending Strike, Sundering Swipe, Charged Reflection |
Force Skill Tree
Jedi Concentration
| Skill | Cost (SP) | What It Provides | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attunement | 1 | Cal’s maximum Force is increased | None |
| Lucid Attunement | 2 | Cal’s maximum Force is further increased | Attunement |
| Enlightened Attunement | 2 | Cal’s maximum Force is further increased | Attunement, Lucid Attunement |
| Greater Hold | 1 | (Relevant command 1) and (Relevant command 2): increase the duration of Slow’s effect on enemies | Attunement |
| Extended Hold | 3 | (Relevant command 1) and (Relevant command 2): the first strike against enemies affected by Slow will not break the Slow effect | Attunement, Greater Hold |
| Superior Hold | 1 | Further increase the duration of Slow’s effect on enemies | Attunement, Greater Hold, Extended Hold |
| Channelled Energy | 1 | Cal regains more Force when he defeats an enemy, and regains some Force when he hits a blocking enemy | Attunement |
| Swift Focus | 1 | (Relevant command) increases Force recovery when performing a successful Precision Evade | Attunement, Channelled Energy |
Telekinesis
| Skill | Cost (SP) | What It Provides | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrenching Pull | 1 | Press (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) to wrench groups of nearby enemies closer | None |
| Twin Pull | 2 | While holding an enemy with Pull, press (relevant command) to pull and hold a second target | Wrenching Pull |
| Unrelenting Pull | 3 | Hold (relevant command) to affect the largest and most Force-resistant enemies | Wrenching Pull, Twin Pull |
| Radial Push | 1 | Press (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) to Push a wider area, causing multiple enemies to stagger | Wrenching Pull |
| Howling Push | 2 | Hold (relevant command) to push enemies in a much larger radius, and with a greater effect | Wrenching Pull, Radial Push |
| Parry Push | 2 | Press (relevant command) right before an enemy attacks to send them flying | Wrenching Pull, Radial Push, Howling Push |
| Soaring Lift | 2 | Hold (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) to Lift your target as well as nearby enemies | Wrenching Pull |
| Mass Slam | 2 | Hold (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) to Slam groups of enemies | Wrenching Pull, Soaring Lift |
| Power Slam | 2 | Hold (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) for bigger hit reactions from affected enemies | Wrenching Pull, Soaring Lift, Mass Slam |
| Gravitational Mastery | 1 | Increase Soaring Lift and Mass Slam radius | Wrenching Pull, Soaring Lift |
| Power Lift | 2 | Hold (relevant command 1) and (relevant command 2) to Lift larger enemies | Wrenching Pull, Soaring Lift, Gravitational Mastery |
Confusion
| Skill | Cost (SP) | What It Provides | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addled Mind | 1 | Increase the amount of time enemies will attack other enemies while Confused | None |
| Confounded Mind | 2 | Increase the amount of time enemies will attack other enemies while Confused | Addled Mind |
| Greater Confusion | 1 | Hold (relevant command 1) then press (relevant command 2) after Confusing a target to Confuse an additional enemy | Addled Mind |
| Amplification | 2 | Confused enemies deal additional damage | Addled Mind, Greater Confusion |
| Redirected Strength | 2 | Hold (relevant command 1) and press (relevant command 2) while holding a Pulled enemy to force them to fire their weapon. Works on humanoids only | Addled Mind, Greater Confusion |
| Superior Confusion | 2 | Successfully Confuse otherwise resistant humanoid enemies | Addled Mind, Greater Confusion |
| Confusion Mastery | 2 | Successfully Confuse even the most resistant humanoid enemies | Addled Mind, Greater Confusion, Superior Confusion |
Best Skill Tree Upgrades in Jedi: Survivor
So, with all of the possible skill upgrades in the book, which should you choose? Our recommendation is to begin by ranking up Resilience (the only Survival Tree).
This is because its effects are universal, meaning however you approach combat and whichever Stance you end up favoring, the benefits of Resilience — whether extra health, improved stims or Force boosts — are guaranteed to have a tangible effect on battles.
We’d then recommend ranking up whichever Stance you’re using in the Lightsaber tree. This could change as you progress, but it makes the most sense to make yourself harder to kill as you unlock stances — and then upgrade your abilities with particular stances.
Force comes in last for us. It’s not bad by any means and players should definitely consider ranking up Jedi Concentration as they go, with Attunement undoubtedly helpful in almost any combat scenario. However, Telekinesis and Confusion are more niche in their uses, which is why we’re putting them last.
That’s everything to know about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Skill Trees and the best skill upgrades in Respawn Entertainment’s 2023 title. For all the latest on the latest AAA Star Wars title, check out the related content below.
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