Best Skills to Unlock First in Stellar Blade

The name of the game in Stellar Blade is fast and intense action, with Airborne Squad member Eve using her signature Blood Edge blade to overcome the various Naytiba that stand in her way. However, these enemies are not going to just endure whatever punishment players deal out and relinquish their control of Earth, and the better equipped Eve is, the easier the adventure will be. This guide to all the best skills to unlock first in Stellar Blade will set you up for success straight from the off.

Best Skills to Unlock Early in Stellar Blade

As players fight and defeat Naytiba in each of the game’s areas, they will accrue the resource known as SP in Stellar Blade. Fill up the bar to 100% and you will get a new skill point that can be put into each of the different skill trees in the game. Naturally, there will be some skills that are more vital than others, and they include the likes of:

Attack Skill Tree

Ambush – 1 SP

Although much of the combat in the game sees players face up to their foes, there are ample opportunities to get the drop on the Naytiba. And unless you unlock this skill, you won’t benefit from the instant kills with the press of the Triangle button. Get it early, and take care of enemies that are not alert to your presence easily.

Beta Energy Recharge I – 1 SP

Combat is more than just about using your regular Blood Edge attacks; it is also about Eve’s powerful Beta skills. Without the necessary Beta Energy, you won’t be able to utilize said skills regularly. As such, it makes perfect sense to get the Beta Energy Recharge skill early to increase the Beta Energy generated when an attack lands.

Beta Energy Recharge II – 2 SP

More effective than the base skill, it pays to have even more Beta Energy at your disposal when fighting. Make the most out of your constant battles in Stellar Blade by keeping your Beta Energy high, ready for any Naytiba emergency.

Survival Skill Tree

Perfect Dodge – 1 SP

An absolutely essential survival skill, it remains a mystery why it has to be unlocked in the first place. Getting Perfect Dodge allows players to completely evade enemy attacks by pressing the Circle button before getting hit. It will take some getting used to when it comes to the timing, but it is vital in certain fights when attacks cannot be parried or blocked, which is quite similar to Nier: Automata.

Blink – 1 SP

Building off of Perfect Dodge, Blink comes into play when a fatal attack is being prepared by the Naytiba. When Eve’s blade flashes blue, move the left stick towards the enemy and press Circle, teleporting Eve behind the Naytiba and unleashing an attack that stuns. It is the only way to effectively counter a blue fatal attack.

Repulse – 1 SP

As for Repulse, it works in a similar way as Blink, only this time, it is for purple fatal attacks. Instead of pointing towards the enemy, move the left stick away and press Circle when Eve’s blade flashes purple. This allows the heroine to push back from the enemy and reveal their weaknesses. Take advantage of your increased ranged attack power and blast them to oblivion.

Reflex Boost – 2 SP

Need some help mastering Perfect Dodge? That probably applies to everyone, especially when the parrying mechanic seems to be more precise than dodging. Unlock Reflex Boost when you can to make it easier to execute a Perfect Dodge.

Beta Skill Tree

Shield Breaker – 1 SP

While Eve starts off with two Beta attacks already, she doesn’t have one that can easily deal with those Naytiba that like having a shield. Unlocking Shield Breaker provides that solution, an attack that stuns the enemies and deals high damage to their shields. It can even be charged to increase its attack power; just watch out for any counterattacks during the charging period.

Damage Boost – 2 SP

Considering that you will be using the various Beta attacks whenever possible, it makes sense to increase the damage they deal to Naytiba across the board. It doesn’t matter whether you are a fan of Slash or our personal favorite, Triplet; making every hit’s impact that much harder is always going to help, and all four Beta attacks can benefit from this upgrade.

Beta Energy Withdrawal – 2 SP

Similarly, while Beta attacks consume Beta Energy, you can give Eve a boost in that department by unlocking Beta Energy Withdrawal. This skill recovers some Beta Energy when an enemy is hit with a Beta attack, so that you can potentially eke out another use in emergencies. Available for all four Beta attacks, be sure to augment your preferred moves further with this unlock.

Additional Skill Trees

As progress is made in Stellar Blade, the game will also introduce another two more skill trees into the mix. These contain more damage-dealing abilities that will increase the variety of ways in which the Naytiba will face judgment from Eve.

At this point, it is likely that players will accrue enough SP to unlock all of the previous three skill trees and their abilities, and the rest will be up to personal preference. The biggest choice will be choosing between more crowd-controlling abilities or moves that target a single enemy for massive damage, so be sure to look forward to the available options when the time comes.

And that’s everything to know about the best skills to unlock first in Stellar Blade. For more help with Shift Up’s action-adventure space saga, be sure to check out our other guides, or search Twinfinite for more.