Combat DoctrineWeapons, defence, encounters and testing

CurrentPatch 2.00.02

Weapons, Skills & Testing

Evaluate weapon families and skills through repeatable tests instead of unsupported best-build claims.

Evidence: Official source
Verified: 2026-09-01
Spoilers: No spoilers

Patch 2.00.00 skill migration and Abyss Links

Abyss Link is a new character-specific skill-learning resource.

Action	Version 2.00.00 result
A character spends Abyss Artifacts to learn a skill	Each other playable character receives an equivalent number of Abyss Links
A character learns a skill with Abyss Links	That character spends its own Links
One character resets skill progression	Only that character resets, and the Links it spent are refunded
Version 2.00.00 launches for the first time	All existing skill progression resets and all previously spent resources, including Abyss Artifacts, are refunded

Preserve a manual save and complete cloud synchronisation before first launch. After migration, inspect every playable character, rebuild one character at a time and retain an unspent reserve until Kliff’s eight new story-gated skills have been reviewed.

Pearl Abyss has not published those eight skill names, inputs, costs, effects or exact unlock point. Do not treat Abyss Links as one shared pool: each character spends their own Links.

There is no defensible universal best weapon without specifying character, acquired skills, enemy, arena, player control method and patch version.

The correct question is:

Which weapon and skill package lets this player solve this encounter consistently?

Compare weapon families by function

Use the following criteria instead of attack power alone.

Criterion	What to test	Why it matters
Reach	Maximum reliable hit distance and vertical coverage	Determines how safely you can punish and control space
Start-up	How quickly a useful attack becomes active	Affects interruption and short openings
Recovery	How long before movement or defence returns	Determines how punishable your offence is
Resource cost	Stamina or Spirit used by core actions	Controls how often the weapon can attack safely
Crowd control	Stagger, knockback, launch, area coverage	Determines group-fight stability
Mobility	Slides, lunges, aerial movement, evasive attacks	Changes entry, escape and camera management
Defensive fit	Block, counter, evasive follow-up and safe disengage options	Determines error tolerance
Ranged access	Native ranged attacks or compatible secondary options	Helps control flying, distant or dangerous targets
Terrain tolerance	Performance on slopes, narrow spaces and elevation changes	Prevents a strong moveset failing in real arenas
Skill dependence	How much of the weapon’s value requires later skills	Affects early availability and investment

A weapon that wins a stationary damage test can still be a poor practical choice if its recovery, resource cost or camera demands make it unreliable.

Establish a core package

A dependable loadout needs answers to five problems.

Safe opener — an attack that can test range without committing the entire resource bar.
Reliable punish — a short sequence for confirmed enemy recovery.
Group control — an action that creates space, stagger or area denial.
Defensive exit — a block, counter, dodge follow-up or movement option.
Range answer — a ranged weapon, projectile, gap closer or terrain solution.

Do not build around ten situational skills before these five functions work.

Official updates improved the Skills interface in several stages:

Patch 1.00.02 separated skill names and descriptions by weapon type and improved Watch and Learn.
Patch 1.08.00 added a weapon filter under Skills → Search.
Later patches continued correcting equipment-specific skill behaviour, resource consumption and Quick Swap interactions.

Search by the current problem

When the loadout fails, search for a skill that solves the failure:

Failure	Useful skill property
Enemy outranges you	gap closer, projectile or extended reach
Long recovery is punished	shorter finisher, cancel route or defensive follow-up
Surrounded	area attack, knockback, launch or movement
Stamina collapses	lower-cost core action or Spirit-based alternative
Flying target	ranged or aerial access
Block pressure	counter, repositioning or resource-efficient defence
Target escapes punish	tracking, lunge or faster start-up

A visually impressive skill that does not solve a current failure is optional, not foundational.

Watch and Learn

Watch and Learn is a skill-learning feature whose usability was improved in Patch 1.00.02.

Use it as an acquisition route, but verify the learned action in a controlled encounter before integrating it into a serious loadout.

After acquiring a skill:

read its weapon and state requirements;
identify its resource cost;
practise the raw input without enemies;
test whether it tracks or changes facing;
test its recovery after hit, block and miss;
check whether it changes behaviour in the air, on slopes or near walls;
decide which existing function it replaces.

Adding a skill without removing redundancy often makes the control scheme harder without improving the build.

Quick Swap is stateful

Patch 1.08.00 clarified that Quick Swap switches to equipment in the slot that was previously drawn. This is not the same as selecting a permanent preferred weapon.

Before relying on Quick Swap:

confirm which item is currently drawn;
confirm the previous drawn slot;
practise the swap after movement, defence and another skill;
check the resource requirement for any skill-linked swap action;
avoid assuming the same result after tools or secondary weapons have been used.

Patch history includes fixes for Quick Swap consuming the wrong resource with particular equipment. If a reproducible mismatch remains, record the weapon, character, resource state and input sequence and check current patch notes.

Build for the character, not only the weapon name

Characters can have different skill access, unarmed options, counters and equipment compatibility.

Examples from official patches include:

Oongka receiving new unarmed skills in Patch 1.06.00;
Damiane receiving additional unarmed combat support in a later update;
character- and weapon-specific fixes for counters, aerial actions, charged shots and grapples;
equipped-gear lock persistence for Oongka and Damiane being fixed in Patch 1.15.00.

Do not assume a weapon family behaves identically across characters simply because the item category is shared.

The six-test weapon trial

Use an ordinary repeatable encounter and keep gear refinement unchanged.

Test 1 — neutral reach

Stand outside enemy range.
Find the farthest distance where the basic opener hits reliably.
Repeat on flat ground and a slope.

Test 2 — safe recovery

Use the shortest intended punish.
Immediately attempt movement or defence.
Record whether the enemy can retaliate before control returns.

Test 3 — resource cycle

Perform the normal opener, punish and defensive exit.
Count how many cycles are possible before stamina or Spirit becomes unsafe.
Do not include unrealistic uninterrupted attacks.

Test 4 — group stability

Fight three or more ordinary enemies.
Measure success by camera control and damage avoided, not kill speed alone.
Note which action prevents encirclement.

Test 5 — target mismatch

Test against a fast target, large target and ranged or elevated target.
Record where the weapon needs secondary equipment or a specific skill.

Test 6 — miss and block behaviour

Deliberately miss the core attack.
Let the enemy block or armour through it.
Record how exposed the recovery becomes.

A weapon passes when its weaknesses are understood and covered—not when every test is perfect.

Skill testing record

Use this template for future verified claims:

Patch:
Platform:
Character:
Weapon and refinement:
Skill:
Target:
Arena/terrain:
Resource state before use:
Input sequence:
Result on hit:
Result on block:
Result on miss:
Recovery observation:
Repeat count:
Video or screenshots:

Do not publish exact timing, damage or resource values as verified until the result has been reproduced under documented conditions.

What to unlock first

Prefer skills that improve repeatability:

a defensive or evasive answer you currently lack;
a safe punish for short openings;
a group-control tool;
a reliable range answer;
mobility that improves positioning;
damage extensions after the core loop already works.

Damage-only upgrades are more valuable when the player can consistently reach the relevant opening.

When to change weapon family

Change weapon family when:

the current weapon cannot solve a recurring target type even with available skills;
its defensive model conflicts with the player’s control strengths;
its resource cycle repeatedly leaves no escape reserve;
the arena or camera consistently defeats its reach and recovery profile;
another weapon provides the same function with fewer execution demands.

Do not change solely because one attempt went badly or another weapon has a larger displayed number.

When to keep practising

Keep the current weapon when:

failures are caused by unrecognised enemy cues;
you are extending attacks beyond confirmed openings;
lock-on or camera control is failing;
the current core package has not been practised independently;
the weapon is under-refined relative to content you have already reached;
a known issue is disrupting the intended skill or input.

Use Combat Fundamentals to correct execution and Boss & Encounter Diagnosis to identify the actual failure before spending materials.