Skills and Skill Books

A skill is a special ability your character learns: it can hit enemies harder, strengthen you or your allies, or make equipment. The game splits them into combat skills and non-combat skills. Both are found in the Skills window, opened with the R key or with the crossed-swords icon under Cultivation in the control panel at the bottom right.

Most combat skills belong to one class. They fall into attacks, curses (debuffs), blessings (buffs) and passives. Physical classes such as the Blademaster and Barbarian channel quickly but can miss monsters; magic classes such as the Wizard and Cleric channel more slowly but always hit monsters. In the same window you can switch between your Sage and Demon versions with the blue and red icons at the top right to compare them.

• Open the Skills window and find the skill. Hovering over its level shows the next level and what it needs.
• You need the required level, cultivation, Spirit and silver coins, and some upgrades also need a skill book. You must be out of combat.
• A small up arrow appears next to the skill. If it is dim, hover over it to see what is missing; if it is lit, click it and confirm.
• If it still fails, stand still on the ground or move into a safe zone.

The Skills window also has a second tab for glyph skills, where you put Glyphs into upgraded skills. Every character can use one glyph slot from level 1, but only on Town Portal.

A macro (players also call it a combo) fires several skills in a set order with a single click. You add, edit or delete macros at the bottom right of the Skills window, and each one can run once or loop. Macros are needed for the Auto-Cultivation system. Some skills do not work inside a macro, or not as its first skill.

Skill books take skills further, usually past their Sage and Demon versions. Every usable skill book is crafted and cannot be traded. In the past books were also needed for Morai and Sage/Demon skills, but the Celestials Update removed those books; those skills are now learned with Spirit and silver coins.

Neverfall books teach Sanctified skills, which mostly merge the Sage and Demon effects of a skill. You need them before you can put Glyphs on a skill. To use any book, find the upgraded skill in the Skills window, check its requirements (usually an earlier skill plus the book) and click the lit arrow.

A few skills are shared by all classes. Town Portal, which sends you to the nearest city, is there from the start and can take a glyph. The spark skills burn Chi for a short power boost; their exact numbers depend on whether your class deals physical or magic damage, and newer classes get the Demon one under the name Demon Spark Eruption.

Each spark skill raises your weapon damage for a few seconds and makes you immune to all damage for 1 to 3 seconds; the two 89 versions also restore 20% of your Health or Mana. Later content adds universal passives learned with skill books: from the Primal World (for example more skill damage, defense, critical chance or maximum Health, tied to Boundary levels), from Neverfall, and from the Northern Realm. Your cultivation rank is covered in Spiritual Cultivation and the 89 split in Sage and Demon Paths.

Most non-combat skills are the five manufacturing skills: Blacksmith, Tailor, Craftsman, Apothecary and Runecrafting (see Crafting). The first four show their level and EXP in the main Skills window; Runecrafting sits under Passive Skills after you press the Learned Skills button. Other actions, such as meditation, which doubles your Health and Mana regeneration while you sit, are in the Actions window (E key).