Skills & Passives
Eight abilities, four slots, seven passives, two active — cooldowns instead of mana.
Skills are learned from tomes found in sacks out in the wilds, into a pool — and only four can be equipped at once, swapped on the pause menu's ABILITIES board, which also says what each one does. Each costs stamina and has its own cooldown; that, not a second energy bar, is what stops you spamming the strongest one. Stamina never regenerates on its own: rest, or drink a draught. Movement skills are cheap on purpose.
| Skill | School | Cost | Cooldown | What it does | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleave | Might | 30 sp | 6s | A wide swing that hits everything around you for 18 and knocks it back. | 18 dmg, 70px radius, knockback 200 |
| Hamstring | Wildcraft | 10 sp | 3s | A low cut at the enemy in front of you: 6 damage and they move at half speed for 4 seconds. | 6 dmg, knockback 80, slow 4.0s |
| Leap Slam | Might | 15 sp | 5s | Dash forward and slam down: 14 damage around your landing, enemies knocked back. Cheap — it's how you move. | 14 dmg, 60px radius, knockback 220 |
| Second Wind | Wildcraft | 0 sp | 25s | Catch your breath mid-fight: 40 stamina back, free. The only skill that gives stamina — long cooldown. | +40 stamina |
| Shoulder Bash | Might | 15 sp | 4s | Ram the enemy in front of you: 8 damage, a hard knockback, and a 1.6 second stun. | 8 dmg, knockback 300, stun 1.6s |
| Steadfast | Might | 15 sp | 8s | Brace: you take half damage for 4 seconds. | damage ×0.5 for 4s |
| War Cry | Might | 20 sp | 10s | A roar that shoves nearby enemies away and raises your damage by half for 5 seconds. | 2 dmg, 100px radius, knockback 260, ×1.5 damage for 5s |
| Whirlwind | Might | 25 sp | 9s | Spin with the blade out: 12 damage to everything in a wide ring. No knockback — they stay in reach. | 12 dmg, 95px radius |
Passives
Habits, not tricks. Hesk teaches these at the Drill Yard (Era 2) for gold and goods; the Sparring Ring module unlocks the advanced three. You can learn them all, but only 2 are active at a time — switch them on the ABILITIES board next to your skills. Each is one knob on an existing mechanic.
| Passive | Effect | Lesson | Taught at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frugal | Every skill costs 20% less stamina. | 25 gold + 2 Bitterleaf | Sparring Ring |
| Gourmand | Food restores 30% more health and hunger. | 20 gold + 3 Wildberries | Sparring Ring |
| Iron Lungs | Resting returns stamina half again as fast. | 12 gold + 2 Meat | Drill Yard |
| Keen Eye | Sneak strikes on the unaware hit for an extra half again. | 25 gold + 2 Boar Tusk | Sparring Ring |
| Light Step | Sneak half again as fast, and enemies spot you from 15% closer. | 15 gold + 1 Cloth | Drill Yard |
| Sure-Footed | Dodging costs half the stamina. Move more, rest less. | 15 gold + 1 Boar Tusk | Drill Yard |
| Thick Skin | +10% protection, always — like wearing a second trinket. | 15 gold + 1 Boar Hide | Drill Yard |
Basics
- Action (A / E): talk, open a building, gather — the prompt above the skill bar names what it will do. Nothing opens by walking into it.
- Light attack (A with nothing in reach / J): weapon power, no knockback.
- Heavy attack (X / K): power × 2.2, with knockback.
- Dodge (B / Space): 12 stamina, brief invulnerability.
- Sneak (LB / Shift): enemies notice you at 40% range from the front, 15% from behind; a strike on an unaware enemy hits for much more.
- Rest (RB / R): the only free stamina. Holding it at a deposit gathers (so does holding the action button); at the whetstone it hones your gear.
- No fighting in town unless raiders are inside the walls.