Skul: The Hero Slayeris a new roguelike action platformer fromthe indie developer, Southpaw Games. It’s actually a bit older as it came out earlier in January 2021 but for PC only. It now returns with several updates for these brand new ports for the big three console platforms.
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As is typical in modern roguelikes, players lose progress when they die but there are ways to level the playing field. Dark Quartz is a currency that can be spent to permanently level up the titular Skul in the hub world. There are 12 Traits, as they are called, which range from granting Skul abilities to raising his stats. In order from least to most important, let’s rank the essential Traits inSkul: The Hero Slayer.
12Ancient Alchemy
This Trait allows the player to destroy scrolls in order to get gold for scrap.The best wayto get money is by killing monsters. It’s always nice to have a backup way to earn cash from unwanted scrolls. However, it’s a lower-tier priority on the list that doesn’t really come into play until the end game. There are two ranks to Ancient Alchemy, with the first starting at 3,000 Dark Quartz.
11Spirit Acceleration
Spirit Acceleration increases attack and movement speed which is great for dealing damage quickly even if the power stat isn’t huge. There is a catch as this only works for speed-type Skulls. As this Trait is limiting, it’s ranked lower on the list of essential upgrades to get first. There are two ranks for it with the first starting at a reasonable level of 700 Dark Quartz.
10Heavy Frame
Heavy Frame reduces damage which is always a good skill to havein a roguelike. The catch is is that it only works for power-type Skulls. It’s limited just like Spirit Acceleration is for attack power and speed. This Trait slightly beats out that one though because defense is a far better boost to have even if it is limited. It also has two ranks which begin at 700 Dark Quartz.
9Exoskeleton Reinforcement
Exoskeleton Reinforcement is a weird Trait in the game that reinforces the player with a barrier. There are two health meters in the game with HP being the main one but there are also barriers like this which are indicated by a blue bar.
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It’s like a shield in this way. There are better items inSkul: The Hero Slayerthat give players more barrier HP than this Trait but it’s nice to have in a pinch. It starts at 3,000 Dark Quartz and it has two ranks.
8Fatal Mind
Fatal Mind increases the critical rate of attacks. Unlike other stat-boosting Traits in the game, this one works across all Skull types. The barrier to entry is also low starting at 30 Dark Quartz. There are ten ranks in total and the more players invest into it, then the better chance they have at scoring a critical hit for massive amounts of damage on enemies.
7Quick Dislocation
Players can carry two Skulls at a time. When the player swaps between costumes, that new Skull will unleash an ability. For example, there is a warrior with a shield that when switched to, Skul will get a protective shield.
There is a cooldown after this happens so that players can’t swap nonstop. That’s where Quick Dislocation comes into play as it reduces cooldowns between Skull swaps. There are ten ranks to this Trait and it starts off at 40 Dark Quartz.
6Ancestral Fortitude
Players can equip one Quintessence at a time at the start of the game. This is an extra ability that gets mapped to the R button on Switch at least. Quintessenceis like Summonsin theFinal Fantasyseries which unleashes a devastating attack on enemies.
They sometimes grant boosts too. Ancestral Fortitude is a Trait that lowers the cooldowns between uses. It begins at 40 Dark Quartz and there are ten ranks.
5Marrow Transplant
Marrow Transplant is a Trait that increases the power of magical attacks. This applies to abilities bestowed to Skulls as well as Quintessence.
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There are ten ranks in total and it only costs 30 Dark Quartz to begin becoming a magical god of destruction. Magic isn’t the top priority for making Skul the strongest it can be, but it will be very useful all the same.
4Thick Bone
Thick Bone is the more important Trait players should invest to first above Marrow Transplant. It increases attack power. It also begins at 30 Dark Quartz and ends at rank ten. As abilities run on cooldowns, players will spend more time physically attacking enemies instead. It’s a basic need forhack and slash gameswhich applies to Skul: The Hero Slayer as well.
3Nutrition Supply
Nutrition Supply is a Trait that reduces the cooldowns of abilities. This will enable players to unleash their specials more readily. It costs quite a bit to get started, 700 Dark Quartz, and it only has two ranks.
Even though physical attacks are more important in the game overall, this Trait should still be purchased in full before any ranks are placed into Thick Bone.
