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The best skills in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Jesse Lennox
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You may be a native Na’vi in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, but having been raised by the  Resources Development Administration (RDA), your character is as new to the alien world od Pandora as any human would be. That, of course, means you’ll be starting from scratch to build up your skills and abilities to not only survive the natural flora and fauna, but also fight back against the invading RDA forces. Skill points are not as easy to come by in this game as others, and after the first one or two skills in a tree, they become quite expensive to unlock. There are a lot of systems and mechanics you can impact with upgrades, but there are certain ones that universally stand as the best investments. If you’re ready to learn the ways of the Na’vi in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, these are the skills that will help you remember your roots.

The best skills in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

A glowing skill tree in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Ubisoft

The skill tree is separated into five categories that each relate to different aspects of surviving and thriving on Pandora. These consist of Survivor, Warrior, Hunter, Maker, and Rider. Rider is initially hidden and only unlocks after you get your ikran as part of the main story.

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Survivor

A glowing skill tree in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Ubisoft

Larger Healing Pouch 1/2: Healing can be done in two ways in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. The first is passive regeneration that occurs so long as you have some energy, but that isn’t going to save you if you get caught in a firefight with a couple of mechs. Fruit will be your immediate heals for the heat of battle, but just like everything else, you can only hold so many of them. Your starting capacity is so limited that you’ll be lucky to finish any combat encounter with even one to spare, so getting one extra per level of this skill not only helps you stay alive in more drawn-out battles, but cuts down on you having to go harvest more in the wild.

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Vigor 1/2: Vigor is your energy, the secondary bar underneath your health that drains as you perform various actions like running and jumping around. It can only be replenished by eating. The main function of Vigor, however, is to give you that passive HP regen mentioned above. Since the region of Pandora that you’ve set out to explore is so large, and fights are usually quite far apart, a full Vigor bar won’t last more than one fight most of the time. Each additional Vigor level you get increases your base amount by 50%, letting you double it at max level.

Vitality 1/2/3/4: We don’t need to explain why you want more HP, do we? Unless you’re a stealth and combat expert, getting at least a few extra points of HP never hurts. Each level gives +30, 60, 90, and 120 HP respectively.

Warrior

The warrior skill tree in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Ubisoft

Extra Ammo 1/2: Na’vi may be giants, but their pockets are small. Running out of ammo is a death sentence when a battle kicks off. Maybe you could find cover long enough to craft more, but why risk it when you can come in with double the reserves to get the job done?

Well Prepared: Another way to alleviate ammo worries is to give yourself access to a fourth weapon slot on your quick select. Three is a decent number, but a fourth will give you options for any scenario on the fly.

Tactical Awareness: By using your special Na’vi vision, you can highlight and tag any enemy around, even through walls, from almost any distance. This will become second nature before going into any enemy encampment, so why not get a little extra benefit? All enemies you tag this way take 15% more damage should you need to go loud.

Hunter

The hunter skill tree in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Ubisoft

Silent Destroyer: The RDA has two primary forms of ground units: normal soldiers and giant mech operators. The latter is clearly the bigger threat, but it also can’t be taken out stealthfully by default. Silent Destroyer gives you the ability to perform a stealth takedown on armored enemies if you can manage to approach their weak points unnoticed.

Expert Hunter: On the other hand, if you prefer a more direct approach, Expert Hunter makes any attacks that hit an enemy weak point deal an additional 25% damage while you’re still in stealth. If you have strong enough weapons, that can be enough for a one-hit kill, letting you remain undetected.

Maker

A glowing skill tree in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Ubisoft

Expert Ammunition Crafter: Some ammo, such as arrows, can only be crafted. Normally, you can make ammo in small batches, hopefully between fights. Grab this skill to instantly double how much you make at once, which may save your life if you need to craft in a pinch.

Wasteless Cooking: A cooked meal will always restore some of your Vigor, but also comes with various other buffs worth activating before entering a dangerous situation. Cooking the best meals costs rare ingredients, but if you invest in Wasteless Cooking, you get a random chance to get two of whatever meal you make for the cost of one.

Rider

The rider skill tree in Avatar Frontiers of Pandora.
Ubisoft

Aerial Fishing 1/2/3: Your ikran has its own dedicated Vigor bar that works just like yours, only it’s also responsible for how much you can boost and perform evasive maneuvers. While you could feed it directly from your personal stash of food, a more efficient way to fill your mount’s belly is through Aerial Fishing. The first level lets it snatch up a meal simply by flying over the surface of a lake, the second increases how much energy that fish restores, and maxing it out adds on the “well fed” buff.

Flying Takedown: This skill makes your ikran more than just a mobility option and lets it join in on the battles. Flying Takedown will give you the chance to stagger any enemy flying vehicle through normal means, then approach and let your ikran deal the finishing blow. Not only is this visually spectacular and satisfying, but it also automatically collects any loot that the ship would have dropped.

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Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
The best weapons in Lords of the Fallen
A knight with a large sword prepares to stab a dragon in Lords of the Fallen.

While you technically could get through a game like Lords of the Fallen bare-handed and wearing no armor, most people will have a far better experience using real weapons and armor. Weapons in particular are key to soulslikes since the weapon you want, or at least the type, is key to how you will want to build your character and distribute your stats. Just like a FromSoftware game, every weapon has different stat requirements and scaling grades that make some objectively better than others. While it isn't terribly difficult to compare the weapons you find, Lords of the Fallen gets crazy with just how many different weapons there are across all the different types. Rather than build using the wrong stats for a weapon that will be outclassed, here are some of the best weapons in Lords of the Fallen for any build.
The best weapons in Lords of the Fallen

With hundreds of weapons across all the different types, we've narrowed our list down to some of the best that cover all the major builds you would consider running.
Pieta's Sword
Swords are going to be one of the most popular weapon types in this game. Not only are they kind of the default weapon for soulslikes, but Lords of the Fallen has an almost overwhelming number of them to pick from. This shortsword can be purchased fairly easily from Molhu at the Remembrance of Pieta for 40 Umbral Scourings. This is a boss weapon that comes from none other than Pieta herself and is one of the best zoning swords in the game. It is made for Radiance builds, and comes with the Smite status effect of 100. You need your Radiance stat to be 25 or higher to wield it, and it scales starting at a C and ends at an A- rank with that same stat after upgrades.
Hallowed Praise
To throw a second short sword into the mix for consideration, we turn to another early-game option. Unlike the last pick, this sword is more traditional and works best for agility-focused builds, but with the added effect of 80 Bleed on each hit for some spice. You only need 12 Agility to equip it, again making it great early on, and it scales starting at C, but can go up to A with Agility.
Bloodlust
Despite the name, Bloodlust actually isn't as focused on Bleed as Hallowed Praise. That said, it has both 60 Bleed and Burn damage on hit. What pushes this to a top-tier sword, though, is the special effect of restoring a small amount of HP for each kill. You'll need to build to at least level 3 in both Agility and Inferno to use it, but it's more than worth it. Bloodlust scales with both Agility and Inferno, starting at a C in both and ending at an A-.
Hushed Saint's Halberd
Polearms are a more niche choice, but those who know how to handle them are almost untouchable. The Hushed Saint's Halberd is another weapon you should save up to buy from Molhu for 20 Umbral Scourings if you are going for a Strength and Agility build. It admittedly doesn't scale as high as other weapons on this list, but it does come with an insane 150 Poison effect that can easily make up for the lack of raw damage. You'll need a decent 19 Strength and 16 Agility to make use of it, and its dual scaling for those stats starts at C and D, but works up to B+ and C+, respectively.
Iron Wayfarer's Hammer
Another boss weapon that you can claim, this time by beating the Iron Wayfarer, is that character's hammer. If you are anything like us, seeing how deftly this boss utilized it against you will inspire you to try it out for yourself, and boy is it worth it. If you're using a Strength build, this could be the last weapon you ever need. It will take a huge 31 Strength to even hold, but this is a powerhouse. Despite scaling with Strength, Agility, Radiance, and Inferno, you really only need to pay attention to Strength. It starts at a B- but turns into an S by the time you hit +9 with it, while all other characteristics only go from E to D at best.
Charm of Fortune's Sight
We haven't forgotten you mage builds out there! Sure, catalysts aren't technically "weapons" in the strict definition, but they serve essentially the same purpose for spellcasters. Again, pay a visit to everyone's favorite vendor Molhu in Skyrest to buy it off him. What's so special about this catalyst in particular is that it lets you use four different spell types at once, in addition to boosting their power. You will need to be a bit of a mixed build as it requires 12 Radiance and Inferno, which are the two stats it scales with as well. To start, you get C- scaling in both, but end up with B when at +9.
Bow of the Convert
Spellcasters might be a small percentage of players, but archers are even less popular. However, they're a completely viable build in Lords of the Fallen, especially with the Bow of the Convert. Just looking at the stats, it might not seem all that special, but it has an 80 in Bleed, Burn, Poison, and Frostbite. If you add on elemental arrows, you're likely to hit an unsuspecting enemy with four or five status effects in a single shot. You only need 16 Agility to equip this bow, and the scaling isn't even that bad once you upgrade it. It starts at a C and ends at a B+.

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The best classes in Lords of the Fallen
A warrior stands in an Umbral hallway in Lords of the Fallen.

Choosing your class at the beginning of an RPG is by no means an uncommon task. What makes it especially vital in a soulslike title such as Lords of the Fallen, though, is just how impactful that initial decision is. Your choice of class not only determines what weapons and armor you begin the game with, but even more importantly, your starting stats. Some are easily understood like Strength and Vitality, while Agility is a little more ambiguous. And Radiance and Inferno are downright incomprehensible if you have no prior knowledge of them. What class you want to take is entirely dependent on how you want to focus your build, so we will run through a few picks for the best class no matter what type of player you want to be in Lords of the Fallen.
The best classes in Lords of the Fallen

Lords of the Fallen offers you nine classes to choose from by default, or 10 if you have access to the Dark Crusader class, plus three more you can unlock. We'll focus only on the base nine since those are the only ones everyone will have access to when first starting the game.
Hallowed Knight
For less experienced soulslike players, or those who just want to start off with a reliable, but basic class to get a feel for Lords of the Fallen, the Hallowed Knight is the most friendly class. It starts off with a decent sword and lots of defense thanks to a shield and heavy-class armor that will help you survive some early mistakes, while still staying in the medium equip load range. This is a class most equipped to go for a Strength build with, but you could spec a few points into Radiance as well if you want to have some backup magic on hand. Here are the Hallowed Knights starting stats:

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The best Pendants in Lords of the Fallen
A cleric fights a boss in Lords of the Fallen.

Alongside the various rings in Lords of the Fallen, pendants are your other passive charm item that grants your character some unique and useful buffs. Pendants are far more rare than rings but are generally more potent as well. When paired together, though, that's when you can really start to make some interesting and powerful builds. Before you can start mixing and matching all these buffs, you need to find the pendants that will serve you. After all, a pendant that increases fire damage won't help you if you're a traditional sword and board-type player. To help you cut down on the hunt in the ruthless world of Lords of the Fallen, here are the best pendants to collect.
Best pendants

Whereas you are arbitrarily limited to just two ring slots in Lords of the Fallen, you are equally restricted to a single pendant instead of simply draping all of them around your character's neck. There are 22 pendants in all to find, but these are the cream of the crop.
Shuja Harmony Hoop
Spellcasters are not the most popular builds in souls-like games, but can be some of the most powerful if you're willing to learn them. Even if you only use spells occasionally, this Shuja Harmony Hoop can make them a key part of your build. After you cast any spell the next spell you cast will deal increased damage for a short time, stacking for each subsequent spell you fire off. The effect is even greater if you swap between spells from different magic types. If you can stack the effect, even weaker spells can eventually deal substantial damage.
Scornful Effigy
How confident are you? If you are a master at dodges and parries and love living on the edge with a glass-cannon build, then the Scornful Effigiy is perfect for you. This pendant will drop your maximum HP, but buff your damage in return. Aside from being great for confident players, this is also a fantastic pendant for ranged builds too.
Relic of Perpetuation
Basically, the exact opposite of the last pendant, the Relic of Perpetuation is just a simple buff to your maximum HP. This is going to be more of a crutch pendant if you're finding a particular section or boss just a slight bit too challenging and need an extra hit or two to overcome but it isn't one you should be using the entire game
Princess' Sting
Your equip load in Lords of the Fallen primarily determines how quickly you move and what type of role you have. Most players will tend to opt for light or medium-level equip loads, and if you go for a light build, the Princess' Sting pendant should be an easy pick. So long as you have a light load, this pendant will make all your attacks deal additional damage. Just make sure you don't go too high or the effect won't trigger.
Paladin's Pendant
Finally, for some raw stats you can just equip and forget about, the Paladin's Pendant will give your character a buff to both strength and endurance. It goes without saying, but this is meant for strength builds, and is the best one to wear for those characters.

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