[Top 15] Dead Cells Best Skills To Have

Updated:

02 Jan 2024

In Dead Cells, you try out various builds, die, and then try it out again right away. In each run, you can experiment with various weapons, skills, and mutations. The best skills to have in order to defeat The Hand of the King and obtain the next boss cell are covered in this article.

15. Powerful Grenade

Heavy Grenade

It always feels good to have at least one grenade in your build, they are simple but reliable skills. You throw, them and they deal damage, some also give a status effect like freeze, stun, or fire. But, in terms of sheer damage, Powerful Grenade is the best.

What Powerful Grenade Excels In:

This skill is useful in both Brutality and Survival builds.
Powerful Grenade is a versatile skill that can work just fine in many builds.
With a Powerful Grenade, you can one-shot any normal monster in the game.
It can work as a heavy nuke in Brutality burst builds or as additional damage in Survival sustain builds, which usually lack damage.

Choose Powerful Grenade if you need to deal big burst damage in the area.

Powerful Grenade full details:

Throws an arcing projectile which explodes for 200 base damage in a large area of effect on contact with an enemy or a horizontal surface.
It has 200 base hit damage.
It has a 13-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Area effects created by this item are 200% larger.
Powerful Grenade Blueprint drops from Bombardiers. It has a 10% drop chance and costs 20 cells to unlock.

14. Scarecrow's Sickles

Perfect for pruning everything that sticks out.

Scarecrow's Sickles can be a little awkward to use for the first time, but when you master them, they are really powerful. The best tip for you is to always move when you use this skill, that way, you can bring out the full potential of this skill. They mimic one of the attacks of the boss, Scarecrow.

What Scarecrow's Sickles Excels In:

They are Tactics/Survival skills that can deal massive damage to enemies in relatively large areas.
They can hit enemies on one platform above or below you.
Scarecrow's Sickles work best in Survival as an additional damage-dealing skill because they usually lack damage.

Choose Scarecrow's Sickles if you need to clear big crowds of monsters.

Scarecrow's Sickles full details:

When used, two sickles are thrown into an arc on both sides of the player. They come back to the player after two passes. Each hit from this skill increases the sickles' damage. After the fifth hit, each attack deals critical damage.
It deals 166 Base DPS (273 Critical hits). One Sickle can deal up to 546 base damage with a full combo.
It has a 10-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Fires twice as many bullets.
Powerful Grenade Blueprint drops after you kill boss Scarecrow for the first time. It costs 100 cells to unlock.

13. Phaser

Don't look behind you...

Phaser is a great support skill that can be used in many ways. It works in various builds. This skill has the shortest cooldown in the game. You can spam this spell to catch enemies and elevate your damage.

What Phaser Excels In:

This skill works well with weapons like Assassin's Dagger, Blowgun or Baseball Bat.
Mutations that synergize with this skill are Open Wounds, Scheme, Ripper, and Heart of Ice.
Phaser can come in handy when you fight the first boss, Conjunctivius. You can instantly teleport to him each time he repositions.

Choose Phaser if you need to close the gap between you and enemy monsters.

Phaser full details:

A skill that teleports the player behind a nearby enemy and empowers the next attack.
It has 70 base hit damage.
It has a 2-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Release a cloud of poisonous gas around you.
Phaser Blueprint drops from Runners. It has a 0.4% drop chance and it costs 50 cells to unlock.

12. Serenade

Me, Jealous?

Serenade is one of two summoning skills on the list. When you use this skill, you will summon the possessed sword. This sword circles around you and deals damage to any monster that tries to attack you. You can also pick up this sword and use it as your melee weapon to deal critical damage. The only disadvantage of this skill is that Serenade is extremely jealous of other summoned pets.

What Serenade Excels In:

It is possible to obtain two Serenades (one of which has to be legendary) and to use one as a melee weapon and the other as a summoned skill. This way, constant critical hits can be dealt to marked enemies while avoiding the ability cooldown.
Serenade can work as an additional damage-dealing skill in your build.
It scales with Brutality builds.

Choose Serenade if you like to play with a summons that deals damage on its own.

Serenade full details:

Summons a possessed sword that follows the player. The sword will slash at nearby enemies in a wide arc. Using the skill again while already summoned will recall it, allowing it to be held as a melee weapon. Any strike made against an enemy will apply a mark to them, strikes made while the opposite mark is applied will result in a critical hit.
It deals 30 Base DPS (600 Critical hits). The full combo can deal up to 84 (1680 Critical hits) base damage.
It has a 30-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Stays active indefinitely.
You can find Serenade Blueprint in a secret area in the Fractured Shrines biome. It cost 50 cells to unlock.

11. Cleaver

Meat Grinder

Cleaver is a deployable skill that applies bleeding status to enemies. This is a great way to improve your burst damage output in bleeding builds. Fight around the deployed trap to deal a huge amount of damage.

What Cleaver Excels In:

The cleaver has excellent crowd control potential and works well with bleeding builds.
This skill is effective against the Concierge and other humanoid bosses.
You can pair this skill with weapons or skills that hold enemies in one place.

Choose Cleaver if you run a bleeding build.

Cleaver full details:

Cleaver is a deployable skill which deploys a bed of sawblades to lacerate and inflict bleeding on enemies walking over them. It inflicts bleeding status on enemies that walk over it.
It deals 50 base damage and 6 bleeding damage per second, per damage stack.
It has an 8-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Applies 2 stacks of damage over time effects instead of 1.
Cleaver Blueprint drops from Runners. It has a 1.7% drop chance and costs 30 cells to unlock.

10. Wolf Trap

Trap used by hunters.

A deployable skill that works as a setup for your other weapons and skills. Wolf Trap excels in boss or elite fights when you need to catch a specific enemy.

What Wolf Trap Excels In:

Wolf Trap is a great support skill that helps you control enemies. The root mechanic is also the only status effect that can reliably hold bosses in one place.
You can use it in Tactics or Survival builds, which are slower and require setup for your main weapon.
It synergizes greatly with the mutation Heart of Ice.

Choose Wolf Trap if you need to make enemy monsters stay in one place.

Wolf Trap full details:

Launches 2 traps that root enemies increasing the damage they take by 34 DPS for 5 seconds.
It has a 14-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Freezes nearby enemies when the effect ends.
This skill is available from the start of the game.

9. Knife Dance

Knife Storm

Knife Dance is the most effective way to apply instant bleeding status. It is a simple mechanic that helps you clear biomes quickly. You cannot go wrong with this skill, even if you run a non-bleeding build.

What Knife Dance Excels In:

This skill synergizes best with bleeding builds.
It has the ability to burst low-HP monsters in the area.
It scales with Brutality and Tactics, but works better with Brutality builds that deal a huge amount of damage in a short time.

Choose Knife Dance if you run a bleeding build and need to deal more AoE damage.

Knife Dance full details:

Releases a radial burst of 16 knives. Each knife deals 5 base impact damage and inflicts enemies with a single bleeding effect for 4 seconds.
Each knife deals 5 base damage and 40 bleeding damage over time.
It has a 16-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Bleeding damage also applies poison.
Knife Dance Blueprint drops from Bats. It has a 0.4% drop chance and costs 5 cells to unlock.

8. Flamethrower Turret

Will burn you to a crisp.

Another deployable trap on this list. If you combine it with an oil mechanic, it can do a serious amount of damage. Try to fight around the turret to maximize your damage output.

What Flamethrower Turret Excels In:

It is best paired with the weapon Oil Blade or the skill Oil Grenade.
It scales with Brutality and Tactics, but it fits better in Brutality fire builds better.
You can use this skill together with weapons or skills that hold enemies in one place.

Choose Flamethrower Turret if you run a fire/oil build.

Flamethrower Turret full details:

Deploys a flamethrower turret. Turret spews flames out of both sides in 2-second bursts whenever an enemy is in range, inflicting victims with burning effects.
Burning effects last for 2 seconds and deal 8 base burning damage per second, per burning stack.
It has a 12-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Applies 2 stacks of damage over time effects instead of 1.
Flamethrower Turret Blueprint drops from Shockers. It has a 0.4% drop chance and costs 30 cells to unlock.

7. Crusher

Stone monument covered in runes.

Crusher does exactly what its name says—it crushes enemies. It slows down enemies and, after a short delay, deals a huge nuke. You can use it as a support skill that mainly slows, or you can use it for its damage. The choice is yours.

What Crusher Excels In:

It scales with Tactics and Survival.
If you run it in Tactics build pick mutation Support, you will deal more damage around the trap.
You can also run it with a slower Survival build that focuses on sustainability.
You can use this skill together with weapons or skills that hold enemies in one place.

Choose Crusher if you run a slower build and need stun lock while also dealing a great amount of damage.

Crusher full details:

A deployable skill which deploys a trap that slows down enemies walking on the ground immediately around it and deals massive damage.
Base combo deals up to 405 damage. The damage burst comes in three waves.
It has a 14-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Freezes nearby enemies when the effect ends.
Crusher Blueprint drops from Lacerators. It has a 10% drop chance and costs 30 cells to unlock.

6. Great Owl of War

A wise companion.

Similar to Serenade, the Great Owl of War is a summonable pet that follows you around and deals damage to enemies. When you use the spell button the second time, Owl becomes enraged, and its DPS rises. Great Owl of War is basically a turret that follows you around. It stays summoned indefinitely until you take damage. After that, you will need to resummon it.

What Great Owl of War Excels In:

This skill scales with Tactics.
Use enraged form when you find yourself in a tight spot.
Great Owl of War is useful on its own as an additional damage-dealing source.

Choose Great Owl of War if you like to play with a summons that deals damage on its own.

Great Owl of War full details:

Summons a pet owl that flies around behind the player upon use. When an enemy is nearby, the owl will shoot projectiles at it. Using the skill again will enrage the owl, increasing its base damage.
Normal form deals 32 base damage, and enranged form deals 95 base damage.
It has a 34-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Shots pierce all enemies.
Great Owl of War Blueprint drops from Knife Throwers on 1+ boss cell difficulty. It has a 0.4% drop chance and costs 100 cells to unlock.

5. Ice Armor

So that's what they mean by "Well preserved"?

The best way to protect yourself in the game. Ice Armor is so effective and versatile that it works every time in any build. After activation, it completely ignores one instance of damage. Use it when you feel overwhelmed by enemies.

What Ice Armor Excels In:

It scales with Survival, but this skill is so good that it can be used in any build, even off-color ones.
Ice Armor is the best support skill in the game; it can act as an alternative to a shield.
Since Ice Armor blocks a single attack, it will prevent any attack from resetting the kill streak counter or killing the player while cursed.

Choose Ice Armor if you need a way to protect yourself or if you run a slow Survival build.

Ice Armor full details:

Covers you in ice that absorbs one attack and explodes freezing nearby enemies. If you don't take a hit it explodes after 8 seconds.
The explosion deals 10 base damage and freezes nearby enemies for 2 seconds. Upon thawing, enemies will be slowed down for 1 second.
It has a 20-30 seconds cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: The ice doesn't expire and can be kept until you get hit or reactivate it.
Ice Armor Blueprint drops from Ground Shakers. It has a 10% drop chance and costs 30 cells to unlock.

4. Face Flask

Smashing red stuff in your own face is NEVER a good idea, ask the people of Tristram.

At first glance, you might wonder why anyone would willingly take damage. But if you think about it more, it actually has quite a few ways to be utilized. Also, you can add any affix that you need, a Face Flask can act as a "budget" Oil Grenade or a way to create a poison cloud.

What Face Flask Excels In:

The best way to make Face Flask work is to run it in Brutality build with mutation Vengeance.
The best weapon to pair with Face Flask is the melee weapon Spite Sword.
It can also be used in off-color builds where specific affixes are required to make the build work.

Choose Face Flask if you have a way to synergize self-damage or if you need a specific affix.

Face Flask full details:

Crush a flask on your forehead, and after 0.2 seconds upon activation, deals 5 base damage to the player.
It has a 10 seconds cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Covers the ground with oil that burns around you.
It can be found in the lore room in the Prisoners' Quarter's biome and is unlocked immediately.

3. Tesla Coil

Shocking...

This is the best deployable turret skill in the game; it has an amazing range, inflicts shock status, and even negates some flying projectiles. Like all electric weapons and skills, it deals critical damage to enemies in the water. Draw enemies into pools of water and electrocute them.

What Tesla Coil Excels In:

It scales with Tactics, run it with the mutation Support, and you will deal even more damage around the trap.
Enemies can be hit through walls and floors.
You can cheese boss Mama Tick with this skill because the whole Nest biome is water.

Choose Tesla Coil if you pick biomes that have water.

Tesla Coil full details:

A deployable skill that deals damage in a circular area plus bonus shock status damage on hit.
It deals 23 base damage and 18 base shock damage per second.
It has a 10 seconds cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Covers the ground with oil that burns when destroyed.
Tesla Coil Blueprint drops from Living Barrels. It has a 10% drop chance and costs 40 cells to unlock.

2. Diverse Deck

At the core of an ancient strategy called the 999 block.

This spell was added in the most recent update, but it immediately became the number one contender. Diverse Deck offers endless possibilities, and it basically combines four different game mechanics into one spell.

What Diverse Deck Excels In:

Diverse Deck is always colorless, meaning it scales with every color (Brutality, Tactics, and Survival) and works in any build.
Card Foresight is basically ungraded Ice Armor, which alone is one of the best defensive skills in the game.
It offers both offensive and defensive possibilities.

Choose Diverse Deck if you find it; seriously, it is that good!

Diverse Deck full details:

This skill consists of four cards, each with its own effects that the player cycles through. The first card is Barricade, which adds bonus HP. The second card is Catalyst, it applies poison to your melee attacks. The third card is Electrodynamics, which creates lightning orbs around you. Forth card is Foresight, it blocks the first damage instance of damage.
It has a 5-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has different affix for each card: Barricade - Bonus health gained from perfect parries is now permanent, Catalyst - Damage-over-time effects are no longer consumed upon activation, Electrodynamics - Orb maximum becomes 5, Foresight - Passive effect cooldown is reduced to 3 seconds.
It can be found in the lore room in the Prisoners' Quarter's biome and is unlocked immediately.

1. Corrupted Power

Illegal steroid.

Corrupted Power is by far the best Skill in the game right now. Percentage-scaling bonus damage makes any weapon in the game OP. The damage it can do is really terrifying. Thankfully, it has one downside: you receive 30% more damage from all sources while the skill is active.

What Corrupted Power Excels In:

Corrupted Power scales with Brutality and Tactics but is usable in any build, even off-color ones.
It makes every build, a burst build.
You can combine it with the mutation Recovery, so the time available to recover your health after a hit is multiplied by 3.
In some scenarios, you can even one-shot bosses with Corrupted Power.

Choose Corrupted Power if you want to scale your damage output.

Corrupted Power full details:

Increases direct damage dealt by the player by base 50%, but the player receives 30% more damage from all sources while the effect is active.
It has a 16-second cooldown.
The legendary version of this skill has an affix: Generates a shield when used.
Corrupted Power Blueprint drops from Protectors. It has a 0.4% drop chance and costs 80 cells to unlock.