Greetings, fellow Foundlings! As you venture deep into this harsh world, you’ll find that it helps to have some tricks up your sleeve, beyond the basic combat skills.
So make sure to unlock these key abilities for your chosen shell! They’ll come in handy in lots of different situations, and they may make the difference between victory and defeat.
Recollection of Death (The Best Ability for All Shells!)
The Foundling possesses the shell of Harros.
In-Game Text: “When the orders came, I felt pride swell in my chest. Despite my longings, I knew we were superior to these wretched creatures. These swine rutted within cramped, filthy temples. None were more misguided than these madmen, decorated with bones and mud.” - Harros
“I still reach for her in the middle of a cold night, but there is only the echo of her left. I see her outline. I can hear her voice, rattling in my skull. I haven't tasted Tar in days. She urges me to return to that damned shrine. Will they welcome a lost Pupil back?” - Tiel
“I know you're awaiting, my assailant. I've read how you will descend on me. I will be too slow to stop you, though I will try. Just know that, I do not blame you. I cannot hold onto this body when another will need it far more. We are a single existence, split only by the tides of time, joined together in death.” - Solomon
“My vision blurred and went opaque. The whiteness consumed the world, leaving only a vague memory. I felt hands guide me, ushering me away. Something sharp slipped beneath the plates of my armor. I swung out wildly, but my limbs grew heavy as cold crept in. I stumbled and fell, claws searching for the seams between steel and flesh.” - Eredrim
What Makes It Great
This is probably the most important skill in the game for every shell and play-style. It’s great for beginners, especially if you’re new to the whole genre of Souls-likes!
This skill turns your second chance into a third chance. Got kicked out of your shell? No problem! Climb back in. Got kicked out again? That’s fine! Just get back to it. Three lives for the price of one - a good deal!
Fextralife Wiki Page
Video Guide by RPG Division
Accretion of Endurance (Harros The Vassal)
This fight will really test your skills and endurance!
In-Game Text: “The brigands fell upon us with crude knives. Trailing blood, I stumbled into a cavern. Deep within, a priest welcomed me, clutching a tablet. He promised I would be reborn within the shadow of the Revered, but he could do nothing for my injuries.“
What Makes It Great
This skill allows Harros to rapidly regain stamina while he is hardened. A lot of play-styles using the Harros shell focus on hardening, so this is definitely a skill to pick up!
Fextralife Wiki Page
Video Guide by Fextralife
Accretion of Ascent (Solomon The Scholar)
Solomon stands ready to strike.
In-Game Text: “The faces of infinity are etched in stone, stacked in endless columns. Careful now. The precarious weight of such knowledge could crush an unwise man if he were to pick a tablet in haste.“
What Makes It Great
Solomon’s greatest strength as a shell is his large pool of Resolve, so why not double down on that? This skill lets you chain together powerful parries and ripostes using Resolve, so that you can absolutely destroy your enemies!
Fextralife Wiki Page
Video Guide by Fextralife
Accretion of Endurance (Eredrim The Venerable)
Fextralife guides players through using Eredrim’s shell as well as possible.
In-Game Text: “They say that beyond the ice, the old world is preserved. No war. No famine. No suffering. Eternal peace, shielded by their unwavering sovereignty, a lineage that spans centuries. Why should I not be counted among the privileged?“
What Makes It Great
Once again, this is a skill that focuses on and further enhances a shell’s natural strengths. Eredrim is certainly a tank, with the largest health bar in the game. Accretion of Endurance adds a whopping 15% to that already-impressive health bar!
Fextralife Wiki Page
Video Guide by Fextralife
Accretion of Dominance (Tiel The Acolyte)
Look at that stamina bar!
In-Game Text: “We stole from those thieves. There was never enough Tar to go around. It was wasted on them anyways. We knew what it was - its full potential. Why dilute it? But we were punished all the same. In time, my ruined face peeled away. Her form faded into something like fog, something trapped between realms.“
What Makes It Great
Tiel is a specialized character, like Solomon. In Tiel’s case, some of his strength comes from using poison to whittle away an enemy’s health over time. Accretion of Dominance lets you amplify that, because when you kill one enemy, you gain a buff that poisons other enemies on the next attack. It can chain, since it only ends when you get hit!
Fextralife Wiki Page
Video Guide by Fextralife
Hopefully, these unlockable skills will give you a leg up out there as you take on some of the toughest and nastiest monsters in the game. Good luck!
