Skip to main content

The best skills to unlock in Ghostwire: Tokyo

Ghostwire: Tokyo is an interesting and unique blend of a lot of different elements. On one hand, it’s a first-person open-world game set in a haunted version of real-life Tokyo. On the other, it’s an action RPG where you improve your combat abilities via leveling up and acquiring new skills and abilities. These RPG elements are much more prevalent than it might have initially seemed when the game was first shown off, focusing more on the flashy first-person spell-casting and horrific enemies you will encounter on the streets of Tokyo. However, they are a major factor in how your adventure to solve this mystery will unfold.

Skill points will be rewarded for earning XP and raising your Synergy Level, which is how strong Akito’s bond is with KK, the spirit who gives him his mystical powers. Like any traditional RPG, XP will come as you defeat enemies and complete both main and side missions. On first glance, the skill menu might feel overwhelming, especially when you don’t know what will be useful long term, or what you will even like using. Rather than waste your points on something you’ll never use, here is a quick rundown of all the best skills you should unlock in Ghostwire: Tokyo.

See more

Ground Core Grab and Melee Core Grab

The hero of Ghostwire: Tokyo uses supernatural powers.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We’re lumping these two together since they’re so similar, but we think Ground Core Grab is a bit more essential to get first at the very least. With this skill you can do a Quick Purge on a downed enemy. Knocking enemies over is a major focus for combat, so being able to get a fast takedown by stunning and pummeling foes is essential.

On the other hand, Melee Core Grab is another faster version of your normal purge move, though it does require you to be up close and personal with your target. Their core does still need to be exposed, of course, but is handy for enemies that are harder to knock over.

Core Grab — HP Restoration

Now that you’re grabbing cores faster and more often, make it worth your while by increasing the amount of HP you regain for each grab. Health is a constant concern in Ghostwire: Tokyo, and while you should always have food on hand, it’s always better to save it for tough situations. This won’t completely remove the need for it, but should at least negate any chip damage you take in smaller encounters.

Core Exposure — Duration

Our last core-focused skill you need to grab (get it?) is a straight-up increase to how long an enemy’s core will remain exposed and open to being grabbed. This can help remove some of the stress you feel when exposing a core of a distant enemy and feel like you need to risk it all to rush over and get the grab. Now, you can be much safer and deal with other threats before going for the core.

Perfect Block — Ether Generation

Akito attacks enemies with magic in Ghostwire: Tokyo.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ghostwire: Tokyo wants you to learn perfect block timing. This is an insanely powerful move if you can pull it off, allowing you to counter basically any attack sent your way, ranged or otherwise. Ether is your ammo of sorts for your Ethereal Weaving attacks, which you never want to run low on. This skill gives you back some free Ether every time you perform a perfect block. Again, considering how often you should be using this skill, it can basically become your primary Ether source.

Wind Charge Attack — More Shots

We picked the wind style for this ability since it will be your most-used weapon in Ghostwire: Tokyo, but if you really prefer water or fire, feel free to get the equivalent skill for those elements. In terms of wind, buffing this normally underwhelming spell makes it that much better to have as your reliable attack. Each time you upgrade this skill, you get more shots added to your charged-up attacks, maxing out at four. That’s essentially quadrupling your damage output if you can land the hit.

Charge Attack — Speed Boost

Whichever element you upgrade, the charge attack is always a better option when you can pull it off. Speeding up the time it takes to do that charge allows you to use these stronger attacks, regardless of which spell type you’re using, much faster and more often. We recommend upgrading this one as high as possible.

Prayer Beads — Extra Set

Finally, we have the Prayer Beads. These are equipable items that give you some kind of boost, and while all are useful, you start off only being able to wear one at a time. However, this skill will let you wear up to three, stacking all the effects and really upping your power. These beads alone can be worth more than leveling up a specific skill on their own, so dump your points here if you’ve got spare beads burning a hole in your pocket.

Editors' Recommendations

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 backgrounds and traits in Starfield
A spacecraft in Starfield.

Bethesda RPGs really encourage players to actually roleplay a character in every way. Starfield continues the tradition found in Elder Scrolls and Fallout by starting you off by having you create your own unique character, complete with a history and set of specific traits. The number of options this time around is massive, and they not only inform who your character is to help you embody their personality, but dictate what skills you start with, the ways you can interact with certain groups, and other passive buffs and debuffs. There are way too many possible combinations to consider, and personal taste will play the biggest part in which you decide to select, but here are a few backgrounds and traits that stand out as the best for a variety of players.
Best backgrounds
Your background plays the biggest role in who your character is. Yes, it does determine the first three skills you start with, but it impacts much more than that. Depending on your background, you might have different dialogue options with certain characters or have slightly different interactions in specific situations. You can't really predict these, but they do make the choice more important if you want to really play the part of whichever character you create.
Bounty Hunter

If you're looking to start out being a bit of a Jango Fett-type character, the Bounty Hunter is the perfect background. You won't get any actual combat perks at the start, except for immediately being able to use boost packs to easily flank enemies and maneuver around the environment. Your main bonuses will be in ship combat thanks to the Piloting and Targeting Control Systems skills. If your dream is to be a space pirate, raiding unsuspecting vessels for supplies, you should go Bounty Hunter.
Combat Medic

Read more
The best weapons in Starfield
A screenshot of a pilot in a spaceship in Starfield.

One of the most exciting parts of diving into a brand new sci-fi universe like Starfield is discovering all the new futuristic technologies. There are of course spaceships and jetpacks, but what you'll be using most often will be the suite of weaponry. We haven't gone completely beyond the use of traditional guns as we recognize them, but that doesn't mean there aren't more exotic and exciting weapons to find. All weapons fit into a few major categories, but there are many unique variants that have far better stats or special traits that put them above the rest. Here is a quick list of some of the best weapons in Starfield.
Best weapons in Starfield

Magshear
Rifles are among the most common weapons in Starfield, and also the most reliable. They're good at most ranges, tend to have a good rate of fire, and can be tweaked with plenty of mods. The Megshear rifle in particular is one of the most powerful of its class we've encountered. It uses .50 MI ammo, meaning it's going to pack a heavy punch of 12 damage per shot, which is quite high when you consider it has a fire rate of 300. It has a standard range of 40, which is typical, but has five mod slots you can use to tune it to your liking.
Razorback
Let's face it, plenty of you are going to be role-playing a Han Solo-style bounty hunter in Starfield. As such, you will want to be backing the best pistol possible. Pistols may not be viable in most shooters, but there are plenty that can not only hold their own here but even be some of the best weapons in the game. The Razorback, for example, hits like a truck at 61 base damage. This is a revolver-style gun, though, so you have to deal with a very low fire rate of 12 and only six shots per mag, but with eight mod slots, you can turn this hand cannon into just about anything you want.
N67 Smartgun
We all know that scene in Aliens where the Marines pull out the huge smartguns and unload on the xenomorphs swarming them, right? The N67 Smartgun looks more like a traditional chaingun than that but is functionally just as effective. Each round does 11 damage, but when you're spitting bullets out at a fire rate of 350, that adds up very quickly. Each mag holds 300 bullets, with a decent range of 40, but you're trading off accuracy which is just below half at 49.3% so you want to be close. This is a unique gun, meaning it comes with Shattering, which makes it super effective against armor, plus has two mods already installed: a Compensator and Armor-Piercing Rounds.
Technophile's Pacifier
There's not much to say about shotguns in Starfield that you don't already know. Still, if you want to get the most bang for your buckshot, go with the Technophile's Pacifier. Each blast kicks out 93 damage at a decent fire rate of 20. The range, as you would expect, is only 17, but you can up it some thanks to six available mod slots. It is also pretty accurate off the bat at 55.9% and holds seven shells before reloading.
Assassin's Beowulf
Back to rifles, but this time we're looking at more of a sniper-style gun. The Assassin's Beowulf is perfect for scoping out an outpost and picking off targets from the shadows. It deals 44 damage with great range and accuracy. It comes with eight mod slots open, so you will need to tinker with it to add on a scope, long barrel, suppressor, and whatever else you like, but it can easily become your most trusty sniper.
Brawler's Equinox
We weren't going to leave out any of the laser weapons on a list like this, and if you're going to go full sci-fi, grab yourself a Brawler's Equinox. Obviously, this will deal energy damage as opposed to physical, which doesn't really mean much except that you won't get flung around when shooting this weapon in zero-G. This is a rare version of the regular Equinox rifle, with the perk of dealing twice as much melee damage as normal, which may or may not come in handy for you. Regardless, it is basically the laser equivalent of the Magshear in that it is a perfect all-around weapon to keep on your quick-select.
Ember
One of the coolest pistols in the Settled Systems has to be the Ember. Sticking to laser weapons, this one actually has the special effect of shooting ignition beams that can ignite enemies. In terms of raw stats, you're looking at 12 energy damage at a good 25 firing rate, but a low base range of 24. Still, you have seven mod slots to work with, which is well worth it to take advantage of those awesome ignition beams.
Poison Barrow Knife
Just because we have all kinds of new guns and lasers doesn't mean a classic knife isn't worth keeping handy for when things get tough or your ammo runs dry. Rather than pick something like an axe, we opt for knives, specifically the Poison Barrow Knife. This is a very rare drop, but absolutely worth hunting down. It will only do 22 damage per hit, but you can probably guess by the name that it has a bit more going on. First is that this deals an extra 30% damage to aliens, which isn't all that useful, but the second perk will give each hit a random chance to inflict poison on an enemy. Poison, if you're unaware, will slowly drain a target's health, but also slow their movement speed.

Read more
The best powers in Starfield and where to find them
A player floats in front a mysterious space ring in a new Starfield video.

Not long into your journey in Starfield, you will be introduced to powers. You will be able to collect a total of over 20 powers you can equip and switch between whenever you like. Some of these are combat-related, while others help with movement, support, or other tasks. These new abilities are what make your character special, and unlocking the best ones will help you maximize your potential, or even just survive if you're playing on the harder difficulty levels. Still, with so many out there to find, some must be better than others, right? Here are all the best powers in Starfield and how to get them.

Note: Powers are not unlocked until certain story points. While we won't be going over any plot details whatsoever, you may consider some powers spoilers since they can't be earned until late into the game.
How to get powers
You will need to complete the first four main missions before reaching "Into the Unknown." This will take you to the space station called The Eye, where you meet another member of Constellation named Vladamir. Speaking to him will point out more Artifacts on your map, but also something else. Track this anomaly to a planet and touch down.

Read more