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Pick these skills to dominate in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order isn’t a role-playing game, but it does still include an upgradeable skills system that allows protagonist Cal to become more powerful and gain new abilities. Mastering the skills you learn is crucial to your success, especially when it comes to the game’s later bosses. In order to complete your mission, you’ll need to know which skills to pick, because a standard playthrough probably isn’t going to include every available unlocked skill. With this Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order skill guide, we’ll explain the process and tell you the skills you should focus on.

Below, we have the top skills for the lightsaber, survival, and force trees, as well as all of the abilities available in these trees. Note that you won’t be able to see all of the skills right away — around 10 or so are shown early in the game. Later skills will unlock as you progress in the story.

How to get new skills

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You can only unlock new skills in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order while at a meditation point, which are the “bonfires” of the game and are located fairly generously across each planet. Once you locate one, you can spend any available skill points you have to purchase new skills.

You will not have access to all skills from the very beginning. Keep playing through the story and you will get access to abilities at pre-planned points. Your skill tree often expands once you reach these points, drastically changing your available moves and attacks.

Skill points are earned through nearly everything you do in the game, including defeating enemies and locating collectibles. Don’t worry about “farming” the points, as you will have plenty to work with. If you are killed, your progress toward your next skill point will be reset, but you can get it back by damaging the enemy who killed you or returning to your point of death if you were killed by an environmental hazard.

The best skill in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Lightsaber

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Overhead Slash and Leaping Slash (1 point and 2 points, respectively): Overhead Slash is a powerful lightsaber strike that can instantly kill weaker enemies and deal significant block meter damage to bosses. Leaping Slash adds a second attack to the end of the combo, which can deal extra damage after breaking their block meter with the previous attack.

Dash Strike and Improved Dash (1 point each): Quickly close the distance to an enemy and perform a powerful slash with Dash Strike. You can jump at end of dash to leap over enemy while you attack. Improved Dash increases the range of the attack.

Sprint Strike (1 point): Attack while you’re sprinting to perform a powerful single lightsaber strike. This is a good option if you are out of Force power and still need to close the gap on a boss in a hurry.

Evasive Kick (1 point): Perform a quick kick at your enemy after evading an attack. This move is particularly useful after dodging an unblockable attack from a boss – you’ll be able to tell because they will start glowing red.

Lightsaber Mastery (3 points): Increases all lightsaber damage. Against late-game bosses, the difference it makes can mean victory versus death, and will limit your need to use extra Stim healing items in battle.

Survival

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Survival Skills, Enhanced Survival Skills, and Expert Survival Skills (1 point, 1 point, and 2 points, respectively): These increase Cal’s maximum life. You will need to unlock the first tier before moving onto the next. This is not the only way to increase your total life – you can also find special power-up secrets across the game – but it’s pretty much required in order to beat the later bosses.

Improved Stims and Personalized Stims (1 point and 2 points): These improve the healing power of individual Stim canisters. At the start of the game, they only heal about halfway, and the effectiveness will appear lower as you gain more overall health. Upgrade your Stims as soon as possible.

Superior Blocking (1 point): This allows Cal to block more attacks before his guard breaks. Against bosses and enemies with very small parrying windows, as well as ranged enemies, this will be extremely useful.

Agile Deflection (1 point): This automatically blocks blaster bolts whenever Cal is sprinting, letting you focus on your primary target without concerning yourself with nearby Stormtroopers right away.

Precision Evade (2 points): You can briefly slow enemies and gain back some Force after performing a Precision Evade. It’s great for charging your Force meter against larger bosses with unblockable attacks.

Force

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Hone Your Powers

Force Attunement, Greater Force Attunement, and Ultimate Force Attunement (1 point, 1 point, and 2 points, respectively): This skill increases Cal’s maximum Force, and is used not only for classic abilities like Force Push and Force Pull, but also for certain powerful lightsaber strikes. You’ll want it fully upgraded by the time you reach the end, because some of your late-game attacks take up a ton of Force and are reliable for dealing huge damage to bosses.

Mass Push and Howling Push (1 point and 2 points): Hold the Force Push button to send several enemies backward and even stagger larger enemies. If Stormtroopers block you in with their back to the ledge, utilizing these skills will push them all off the ledge at once. Against bosses, you’ll want to be more careful when you try it, but it can help cut down on weaker enemies before you face large targets.

Enhanced Force Recovery (1 point): This allows you to regain more Force when defeating an enemy and regain some Force after you hit a blocking enemy. While Mass Push and Howling Push didn’t guarantee dealing harm to bosses, Enhanced Force Recovery is probably the best skill to use against them. You have to ensure your Force meter is high if you want maximum effectiveness.

Every skill and ability in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

If you play through the entire game, you’ll most likely unlock every skill by the time you complete it. If you want some helpful hints, check out the following tables to discover all 33 skills and abilities in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Lightsaber

Name Cost Description
Overhead Slash 1 A powerful overhead strike that’s deadly against weak enemies. Uses Force.
Dash Strike 1 An upward strike that sends Cal dashing forward. Uses Force.
Leaping Slash 2 Allows Cal to perform a follow-up to Overhead Slash. Uses Force.
Whirlwind Throw 2 Cal throws the double-bladed lightsaber in a ring around him. Uses Force.
Improved Dash 1 Increases the distance of Dash Strike.
Repulse 2 An attack in the air that pushes enemies away when Cal lands. Uses Force.
Sprint Strike 1 Allows Cal to perform an attack out of a sprint.
Lightsaber Throw 3 Cal throws his lightsaber forward and calls it back, damaging enemies in its path. Uses Force.
Power Throw 2 Increases the range of Lightsaber Throw.
Evasive Kick 1 A quick kick attack after performing a quick evade.
Delay Thrust 1 A delayed attack with increased range.
Delay Combo 1 A delayed attack that unleashes a barrage of swings with the double-bladed lightsaber.
Switch Attack 1 A special attack while Cal is switching lightsaber types.
Lightsaber Mastery 3 Increases all lightsaber damage.

Survival

Name Cost Description
Survival Skills 1 Increases Cal’s maximum life.
Precision Evade 2 Slows enemies and recovers Force when Cal performs a Prevision Evade.
Superior Blocking 1 Reduces stamina damage when Cal blocks attacks.
Agile Deflection 1 Automatically deflect blaster bolts while sprinting or wall-running.
Improved Stims 1 Stims from BD-1 recover more health.
Enhanced Survival Skills 1 Increases Cal’s maximum life further.
Expert Survival Skills 2 Increases Cal’s maximum life even further.
Personalized Stims 2 Stims from BD-1 recover even more health.

Force

Name Cost Description
Force Attunement 1 Increases Cal’s maximum Force.
Mass Push 1 Allows Cal to push groups of enemies away. Uses Force.
Howling Push 2 Allows Cal to push larger groups of enemies away and knock down large enemies. Uses Force.
Enhanced Force Recovery 1 Regain more Force from defeating enemies and blocking attacks.
Empowered Slow 1 Increases the duration of Slow. Uses Force.
Burst Slow 2 Allows Cal to Slow all enemies around him. Uses Force.
Grasping Pull 1 Allows Cal to pull and hold enemies. Uses Force.
Howling Pull 2 Allows Cal to pull groups of enemies. Uses Force.
Greater Force Attunement 1 Further increases Cal’s maximum Force.
The Power of Friendship 3 Stims from BD-1 fully replenish Force.
Ultimate Force Attunement 2 Even further increases Cal’s maximum Force.

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Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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