The Essential Skills (And The Ones To Avoid) In Rise Of The Tomb Raider

The Tomb Raider reboot provided a glimpse into the events that forged Lara Croft into the adventurer we know and admire today. In Rise of the Tomb Raider, players continue that journey as Lara becomes an even more hardened survivalist. Along the way, she acquires new skills and abilities at a steady pace. There are dozens of different skills to choose from, and they can be overwhelming – especially when you’re first starting out. While you can’t completely screw yourself by grabbing skills that sound cool, that’s definitely not the most efficient way to go. We’ve compiled a guide that shows what’s available and provides some guidance on what you should prioritize as you search for the mysterious Source.

Lara’s skills are divided into three disciplines: Brawler, Hunter, and Survivalist. Each one offers bonuses and abilities that are generally tailored toward a specific aspect of the character: durability and melee combat, ranged combat, and crafting, respectively. That’s the idea, however: There’s a large amount of overlap in those three schools, so going all-in on one might not make sense even if a tree seems specifically designed for your playstyle.

Before I dive into a breakdown of the essential skills (followed by an annotated rundown of the complete list), here’s what you need to know about Rise of the Tomb Raider and specifically about Lara. Lara starts out with a bow, and you’ll notice that I’m biased toward sticking with that weapon whenever possible. She acquires several other weapon types during the game, including handguns, rifles, and shotguns, and they all have their strengths. Ultimately, the bow’s combination of lethality, silence, and ability to craft ammo for it on the fly make it a great go-to whenever you need to engage the enemy. My recommendations balance skills that make Lara as deadly as possible with those that make discovering collectibles and gaining bonus XP. There’s obviously room for personal preference here, but this is a solid track to follow when you’re first starting out.

Get these skills, in order:

• Avid Learner
• Breath Control
• Lightfoot
• Arrow Retrieval
• Animal Instincts
• Master of the Land
• Eye for Detail
• Resourceful
• Incendiary Bombs
• Finesse
• Dead Eye
• Crafting Master
• Naturalist
• Survivalist
• Body Trap Specialist
• Nerves of Steel
• Dodge Counter
• Dodge Kill
• Deadly Force
• Double Shot
• Dodge Skill Mastery
• Triple Shot
• True Shot
• Bow Expert

If you make a point of tracking down collectibles and efficiently taking down enemies, it’s possible to max out all three disciplines. Additionally, there are special bonus skills that you can earn by completing optional challenge tombs. These are the reward for finishing them – you don’t have to spend skill points on them – so try to complete them whenever possible.

Continue on to the following pages for a complete rundown of all of Lara’s skills, including their prerequisites, if any, and whether they’re worth your time.

Brawler

These skills generally give Lara more combat abilities, and make her more resilient to damage.

Tier I

Thick-Skinned

Take less damage from enemy gunfire and melee attacks. Effect is cumulative with the Heart of Stone skill.

Requirements: None

Lara is far from invulnerable, but she’s surprisingly resilient to bullets and punches. This is one of those skills that may seem like an obvious pick, but I’d caution against grabbing it, at least early on. You’ll almost always have cover to duck behind if you get too overwhelmed, where you can heal yourself. Checkpoints are generous, so it’s better to lose the occasional battle and reload than to essentially waste an ability point.

 

Iron Hide

Take significantly less damage from explosions and fire.

Requirements: None

This is another example of a skill you can live without, for similar reasons as Thick-Skinned. It is slightly more useful, however, since it provides a helpful buffer from grenade blasts. When you turtle up, you’ll find some enemies become obsessed with chucking grenade after grenade from their limitless stash. If you find yourself succumbing to these guys to a point where it becomes too frustrating, go for it.

 

Dodge Counter

Incapacitate unarmored enemies while dodging with a well-timed press of the Y button.

Requirements: None

In combat, I almost exclusively use my bow, and I’d highly recommend following suit. It’s a silent and lethal way to take care of Trinity soldiers. Most enemy encounters are at medium to long range – or at least that’s how they’re initially staged before they become alerted. If someone’s close, I either do my best to sneak up on them and perform a stealth kill, or fire an arrow into their head before they notice me. In short, if it comes to the point where I’m having a melee brawl with an enemy, I’ve blown it. This is a nice insurance policy for mid- to late-gameplay, when enemies have a tendency to rush, but you can easily skip it and not feel like you’re missing out on anything. 

 

Efficient Killer

Enemies killed while in stealth will be automatically looted for resources.

Requirements: None

This is for all you lazies. This skill is self-explanatory, with a caveat. Sneak up on a dude and stealth kill him, and you don’t need to press X near his body to steal his stuff. It doesn’t count for stealth kills with a bow, naturally, which makes it much less useful. Looting is trivially easy, so saving a button press isn’t that big of a deal – and certainly not worth a point.

 

Duelist Reflexes

Increased timing window available for a Dodge Counter and earn extra XP when successfully performing a Dodge Kill.

Requirements: Dodge Counter skill

I’m all about earning additional XP, but having it tied to Dodge Counter makes me hesitate, at least during the early game. There are other skills that are more advantageous.

 

Tier II

Field medic

Bandage wounds more quickly. Effect is cumulative with the Fast Healer skill.

Requirements: Master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

The default bandage speed is speedy enough for all but the most desperate players. Pass.

 

Death from above

Knife kill foes instantly when leaping down on them from above. Press Y to attack when indicator prompt appears.

Requirements: Combat knife, master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

This is one of those skills that sounds great, but is actually next to worthless. Unlike Batman, Lara Croft doesn’t often find herself directly above an unsuspecting victim. It does happen, but it’s rare enough to make this more of a fun gimmick than part of a larger strategy. Stick with the bow if you’re above an unsuspecting sap, and use the skill point elsewhere.

 

Dodge kill

Kill unarmored enemies during a Dodge Counter with a perfectly timed press of the Y button.

Requirements: Dodge Counter skill, master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

Once again, swinging Lara’s ice ax at someone’s head is fun, but you almost never need to resort to melee fighting if you plan correctly. This is an expensive skill to acquire, since you need to have unlocked Dodge Counter before.  You’re much better off investing in other combat abilities. 

 

Stealth Landing

Landing from jumps and drops is always silent and generates no noise for enemies to detect.

Requirements: Lightfoot skill, master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

If there are enemies around to hear you when you drop down, you’ve done a miserable job of cleaning house. Optimally, you should be taking out would-be attackers before you descend to their level, making this skill relatively worthless.

 

Deadly force

Stealth finishers are much faster and kill enemies with brutal force. Press Y to kill nearby, unaware enemies.

Requirements: Master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

There’s an important distinction between silently killing enemies with melee finishers versus flailing away at them in an all-out brawl. Stealth finishers are a great way to quickly get rid of an enemy up close, though they’re more time-consuming than providing an arrowhead lobotomy. This is a solid skill to get early on, since it can help keep you from drawing unwanted attention.

 

Tier III

Heart of stone

Take significantly less damage from enemy gunfire and melee attacks. Effect is cumulative with the Thick Skinned skill.

Requirements: Master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

We covered this in the Thick Skinned skill. You don’t need this.

 

Adrenaline

Resist damage from enemies for a short period of time after a successful stealth kill.

Requirements: Master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

This one’s for anyone who feels weird about passing up the Heart of Stone and Thick Skinned skills. Since you will be getting plenty of stealth kills from using the bow (you are using the bow, correct?), you’ll get a similar damage-mitigating effect as those other skills provide. It might not be as powerful, but considering you can chain several stealth kills together once you get the hang of combat, it’s a nice – but by no means essential – bonus.

 

Dodge Skill Mastery

Instantly kill armored enemies with a perfectly timed press of the Y button during a Dodge Counter.

Requirements: Combat knife, Dodge Kill skill

Armored enemies are a pain to deal with, which is why you can build explosive devices and other deadly traps. Being able to take them out with the press of a button may sound tempting in the early game, but most of the enemies you encounter in the early game are unarmored. This is a decent upgrade for later on, however, where you’ll find yourself in several situations against swarms of rushing armored Trinity soldiers.

 

Silent Killer

Stealth kill enemies without alerting nearby foes.

Requirements: Stealth Landing skill, master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

This is a nice complement to the stealthy tactics you’re no doubt employing. However, don’t feel obligated to snatch it as soon as possible. It’s not the end of the world if (when) Trinity soldiers figure out that there’s a killer in their midst. As long as you can stay calm and prioritize getting headshots over avoiding the shots that are inevitably going to be heading your way, you’ll be fine.

 

Strong Medicine

Resist damage from enemies for a short period of time after bandaging wounds during combat.

Requirements: Master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

When I find myself bandaging up during a firefight, things have definitely gone south. If you aren’t able to huddle behind cover as you heal, try running back and forth. It’s silly, yes, but it can buy you time. Getting some additional damage resistance is a nice bonus, but this is another one that’s best saved for mid game.

 

Continue reading for detailed breakdowns of the Hunter and Survivor skill sets.

Hunter

In addition to providing additional archery bonuses, Hunter skills typically give Lara an edge when dealing with the environments and animals.

Tier I

Arrow Retrieval

Gain a chance at retrieving arrows when looting enemies killed with a bow.

Requirements: None

This is a great one to grab early on, when you only have a few offensive options and your crafting abilities are weak. There are quivers scattered all over Siberia, where you can refill your ammo, but being able to retrieve your arrow from an enemy (or animal) is just as good. It’s not a 100-percent return on your arrow investment, but it’s high enough to warrant the expense.

 

Breath Control

Increase steady aim time on bow charged shots.

Requirements: None

The bow is Lara’s bread-and-butter weapon in Rise of the Tomb Raider, but it’s not without its flaws. The most noticeable deficiency is that you can only hold your target in its crosshairs for a limited period of time before Lara’s strength gives out and her aim goes wobbly. Fortunately, Breath Control helps mitigate that effect. This is an essential early upgrade. 

 

Scavenger

Increase the amount of ammunition looted from enemy corpses.

Requirements: None

There are ammo boxes aplenty in the game, which makes this one less appealing. As long as you’re relatively conservative with your aiming and don’t try writing your name on the walls with bullets, you’re fine skipping this one.

 

Animal Instincts

Animals glow when using Survival Instincts. Larger animals leave footprints and blood trails that are easy to follow.

Requirements: None

It’s not Far Cry, but crafting plays an important part of the game. You can acquire components from crates and other containers, but the most dependable way to get animal hides – a common crafting item – is by going directly to the source. Birds and rabbits are fairly easy to spot, but deer can be tricky to find since they blend in so well and sprint away once startled. This is another upgrade that should be among your first investments.

 

Master of the Land

Reveal when exotic animals are nearby and pinpoint their location using Survival Instincts.

Requirements: Animal Instincts

Exotic animal skins are used to craft some of the game’s high-end items. These creatures, such as bears and wild pigs, have a tendency to hang out in the same area. That makes this less necessary once you figure out where they like to go. I like maxing out my Survival Instinct ability, but this is definitely something you don’t need to worry about for a while.

 

Tier II

Naturalist

Increases the amount of natural crafting resources gathered from each source.

Requirements: Master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

You’re going to be crafting a lot of arrows, bandages, explosives, and more during your adventure, and all of these require components that you find in the environment. Grab this early on, and you can use your poison arrows with impunity, knowing that you only need to find a single source of mushrooms to refill your quiver with the deadly item.

 

Survivalist

Increases the amount of man-made crafting resources gathered from each source.

Requirements: Master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

This is essentially the same as the Naturalist skill, only for items such as cloth, oil, and other crafting components. More crafting items means more weapon upgrades, which means…well, you can probably figure that out for yourself.

 

Finesse

Earn bonus XP for successfully chaining headshots, stealth kills, or Death from Above kills. Longer chains increase bonus multipliers.

Requirements: Master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

This is an incredibly valuable skill, and you should make a beeline for it. Like it says, you get bonus XP for getting successive headshots and other fancy kills. It’s quite generous, too. It doesn’t run on a timer, and you aren’t penalized for missing shots. As long as your subsequent kill is from a headshot or other approved kill, your chain continues. I’ve hit guys in the arm, whizzed arrows over their heads, and kept streaks going just fine. The XP bonus is a great perk early on, since you’ll reap the rewards throughout the rest of your playthrough.

 

Dead Eye

A headshot indicator will appear when successfully aimed over an enemy's head.

Requirements: Master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

Lara doesn’t always hang out in the most well-lit locations, so this is a helpful addition. When you’re aiming at someone’s noggin, the crosshair has a little filled-in red circle. It’s especially great when you’re fighting someone who’s in cover. Oftentimes, you can use Dead Eye to line up headshots that don’t intuitively feel like headshots. Anything to keep that Finesse combo alive!

 

Nerves of Steel

Fully charged bow aiming remains steady for significantly longer.

Requirements: Breath Control skill, master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

Once again, being able to take your time and aim with the bow is important. This makes it easier, so it should be a priority.

 

Double shot

Simultaneously fire up to two arrows at separately locked targets while zoomed-in with a fully drawn bow.

Requirements: master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

This is a good mid-tier choice when you’ve already picked up the basics. You’ll need to follow this skill chain through each of the steps to get maximum benefit from it, so be warned.

 

Tier III

Triple shot

Simultaneously fire up to three arrows at separate locked targets while zoomed-in with a fully drawn bow.

Requirements: Double Shot skill, master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

Again, this is an intermediate step on the way toward the True Shot skill. Three arrows is handy, however, especially against groups of wolves, where headshots don’t matter.

 

True Shot

Locked shots for Triple Shot now automatically target heads instead of bodies.

Requirements: Triple Shot skill, master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

Finally, the culmination of the Double Shot and Triple Shot skills. This stacks with Finesse, or at least it partially stacks. You’ll get the XP bonus for head-shotting three enemies, but it’s a new, discrete chain. In other words, the three kills won’t take existing chains under consideration, and you can’t continue the chain that these kills create, either. For that reason it’s a bit of a bummer, but it’s also a flashy move that does come in handy when you’re starting an assault.

 

Bow Expert

Execute a close-range bow finisher and improve chances of looting special arrows from enemies. Press Y to finish an incapacitated enemy.

Requirements: Master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

Forget the close-range bow finisher; you want this for the special arrows. Components to make your own are plentiful, but it’s nice to be able to just grab them off a body. This becomes more valuable as you unlock more special arrow types, so feel free to hold off on it.

 

Pistol Expert

Execute a close-range pistol finisher and improve chances of looting hollow-point bullets from enemies. Press Y to finish an incapacitated enemy.

Requirements: Any pistol, master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

It’s fun to watch a different finisher animation, but if you’re getting headshots with your bow you won’t leave enemies incapacitated to begin with. Get it near the end if you must.

 

Rifle Expert

Execute a close-range rifle finisher and improves chances of looting grenades from enemies. Press Y to finish an incapacitated enemy.

Requirements: Any rifle, Master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

It’s fun to watch a different finisher animation, but if you’re getting headshots with your bow you won’t leave enemies incapacitated to begin with. Get it near the end if you must.

 

Shotgun Expert

Execute a close-range shotgun finisher and improve chances of looting incendiary shells from enemies. Press Y to finish an incapacitated enemy.

Requirements: Any shotgun, Master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

It’s fun to watch a different finisher animation, but if you’re getting headshots with your bow you won’t leave enemies incapacitated to begin with. Get it near the end if you must.

 

Keep reading to learn more about the Survivor skills.

Survivor

These skills cover a lot of ground, though there’s one common thread: You’ll want to invest heavily in it, especially early on in the game.

Tier I

Rapid Crafting

Faster crafting of throwable objects and ammo when on the run.

Requirements: None

The crafting time is already generous, so you can pass on this one. The increased speed of throwable objects is one thing, but you really should be crafting your ammo between battles.

 

Resourceful Combatant

Enemies killed or knocked out from crafted handheld objects yield more XP.

Requirements: None

As much as I advocate taking the stealthy approach (when possible), there are times in Rise of the Tomb Raider where you find yourself in the midst of a Trinity hornet’s nest. Getting an XP bonus for using crafted weapons such as grenades and bombs is always welcome, making this another one worth grabbing early on.

 

Incendiary Bombs

Craft explosive bombs from red gas cans and deadly proximity mines from enemy radios.

Requirements: None

You can get by without these fun toys for quite a while, thanks to how common bottles, cans, and other explosive toys are. Still, this is worth picking up eventually. The red gas-can bomb in particular is worth the price of admission.

 

Lightfoot

Land safely without damage from substantial heights. Press B to roll when landing.

Requirements: None

This one for all you impatient maniacs out there. You almost never need to worry about fall damage if you pay attention to your surroundings, ease off ledges, use ladders, etc. If you’d rather just make a run for it and hope for the best, Lightfoot provides some cushioning. You still aren’t safe if you fall into an abyss or flop onto a pit of spikes, but it does mitigate damage when you just want to cruise through an area as quickly as possible.

 

Avid Learner

Earn bonus XP from Survival Caches, Documents, Relics and Challenges.

Requirements: None

This is another one you need to grab early on to fully enjoy its benefits. Unless you’re doing a critical-path-only run, you’ll be foraging for a variety of collectibles during your time with Rise of the Tomb Raider. Avid Learner provides a small but worthwhile XP boost to all of those discoveries. Think of it as extra credit – and if it helps eliminate grinding near the end as you work toward those last few skills, it’s worth it.

 

Eye for Detail

Find Challenge objects more easily using Survival Instincts.

Requirements: None

Lara’s Survival Instincts are essentially her version of Batman’s Detective Vision. It’s a good idea to ping it every once in a while to ensure that you aren’t missing out on any nearby collectibles or points of interest. This skill highlights more objects, which makes it helpful if you’re trying to 100-percent the game.

 

Tier II

Demolitions Expert

Advanced techniques give all crafted handheld items an increased detonation radius.

Requirements: Master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

If you’re chucking bombs, they may as well do more than make noise. This helps make them more effective, making it a no-brainer for the early-to-mid game.

 

Dragonfire Shells

Craft incendiary shotgun shells that wreak havoc by lighting enemies on fire and igniting other flammable objects.

Requirements: Pump-action shotgun, master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

If you’re really into the shotgun, this makes it even more beastly. You don’t get that weapon for quite a while, so you don’t need to worry about it.

 

Hollow-Point Bullets

Craft high-damage pistol bullets that expand on impact for increased lethality.

Requirements: Revolver, master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

Headshots are almost always lethal. If you’re not consistently getting headshots, work on your aim. Don’t waste your skill points on this, or at least not until you’ve explored all of the necessities. 

 

Grenadier

Craft explosive grenades for the rifle grenade launcher that inflict heavy damage and destroy metal barriers.

Requirements: Weapon upgrade – grenade launcher, master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

You eventually get explosive arrows that inflict heavy damage and destroy metal barriers by playing through the campaign. Don’t other getting these until, again, you’ve already acquired the must-have skills.

 

Body Trap Specialist

Craft traps on enemy corpses that detonate a deadly poison gas cloud when investigated.

Requirements: Master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

This skill allows you to boobytrap the dead so that their comrades are gassed when they get close. You can certainly use it to set traps, using sound to lure soldiers to their doom. Trinity may be an evil organization, but its foot soldiers aren’t the brainiest bunch. I’ve used this skill directly in front of enemies in the middle of firefights, and it’s just as effective. As long as you can lure enemies to walk near the body, they’ll set it off. They don’t have to exit combat and enter an investigation A.I. routine. It’s wonderful, and you should grab it quickly.

 

Crafting Mastery

Craft large capacity ammo and resource pouches at base camps and increase the amount of ammo crafted on the run.

Requirements: Master 8 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

Grab this as quickly as you can. The more stuff you can hold, the better – whether it’s ammo, or items you can use to improve your arsenal. It’s frustrating when you find a resource node only to learn that your pockets are already filled. On that note, make sure you’re upgrading your equipment whenever possible at base camp. 

 

Tier III

Arrow Climber

Press Y mid-jump to jam climbable broadhead arrows into soft wood surfaces.

Requirements: Broadhead climbing arrow, master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

You won’t get the broadhead arrows for quite a while, so don’t worry about this one. Even after you have access to them, this provides more of a safety net than a fundamentally useful skill that the default broadheads don’t already take care of.

 

Intuitive

Survival Instincts shows nearby relics, docs, monoliths, and strongboxes – even through solid walls. Crypt entrances are revealed on the map.

Requirements: Master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

This is another invaluable addition to Survival Instincts. Optimally, you want to enter a new area, ping Survival Instincts, and have as many things in your immediate vicinity light up as possible. Grab everything that’s lit, move on, and repeat.

 

Napalm Arrows

Upgrade fire arrows to increase the range of the fire burst that erupts on impact.

Requirements: Fire arrows, master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

Enemies have a tendency to cluster together, creating opportunities to nail several simultaneously with fire. Increase your chances with this fun, but nonessential, upgrade.

 

Death Cloud Arrows

Increase the size and duration of the poisonous cloud created by poison arrows.

Requirements: Poison arrow crafting, master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

Poison arrows are a great weapon against wolves, which have a tendency to attack in packs (go figure). They’re also tricky to hit when they’re charging. It’s easiest to knock them out early by firing a poison arrow on a group of the enemies (or their human counterparts). Bigger clouds = better. Grab this one early, too.

 

Cluster Bomb Arrows

Upgrade grenade arrows to disperse additional explosives on impact.

Requirements: Grenade arrow crafting, master 19 more skills in any category to unlock this skill tier

This is a flashy upgrade to your arrows, but it’s also not essential.