Rise of the Ronin's best Blade Sharpening Origin might surprise you

Kicking off your Rise of the Ronin playthrough by trying to pick the best Blade Sharpening Origin can be a daunting decision, but is overall an easier one than you might think.

To make the choice in the game even simpler though, I've gladly laid out the ideal answer in this quick guide.

The best Blade Sharpening Origin

Objectively, Rise of the Ronin's best Blade Sharpening Origin is "Killer", the first of the six starter classes focused on Strength - going against the low-key trope that the initial class you can choose is too obvious to be a perfect choice.

Whilst the differing stats between each Blade Sharpening Origin are only relevant in the earliest portions of the game - since you can later tailor your build by unlocking skills from whichever skill tree you wish - Killer stands out with its obtained special skill, "Repel Arrows/Bullets (Counterspark)", being extra helpful in the opening section of the game.

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As the name implies, this particular skill lets you extend the Counterspark mechanic to deflect bullets or arrows to send them flying back to enemies for extra damage.

What's more though, the affinity of that projectile will also imbue your weapon temporarily to inflict an extra type of damage. 

In the case mission on the Black Ship, Countersparking the soldiers' rifle bullets will shroud your blades in flames to inflict burning damage. Later in the game, you'll encounter different affinities to counter and get different benefits e.g. toxic arrows for poison damage.

Whilst each other Blade Sharpening Origin comes with its own special skill, all of which can be unlocked manually from its prospective skill tree by spending skill points, having Repel Arrows/Bullets handy from the get-go makes for a great tool whilst you're getting used to the game's combat against multiple enemies. 

Can you get the skill with a different class?

If you happen to not choose Killer as your Blade Sharpening Origin though, which you unfortunately cannot change once you've committed - the skill is still acquirable by picking it out amongst the best Rise of the Ronin skills to unlock first.

So, overall, Killer is the best Blade Sharpening Origin in Rise of the Ronin not because of the Strength-focused stats you get with the class, but because of the extra early combat advantage it gets in being able to deflect bullets and arrows with a Counterspark right away. 

For more from the game, check out how to get & upgrade your glider, all romance options and how long Rise of the Ronin takes to beat. 

Otherwise, jump into our Rise of the Ronin guides & news homepage for even more essentials and updates right here at GGRecon.