The best Rise of the Ronin skills to unlock for each stat first

When it comes to the best skills in Rise of the Ronin, I've actually found the ideal abilities to unlock first are spread out across the four different skills trees; Strength, Dexterity, Charm and Intellect; making you a more balanced samurai warrior whilst starting your journey across 19th-century Japan. 

Whilst it can be initially daunting to navigate all of the skills available in the game and find the right ones first, I've thankfully laid them all out for you in this handy guide.

Best skills in Rise of the Ronin to get first 

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The eight best Rise of the Ronin skills you should prioritise are listed out in the list below with two from the skill trees for each stat - Strength, Dexterity, Charm and Intellect:

Best Strength skills

• Auto-Life Recovery: Regardless of your starting class, this is no doubt the most important early start to get. With this, the moment you end a battle your health automatically refills, saving valuable Medicinial Pills 
• Rapid Critical Hits: This skill allows the player to execute more than one Critical Hit in a row, enabling some devastating combos

Best Dexterity skills

• Rapid Assassinations: Once you unlock this skill you’ll be able to quickly assassinate two enemies, and in certain situations, it can make a difference. I found this most useful when trying to approach stealthily
• Grappling Rope Assassination: Similar to the Rapid Assassination, this will help when trying to take out enemies without being seen. Unlocking this means you can avoid getting into the thick of the action, and remain on the roofs

Best Charm skills

• Ki Recovery: There are two levels to this one, but it enables more Ki to be recovered from a Blade Flash and considering your Ki is essentially stamina, you’ll want this to last even longer in scraps 
• Increased Enemy Coin Acquisition: It’s a very simple ability amongst the best early Rise of the Ronin skills, but incredibly useful as it enables the player to gain more money from enemies - letting you afford restocks of healing & power-up items from merchants like merchants or Pilgrim Dog pilgrimages

Best Intellect starter skills

• Refill (Medicinal Pills): Increases the amount of Medicinal Pills are replenished upon death or resting 
• Speechcraft Persuade: Although it would make more sense for this to be in Charm, with this skill you can talk your way out of some situations and when it is upgraded further you can even get discounts from shops 

Also, an extra Rise of the Ronin skill to unlock after you get the best ones above, is the "Repel Arrows/Bullets (Counterspark)" skill; along with deflecting projectiles as the name implies, your weapon will also become temporarily imbued with the element of what it's countered. 

For example, deflecting a bullet or flaming arrow will enshroud our blade with flames to inflict burn damage, whilst countering a toxic arrow will turn your weapon into that of the same element for toxic damage over a limited time. 

You'll already have this skill unlocked if you selected "Killer" when choosing your Blade Sharpening Origin at the beginning of the game, but it's a nice extra tool to have handy for all players.

For more from the game, check out how to get & upgrade your glider, how long it takes to beat, all romance options, and seven other games like Rise of the Ronin if you feel like trying something new. 

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