Sacred 2:Skills

Skills improve the hero's characteristics in many different ways. Each character class has different skills. On reaching the next experience level, the player can distribute additional skill points in order to improve these existing skills. The number of skill points gained depends on the level of the hero. These abilities are very powerful and they should be chosen carefully depending on the character class and the preferred style of playing. Players can choose a maximum of ten skills.

• Players of all classes will receive a new skill choice at the levels: 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 18, 25, 35, 50 and 65.
• One additional weapon slot and Combat Art slot are granted at the levels: 3, 5, 10 and 20
• Between level 1-4 One skill point is gained per level up.
• Between level 5-11 Two skill points are gained per level up.
• Between level 12-24 Three skill points are gained per level up.
• Between level 25-49 Four skill points are gained per level up.
• Between level 50-200 Five skill points are gained per level up.
• A player can gain a total of 911 skill points to spend on skills. ((3 * 1) + (7 * 2) + (13 * 3) + (25 * 4) + (151 * 5) = 911)
• 1 skill point is granted with each skill choice. Thus the total possible number of skill points is 911 + 10 = 921
• Similarly, a player can gain a total of 401 attribute points to spend on attributes. ((48 * 1) + (100 * 2) + (51 * 3) = 401).

Character Level	1	2	3	5	8	10	12	18	20	25	35	50	65	150	200
New Skill choice given at level:
# of Skill points gained on level up:		1		2			3			4		5
# of Attribute points gained on level up:		1										2		3
New Weapon/Combat Art Slot at level:

Combat Art Skills:

General Skills:

Ancient Magic - Increases damage for Spell Damage Based Combat Arts and reduces the opponent's damage resistances when mastered.

• Primary skill choice for: None
• Secondary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, High Elf, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior
• With Ice and Blood: Secondary skill choice for Seraphim
• With Community Patch: Secondary skill choice for Temple Guardian

Combat Discipline - Increases damage and improves regeneration for Combos. Also increases the number of Combat Arts allowed in a combo.

• Primary skill choice for: Inquisitor
• Secondary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, High Elf, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim, Temple Guardian

Concentration - Improves regeneration for all Combat Arts, and allows the use of up to three simultaneous buffs when mastered.

• Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, High Elf, Seraphim
• Secondary skill choice for: Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Temple Guardian

Aspect Skills:

All Primary aspect skills in the left column below may be chosen as soon as a character reaches level two.

All Secondary aspect skills in the right column below may be chosen only after a Primary skill from the left column has five "hard" skill points within it which are only given to a player upon gaining a new level.

Dragon Mage

Primary: Dragon Magic Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Dragon Magic. Elemental Magic Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Elemental Magic. Mentalism Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Mentalism.

Secondary: Dragon Magic Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Dragon Magic. Elemental Magic Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Elemental Magic. Mentalism Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Mentalism.

Dryad

Primary: Capricious Hunter Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Capricious Hunter. Cabalistic Voodoo Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Cabalistic Voodoo. Nature Weaver Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Nature Weaver.

Secondary: Cabalistic Voodoo Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Cabalistic Voodoo. Nature Weaver Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Nature Weaver.

High Elf

Primary: Arrant Pyromancer Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Arrant Pyromancer. Mystic Stormite Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Mystic Stormite. Delphic Arcania Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Delphic Arcania.

Secondary: Arrant Pyromancer Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Arrant Pyromancer. Mystic Stormite Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Mystic Stormite. Delphic Arcania Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Delphic Arcania.

Inquisitor

Primary: Gruesome Inquisition Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Gruesome Inquisition. Astute Supremacy Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Astute Supremacy. Nefarious Netherworld Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Nefarious Netherworld.

Secondary: Astute Supremacy Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Astute Supremacy. Nefarious Netherworld Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Nefarious Netherworld.

Seraphim

Primary: Exalted Warrior Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Exalted Warrior. Celestial Magic Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for this Celestial Magic. Revered Technology Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Revered Technology.

Secondary: Celestial Magic Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Celestial Magic. Revered Technology Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Revered Technology.

Shadow Warrior

Primary: Astral Lord Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Astral Lord. Death Warrior Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Death Warrior. Malevolent Champion Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Malevolent Champion. Astral Lord Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Astral Lord.

Secondary: The Shadow Warrior does not have any Secondary Aspect skills.

Temple Guardian

Primary: Devout Guardian Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Devout Guardian. Lost Fusion Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Lost Fusion. Source Warden Lore Increases damage, critical chance, and cast speed for Source Warden.

Secondary: Lost Fusion Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Lost Fusion. Source Warden Focus Improves regeneration and raises max Combat Art level for Source Warden.

Offensive Skills: Damage Lore - Provides a better chance for applying "status effects" (e.g., burning with fire damage) on monsters. Primary skill choice for: Inquisitor Secondary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, High Elf, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim, Temple Guardian Dual Wield - Grants the ability to wield two one-handed (non-ranged) weapons. Increases attack speed and attack value for both weapons. Primary skill choice for: Inquisitor Secondary skill choice for: Shadow Warrior, Seraphim, Dryad Hafted Weapons - Increases attack speed, attack value, and max item level usable without penalties when wielding a hafted weapon. Primary skill choice for: Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Temple Guardian Secondary skill choice for: None Magic Staffs - Increases attack speed, attack value, and max item level usable without penalties when wielding a staff. Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, High Elf, Inquisitor Secondary skill choice for: Seraphim, Dryad With the expansion, this skill now allows a staff user to shoot magic missles as a distance attack. If you have fire damage added, the victim will suffer fire damage over time. Seraphim and Dryad now have this weapon choice as a secondary skill with the expansion. Pole Arms - Increases attack speed, attack value, and max item level usable without penalties when wielding a pole arm. Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim Secondary skill choice for: High Elf, Inquisitor Ranged Weapons - Increases attack speed, attack value, and max item level usable without penalties when wielding a ranged weapon. Primary skill choice for: Dryad, Seraphim Secondary skill choice for: High Elf, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Temple Guardian Speed Lore - Increases attack and defense, and run speed. Primary skill choice for: None Secondary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, High Elf, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim, Temple Guardian Sword Weapons - Increases attack speed, attack value, and max item level usable without penalties when wielding a sword. Primary skill choice for: Dryad, High Elf, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim, Temple Guardian Secondary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Inquisitor Tactics Lore - Increases damage and chance for critical hits with all weapons. Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, High Elf, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim, Temple Guardian Secondary skill choice for: None

Defensive Skills: Armor Lore - Improves resistances, increases maximum item level without penalties, and decreases regeneration penalty from armor. Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, High Elf, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim, Temple Guardian Secondary skill choice for: Dryad Combat Reflexes - Improves Evasion statistic (Chance to Evade Attacks), and reduces the chance of receiving a critical hit from an attack. Primary skill choice for: Dryad, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim Secondary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Temple Guardian Constitution - Increases health and health regeneration. Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Shadow Warrior Secondary skill choice for: Dryad, High Elf, Inquisitor, Seraphim, Temple Guardian Pacifism - Reduces damage taken in PvP (all possible ramifications still unknown). Primary skill choice for: None Secondary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, High Elf, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim, Temple Guardian Shield Lore - Grants the ability to use higher-level shields without penalties and increases their Defense Value. Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim Secondary skill choice for: High Elf Spell Resistance - Increases resistance to spells and protection from spell-based critical hits (from any Spell Damage Based Combat Arts used by enemies). Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, High Elf, Temple Guardian Secondary skill choice for: Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim Toughness - Improves resistances and provides a percentange of damage mitigation. Primary skill choice for: Inquisitor, Temple Guardian Secondary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim Warding Energy Lore - Increases shield energy and damage absorption for Combat Arts that use/create an Energy Shield (e.g., Temple Guardian's T-Energy Shroud). When mastered, increases speed of shield regeneration. Primary skill choice for: Seraphim, Temple Guardian Secondary skill choice for: None

General Skills:

Alchemy - Enhances the effectiveness of all potions and allows use of certain consumables (Trophies).

• Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad
• Secondary skill choice for: High Elf, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim

Bargaining - Item price is displayed in inventory, and merchants will offer more favorable prices and better items.

• Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, High Elf, Inquisitor
• Secondary skill choice for: Dryad, Seraphim, Temple Guardian

Blacksmith - Allows the player to socket items and exclusive enhancements without having to use a Blacksmith.

• Primary skill choice for: Shadow Warrior, Temple Guardian
• Secondary skill choice for: Inquisitor

Divine Devotion - Improves regeneration of the Divine Gift (God spell) and unlocks some additional attributes.

• Primary skill choice for: Dryad, High Elf, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim
• Secondary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Temple Guardian

Enhanced Perception - Increases chance of "seeing" invisible monsters and "magical hiding places."

• Primary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad, Seraphim, Temple Guardian
• Secondary skill choice for: High Elf, Shadow Warrior

Riding - Grants the ability to ride better horses, reduces regeneration penalty while mounted, and unlocks special mount abilities (increased movement speed).

• Primary skill choice for: High Elf, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, Seraphim, Temple Guardian
• Secondary skill choice for: Dragon Mage, Dryad

Notes

Because of the linear diminishing returns, there is no sense to put all the points in few skills (except Bargaining skill, see corresponding section). The best solution would be not to raise none of the skills above 75 till the moment when all reach this mark, and then evenly distribute points for all skills. The calculations shows: this distribution method gives 15-20% higher return than if we invest all skillpoints in few skills.

There is incredible low efficiency of return with the growth of skill above 150: to invest above 75 has meaning only for "armor lore" (increases locked item modifiers, see corresponding section), "Constitution" (HP are never too much). Also attention should be paid to the 'toughness' skill, as its Damage mitigation directly added to other same bonuses, and on platinum and niobium "DM" option helps against the incoming damage better than armour (especially important against the bosses and combat skills Champions, having a large amount of damage).

See also:

• Skill Mastery