Ghostwire: Tokyo — What Are Skills and Which Are The Best Ones?

Ghostwire: Tokyo has a skill tree with numerous skills to unlock (22 different categories, with 68 total if you're counting the upgrades for each); maybe this intimidated you and you’re struggling to figure out which ones are the best or perhaps you're too lazy to do so. Either way, this article is sure to help you figure things out!

What are skills in Ghostwire: Tokyo?

Ghostwire: Tokyo's skills don't work like active abilities that you can utilise throughout the battle, but instead are passive upgrades to the numerous attacks that Akito can use with KK's supernatural powers. These work towards enhancing the many things that you can do in the game and not all of them are battle oriented either.

With the skills in the skill tree, you can enhance your exploration by upgrading the Spectral Vision, you can boost your power with the numerous pieces of equipment Akito gets throughout the game, and you can upgrade your battle through the Ethereal Weaving tab.

Although it might be exciting to get one of the numerous skills that facilitate the exploration of Tokyo (especially for completionists) such as Amenotori X, I recommend focusing on the battle-focused skills early to ensure that you can complete most encounters with ease.

How do you get skills?

Every time you level up in Ghostwire: Tokyo, you'll get SKILL POINTS. Unlike the typical style in games where you get one skill point to spend, you get 10. Although this might sound generous, most abilities cost upwards of 10, and some (such as the aforementioned Amenotori X) can cost 55.

The most reliable way to level up is to find spirits; you can absorb them with your katashiro and send them through the payphone, and it is one of the most important things to do in Ghostwire: Tokyo anyway. Sending batches of 10 (or as many as your katashiro can hold) at a time rewards immense amounts of XP and meiko (currency) that definitely facilitate the time spent exploring Tokyo and progressing through the game.

Another way to get SKILL POINTS is by finding KK's investigation notes scattered throughout the world; these work as a form of collectible, and they can be found by exploring Tokyo. Using Spectral Vision highlights them, and equipping the Sleuth Beads prayer bead increases the range at which they are highlighted by the vision to 100m; that's double its size after you have Omoigane III!

What are the best skills to buy in Ghostwire: Tokyo?

Generally, combat skills are not a bad choice to get, and you should be able to buy whichever are the ones you like the most; that said, some are superior to others. These are not listed in any particular order, but are definitely the best skills to get in the game.

Amenotori X — I am only adding this one because of how useful it is for exploration, but should by no means be your main focus early. Being able to summon tengus and use them to grapple wherever you want allows you to approach stealth and exploration at your pace.

Tajikara II — I prefer Tajikara to Futsunushi since it allows you to destroy the core of downed enemies, which is a great way to kill them.

Kukurihime I — Although I vastly prefer Tajikara II, Kukurihime is a great skill to get too. That said, I prefer the first upgrade, as the second one costs precious MAGATAMA that I don’t think are worth spending for the extra speed. However, being able to extract cores with quicker speeds is something imperative in-game anyway, and if you do want to spend the MAGATAMA, it isn’t a terrible idea.

Takehaya III — I know you unlock Takehaya as part of the tutorial, but the third upgrade immensely increases the charge speed for all of the elements, which is incredibly useful mid-battle since this game is all about split decisions.

Shinatsuhiko II — You may or may not use the Takehaya of the wind element, but Shinatsuhiko II is imperative as it allows you to shoot four times with one charge attack instead of twice — essentially doubling your damage. This is also incredibly useful to break the umbrella shield of Rugged Walkers.

Yumitsukai II–IV — This depends greatly on how much you use your bow & arrow in battle, but you'll want to be able to carry as many arrows as you can since you can't get them very often outside of the convenience stores.

Daikoku III — I don't use consumables a lot, and that is one of the main reasons I went for Daikoku II early. Being able to carry seven of each of the consumables ensures that for difficult battles you'll have as many dangos as you need to guzzle down.

Susanoo III — You unlock Wire In later on in the game, but being able to sustain it allows you to clear through battles way faster as you'll expose enemy cores far more often. Although I like Susanoo, I think it is definitely one of the least important in the list, seeing as Wire In already lasts long enough as is.

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Are there any skills I missed that you love? Feel free to tell me in the comments below! Maybe I haven't learned why I should appreciate them more, and your explanation could be eye-opening. Or, maybe I mentioned it on one of the other overviews that I made, including EQUIPMENT, ABILITIES, and ETHEREAL WEAVING!