How to get Skill Points and Rare Skill Points in Rise of the Ronin
Get all the skill points you need to unlock the best abilities.
Increasing and improving the skills that your character has access to in Rise of the Ronin depends on you using Skill Points to unlock and progress through the skill trees.
There are four skill trees in Rise of the Ronin, each focusing on one main stat: Strength, Dexterity, Charm, and Intellect. Depending on the skill, you might need regular Skill Points or Rare Skill Points to unlock. Study each skill tree and select the best abilities for your playstyle before spending all your points.
If you’re aiming to complete the skill trees to get the high-tier abilities, we’ve got you covered. In this guide, you learn how to earn Skill Points and how you get Rare Skill Points.
On this page:
Skill Points and Rare Skill Points in Rise of the Ronin explained
In Rise of the Ronin, there are two categories of Skill Points. Both of them are spent in the skill trees to unlock abilities and upgrade them. But some nodes will require a certain number of regular Skill Points, while others require Rare Skill Points.
One of the main differences between them, besides the methods to obtain them, is that you can use regular Skill Points in any of the four skill trees in the game. On the other hand, you need the Rare Skill Points of the corresponding type to use. For example, to unlock an ability in the Intellect skill tree that requires three Intellect Rare Skill Points, you can’t use regular Skill Points instead.
How to get Skill Points and Rare Skill Points in Rise of the Ronin
Listed below are all the source for regular Skill Points and Rare Skill Points in Rise of the Ronin.
Level up your character and weapon proficiency
When it comes to regular Skill Points, you earn one point every time you level up or increase the proficiency with a specific type of weapon. You gain proficiency with weapons by using them, so the best strategy is to focus on only one type.
Now, even though leveling your character up happens naturally as you progress through the game, in case you want to unlock new and better skills, farming experience is fundamental. As we explain in our guide on how to level up fast, you gain a new level by gaining experience from killing enemies and completing missions. There are many ways to maximize this, so be sure to check the guide.
Convert Karma
Another type of experience that you gain when you kill enemies in Rise of the Ronin is Karma. Different from the regular type of experience, Karma does not increase your level and you can lose some of it if you die. However, in case you can accumulate enough Karma to the point of seeing the small bar on the top right corner of the screen glow, you can convert it.
When you interact with Veiled Edge Banners - or finish missions - with the Karma bar glowing, you convert the points you have. By doing so, you obtain regular Skill Points as well as Rare Skill Points. The type of the latter that you gain is random.
Visit shrines
All over the territory you explore in the game, there are shrines for you to visit and pray. Whenever you interact for the first time with a shrine, you gain one regular Skill Point. This might not sound much, but considering that all you need is to watch a short cutscene to gain a Skill Point, shrines are an amazing source for you to explore. Because of shrines are far from the main villages, you can make a route to visit shrines at the same time you look for Fugitives and clear Public Order events.
Use Treatesies
In Rise of the Ronin, there are some consumable items called Treatises that you can use to gain Skill Points and Rare Skill Points. You can buy them from some special NPCs or you gain them from missions or developing your relationship with characters and factions. While for regular Skill Points, you have the Treatises on Enlightenment, for Rare Skill Points, you need to look for the one that corresponds to the type of Rare Skill Points you want. They are the Treatise of Strength, Treatise on Dexterity, Treatise on Charm, and Treatise on Intellect.
Good luck collecting Skill Points in Rise of the Ronin!