Guide article
Active skills and Specialty perks
Active skill levels, Specialty perk options and slots, and regional build priorities.
Source recommendations and first-person statements are Kanon’s. Captured update: 9/20/2026; Global changes were not all confirmed.
KR targets are dated to the Chapter 1 level 50 expansion. The source predicts fewer Arcana cards at Global launch.
This guide preserves Kanon’s source statements and labels the source’s limits. Original source document · About the source and author
CH 4: SKILLS
There are 3 different types of Skills: Active, Passive, and Stigma
All skills have skill levels with Active Skills and Stigma Skills unlocking extra Specialty Perks when reaching a certain level (listed under the “Specialty” section in the image below). We’ll refer to these as "Specialty Perks” from now on.
Active Skills
Related source illustrations
Specialty Perks and selectable slots on an Active skill
- Equipped slots (blue shield, yellow shield, chained lock): Specialty; two filled perk slots and third locked
- Two equipped perks at this screenshot state; level 20 unlocks third slot in prose.
- First perk (green shield, dark cyan text): Adds [Relentless Kick] Chain Skill
- One selectable option, not currently equipped among top two pictured slots.Related guide passagesYou can get additional levels on skills via gear Stat Lines, Daevanion Board, and…
- Second perk (blue shield, bright cyan text): Restores 1000 Stamina on using [Defia...
- Blue selected perk; name clipped.Related guide passagesYou can get additional levels on skills via gear Stat Lines, Daevanion Board, and…
- Third perk (yellow shield, bright cyan text): Restores 20% HP on using [Defiance]
- Yellow selected perk.Related guide passagesYou can get additional levels on skills via gear Stat Lines, Daevanion Board, and…
- Fourth perk (orange shield, dark cyan text): +2s Tenacity duration
- Fourth option; source prose says level 12 unlock.Related guide passagesYou can get additional levels on skills via gear Stat Lines, Daevanion Board, and…
- Final perk (gray/dim with lock): 16; +50% PvE Damage Tolerance and +2...
- Visible 16 threshold supports final-perk unlock at level 16; effect text clipped.Related guide passagesYou can get additional levels on skills via gear Stat Lines, Daevanion Board, and…
- Specialty unlocks: level 8 gives three options and one slot; level 12 adds a fourth option and a second slot; level 16 adds a fifth option; level 20 adds a third slot. Option colors are not gear grades.
Active skill grid with varied effective levels
- Level grid (white levels, predominantly orange borders with some green): Active: row1 Lv.16, Lv.20, Lv.22, Lv.15, Lv.20; row2 Lv.17, Lv.14, Lv.14, Lv.16, Lv.20; row3 Lv.20, Lv.12
- Levels above Wisdom Stone cap 10 demonstrate additional levels from gear/boards/Arcana.Related guide passagesActive Skills can be leveled to 10 using regular skill points called Wisdom Stones that…You can get additional levels on skills via gear Stat Lines, Daevanion Board, and…Every class has key Level 20 Active Skills that are a must for the build to truly come…Depending on the class, you’ll want 2-5 skills at level 20 at the endgame in current KR…In order to hit level 20 on your Active Skills you’ll need to prioritize getting them…
- Small corner indicators (white/black badges): Visible numeral badges include row1 2,0,1,2 after first tile; row2 4,2,8,1 after which last tile has a symbol; other corners show symbols
- Interface bindings/status indicators separate from Lv. values; source does not explain.Related guide passagesYou can get additional levels on skills via gear Stat Lines, Daevanion Board, and…
- The active skill grid includes effective level 22. Level 20 is a specialty-slot target, not an absolute effective-level cap.
Active Skills can be leveled to 10 using regular skill points called Wisdom Stones that you obtain by leveling, turning in Feathers (world completion stuff), and Nightmare + Shugo Festival Shops.
You can get additional levels on skills via gear Stat Lines, Daevanion Board, and Arcana. You can select up to 3 Specialty Perks that are selectable only when reaching a certain level indicated by the number on the icon. You will have to equip the Specialty Perk into an open slot. Level 8 unlocks the first 3 options and 1 slot. Level 12 unlocks the 4th Specialty Perk and an additional slot allowing you to equip 2 Specialty Perks. Level 16 unlocks the final Specialty Perk. Level 20 unlocks the 3rd slot.
Every class has key Level 20 Active Skills that are a must for the build to truly come online (will try and add a written Class Guide section to the doc). Make it an early priority to unlock these, some classes such as Gladiator (Overhead Slam) and Templar (Judgment) have over 60% of their damage coming from just a single skill.
Depending on the class, you’ll want 2-5 skills at level 20 at the endgame in current KR (start of Chapter 1, lvl 50 expansion). Global launch will likely have less Arcana cards available making it more difficult to level skills. Lock in on 2 of your most important skills early on.
In order to hit level 20 on your Active Skills you’ll need to prioritize getting them on your Ring Stat Lines and your Arcana (see Chapter 6 - Arcana section below).