Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Which are best main skills? Assassin's Creed Valhalla guide, walkthrough

On this page of the guide to AC Valhalla you will find a compilation of the best main skills for the protagonist. Thanks to them, you will create a strong protagonist from the beginning, who can cope with all adversities.

Last update: 04 January 2024

This page of the Assassin's Creed Valhalla guide includes a list of Eivor's best main skills. We have chosen skills we think are very helpful in the game and which can make the protagonist stronger. You will find their descriptions and information on where they can be found on the big skill tree.

• Main skills - general information
• Backstab
• Stomp
• Perfect Attack
• Light Bow Combo
• Heavy Dual Wield
• Brush With Death
• Predator Bow Combo
• Explosive Corpse
• Guided Arrow
• Chain Assassination
• Parry Damage
• Adrenaline Fiend
• Emergency Aim
• Charged Shot
• Last Chance Healing
• Advanced Assassination
• Breakfall
• Adrenaline Upgrade
• Sprint Bash

Main skills - general information

Main Skills are the ones that unlock new combat techniques. An example of the main skill is shown in the above picture - you can recognize it by the larger icons in the skill tree.

On the skill tree there are also Stat Nodes. They do not offer any new techniques but only serve to improve selected Eivor's stats. Some bonuses have additional requirements, e.g. they only work if the hero uses the equipment from the raven set.

Stat Nodes together with the main skills are unlocked using the skill points. You can only unlock those skills on the tree that are connected to the ones you've already unlocked. Different paths on the tree lead to the main skills and you can choose how to reach them.

You can undo your choices for free by using the option to reset individual skills or the entire tree. This allows you, for example, to get rid of skills that you ultimately did not like.

Most of the skill tree is initially hidden and only three "starting" branches are visible, focusing on melee combat, ranged combat, and stealth. The remaining skills are hidden and new branches are discovered only after you reach them. In our best skills list we tell you where they are located. You will be able to spend skill points and go in the right direction in the skill tree.

Backstab

You will find this skill on one of the branches visible on the skill tree from the very beginning of the game.

Effect: This skill increases the attack from the back damage. A back attack can also stun the enemy for a moment. The big advantage of this skill is that it applies to all kinds of attacks - in direct combat, shooting arrows, and surprise attacks from behind. It get even more useful as the damage bonus can be triggered on more often.

Stomp

You will find this skill on one of the branches visible on the skill tree from the very beginning of the game.

Effect: This skill allows you to crush the head of a knocked down opponent - you have to approach him and press the right analog stick. It is a very useful technique to deal faster with opponents, especially regular enemies, who can die immediately after this type of attack. Even if a stronger opponent survives a blow to the head, they will still get a lot of damage anyway.

Perfect Attack

You will find this skill in the upper part of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to deal more damage with melee weapons. The damage bonus will be activated if you press the light attack button (R1 / RB) while mounting the blow. The next attack will be more powerful. This skill "cooperates" well with two-handed weapons, where mounting an attack takes a bit more time.

Light Bow Combo

You will find this skill in the upper-left section of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill relates to the use of the Light Bow. A series of successful attacks using this bow will allow you to deal more damage. This bonus is especially useful when fighting groups of opponents and when attacking stronger individual enemies.

Heavy Dual Wield

You will find this skill in the upper-left section of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows fighting with two Heavy Weapons. By default, fighting with two weapons (the so-called Dual Wield) is only possible for lighter types of weapons. This is a good skill if you focus on offensive build and deal severe damage.

Brush With Death

You will find this skill in the left part of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to slow down time for a short while after a dodge made at the last possible moment, i.e. just before being hit. This is a very helpful skill even if you are less keen on fighting in a scuffle or prefer to rely on dodging instead of parrying. It's worth noting that time slows down "globally." Even if they were triggered by successfully avoiding the first opponent's attack, you can easily attack the second opponent once the slowdown commences. Additionally, using Eivor's strong attack in slow-motion mode, you can stop an opponent from completing a red attack.

Predator Bow Combo

You will find this skill in the left part of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill regards using the Predator Bow. A series of successful attacks using this bow will allow you to deal more damage. This bonus will be useful for dealing even more damage in ranged combat. It will be particularly helpful when fighting elite enemies.

Explosive Corpse

You will find this skill in the left part of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to place a trap on the corpse of a defeated enemy. After the corpse is spotted and examined by a nearby enemy, the trap will activate itself. You have to set up the trap manually (by pressing the right analog stick), but it does not consume any supplies. It's a great technique for securing hostile locations quietly. You can easily kill additional enemies with it.

Guided Arrow

You will find this skill in the lower left part of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to control the arrows shot from the Predator Bow - press R1/RB after firing the arrow. This is helpful when you want to hit your opponent in the head or one of the weak orange spots on his body. You can kill enemies more easily or deal a lot of damage to them.

Chain Assassination

You will find this skill in the lower left part of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to eliminate another opponent after a successful silent kill. After you have silently assassinated the first enemy, Eivor may throw an axe at the other opponent standing nearby, or stab him with the hidden blade (if he stands close enough). This is helpful in locations with patrols comprising two opponents. You don't have to drag your enemies away one by one or defeat one of them in a a regular fight.

Parry Damage

You will find this skill in the top right section of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to deal additional damage to an opponent after successfully parrying his blow. This can be very helpful if you often engage in direct combat and rely on parrying to knock enemies out of rhythm.

Adrenaline Fiend

You will find this skill in the top right section of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill guarantees more damage and faster attacks if at least one adrenaline slot is charged. The disadvantage of this skill is that you cannot rely on abilities all the time, because then the adrenaline will never be charged. You can reduce the problem partially by unlocking more adrenaline slots and trying to have one or more slots "intact".

Emergency Aim

You will find a skill in the right section of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to "attach" the bow crosshair to the opponent who detected Eivor - you have to hold the left trigger for this. This allows you to shoot faster to eliminate your opponent before he can alert other enemies in the area. This technique will make it easier for you to stay hidden for longer.

Charged Shot

You will find a skill in the right section of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to fire two fully charged arrows using the Hunter Bow. The bow attack cannot be interrupted. This is a very useful feature if you often attack with the Hunter Bow. You will be able to deal more damage.

Last Chance Healing

You will find this skill in the bottom right section of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to save yourself from dying after Eivor loses almost all health points in combat. The time slows down automatically and you can use it to escape, avoid further enemy attacks, or heal Eivor. You will appreciate this skill when playing on high difficulty levels and when fighting stronger enemies.

Advanced Assassination

You will find this skill at the bottom section of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to use a hidden blade to eliminate elite enemies, i.e. those that cannot be killed by a standard hidden blade attack. This is extremely helpful, as it will allow you to kill enemies that thus far were only weakened by the hidden blade strike. The important thing is that the attack will only be successful if you pass the QTE sequence, i.e. you press the attack button at the right moment. Fortunately, even if you fail the QTE, the enemy will still receive base damage from the hidden blade.

Breakfall

You will find this skill at the bottom section of the skill tree.

Effect: This skill allows you to break the fall and decrease the fall damage by forcing Eivor to roll automatically upon reaching the ground. This will be useful while exploring the game world, but also in locations where you walk a lot on the roofs of tall buildings.

Adrenaline Upgrade

You will find these skills in different parts of the skill tree.

Action: Each skill purchased increases the number of available adrenaline slots by 1. This simply means that you can accumulate more adrenaline and use your adrenaline consuming abilities more often. Having a large adrenaline supply is especially helpful in large battles and during boss fights. Try to buy more upgrades for development points on an ongoing basis in order to have 4 adrenaline slots ready.

Sprint Bash

You will find this skill in the upper part of the skill tree.

Effects: This is an exceptional skill – we advise you unlocked it for a short time and then consider withdrawing the point(s) spent on it. The main purpose of unlocking this skill is to allow yourself win the A Picture of Grace trophy, which forces you to break 30 objects while sprinting. For more details, see our trophy guide.