1. Use the correct stamina model
Attacks do not consume stamina. Reserve stamina for defensive actions such as dodging. Track whether a failed exchange came from late timing, poor position, or empty defensive stamina—not from attacking.
2. Test one weapon deliberately
The game confirms five weapon types. Spend several encounters learning reach, recovery, and safe confirms before making a comparison.
3. Spend against a named problem
With twelve skill trees and more than seventy passive effects, early variety can disguise weak decisions. Write one sentence before spending: “This choice should improve ___.”
4. Give each cooldown a job
Skills operate on cooldowns. Label one as an opener, punish, space-control option, or recovery tool, then check whether it performs that job.
5. Keep an encounter note
Record the attack that hit you, its cue, and the safest response. One useful observation per attempt beats an invented universal build.
Last reviewed August 12, 2026. Facts are separated from editorial strategy; uncertain details are labeled instead of guessed.