As an avid Star Wars fan who lives and breathes Jedi lore, I have delved deep into the complex skill trees of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor after pouring over 70+ hours into the game at the time of writing.
This game has one of the most intricate RPG build systems I‘ve ever come across in an action title. Optimizing your skill selections for your preferred playstyle is absolutely vital for surviving the game‘s punishing Grand Master difficulty!
In this extensive guide, I will be sharing my deep insights on all the skill trees in Survivor – how to unlock them, optimal progression paths, powerful combos and must-have skills for dominating your foes.
Here‘s a quick overview:
- 3 Main Trees – Survival, Lightsaber, Force
- 5 Stances – Single, Double, Dual Wield, Blaster, Crossguard
- 75 Skills in total to unlock
- Multiple skill tree paths depending on playstyle
- Powerful skill and gear synergies to create devastating builds
Now buckle up, my young Padawan, as I take you through the intricacies of mastering the skills trees like a true Jedi Grand Master!
Survival Tree – Key to Longevity
This aptly named tree focuses on sustaining Cal Kestis‘ health and stamina to fight another day against the rising Empire. As Cal has no easy access to healing, maximizing life regeneration and evasion is critical.
I highly recommend investing in Survival skills first before diving into combat. This forms the core foundation to then pile on excellent offense and control abilities.
Key Survival Skills
Improved Stim Formula
- Unlocked Initially
- Cal recovers more life per stim charge used
- Upgrade stims ASAP for sustainability
Survival Skills (1 SP)
- Increase Cal‘s maximum life
- Supremely important for tankiness
Focused Sight (2 SP)
- Auto-dodge melee attacks when holding evade
- Extremely valuable crowd control tool
These skills should be top priority for every player early on, providing you with the backbone to then learn deadly force wielding without getting flattened!
Unlock Order
- Improved Stim Formula (Initially Unlocked)
- Survival Skills (1 SP)
- Focused Sight (2 SP)
Lightsaber Tree – The Way of the Warrior
This gigantic tree forms the bulk of the melee combat abilities, spread across 5 styles of lightsaber wielding. Here you walk the Warrior‘s Path – excelling in the way of steel, velocity and mastering the cutting edge!
Each stance caters to a different approach:
- Dual Wield – Fast aggressive duel sword wielding
- Single – Balanced all-rounder melee
- Double – Sweeping lethal blows to groups
- Crossguard – Slow but devastatingly powerful
- Blaster – Mix shooting with sabering
You can switch between 2 enabled stances freely in combat. Choosing skills across multiple stances unlocks incredible potential for reacting dynamically to battles.
Now let‘s break down key skills for dominating through lightsaber combat!
Top Dual Wield Skills
Dancing Blades (3 SP)
- Throw sabers between multiple enemies
- Supreme crowd control and damage
Precision Release (2 SP)
- Parry then counterattack with bonus stagger
- High risk, high reward defensive strike
Dual sabers enable amazing feats of precision offense. Dancing Blades chews through groups while Precision Release punishes over-eager foes.
Vicious Crossguard Skills
Sundering Swipe (2 SP)
- Massive swinging arc attack
- Decimates groups, no force meter usage
Rolling Thunder (2 SP)
- Hurl spinning saber drilling through enemies
- Covers huge range, brutal efficiency
The explosive Crossguard style dominates the battlefield through raw strength, capable of collateral and precision damage alike.
Elegant Single Saber Skills
Cyclone Slash (2 SP)
- Overhead smash attack
- Staggers enemies, flows from combos
Dash Strike (2 SP)
- Quick lunge gap closer
- Superb mobility and initiation
The Single style embodies elegance in simplicity. Cyclone complements combos while Dash Strike enables dynamic momentum based dueling.
Lightsaber Progression Priorities
- Dual Wield – Your core bread and butter offense
- Single Saber – Fluid versatility to handle any situation
- Crossguard – Overwhelming strength to crush all opposition
Start with Dual Wield to reap whirlwind saber skills, then diversify with Single blade adaptability. Once you have solid melee foundations, grab Crossguard skills to become an unstoppable tyrant!
Force Tree – The Path of the Seer
While the Lightsaber tree embodies physical mastery, the Force tree delves into supernatural abilities powered by connection to the mystic energy field. With immensely powerful Telekinesis, Confusion and Concentration skills, you can exercise coordinated control and concentrated strikes.
This tree is more utility focused rather than pure damage, though still very lethal. Skills shine when used to complement melee attacks for maximum devastation through synergy.
Let‘s examine essential picks from the 3 branches:
Telekinesis – Push/Pull Mastery
Unrelenting Pull (3 SP)
- Pulls even massive enemies from afar
- Setup combos on dangerous targets
Telekinesis compresses the battlefield by forcibly yanking enemies out of position. This supercharges your advantage.
Confusion – Turning the Tide
Confusion Mastery (3 SP)
- Mind control works on bosses
- Enjoy the entertaining spectacle
Confusion is an infectious disease causing your enemies to sabotage themselves. Peak trolling!
Concentration – Focused Strikes
Extended Hold (3 SP)
- Slowed enemies stay slowed when hit
- Vital for punishing powerful foes
Concentration keeps difficult enemies handicapped so you can plot their downfall.
Force Progression Path
- Telekinesis – Critical for battlefield manipulation
- Concentration – Bolster defenses through focused strikes
- Confusion – Offensive crowd control options
Start with Telekinesis for critical pull/push abilities that sync with melee, then Concentration to enable easier damage windows against dangerous enemies. Confusion has niche but hilarious effects.
Build Examples – Skill Tree Synergy
While individual skills are powerful, real devastation comes from synergizing multiple skills across trees alongside gear. This enhances your strengths exponentially while covering any weaknesses, creating specialized "builds" catering to strategic playstyles.
Let me demonstrate skill and item synergies through some lethal lightsaber build examples:
Juyo Sabermaster
The Juyo Form embodies aggression through demanding, offensive sequences to overwhelm enemies through raw kinetic damage.
Key Skills
- Dual Wield Branch
- Dancing Blades (Crowd Control)
- Precision Release (Counterattack)
Gear Synergy
- Sage‘s Raiment Robe (Increase Lightsaber Damage)
- Adept‘s Rigel Bangle (Augment Force Damage)
- Ven Zallow‘s Feravol Alloy (Boost Damage at Low Health)
The sabermaster fully invests in Dual Blade offense and risk/reward countering, amplified further by damage boosting gear. You command a furious flurry of attacks enhanced through the force!
Stonewall Guardian
The Stonewall Form specializes in strong defense leading into powerful counters and resilience.
Key Skills
- Improved Stim Formula (Bonus Stim Healing)
- Focused Sight (Auto-Parry Melee)
- Crossguard Branch
- Sundering Swipe (Damaging Arc Attack)
Gear Synergy
- Marshal‘s Body Armor (Increase Maximum Health)
- Adept‘s Upharan Band (Augment Slow Effect)
- Sage‘s Raiment Vest (Increase Surge Duration)
The sentinel focuses heavily on survival and retaliation, waiting for big openings to dish out punishment through augmented Force attacks. Stay the course and outlast your enemies!
Blademaster Marksman
The Blademaster sniper uses distance and preparation to cripple groups from afar before individual takedowns up close.
Key Skills
- Quick Draw (Rapid Blaster Fire on Multiple Targets)
- Dash Strike (Lunge Gap Closer)
- Rising Storm (Launch Self into Enemies)
Gear Synergy
- Umbaran Operative‘s Grips (Increase Blaster Damage)
- Ven Zallow‘s Feravol Alloy (Low Health Damage Boost)
- Marshal Commander‘s Vest (Bonus Damage on Slowed/Immobilized)
Play as a methodical tactician using preparation to augment damage against marked targets for massive spikes. Clean up survivors with precise dashes and take downs!
Final Words From a Jedi Master
And there concludes my deep dive into the combo-enabling skill trees of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor! It takes considerable experience and experimentation to fully grasp the extent of RPG customization and progression possibilities at your fingertips.
The journey mirrors your own ascension into mastery of the Jedi way. Survival and fundamentals form your base. Lightsaber skills push offensive limits. Finally the Force transcends physical constraints, enabling supernatural feats.
I hope this guide has fully opened your eyes to the incredible potential brimming within the skill trees. Now go young Padawan, go forth and conquer with your newfound understanding! May the Force be with you!
