The Best Skills in Tomb Raider (2013)

Lara Croft

What are the best skills in Tomb Raider? How early in the game should I get them? Well, I’m here to help you with that.

A well beloved saga with more than twenty years of history behind it; throughout the past couple of decades, we've seen the game evolve and its protagonist, Lara Croft, grow until she became the heroine we know today. The newest trilogy, which rebooted the story, shows the archaeologist’s origins and gives us an entirely new way of playing it. Tomb Raider (2013) introduced a skillset system that became valuable throughout the gameplay, but the order you get them can definitely make your life easier. Here are the top 10 skills in Tomb Raider and what you should get first:

1. Survivalist

Skill Tree: Survivor

What is it good for? Earn extra XP when looting animal corpses and survival caches.

This might seem like a simple thing to get first, but I promise you, you won't regret having this skill early in the game. The more you’re able to gather, the easier it is to increase your XP. More XP, means more skill points to use.

2. Arrow Retrieval

Skill Tree: Survivor

What is it good for? Allows you to loot enemy and animal corpses to retrieve used arrows.

The bow is the main weapon in the game and it's definitely the most useful for when you're trying to be stealth. If you intent to play with it, you should, for sure, get this skill. It can help you in difficult moments during crossfire battles or if you're trying to keep it quiet while eliminating enemies.

3. Steady Shot

Skill Tree: Hunter

What is it good for? You can hold charged shots for a longer period of time.

Since we're talking about the bow, this skill is one to consider early in the game when points are still pretty scarce and you have to make your choices wisely. Holding charged shots for longer not only gives you more time to take aim at the target, but it also increases the chances of a killer single shot.

4. Pain Tolerance

Skill Tree: Brawler

What is it good for? The amount of damage you can take before dying increases.

You'll eventually find yourself in a situation of combat that will make this skill seem worthwhile. It not only gives you more endurance, but if it's well used, can allow you to hide so Lara can heal before she keeps fighting.

5. Ammo Capacity

Skill Tree: Hunter

What is it good for? Increases the amount of ammunition you can carry for your weapons.

It's pretty self-explanatory and the reason why it's important is pretty obvious: You need your weapons to fight. The game is pretty generous with ammo distribution, but it’s way more comfortable not having to rely on whether there will be ammunition available at a site or not, especially in the middle of a battle.

6. Climber's Agility

Skill Tree: Survivor

What is it good for? Increase your climbing skills.

A personal favorite of mine. Lara's climbing skills at the beginning of the game are particularly annoying to me, so, to be able to go up walls faster and having considerably less chances of failing when grabbing a ledge is a must.

7. Accomplished killer

Skill Tree: Hunter

What is it good for? Stealth kills and headshots give you extra XP.

As you move forth in the game, the challenges grow exponentially, which makes your need for more skills grow as well. This is another ability you should have as a way to gather more points easily. It grants you extra XP for stealth kills, which, as we already established, is never a bad thing to have.

8. Axe Strikes

Skill Tree: Brawler

What is it good for? You can now use your climbing axe to stunt enemies.

Sometimes, you will become trapped and surrounded by enemies, making it harder to shoot them when they're already so close and moving faster. You can use it to free yourself from tight spots by using your climbing axe as a weapon.

9. Dodge Counter

Skill Tree: Brawler

What is it good for? Cripple an enemy by stabbing them in the knee after a dodge.

It's a great skill to use with the Axe Strikes. Being able to use melee attacks is just as important as upgrading your weapons and your abilities with them.

10. Bow Expert

Skill Tree: Hunter

What is it good for? Allows you to stab enemies at close range with your arrows.

As we said before, the bow is the main weapon in the game, so it does make things much easier if you not only upgrade it to its fullest first, but also if you get all the bow related skills as quickly as possible. Also, every time you execute an enemy with melee arrow attack, you gain extra rewards, which is great.

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