Start with the skill you use most. Its scaling label tells you which offensive attribute matters; HP, Energy and defensive effects decide whether you get another useful turn.
Stats and what to prioritize
| Label | Meaning | Build decision |
|---|---|---|
| HP / Max HP | Current and maximum health. Percentage heals use the maximum pool. | Keep enough to survive the enemy opening before trading health for damage. |
| Attack / Magic | Offensive values used by the relevant attacks and effects. | Match the bonus to your skill instead of adding unrelated offense. |
| Strength / Faith | Attribute scaling labels shown on skills in the newer build. | Dragon Dive and Wyrm Impaler use Strength; Dragon’s Blood uses Faith. |
| Defense | A defensive stat on the character and equipment. | Compare it with HP, recovery and any damage-reduction effect. |
| Energy | The resource spent on skills and some defensive actions. | Budget enough for your opener and the next important cast. |
| Critical chance | The chance of a critical result. | Use it with a critical-focused kit, while keeping a plan for ordinary hits. |
| Dodge | An avoidance chance listed on equipment and effects. | Keep it separate from the width of a manual defensive timing window. |
| Speed / SPD | Raises the Dodge cap shown in the gear panel: +1 percentage point per 5 Speed, up to a 30% cap. | A higher cap lets more of your Dodge chance apply; it does not directly add that amount of Dodge. |
Speed and Speed Up
Speed raises your Dodge cap. The gear menu starts at a 25% cap, adds 1 percentage point per 5 Speed and limits the cap to 30%. At 10 Speed, the cap is 27%; at 25 Speed, it reaches 30%. You still need Dodge on your build to use that allowance.
The menu also shows a damage-reduction result for Dodge above the cap. Read that result after changing gear. See the gear explanation at 0:18 in Pot Guy’s Valhalla showcase.
Thief’s Speed Up is a critical-chance buff, not a turn-order shortcut. Choose it to support an attack window. Do not spend points or equip an item solely because two effects share the word “Speed”.
Use the current attribute panel and the scaling label printed on each skill. For a new build, read Skills and the character’s Build panel together. Favor the attribute named by your main attack, then add the resources needed to use it consistently.
Tempest Oath is a separate choice: its rank III package combines Speed and Dodge with a Defense penalty. Pick it for that whole package; switch to Second Breath or Bulwark if the lost durability is ending runs.
Perfect timing and POW
Practice the timing prompt before chasing a bigger damage label. Perfect describes the result of a timed input. It is part of executing the attack, while the final damage also depends on the move, gear, buffs and target.
For a “Perfect versus POW” comparison, judge the attacks by the damage and result on the same enemy. Our recommendation is to favor a repeatable clean input and a kill that removes an enemy turn. A large pop-up on a different target is not a useful equipment comparison.
Elements and resistance
| Effect | Practical implication |
|---|---|
| Dragonborn reduces Fire damage taken | A useful defensive pairing for a fire-heavy encounter. |
| Sylvan increases Nature damage | Use it with an attack that actually deals Nature damage. |
| Slime resists Blunt and is weak to Fire | Avoid assuming the same durability against both types. |
| Burning, Poison and Chill | Read the status separately from the attack’s scaling and element. |
A practical stat check
Sources 6 references
Reviewed October 23, 2026. Build recommendations are our editorial choices.
Gear Dodge-cap explanation at 0:18; Ultra skills and Gates of Valhalla at 0:55.
Skill menu at 0:05; Wyrm Impaler tooltip at 1:02. Gameplay reviewed October 23.
Action timing, Energy and the Thief Speed Up effect.
Base, Super and Ultra routes, ability names and Act farming targets.
Talent effects and acquisition chances.
Twelve Oaths, three ranks, Shrine of Oaths and Knowledge.