For a first playthrough, unlock Focus Boost and Reflex Boost early: they make Perfect Parries and Perfect Dodges easier to land. Add Double Dodge if boss attack strings are catching you, then build toward Beta attacks and Burst skills as you get more comfortable creating openings. This is a practical priority order based on skill effects and guide recommendations, not a proven universal build.
Recommended unlock order for boss fights
Skill points are best spent first on tools that help you survive long enough to learn a boss’s patterns. After that, invest in attacks that turn the openings you create into damage. Gamepressure’s skill guide, updated July 2, 2025, supplies the named skills and costs below; PlayStation’s combat guide explains the defensive mechanics behind the priorities.
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- Focus Boost (2 SP): Choose this first if you want to parry more reliably. Gamepressure says it lengthens the Perfect Parry window. PlayStation explains that a precisely timed block can negate incoming damage and potentially knock an enemy off balance.
- Reflex Boost (2 SP): Choose this early if dodging suits you better. Gamepressure says it makes Perfect Dodges easier. A Perfect Dodge avoids a blow and can keep EVE close enough to counterattack, according to PlayStation’s combat guide.
- Double Dodge (2 SP): Consider this when multi-hit combinations are a problem. It allows two consecutive dodges and is useful against powerful attack strings, according to Gamepressure; it is a safety option, not a requirement for every boss.
- Repulse (1 SP), then Threat Detection (2 SP) if needed: Repulse lets you respond to purple attacks, while Threat Detection lengthens the response window for blue and purple attacks, as described by Gamepressure. Repulse also generates Burst Energy, according to PlayStation’s Stellar Blade game page. These are more situational than the broad timing aids above.
- Beta Chain (2 SP): Take this when you can consistently finish combo strings. Gamepressure says holding the final combo input adds damage and stun, with some energy recovery. It can reward a clean offensive sequence after you have stabilized your defense.
- Beta attack damage and combo upgrades: For a direct Beta attack, Gamepressure recommends Triplet damage and Quadruplet; the latter adds an extra strong stab to the sequence. Beta Skills spend Beta Energy, and PlayStation notes that different skills have different costs and uses, including piercing and crowd control. Choose a move that fits the boss’s openings rather than assuming one attack is best for all of them.
- Burst options once available: Gamepressure recommends Descending Break and Overdrive, noting that Overdrive temporarily increases damage and attack speed. Burst Energy is charged by successful Perfect Dodges, Blink, or Repulse, and Burst Skills are acquired at regional base camps, according to PlayStation.
Choose between parrying, dodging, and ability damage
The first two boosts serve different habits; neither is automatically the right pick for every player. Use this quick comparison to decide what to prioritize after your first points:
| Priority | What it helps with | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Focus Boost | Wider Perfect Parry timing window | You want to block precisely, interrupt attacks, or create an opening by unbalancing the foe. |
| Reflex Boost | Easier Perfect Dodges | You prefer evading attacks and staying close enough to counter. |
| Double Dodge | Two consecutive dodges | You are getting caught by powerful combinations or need another evade in reserve. |
| Repulse and Threat Detection | Responses to specific attack cues; Repulse also contributes Burst Energy | You are learning to handle purple and blue attacks, or want another way to build Burst Energy. |
| Beta Chain and Beta attack upgrades | More payoff from combos and Beta attacks | You can reliably complete combo strings and recognize when a boss is open. |
| Burst skills | Additional attacks, including temporary damage and speed gains from Overdrive | You have unlocked the tree and are ready to spend Burst Energy on openings. |
How to adapt the order to a boss
If attempts end before you can study the attack pattern, favor timing support and an extra evade over damage upgrades. If your parries already feel dependable, move Beta damage or energy utility higher. There is no developer-prescribed unlock order: PlayStation advises reading enemy patterns and weaknesses, and says, “No set style of attack works with every enemy.”
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- When a boss keeps landing front-on attacks: Practice blocking, then prioritize Focus Boost if the parry timing is the sticking point. A precisely timed block can negate damage and unbalance an enemy.
- When you evade successfully but lose opportunities to counter: Prioritize Reflex Boost. Perfect Dodges help EVE avoid the blow while remaining close to the enemy.
- When a combo overwhelms a single evade: Consider Double Dodge, then learn the attack sequence rather than spending every point on offense.
- When the boss presents a blue or purple cue: Consider Threat Detection or Repulse as appropriate. Blink is a separate response for Fatal Attacks that cannot be blocked; it teleports EVE behind the foe when timed and directed correctly.
- When you can reliably punish openings: Add Beta or Burst attacks based on their resource cost and what the boss lets you do safely.
Manage Beta and Burst Energy around openings
Beta Skills consume Beta Energy built during combat, so the strongest-looking move is not automatically the best choice: its cost, effect, and the time available to land it all matter. PlayStation describes Beta Skills as varied attacks, including options for piercing and crowd control. Save a move for a genuine opening if using it during an unsafe moment would expose EVE to a hit.
Burst Energy comes from successful Perfect Dodges, Blink, or Repulse. That makes defensive skill and resource generation connected: responding well to the boss can help fund Burst attacks. Overdrive’s temporary damage and attack-speed increase may be valuable during a safe damage window, while other Burst options should be chosen for the opportunity they suit.
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What changes in New Game Plus
The first-unlock order above is aimed at a new or early run. PlayStation’s April 26, 2024 New Game Plus announcement says NG+ adds 4 Beta skill moves, 8 Beta/Burst enhancement skills, and 5 Drone skills. It also describes expanded weapon, Body Core, Beta Core, and Tumbler progression, plus gear and Exospine Mk2 enhancements. Those are NG+ additions, not a count of early-game skills; the post also notes that enemies are stronger on harder difficulties.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
- A thrilling slice of razor-sharp action - Engage in blisteringly fast combat as you slash a path through the remnants of Earth, facing epic boss encounters that will challenge both brain and brawn in equal measure. Unleash graceful yet brutal attacking combos and unlock new moves as you progress, with customisable skills based on your play style. Upgrade Eve’s weapons to boost your chances as each boss battle becomes progressively more demanding
- An incredible visual experience - Become immersed in a highly detailed post-apocalyptic world that blends beauty and horror to spectacular effect. Explore breath-taking science fiction-inspired environments as the characters and creations of renowned Korean artist and Shift Up studio director Kim Hyung Tae are brought to life, via the graphical power of PlayStation5
- A deep, unforgettable adventure - Discover an enthralling narrative filled with mature themes, mystery and revelation. Embrace the relentless pace, with no time to pause between moments where critical, story-changing decisions are made. Eve's belief in her mission is absolute. But as she destroys her enemies with ruthless power while at the same time forming close-knit bonds with the few friends that have got her back, she'll ultimately be asked questions about what it truly means to be human
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