V Rising’s RPG take, especially in terms of abilities, on the survival genre has set it apart from the herd. It has so many abilities that you can slot in and change up your playstyle that no two players will have an identical experience. There are a bunch of abilities that are divided into different types so we will dive right into them.
The abilities are divided into:
- Blood
- Unholy
- Frost
- Illusion
- Chaos
The rankings below will be based on the effectiveness of each ability in terms of both PvP and PvE and their general utility.
Blood
Blood Rage – D Rank
Blood Rage allows players to shield themselves and nearby allies for 110% of the caster’s spell power and increase attack speed by 25% for 4.5 seconds. This is an early ability that might be useful in the early game but lacks in performance in the mid to late game in PvE. There is some value in the shielding it provides but the 110% is meagre compared to better options.
It’s another effect, the 25% attack speed bonus is fine though it is only impacting your basic attacks which isn’t that important mid to late game as you will be initiating and leading most fights with your weapon abilities and spells. The perk of being able to buff your allies is a nice touch but ultimately Blood Rage just suffers from a lack of viability long-term.
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For this ability, players need to defeat the V Blood unit Rufus the Foreman at the Bandit Logging Camp in central Farbane Woods.
Blood Rite – D Rank
Blood Rite allows players to block melee and projectile attacks for 1.5 seconds if successful the blocking player receives 30 percent of their spell power back as a heal and triggers a wave of energy that pushes the attackers away dealing 100% magic damage.
This ability just doesn’t stand up in the long term as it lacks viability in most situations. It does provide a guaranteed way to block an attack if you use it right but in both PvE and PvP it just doesn’t stack up against the onslaught of other abilities especially other counters and shields later on. Another issue is the Blood Rite’s healing scales off your spell power and not the actual attack so unless you invest heavily you’re not seeing a whole lot of impact. This ability sounds great but fails to thrive in the game.
Blood Rite is accessible right from the start of the game and is one of the two standard abilities every player has access to during the tutorial process.
Crimson Aegis – A Rank
Crimson Aegis allows players to apply a shield to themselves or a targeted ally for 200% of the caster’s spell power, when applied the shield also knocks back all enemies nearby. This is a defensive ability and scales incredibly in the long term, though there are slightly better versions of this type of ability getting this ability early on is huge especially when confronting challenging V-Blood units or players in PvP.
It boils down to two things, the 200% spell power shield and the utility of being able to control the knockback. If you focus on boosting your spell power you’ll see the massive impact on the 200% shield on the other hand the flexibility to choose when to trigger a knockback is also great.
To get Crimson Aegis you need to defeat the V Blood unit Grayson the Armourer at the Bandit Armory in central Farbane Woods.
Sanguine Coil – B Rank
Sanguine Coil is a skill shot spell that allows you to launch a projectile that deals 75% magic damage and leech 40% health on an enemy hit, if used on an ally instead of an enemy it heals the ally for 100%, and the caster for 40% of their spell power. You get three charges when using this spell.
This is an interesting ability with its multiple usages which gives it several options to make an impact and with each attack triggering some sort of self-healing, it’s providing both damage and utility. The downside is the lack of damage i.e. 75% is weaker compared to other spells in the game. Some players won’t mind it but it becomes a big issue later down the line.
You are either going to lean further into offensive or defensive which puts sanguine coil in this weird mediocrity. With a 100% Scholar Blood buff this spell heals for much more and has a chance to free cast but it’s all dependent on getting high blood buffs consistently. Other spells in the game deal more damage or heal more right out of the gate.
Sanguine Coil is unlocked after killing the V Blood unit Meredith the Bright Archer in the Haunted Iron Mines in southern Dunley Farmlands.
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Shadowbolt – C Rank
Shadowbolt is a standard single-cast projectile that deals 200% magic damage and inflicts a one-second fading snare which means it’s more effective at the start but loses effectiveness quickly. Sometimes simple is effective and that’s the case with Shadowbolt.
Its 200% magic damage is solid though it’s unclear exactly how magic damage scales off of spell power, you just need to use the ability a few times to realize it gets the job done. The added value of a short snare is nice but nothing special, it’s great in PvP for quickly slowing down an enemy that might be chasing you or in PvE to reposition. This has a weak utility and is a good introductory skill that stays relevant throughout most of the game but eventually gets outshined.
Shadowbolt is one of the first abilities you get as a player in V Rising.
Veil of Blood – C Rank
Veil of Blood is the blood tree’s travel skill, it allows you to dash towards a given direction avoiding attacks for 2.2 seconds when breaking out of the stealth the next attack deals 25% bonus damage and heals for 5% of your maximum health.
This is an excellent foundational skill that allows players movement and recovery which is important early on. This ability doesn’t have a wow factor. You get the movement speed which is there in all travel skills, it has bonus damage and to be fair 25% boost isn’t going to add much to the equation especially considering other skills have that as well, and finally, you get a 5% heal based on your max HP which is the best part of the ability though once you tap into different blood types, potions and other ways of recovery this becomes non-essential.
This is the first travel skill players get in the game and doesn’t need to be unlocked, you get it almost instantly during the first 30 minutes of your V Rising experience.
Crimson Beam – B Rank
Crimson Beam (ultimate skill) channels a beam of energy that deals 150% magic damage to enemies hit and heals allies for 100% of your spell power per second up to 4 seconds, each target that you hit with the beam heals you for 25% of your spell power.
The balance of damage and healing of this ultimate is quite solid and it feels like a powerful ultimate ability. However, the ability isn’t perfect as from both a PvE and PvP perspective it’s pretty flawed. In a PvP setting the ability causes the user to become stationary and its rotation speed isn’t great as a smart opponent can dodge the beam and then punish the player without much trouble, this is a huge issue in the ability’s effectiveness.
To unlock Crimson Beam you need to kill the V Blood unit Raziel the Shepherd in the main building of the Dunley Monastery.
Heart Strike – S Rank
Heart Strike is a powerful ultimate that allows players to dash forward in a straight line dealing 150% magic damage as well as healing the player for 150% of their spell power over 3.5 seconds additionally for every target hit with the initial dash a blood nova will explode shortly after dealing 150% magic damage to them and nearby targets.
Heart Strike is an incredibly potent ability in both PvE and PvP that deals superb damage, and provides mobility or means to reposition as well as HP recovery. It checks off all the boxes and doesn’t have a proper downside. One nitpick is that it performs better with multiple targets and if you manage to line up a bunch of enemies and trigger the blood nova it’s game over for them.
The damage is insane and even on a single target encounter like bosses or a single PvP battle, it’s still quite effective. The percentages for both damage and healing are generous and the added mobility weighs in quite a bit as you can use this ultimate for repositioning and getting to a better spot for an engagement. Every player should keep this ability in their arsenal.
To get Heart Strike you’ll need to kill the V Blood unit Willfred the Werewolf Chief in Gloomgrave Village. This fight is only accessible during the nighttime.
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Unholy
Corpse Explosion – D Rank
Corpse Explosion when triggered will raise a pile of bones from below that explodes at a targeted location dealing 125% magic damage and applying a fading snare that lasts for one second. Other than introducing players to the unholy skill tree this skill falls pretty flat in terms of effectiveness.
Though it is one of a handful of AoE abilities the delay between cast and impact leaves a lot of room for error. In both PvE and PvP, enemies can simply dodge the ability and due to the lackluster 125% damage, it’s hard to justify using one of your precious ability slots on such a subpar skill. This ability has too many flaws in practice.
To unlock this ability you will need to kill Goreswine the Ravager in the southern part of Farbane Woods. This boss patrols between the Desecrated Graveyard and the Infested Graveyard so you might have to search for him.
Pestilence – B Rank
Pestilence allows players to launch a wave of 3 unholy projectiles that each deal 40% magic damage, knocks the target back, and inflicts Amplify which increases damage taken by 25% for five seconds. Pestilence succeeds where Corpse Explosion fails for one reason, the damage amplification i.e. 25% damage taken debuff you can apply to enemies is highly effective and makes this much more valuable as an ability.
Unfortunately, that’s the only strong aspect of the skill as the damage is lacking and unless you’re in melee range and use the ability as a shotgun you’ll rarely hit all three projectiles on a single target. If you can capitalize on the damage amplification and understand how best to use Pestilence in combat, the ability is decent enough.
To unlock Pestilence players need to kill the V Blood unit Nicholaus the Fallen, he is located at the top of the Forgotten Cemetery in central Farbane Woods.
Purgatory – S Rank
Purgatory allows players to call down a pillar of energy that slows enemies in an area for 1 second and heals allies for 40% of the player’s spell power, after 1.2 seconds the pillar erupts in a powerful burst of energy dealing 75% magic damage to enemies and healing allies for 75% of your spell power.
Purgatory is one of the best abilities in V Rising. Firstly, the healing component of the skill in late-game PvE encounters and pretty much all PvP encounters is going to be a huge factor in your success, not only do you get healed during the initial cast but also again once the abilities’ explosion is triggered.
With the initial cast, the slow effect is applied which provides players with remarkable utility in PvP encounters. Purgatory also has a decent size AoE attack that deals good damage which helps provide it further utility.
To unlock Purgatory players will need to defeat Christina the Sun Priestess who’s found patrolling around Dawnbreak Village in the Dunley Farmlands. It’s best to track her using the Blood Altar as she is difficult to locate.
Unstable Mosquito – B Rank
Unstable Mosquitoes summons a mosquito that chases down an enemy and explodes after 1 second, this deals 60% magic damage in an area and inflicts Amplify that increases damage taken by 25% for 5 seconds.
Unstable Mosquito is not a perfect ability but it’s an interesting one. There are a few issues here, the first is that the explosion is delayed which causes problems if the target isn’t incapacitated, second its short range makes it easy to dodge in PvP. Some one-shot builds use Unstable Mosquito with a stun freeze combo to quickly kill off a target.
One positive is that the ability has a 25% damage amplification and comes with two charges which do increase its utility.
To unlock Unstable Mosquito players need to kill the V Blood unit Matka the Curse Weaver in the Cursed Forest.
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Ward of the Damned – B Rank
Ward of the Damned increases movement speed by 10% and blocks melee and projectile attacks in front of you for 2 seconds, each absorbed attack summons a skeleton, and enemy attackers are knocked backward.
Ward of the Damned is most effective when used in a high mob density situation, the more attacks that hits the 2 second shield the more skeleton soldiers you get fighting on your side and that’s part of the allure of the ability. This ability has a relatively low cooldown which allows it to be used more frequently which is great in PvP.
When dealing with aggressive attackers if the player doesn’t have the patience of usage then this ability’s utility falls greatly. The skeleton soldiers too aren’t that useful in PvP.
This ability is unlocked when you defeat Nicholaus the Fallen in the Forgotten Cemetery in Farbane Woods.
Veil of Bones – A Rank
Veil of Bones allows players to dash towards a direction eluding nearby enemies for 2.2 seconds, your next attack launches a projectile that deals 25% magic damage, bouncing up to four targets and inflicting amplify that increases damage taken by 25% for five seconds.
Veil of bones is one of the better travel skills in the game. The projectile you get from landing your first hit after the dash bounces to four targets applying the damage amplification debuff which might be one of the most efficient ways to spread the debuff around when surrounded by multiple enemies. This is a huge selling point for the ability though you do have to land that first hit and if you miss you lose out on the effect.
Veil of Bones is the second ability unlocked when players defeat Goreswine the Ravager.
Summon Fallen Angel – A Rank
Summon Fallen Angel allows you to summon an NPC to fight by you for 15 seconds, attacks made by the fallen angel inflict amplify that increases damage taken by 25%.
15 seconds is a very generous ultimate timer compared to others in the game which already helps the ability stand out. The angel actively chases enemies making it hard for them to avoid any of its attacks and in some worst-case scenarios, it gets at least one attack in on a target this causes damage amplification which is great. For those of you that engage in PvP, especially on a four-person server, the fallen angel does work in close quarters such as inside a castle.
To unlock this ability you need to defeat Solarus the Immaculate the final V Blood unit currently in V Rising.
Volatile Arachnid – C Rank
Volatile Arachnid summons spiderlings that chase down your enemies and explode when nearby dealing 100% magic damage, the explosion also spawns a toxic fume that deals 20% magic damage every 0.8 seconds while also slowing enemies by 25%.
You get three charges of exploding spiders that you can use to deal decent AoE and overtime damage. Sadly these spiders are easy to avoid and that makes the ability less viable in all situations across PvE and PvP.
The damage and the lingering effect makes a noticeable impact in PvE but in PvP situations, the ability doesn’t perform great. It’s only effective if the target is stunned otherwise a talented opponent can easily sideline it making this ability quite mediocre.
To get Volatile Arachnid you need to defeat the V Blood unit Ungora the Spider Queen at the end of the Spider Cave in the Cursed Forest.
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Frost
Crystal Lance – C Rank
Crystal Lance launches a projectile dealing 150% magic damage and inflicting Chill, hitting a chilled enemy freezes it for 4 seconds. The Crystal Lance splinters into a nova of projectiles on impact and each splinter deals 50% magic damage, chilling or freezing targets as well. Enemy vampires are frozen for 2.5 seconds.
Crystal Lance is powerful and that 150% magic damage scales nicely. This ability is decent enough as a straight line projectile but it lacks practical usability. The issue is the long cast time and nova of projectiles, in PvP a long cast time means the ability is easy to predict and you’re locked into a cast animation slowing you down.
On top of this detrimental state, the ability’s secondary effect, the nova of projectiles isn’t that great as the projectiles don’t often hit anything. Unless you’re skillful while casting, the impact of those additional projectiles is next to none.
Crystal Lance is unlocked after killing the V Blood unit Mairwyn the Elementalist in Silverlight Hills.
Frost Barrier – A Rank
The Frost Barrier shield increases movement speed by 10% and blocks melee and projectile attacks in front of you for two seconds, it also spawns up to 8 waves of frost dealing 50% magic damage and inflicting Chill when the barrier is struck.
Frost Barrier is an amazing shield. The damage component, waves of frost with the chill effect is a good combination in both PvE and PvP. It performs well and if you lean into a frost build you can capitalize on that chill effect. If used properly the shield is hard to dodge, the waves of frost that spawn are designed well and if something hits the shield the enemy will most likely pay the price.
To unlock Frost Barrier you need to kill the V Blood unit Vincent the Frostbringer found patrolling the roads of the Dunley Farmlands. It is recommended that you track him using the Blood Altar.
Frost Bat – A Rank
Frost Bat launches a projectile that explodes upon impact dealing 100% magic damage and inflicting chill on surrounding enemies, hitting a chilled enemy freezes it for 4 seconds. Enemy vampires are frozen for 2.5 seconds.
Frost Bat is a solid frost skill. First off it’s almost an instant cast, it’s a lot more valuable in both PvE and PvP. You get two charges which are good for several reasons, you can use this one skill to inflict chill and freeze and if you land both shots there’s also an AoE component that’s easy to land which is nice in both PvE and PvP. If you’re leaning into the frost tree, Frost Bat fits in nicely as a spell that can lay the foundation for a more powerful build.
To unlock Frost Bat players need to kill the V Blood unit Keely the Frost Archer in the far east of Farbane Woods.
Related: How To Obtain Vampire Forms in V Rising?
Ice Nova – B Rank
Ice Nova summon a nova of ice at the target location dealing 100% magic damage and freezing any enemy already affected by chill for 4 seconds, the nova radiates outward inflicting chill for 5 seconds. Enemy vampires are frozen for 2.5 seconds.
Ice Nova is great on paper but a few things hold it back from being truly amazing. It doesn’t get any magic amplification which keeps its damage relatively low, it’s also an easy ability to spot though the instant cast and quick ramp-up time makes this a non-issue.
It does excel on impact as its large AoE can catch multiple players or groups of enemies off guard which allows you to set up a fight or slow down foes enough to get away. You can use this as a follow-up skill to an already chilled opponent which makes it effective when used in conjunction with another ability.
to unlock Ice Nova players need to kill the V Blood unit Frostmaw the Mountain Terror found in the Hollowed Mountains.
Veil of Frost – A Rank
Veil of Frost allows players to dash towards a given direction, elude nearby enemies for 2.2 seconds and apply a self shield for 125% of their spell power. The next primary attack deals 25% bonus damage and conjures a nova of frost dealing 50% magic damage and inflicting chill on nearby enemies.
Veil of Frost is a powerful travel skill and one of the better options in the game because of its unique effect. It gives players the flexibility to use it as an offensive move for inflicting chill and triggering the final component of freeze or a defensive tool by using it just before getting hit or absorbing a DoT effect entirely.
Veil of Frost is unlocked after killing the V Blood unit Vincent the Frostbringer in the Dunley Farmlands.
Arctic Leap – S Rank
Arctic Leap when cast, players leap into the air and strike down at a target location dealing 225% magic damage, a nova of frost erupts from the impact location, freezing any enemies hit for up to 6 seconds and enemy vampires are 3 seconds.
This ultimate is the meta currently in V Rising’s PvE. The damage is remarkably high and scales accordingly. In most situations, it destroys mobs and has the added value of being able to control enemy movement with its freeze effect. The impact is where you get the most damage and the initial chill effect but the control comes due to the expanding frost nova.
The ability isn’t as powerful by itself in PvP due to its easy-to-spot animation though if executed correctly as a follow-up, the impact is massive and leads to chain stun combos.
To unlock this ability players need to kill the V Blood unit Terrorclaw the Ogre in the Hollowed Mountains.
Frost Vortex – C Rank
Frost Vortex conjures a frost storm that deals 100% magic damage and pulls enemies towards the center, the storm rages on for 6 seconds dealing 480% magic damage and inflicting chill on all enemies.
Frost Vortex seems all-powerful with incredibly high damage that scales well, the problem is the ability is only effective in PvE, the issue in PvP is that it is easy to avoid. If used correctly or if you manage to catch enemies off guard, the skill can make a serious impact but there is a secondary animation that has a bit of a false start which allows opposing players to escape.
To unlock Frost Vortex you’ll need to kill the endgame V Blood unit The Winged Terror in the Cursed Forest. You will require the bat transformation to reach this boss.
Related: Winged Horror Boss Guide – V Rising
Illusion
Mist Trance – B Rank
Mist Trance when activated blocks melee and projectile attacks for up to 1.5 seconds, players also turn non-material and teleport to the cursor location when an attack is blocked, this also resets the cooldown of your secondary weapon attack.
This ability allows you to go invulnerable for some time but the payoff is simply to reposition and reset a weapon cooldown. There is value to being able to reposition after an enemy attack and using the spell to completely negate an enemy’s attack is strong but without an additional utility, it lags behind other more powerful abilities.
There is viability in PvP but if we consider its overall utility it just doesn’t go all the way.
To unlock Mist Trance players need to kill Foulrot the Soultaker in the Cursed Forest, he can be found in the Ancient Village in the eastern part of the area.
Spectral Assassin – C Rank
Spectral Assassin summons a spectral assassin at a targeted location that performs a heavy melee attack dealing 125% magic damage to nearby enemies, knocking them back and weakening them, reducing damage output by 30% for 5 seconds.
Spectral Assassin is a unique ability that can become better with some work. The mechanics of the spell are solid when they actually work, oftentimes when you summon the assassin it fails to hit anything as the time between casting and attack swing is so long that enemies have moved away.
In its current form, it’s not a great ability, the damage could be higher although the knockback and weakening are both amazing aspects of the spell.
To unlock this ability players need to kill Leandra the Shadow Priestess in the Dunley Farmlands. She can be found at the altar in the Church of the Damned.
Spectral Wolf – B Rank
Spectral Wolf, when cast players send out a spectral wolf in a straight line dealing 100% magic damage, inflicting a fading snare and weakens the target reducing the damage output by 30% for 5 seconds, it also bounces up to 2 nearby enemies dealing 75% less damage per hit.
Spectral wolf is not an ability that you use for its damage as it doesn’t go beyond 100% magic damage and you won’t be getting magic scaling meaning in the long term the damage is going to seriously lag.
However, it is a solid utility spell that performs well in PvE and PvP both. The fading snare, weakening, and the ability to bounce between targets are amazing aspects of the skill but the damage is what drags it down.
To unlock this ability players need to kill Polora the Feywalker in western Farbane Woods. This V Blood unit can be found in the Gleaming Meadows.
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Wisp Dance – D Rank
Wisp Dance, when cast players summon three wisps that circle around them dealing 25% magic damage to enemies. Recast the spell to launch all three wisps as projectiles dealing 50% magic damage and weakening the target reducing damage output by 30% for 5 seconds.
For killing such a powerful endgame enemy you’d think you’d get a more powerful spell but sadly Wisp Dance fails to impress in nearly every situation. The ability has lackluster damage along with that you need to stand right next to an enemy’s face while the wisps are active to make any sort of impact.
To unlock Wisp Dance players need to kill Gorecrusher the Behemoth in the Cursed Forest, this is one of the final V Blood units currently in the game found in the Lair of the Behemoth.
Veil of Illusion – B Rank
Veil of Illusion, dash in a given direction eluding nearby enemies for 2.2 seconds, player’s next primary attack also deal 25% bonus damage. When cast players also spawn an illusion that throws projectiles dealing 40% magic damage. Recast to return players to the start position and spawning a new illusion at the current location.
Veil of Illusion’s biggest strength is in its flexibility to recast, this is a valuable component in both PvE and PvP, being able to keep your enemies guessing as you engage in a duel adds a lot of value. However, that’s where the advantages end, Veil of Illusion doesn’t do enough to be that impressive the 25% bonus damage is meager and the summoned illusion is a joke barely doing any sort of meaningful damage.
Veil of Illusion is unlocked when players kill Polora the Feywalker in Farbane Woods. This is the second ability unlocked after killing this boss.
Mirror Strike – A Rank
Mirror Strike, dash forward and bounce between nearby enemies striking them for a total of 600% magic damage split evenly across targets within the area over 3 seconds. Enemies hit are also weakened by 30% for 5 seconds. Once over players dash towards their aim direction.
This is a fun ability. The real selling point here is twofold, the sheer damage potential and the overall ease with which players can pull off the ability. 600% is a lot of damage and makes the ability feel impactful in both PvE and PvP.
The second aspect of the skill is its ease of use, as long as you hit an enemy the ability pretty much does the rest on auto.
This ability is unlocked by defeating Octavian the Militia Captain in the Dunley Farmlands.
Spectral Guardian – C Rank
Summon a Spectral Guardian that shields allies in an area for 125% of the player’s spell power, it also attacks enemies with powerful swings. The defensive shield is reapplied every 1.5 seconds and the guardian lasts for 7 seconds.
Spectral Guardian is easily one of the worst ultimate abilities in the game. The concept of a guardian that provides a defensive boost sounds good but the short duration makes it a dud. Whether it’s the potency of the shields or the overall length of the summon everything seems off. It’s impossible to compare this with any other ultimate.
Spectral Guardian does have some value in PvP in some niche scenarios especially when players are engaging in groups but outside of that it’s useless.
To unlock the Spectral Guardian players need to kill Terah the Geomancer in the northwest portion of the Dunley Farmlands. She can be found isolated at Bedrock Pass.
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Chaos
Aftershock – C Rank
Aftershock, players smash the ground causing a shock wave that erupts dealing 100% magic damage in a line and inflicting Chaos Burn.
This is an okay chaos ability. The ability does have some strengths it’s solid in tight corridors making it great when laying siege or defending a castle and it also has an AoE component which of course is always a plus. The ability also triggers the chaos burn DoT which not only chips away from the enemy’s health pool over time it also keeps the enemy in combat and makes it much harder for them to heal, amazing in terms of PvP also the damage over time is great in PvE.
The ability is easy to use it’s not the most impactful. Its 100% magic damage doesn’t scale well in the endgame and its clear telegraph makes it less ideal in PvP making it easy to avoid.
To unlock Aftershock players need to kill the V Blood unit Errol the Stonebreaker found in the Copper Mine in Farbane Woods.
Chaos Barrier – S Rank
Chaos Barrier, when cast players movement speed is increased by 10% and players also block melee and projectile attacks in front of them for 2 seconds. Blocking an attack launches a projectile towards the attacker dealing 75% damage, pushing the target towards you and inflicting Chaos Burn. The cooldown of the spell is 9 seconds.
This is the best defensive skill in the game. First off you’re getting some bonus movement speed which is good and it also blocks all melee and projectile attacks and that’s good too. The greatness shines when you reflect attacks on an enemy for surprisingly good damage. Chaos Barrier’s ability to pull enemies closer is also a huge advantage in PvP and makes engagements that much easier especially if you’re an aggressive player. The reflected projectiles also apply Chaos Burn which is great for its DoT potential.
To unlock Chaos Barrier players need to kill the V Blood unit Quincey the Bandit King in central Farbane Woods.
Chaos Volley – S Rank
Chaos Volley launches 2 chaos bolts in a sequence that deals 125% magic damage and inflicts Chaos Burn.
The best ability in V Rising according to the community. Chaos Volley is great at poking allowing players to deal significant damage from mid-range. You also get two attacks per cast which sweeten the deal as its more damage potential. The spell has a relatively short cooldown, the projectiles inflict Chaos Burn and Chaos Volley scales well in the endgame. PvE or PvP it doesn’t matter this spell is about as meta as it gets.
To unlock Chaos Volley players need to kill the V Blood unit Lidia the Chaos Archer in Farbane Woods. It’s best to use the Blood Altar to track her as she moves extensively.
Power Surge – S Rank
Power Surge removes all negative effects and applies a 4-second shield on the player or chosen ally, it also shields the target for 150% of the casting player’s spell power. Increases the movement speed and attack speed by 25% while the shield is active.
This is a stellar skill. You’ve got a powerful shield, a buff to movement and attack speed, a negative effect purge, and you can cast the spell on an ally. Power Surge provides benefits for both solo players and group players and in both PvE and PvP. This ability’s prowess surpasses all the small nitpicks that one might have with it.
To unlock this ability players need to kill the V Blood unit Azariel the Sunbringer in Silverlight Hills.
Related: V Rising: Azariel the Sunbringer Guide
Void – B Rank
Void summons an orb that explodes at the targeted location dealing 70% magic damage and inflicting Chaos Burn. This skill comes with two charges and each charge has a 9-second cooldown. Be aware this skill also pushes enemies in whatever direction of the AoE they’re standing in.
Void is a surprisingly good chaos ability that provides flexibility to control a fight. Sadly its low damage doesn’t scale well in the endgame. The two charges offer players continuous use and the Chaos Burn applies DoT. The spell also covers a sizable area, doesn’t have a long ramp-up time before detonation, and feels rather snappy for a point-and-click AoE explosion.
The spell’s knockback is a bit overpowering and in teamplay causes some issues with combos. Even in PvE, the knockback is just a bit odd for an ability that’s meant to be used at range.
Void is unlocked when players killed the V Blood unit Morian the Stormwing Matriarch found in Silverlight Hills.
Veil of Chaos – A Rank
Veil of Chaos, dash towards a given direction and elude nearby enemies for 2.2 seconds, player’s next melee attack deals 25% bonus damage and the spell can be recast to dash once more spawning a second illusion. Your illusions explode dealing 50% magic damage to all nearby enemies.
The recast of the spell gives you a second dash towards whatever direction they want though the range is shorter and this can be used to bob and weave midbattle. The ability’s 25% damage bonus also synergizes well with Rogue blood-type as you can dash attack dash attack and lean into the critical effect.
Veil of Chaos also has an explosive component that can be utilized twice and in the right scenario provide even more damage.
To unlock Veil of Chaos players need to kill the V Blood unit Clive the Firestarter in the southwest corner of Farbane Woods.
Chaos Barrage – C Rank
Chaos Barrage launches 4 chaos orbs that deal 75% magic damage on direct hit, 75% magic damage to enemies in an area and everything inflicts Chaos Burn.
This is a weak evolution of the Chaos Volley skill. The damage is fine but it lacks scaling and the problem is you’re stationary during casting which is a huge issue in PvP, the spell leaves you open for attack and if you trigger it at the wrong time you’re pretty much a sitting duck.
The spell is easy to spot and avoid which makes it a bit of a letdown. Although this spell does function well enough in PvE.
To unlock Chaos Barrage players need to kill the V Blood unit Jade the Vampire Hunter in the Dunley Farmlands. This is a patrolling enemy so it’s best to use Blood Altar to track her location.
Merciless Charge – A Rank
Merciless Charge, charge forward and grab an enemy dealing 125% magic damage pushing them in front of the player this deals 100% magic area damage and inflicts a stun lasting 1.5 seconds.
Merciless Charge is an interesting ability. At first glance it’s a simple line charge attack that deals decent damage but when you consider both PvE and PvP it becomes a lot more potent. In PvE you can use it to avoid an attack or simply deal damage, in PvP it’s much more potent allowing you to chase a player, avoid taking damage or even use it to peel enemies away from a fight.
To unlock Merciless Charge players need to kill the V Blood unit Quincey the Bandit King in central Farbane Woods.
Though we have tried to objectively rank these abilities according to their effectiveness in multiple scenarios, in the end, it is up to the player’s preference and playstyle that will govern the final say. Use this list as a means to evaluate each ability and play with whichever seems more enjoyable to you.