Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the biggest game in the series so far, and what makes it even better is the massive Skill Tree that you can upgrade. From holding your breath longer underwater to making less sound when moving, there are many ways to upgrade Lara to be the epic adventurer she already is. Here is a list of all the skills in the game and what you need to do to get the specific upgrades.
Related: Game Gator Review
What do the skills do?
Skill points are earned by earning experience points (XP), which can be earned through combat (With bonus XP awarded for headshots, stealth kills, and executions), hunting, Exploration, raiding tombs, collecting artifacts (with bonus XP awarded for examining them closer) and story progression.
From the moment you look at the Skills, you might be overwhelmed with the sheer amount of upgrades to get, but don’t be alarmed, you will have a ton of upgrades soon enough. A lot of them can actually be collected for free so make sure you explore everything you can to get experience.
Scavenger Skills
Serpent’s Skin – Unlocked in the main story for free: Apply mud as camouflage. Remain concealed in mud and vegetation-covered walls, and reduce detection by enemies when moving across open spaces.
Scale of the Serpent – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Use FOCUS plants to improve reaction responses and slows down time when using.
Scale of the Serpent II – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: FOCUS potency boosted for increased Focus Time when aiming.
Scale of the Serpent III – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: FOCUS mixture effects last for a longer period of time.
Serpent’s Fangs – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: FLARE ROUNDS and CONCUSSIVE SHELLS stun enemies for a longer period of time.
Boa’s Blow – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: Craft CONCUSSIVE SHELLS. Temporarily stuns enemies. Useful for returning to concealment.
Huracan’s Mantle – Unlocked by completing Howling Caves Challenge Tomb: Reduce damage from fire and explosions.
Anole’s Needle – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: VESTIGE outfits require fewer resources to restore to glory.
Serpent’s Glint – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Adds a FLARE ROUND attachment to all pistols. FLARE ROUNDS ignite unarmored enemies and blind surrounding enemies for a few seconds.
Viper’s Venom – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: Craft POISON GRENADES. Kill nearby enemies and obscure lines of sight.
Viper’s Lure – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Craft LURE ARROWS. Attract and kill nearby enemies with a poison cloud when triggered. Obscure lines of sight.
Boa’s Coil – Unlocked with 1 Skill Point: Automatically loot enemies killed by a Stealth Takedown.
Viper’s Snare – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Craft LURE TRAPS on enemy corpses. Attract and kill nearby enemies with a shrapnel explosion when triggered.
Caiman’s Breath – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Increase breath capacity when swimming underwater. Stacks with CAIMAN’S BREATH II.
Caiman’s Breath II – Unlocked by completing San Cordoba Challenge Tomb: Increase breath capacity when swimming underwater.Stacks with CAIMAN’S BREATH.
Caiman’s Heart – Unlocked by completing the Judge’s Gaze Challenge Tomb: Health regenerates more quickly.
Serpent’s Fury – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Kill a second enemy during a Stealth Takedown to perform a Chained Takedown.
Serpent’s Strike – Unlocked with 1 Skill Point: Perform a Stealth Kill Takedown without alerting nearby enemies.
Warrior Skills
Heart of the Jaguar – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: ENDURANCE plants reduce damage from enemy melee and ranged attacks.
Heart of the Jaguar II – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: ENDURANCE mixture potency boosted. Reduce damage from fire and explosions, and increase breath capacity when swimming.
Heart of the Jaguar III – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: ENDURANCE plants effects last for a longer period of time.
Jaguar’s Fear – Unlocked in the main story for free: Craft FEAR ARROWS. Send enemies into a panic, causing them to fire wildly.
Jaguar’s Dread – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: FEAR ARROWS effects last for a longer period of time.
Jaguar’s Paw – Unlocked by completing Ancient Aqueduct Challenge Tomb: Increase chance to knock enemies down with melee attacks.
Jaguar’s Fury – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Resist damage from enemies for a short period after performing a Stealth Kill Takedown.
Howler’s Speed – Unlocked with 1 Skill Point: Never slip when grabbing ledges. More reaction time for traps and grappling enemies.
Howler’s Troop – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: Loose arrows simultaneously at two locked targets.
Howler’s Troop II – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: Loose arrows simultaneously at three locked targets.
Puma’s Feint – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Incapacitate unarmored enemies with a counter attack after dodging.
Puma’s Brace – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Resist damage from enemies for a short period of time after healing wounds in combat.
Puma’s Rest – Unlocked with 1 Skill Point: Increase precision by holding CHARGED SHOTS for a longer time.
Puma’s Charge – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Reach full draw weight more quickly. Reduce time between charged shots.
Raposa’s Drop – Unlocked with 1 Skill Point: Reduce damage when falling from heights. Tap “O” on impact to roll, and take no damage at all.
Raposa’s Threat – Unlocked with 1 Skill Point: Visual assistance when aiming at an enemy’s head.
Raposa’s Wit – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Unlocks next weapon upgrade level.
Kinich Ahau’s Boon – Unlocked by completing the Tree of Life Challenge Tomb: Health is instantly restored once when near death in battle.Refreshes between encounters.
Sip’s Strike – Unlocked by completing the Thirsty Gods Challenge Tomb: Increase CHARGED SHOT damage against armored enemies.
Seeker Skills
Eye of the Eagle – Unlocked in the main story for free: PERCEPTION plants allow the sensing of animals and natural resources throughout the environment.
Eye of the Eagle II – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: Boost the potency of PERCEPTION plants, adding the ability to sense human enemies.
Eye of the Eagle III – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: PERCEPTION plant effects last longer.
Eagle’s Talon – Unlocked in the main story for free: While on a branch, use a Rope Arrow to kill and string up an enemy.
Eagle’s Talon II – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: While on a branch, use a Rope Arrow to kill an enemy and hide their corpse in the canopy.
Eagle’s Sight – Unlocked with 1 Skill Points: Reveal Artifacts, Monoliths, Treasure Chests, Archivist Maps and Explorer Backpacks while using Survival Instincts.
Eagle’s Grasp – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Increase the chances of finding rare animals.
Eagle’s Wing – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Increase chances of recovering arrows when looting enemies and animals killed with a bow.
Eagle’s Perch – Unlocked by completing the Underworld Gate Challenge Tomb: Increase speed when climbing.
Owl’s Wisdom – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Reveal Challenge objects while using Survival Instincts.
Owl’s Vision – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Survival Instincts last for a longer period after Lara starts to move. Highlights enemies, resources, and objects in “One With the Jungle” difficulty.
Owl’s Meal – Unlocked with 1 Skill Points: Gain the ability to harvest DART POISON and VENOM from SPIDERS and BEETLES. Harvesting requires MAKESHIFT KNIFE.
Crow’s Charm – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: Negotiate better prices from Merchants.
Crow’s Hoard – Unlocked with 3 Skill Points: Large capacity ammunition and resource satchels now available to purchase from merchants.
Crow’s Cunning – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Reveal Traps while using Survival Instincts.
Illipa’s Sight – Unlocked with 1 Skill Points: Locate the heart of a large animal while using Survival Instincts. Heart shots inflict massive damage.
Hoatzin’s Step – Unlocked with 1 Skill Points: Reduce noise from jumps, landings and falls.
Hoatzin’s Hunger – Unlocked by completing the Temple of the Sun Challenge Tomb: Increase the number of natural crafting resources gathered from each source.
Viper’s Nest – Unlocked with 2 Skill Points: Increase the amount of man-made crafting resources gathered from each source.
Sip’s Quiver – Unlocked by completing the Path of Battle Challenge Tomb: Loose up to three arrows without pulling from the quiver.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are so many Skills to get, but as you play the game, you will unlock more and more of them. You won’t really notice the progression over time, but when you get them all, you can never go back to the beginning again because you became almost invincible with everything in your hand. Just be patient and unlock them one by one. You will eventually have them all.