How to unlock Martial Skills in Rise of the Ronin

Rise of the Ronin Martial Skills are incredibly powerful weapon skills that can deliver significant damage to your enemies, so here’s how you can unlock and use them.  

Unlocking Martial Skills is one of the best ways to improve your damage output in Rise of the Ronin. Not only do they look incredibly flashy, but they are the best way to deliver powerful hits after a successful Counterspark parry. 

There are a lot of Martial Skills available in Rise of the Ronin, which gives players plenty of versatility when it comes to creating the most deadly loadout. 

So, whether you’re looking to obliterate the game’s bosses or just want to improve your weapon’s lethality, then our Rise of the Ronin Martial Skills guide has you covered. 

Contents

• What are Martial Skills in Rise of the Ronin?
• How to unlock Martial Skills in Rise of the Ronin
• How to use Martial Skills in Rise of the Ronin

What are Martial Skills in Rise of the Ronin? 

Martial Skills are special attacks you can perform with your weapon, which deal huge amounts of Ki damage. Each combat style and weapon has different Martial Skills that can be used, giving you plenty of choice when it comes to taking down your foes. 

For example, the Greatsword has access to the Rock Crusher Martial Skill. When activated, your character will leap into the air to deliver a mighty slash followed by an AoE shockwave.

Meanwhile, the Spear’s Enma Whirl special skill twirls the weapon around hitting all enemies in a circle, which is particularly useful when dealing with groups of bandits. 

How to unlock Martial Skills in Rise of the Ronin

To unlock more Martial Skills in Rise of the Ronin, you’ll need to raise your proficiency in each combat style. There are three ways you can level up your combat style proficiency in Rise of the Ronin, which we’ve listed below:  

Raise your bond with characters

Raising your bond level with a character can sometimes reward you with Martial Skills for specific weapon types. So, be sure to give gifts to your allies gifts, invite them to your Longhouse, pick the correct dialogue options, and take them out on missions. 

Defeat fugitives

Fugitives can reward players with new Combat Styles, which in turn give you access to new Martial Skills. For example, defeating Shirodayu Shiramine in Hodogaya will reward you with the Kiheitai Style, which enables you to use the Rampaging Lion Martial Skill for the Bayonet. 

Train at the Dojo

Training at the Dojo in Bashamichi with characters that are proficient in certain Combat Styles will increase your level in that Combat Style, while also having the chance to unlock new Martial Skills. Be sure to head over to the Dojo regularly to face any new characters as and when they are added. 

How to use Martial Skills in Rise of the Ronin

To use a Martial Skill in Rise of the Ronin, you’ll first need to select a Combat Style for your chosen weapon. Once you’ve done so, you’ll want to hit the following buttons to activate your weapon’s special skill: 

• R1 + Square
• R1 + Triangle
• R1 + X
• R1 + Circle

It’s important to note, that Martial Skills will use up a large amount of Ki (stamina), so be sure to unleash these skills when you have enough time to do so. We recommend saving Martial Skills after you’ve parried an enemy with a Counterspark or when initiating a fight with an unsuspecting enemy. 

So, there you have it, that’s everything you need to know about unlocking Martial Skills and how you can use them in Rise of the Ronin. For more Rise of the Ronin guides, be sure to check out our page here. 

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