Are you ready to optimize your Perk Points in Across the Obelisk? Look no further! In this guide, I’ll share my recommendations for the new Perk System based on my extensive experience playing the game. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just starting out, these tips will help you make the most of your Perk Points. So let’s dive in!
Important Notes for New Players
Before we get into the Perk System, there are a few important things you should know about the game mechanics that aren’t well explained in the game itself. Understanding these will give you a solid foundation for making informed decisions. Here are two key points to keep in mind:
Block is not affected by resistances. If a monster deals 100 fire damage and you have 50% fire resistance, you will still lose 100 block. Resistances only come into play once you start taking damage to your HP.
On Hit Effects only trigger when you damage a monster’s HP. If you only hit an enemy’s block, the On Hit Effects, like some weapon effects, will not activate. The same is true for taking damage effects, which only trigger if your hero actually loses HP.
Now that we have that covered, let’s move on to the Perk System itself.
Perk System Categories
To make it easier to navigate, I’ll divide this guide into different categories:
- Always take – Perks that are universally beneficial and should be taken on every character, with a few exceptions based on playstyle.
- Take once – Perks that have a “All heroes gain…” effect, meaning you only need to take them once for the entire party.
- Good optional stuff – Perks that are situational and depend on the hero or build you’re playing.
- Traps – Perks that may seem appealing but are actually not recommended due to their negative effects.
- Special Perks in Detail – A closer look at the unique options we can now choose from in the Perk System.
Let’s explore each category in detail.
Always take
There are a few perks that are absolutely essential and should be taken on every character, regardless of their role or playstyle:
Energy: The most important perk you can take. Being able to play your cards, especially having a strong first turn, is crucial in Across the Obelisk. This one is a no-brainer.
Speed: This perk may seem insignificant at first, as it only influences the order of units. However, if you can finish a fight quickly, acting before your opponents can give you a significant advantage. It allows you to deal damage, heal up, and prevent enemies from playing annoying trigger cards. So don’t underestimate the power of Speed.
Resistances and HP: Keeping your characters alive is key to dealing damage and surviving battles. Prioritize perks that boost resistances and provide a bit of extra HP. Resistances not only reduce damage taken, but also indirectly improve healing.
Inspire: The Elemental Tab offers some great perks. If you have a hero who provides Inspire, consider taking option 2 (+2 cards from Inspire). Option 3 (Immune to stress) is excellent for boss fights, and option 1 (+1 card at the start of the match) is always a safe bet.
Take once
There are perks that have an “All heroes gain…” effect, meaning you only need to take them once for the entire party. Here are a couple of examples:
Vulnerable stack to 12 and reduce by 1: Vulnerable is the best status effect in the game, so increasing the cap and reducing its decay is a no-brainer. Make sure at least one hero takes this perk.
Resistances up by 35%: Each tab (Physical, Elemental, Mystical) has a perk that increases resistances by 35%. If you plan on using these buffs, which you should on higher difficulties, these perks provide some extra survivability for your heroes.
Good optional stuff
Damage Dealers
For damage dealers, there are a few perks that can greatly enhance their effectiveness:
Your primary damage and charges: This is a must-have for damage dealers. Consider skipping this perk for your tank or healer, but for everyone else, it’s essential.
Powerful stack up to 12 and only decay by 1: If you have a source of Powerful, always take this perk. It makes it easier and faster to stack up and can increase your damage by up to +60%.
Shards & Gold: If you’re playing without chests or supplies, you’ll need to take at least some of these perks. Use the remaining points to fill up this category.
Tanks
For tanks, the focus is on survivability and supporting the team:
Fast and Slow charges: These perks can help your entire team act before the enemies, giving you a significant advantage. Consider using Piecing Howl and Push Forward for defense.
Block: Block is the tank’s main job, so invest in perks that increase block. Barricade becomes even better with the additional +Block you can get from these perks.
Fortify: Take option 3 to get even more block for free. This makes good cards like Entrench and Citadel even better. Tanks should prioritize this perk.
Healers
Healers require a unique rune page, but here are a few recommended perks:
Heal: If your role is healing, prioritize perks that increase healing power.
Regeneration: Regeneration perks offer additional healing or increased healing received. Both options are strong and can greatly benefit your team.
Bless: Choose perks that align with your bless strategy. If you plan to bless the whole team, consider taking the option that prevents decay.
Traps
Not all perks are created equal. Some may seem tempting at first glance, but they come with drawbacks that make them less desirable. Here are a few perks you should avoid:
Burn dealing cold damage: Burn is a powerful status effect on its own. However, this perk removes the combo effect and forces you to stack Chill on enemies as well. It’s not worth the hassle.
Bleed at end of turn: The additional Bleed stack is not worth the drawback of dealing damage after the enemy’s turn. Healers can often heal themselves for more than the Bleed damage, making this perk ineffective.
+50% poison damage, but decays completely: If you don’t finish the enemy off in the first turn, this perk becomes a downgrade to your damage. It’s best to prioritize other perks instead.
This hero starts with 1 Reinforce / Insulate / Courage: This perk is expensive and doesn’t stack. It’s more effective to play a card that provides this effect to all your heroes. Save your points for other perks.
Vitality giving mind resistance: There aren’t many enemies that deal mind damage, so this perk is not very useful in most situations.
Insane reducing max HP: This perk is only effective if the enemy is at full HP and has block. It’s not a reliable way to deal damage and is better to be avoided.
Special Perks in Detail
Let’s take a closer look at the unique options available in the Perk System:
Physical Tab
Fury: Option 3 is the best if you can ensure to dispel it. It increases your damage by 5% but also makes you take more damage. Consider your survivability before choosing this option.
Bleed: Stick with the +1 bleed option. Options 2 and 3 are not worth the downside of dealing damage at the end of each turn.
Sharp: All options are viable. Take the third option if you have multiple characters with the Sharp effect.
Poison: Go for the +1 charge option, unless you have another hero focused on dark damage, in which case option 2 is a good choice. Avoid option 3 as it has limited usefulness.
Thorns: Avoid option 2. Take option 3 if you have another character with poison. Option 1 is viable if you’re unsure.
Crack: Option 3 is useful if you’re concerned about applying enough Vulnerable to enemies. Options 1 and 2 are both good choices.
Fortify: Option 1 is recommended for Heiner. Option 3 is not bad, but keep in mind that you’ll have Entrench in your tank’s deck, making +1 fortify unnecessary.
Taunt: This is a personal preference. Consider the trade-off before deciding to use Taunt.
Elemental Tab
Powerful: Always take option 2 on at least one hero. The +1 charge option can also be helpful.
Burn: Option 1 is the safest choice. Option 2 may work for self-burn Cornelius, but option 3 is not recommended.
Chill: In my opinion, Chill is not a strong choice. Option 2 (increased blunt damage) could make Chill viable in the right team, but it’s not a guaranteed success.
Wet: Options 1 and 2 can offer benefits in certain combinations. Consider your team composition before choosing.
Spark: All options are good, but option 2 (Spark spreading to neighbors with 30%) is incredibly powerful. It can lead to a strategy where Spark damage builds up and kills enemies passively.
Mystical Tab
Vitality: Option 1 (+8 HP) is the best choice. Option 2 (remove bleed) is suitable for Fury builds. Option 3 (Mind resistance and no decay) is not recommended due to the limited number of enemies dealing mind damage.
Sanctify: All options are viable, but option 3 is the best. When you have Sanctify capped at 50, it will deal free damage per hit, which synergizes well with repeat or jump cards.
Decay: The best option depends on your build. Option 2 (reduced healing by 75%) and option 3 (reduced Shadow resistance) can work in specific scenarios.
Dark: Option 1 (+1 charge) is suitable for Malukah. Option 3 (+25% explosion damage) is recommended for damage-focused builds. Option 2 (dark explodes at 35) can be dispelled and doesn’t guarantee success.
Regeneration: Both options 1 and 2 are great. Option 1 triples regeneration for the center heroes and provides healing outside of your healer’s turn. Option 2 increases healing received and benefits all heroes.
Insane: The charges option (option 1) is the most reliable for dealing damage. Option 2 and option 3 have limited usefulness and are not as effective.
Bless: All options are viable, depending on how you plan to use bless in your team.
Stanza: The effectiveness of songs depends on the character and playstyle. Generally, it’s best to avoid songs and focus on more useful cards.
Winners and Losers of the Change
To wrap things up, here’s a quick rundown of which heroes have benefited or suffered the most from the change to the Perk System, compared to the early access version of the game. If you’re new to the game or haven’t played during early access, feel free to skip this section. However, if you’re curious, here are the highlights:
Magnus: Around equal. You must now decide whether to focus on damage or block with this hero.
Heiner: Around equal. There are some great perks for Heiner, including the one that grants bonus Blunt and Fire damage for Fortify. However, with so many different aspects to manage, allocating points wisely will be a challenge.
Grukli: Slight benefit. Grukli’s focus on bleed and Fury stacks is better supported by the new perks, giving players more options to enhance his strengths.
Andrin: Around equal. Similar to Heiner, Andrin has a versatile skill set. However, the new perks allow for more specialization in specific directions.
Thuls: Around equal. The Stealth build may have slight improvements, but overall, Thuls remains relatively unchanged.
Evelynn: Lost a lot. Evelynn’s versatility in dealing different elemental damage types was a significant advantage. Now that you have to focus on only one type, her versatility is greatly diminished.
Cornelius: Slight benefit. With the ability to specialize in fire and burn damage, Cornelius has more points to allocate to other beneficial perks.
Wilbur: Greatly benefits. Wilbur was already a strong mage, and the new Spark perk with its 30% spread effect makes him a big winner in this change.
Reginald: Benefits quite a bit. The new perks offer excellent options for regeneration and bless, allowing Reginald to focus on holy damage and healing while neglecting dark and mind damage.
Ottis: Slight benefit. Depending on your build, you can focus on either sanctify or shields. The new perks enhance shield strength and provide unique options for sanctify.
Malukah: Around equal. While Malukah’s focus remains on dark damage, there are still limited viable perks in this category. Consider supplementing with other damage types.
Nezglekt: Around equal. Nezglekt’s focus on mind damage and sight for healing remains consistent. The unique perks for these aspects are not particularly exceptional.
Thank you for reading! I hope you found this guide helpful. Share your opinions in the comments, and may you have a fantastic day!
You may also be interested in:
- Character Unlocks in Across the Obelisk
- Across the Obelisk Boon Guide
- Winning Builds for Starting Team in Across the Obelisk
