In this Days Gone Skills guide, we will detail all the skills and skill trees there are in the game and list all the best Skills for you to unlock first. As you progress through the story of the game, you earn Skill Points. These Skill Points can then be used to unlock various Skills that can boost your abilities in combat or survival.

Upgrading Deacon St. John’s abilities will make him more powerful and be able to survive the various threats in this zombie-filled world. Its best to have an understanding of how you can unlock new skills according to your needs first, or the ones that suit your individual play style.

Days Gone Skills Guide

Below we have detailed everything you need to know about Skills in Days Gone. We have listed all the Skill Trees and the various skills that they contain. Additionally, we have also detailed effect each Skill has upon unlocking, and the cost it requires to unlock. Lastly, we will list the best abilities that we think will help you in the gameplay.

Skill Trees

In the Skills menu, you will see that there are 3 Skill trees which are namely:

Melee Combat Skills
Ranged Combat Skills
Survival Combat Skills

Each Skill Tree will contain all the skills that you can unlock, with the requirements to unlock them. Players are rewarded with Skill points by earning XP. This can be done by simply playing the game, and engaging in various actions, like combating enemies or completing certain story missions.

As you can expect, smaller actions will yield less XP, while completing missions and quests will give you a hefty chunk of XP Points. It is best to keep a balance between the main story and the side quests to gather as much XP you can. This will help you unlock more skills that will help in the later parts of the gameplay, especially when it becomes challenging.

All Skills

This part of the guide contains all the Skills in the three skill trees of the game. We will also list their effects, and how many Skill Points are required to unlock them.

Melee Skill Tree

All the skills in the Melee Combat are listed below:

Escape Artist (Level 1)

This skill allows you to kill smaller enemies after successfully escaping from a grapple. To unlock this skill you need 1 Skill Point.

Field Repairs (Level 1)

This skill allows you the ability to repair melee weapons with scrap. To unlock this skill, you need 1 Skill Point.

Juice Up (Level 1)

This skill improves your initial recovery and duration of a Stamina Cocktail. To unlock this skill you need 1 Skill Point.

Hard Hitter (Level 2)

This skill increases the damage of both your crafter and found melee weapons. To unlock this skill you need 2 Skill Points.

Busted Lip (Level 2)

This skill regenerates your stamina for every melee kill you perform. To unlock this skill you need 2 Skill Points.

Talk Shit, Get Hit (Level 2)

This skill gives you the ability to perform longer combos with melee weapons. To unlock this skill you need 2 Skill Points.

Lightning Reflexes (Level 3)

This skill gives you tot ability to roll quickly to recover from a knockdown. To unlock this skill you need 4 Skill Points.

Bull Rush (Level 3)

This skill gives you the ability to stun a normal human Enemy or Swarmer with a Melee attack while sprinting. You need 4 Skill Points to unlock this skill.

The Reckoning (Level 3)

This skill gives your melee weapons a chance for a critical takedown on Humans, Swarmers, and Newts. This skill does not work with Boot Knife. To unlock this skill you need 4 Skill Points.

Just Roll With It (Level 4)

This skill drastically reduces stamina cost from rolling. To unlock this skill you need 6 Skill Points.

Rock On (Level 4)

This skill gives you the ability to stun weaker enemies by hitting them with a rock. To unlock this skill you need 6 Skill Points.

Home Run (Level 4)

This skill significantly increases the damage of both your crafter and found melee weapons. To unlock this skill you need 6 Skill Points.

Retribution (Level 5)

This skill increases the chance of a critical hit or takedown by 25%. To unlock this skill you need 8 Skill Points.

Switch It Up (Level 5)

This skill allows your Boot knife combos to do twice the normal damage. To unlock this skill you need 8 Skill Points.

Executioner (Level 5)

This skill gives you the ability to stealth attack heavy Freakers and also adds the ability to kill heavy Freakers and large animals while escaping a Grapple. To unlock this skill, you need 8 Skill Points.

Ranger Skill Tree

All the skills in Ranged combat are listed below:

Focused Shot (Level 1)

This skill gives you the ability to activate Focus while aiming a ranged weapon. To unlock this skill you need 1 Skill Point.

Fight and Flight (Level 1)

This skill allows you to move and aim a ranged weapon with more precision. To unlock this skill you need 1 Skill Point.

Vicious Cycle (Level 1)

This skill gives you the ability to follow a melee attack with a ranged attack for massive damage. to unlock this skill you need 1 Skill Point.

Suppressing Fire (Level 2)

When in Focus, ranged weapons will have increased power to stop weaker enemies. To unlock this skill you need 2 Skill Points.

Crowd Control (Level 2)

This skill reduces the cooldown of Focus. To unlock this skill you need 2 Skill Points.

Hyperfocus (Level 2)

This skill improves the initial recovery and duration of a Focus Cocktail. To unlock this skill you need 2 Skill Points.

On the Move (Level 3)

This skill gives you the ability to reload ranged weapons while sprinting. To unlock this skill you need 4 Skill Points.

Iron Grip (Level 3)

This skill greatly reduces Ranged weapon recoil. To unlock this skill you need 4 Skill Points.

Nocked Up (Level 3)

This skill significantly increases crossbow bolt damage. You need 4 Skill Points to unlock this skill.

Under Pressure (Level 4)

This skill will allow you to no longer consume Focus when reloading a ranged weapon. to unlock this skill you need 6 Skill Points.

Quick Reload (Level 4)

This skill reduces the reload time for ranged weapons. To unlock you need 6 Skill Points.

Deadshot (Level 4)

This skill increases the accuracy of ranged weapons. To unlock you need 6 Skill Points.

Up the Ante (Level 5)

This skill increases ammo capacity for all ranged weapons. To unlock you need 8 Skill Points

Two Birds, One Bullet (Level 5)

This skill increases projectile penetration for ranged weapons. To unlock this skill you need 8 Skill Points.

Head Rush (Level 5)

This skill recovers your health with every headshot kill you perform. To unlock this skill you need 8 Skill Points.

Survival Skill Tree

All the skills in Survival combat are listed below:

Eye for Detail (Level 1)

This skill increases the time that icons display in Survival Vision. To unlock this skill you need 1 Skill Point.

Hawkeyed (Level 1)

This skill allows the plants to be displayed on the Mini-map. to unlock this skill you need 1 Skill Point.

Thorn on Your Side (Level 1)

This skill provides you with a chance to retrieve some bolts that have been fired from your crossbow. This skill can be unlocked with 1 Skill Point.

Eagle Eyed (Level 2)

This skill increases the range of Survival Vision. To unlock this skill you need 2 Skill Points.

Thief in the Night (Level 2)

This skill generates less noise when moving or dropping. To unlock this skill you need 2 Skill Points.

Green Thumb (Level 2)

This skill gives you the ability to gather double the plants when collecting them. To unlock this skill you need 2 Skill Points.

The Butcher (Level 3)

This skill increases the amount of meat gathered from animals. This skill can be unlocked with 4 Skill Points.

Catch Your Breath (Level 3)

This skill reduces the cooldown on stamina recovery. To unlock this skill you need 4 Skill Points.

Ear to the Ground (Level 3)

This skill outlines enemies in Survival Vision. To unlock this skill you need 4 Skill Points.

Monkey Wrench (Level 4)

This skill doubles the effectiveness of scrap while repairing the bike. To unlock this skill you need 6 Skill Points.

Second Wind (Level 4)

This skill gives you an extra burst of adrenaline when low on health. To unlock this skill you need 6 Skill Points.

Carry That Weight (Level 4)

This skill increases inventory space for crafting components, traps, and throwables. To unlock this skill you need 6 Skill Points.

The Alchemist (Level 5)

This skill improves the initial recovery and duration of a Health Cocktail. To unlock this skill you need 8 Skill Points.

Shape Up (Level 5)

This skill significantly increases stamina regeneration rates. To unlock this skill you need 8 Skill Points.

Six Feet Over (Level 5)

This skill allows you to regain some stamina when taking damage. To unlock this skill, you need 8 Skill Points.

Best Skills

There are many skills that you can unlock, and every individual would want a skill that compliments or aides their playstyle. While the game offers a variety of Skills for you to unlock, here are some of the best ones in our opinion.

Escape Artist: This skill will come in handy especially if you are just getting started with the game. Deacon will at some point be grappled by enemies when the fight gets overwhelming. This skill will allow you to get out of the enemy’s hold.
Field Damage: This is one of the most important skills to have early on in the game. With ammo being scarce in the game, you will rely on your melee weapons. Unfortunately, Melee weapons damage with use. This is where you can repair them with this skill.
Focused Shot: This skill should be your highest priority in acquiring. As we have already said, ammo is scarce in the early game. With this skill, you can slow down time and align a nice clean headshot to kill the enemy with one bullet. This skill can also be upgraded to increase the slowdown time duration.
Ear to the Ground: This Skill is also very helpful as it outlines the enemies that are mostly hard to spot. Making you plan your approach accordingly. Since stealth matters in this game, Ear to the Ground will help you greatly.
Crowd Control: Another neat skill to have as it reduces the cooldown times for your Focus. Effectively allowing you to get more headshots.
Two Birds, One Bullet: This skill comes in very handy when you are fighting against Hordes. This is where this skill increases the projectile penetration, allowing bullets to go through and hit any targets behind.
On the Move: This is a very valuable skill as it allows you to reload the weapon while evading enemies. You do not want to stick in one place while reloading, so trust us when we say this skill is a must.
Carry That Weight: This skill increases your inventory to carry more items. It is vital as during later missions you will need to have more items to aid you in surviving.
Thief in the Night: This works best for stealth, and is one of the best skills you can get early on in the game. it makes less noise while moving and makes it easier to get the drop on your enemies.
Monkey Wrench: Your bike in the game will get roughed up pretty easily, requiring a lot of scraps to repair. Having this skill reduces the number of scraps needed to repair the bike, and saves resources.