The three customization systems
Game Freak has confirmed three interlocking systems that let you "customize your playstyle" and "define your own playstyle through your preferred loadout":
| System | What we know pre-launch |
|---|---|
| Skill trees | Described as "unique skill trees" (plural) — expect separate progression for Emma's katana/blight arts and Koo's command techniques. |
| Gear | Officially detailed at Developer_Direct: new katanas for Emma and Charms for Koo, both found through exploration, each carrying unique specialized bonuses. |
| Spirit stones | Official: equippable stones that grant effects based on your actions during battle — parry-heavy, aggressive or evasive play will trigger different stones differently. |
On top of these, every Boss you defeat yields a captured power — meaning build options expand with each major victory across the ~40-hour campaign.
The three supported playstyles
Aggressive (melee)
The default souls-like path: Emma's katana up close, spending Koo's techniques on stagger and punish windows. Likely the highest skill ceiling against bosses, rewarding pattern mastery over stats.
Ranged
Officially supported as a full playstyle. Expect ranged armaments and blight-power projection to let you fight bosses at distance with Koo running interference — historically the most popular "get me past this wall" respec in hard action RPGs.
Stealth
The most unusual confirmation: a stealthy loadout path in a souls-like. That implies meaningful enemy-avoidance and ambush mechanics in exploration zones — potentially the fastest way to route through regions in the walkthrough.
Best builds (publishing from launch)
Anyone claiming a "best build" before the game unlocks is guessing — stat names, skill trees and spirit stone effects aren't public yet. Our tested builds go up as we play from the first unlock hour:
- Best early-game build — first skill points, first spirit stones (launch day)
- Best boss-killer build — the punish-window maximizer (launch week)
- Best ranged build and best stealth build (launch week)
- Endgame builds around late captured powers (post-completion)
Sources
- Xbox Wire — Developer_Direct deep dive by director Kota Furushima (difficulty modes, parry system, Nushi, Spirit Stones/katanas/Charms; Jan 22, 2026)
Pre-launch build advice
- Don't pre-plan around rumors. Skill respec generosity is unknown — early points may matter. We'll confirm respec rules day one.
- Bank exploration. Spirit stones will come from exploring regions; thorough early exploration keeps every build path open.
- Match Koo to your style. Koo's technique list is a build axis of its own — an aggressive Emma with a support Koo plays very differently from the reverse. See the combat guide for how commands work.