Take Colossus at level 2 on almost everyone unless they roll very high starting HP. Get your weapon Mastery and your survival perk (Battle Forged or Nimble) online before any hard fight. The Student perk is for builds that only need one tier-1 perk and no tier-2, letting you skip to tier-3 without wasting a point. Otherwise skip Student.
The perk tree, tier by tier
The exact in-game layout. There are 7 tiers; a tier only unlocks once you've spent enough points below it (row 2 after 1 point, row 3 after 2, and so on), so early picks naturally climb the tree and all seven are open by about level 7. Points can go into any unlocked row. The Builds page lists each archetype's picks in level order.
◆ = build-defining pick · ◣ trailing gear icon = unlocks an active skill (costs AP/Fatigue to use).
— type to filter the tier-ranking table below.
The two survival paths
Battle Forged
Reduces incoming HP damage by 5% of your current total armor value. For heavy armor brothers: front-line two-handers, tanks, hammer users. Pairs with the heaviest plate you can carry.
Take with: Steel Brow, high armor, front-line roles.
Nimble
Reduces all incoming damage as a percentage, scaling with how light your armor is. For dodge-tank duelists and high-Initiative light fighters. Note: its reduction is halved against unarmored body parts (e.g. after armor is destroyed).
Take with: Dodge, high HP, high Initiative, daggers.
Pick one path per brother. Mixing heavy armor with Nimble or light armor with Battle Forged wastes both.
Tier ranking (general use)
| Perk | What it does | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Colossus | +25% max HP. Survivability for everyone. | S |
| Weapon Mastery (any) | -25% Fatigue on that weapon's skills plus the family bonus. Non-negotiable on a specialist. | S |
| Battle Forged | Cuts incoming HP damage by 5% of total armor. Core heavy-armor survival. | S |
| Nimble | % damage reduction scaling with light armor. Core light survival. | S |
| Killing Frenzy | Damage buff after a kill. Snowballs in any fight with multiple weak foes. | S |
| Berserk | Killing a foe refunds Action Points. Lets a damage dealer chain kills in one turn. | S |
| Shield Expert | More defense from shields, cheaper Shieldwall. Core for tanks. | S |
| Underdog | Removes the flanking defense penalty when surrounded. Makes a corner tank unkillable. | A |
| Reach Advantage | Each two-handed hit grants +5 Melee Defense (up to 5 stacks) until your next turn. Great on 2H and polearms. | A |
| Bullseye | Reduces the ranged cover penalty from 75% to 50% — enough to snipe through partial cover, not full ignore. | A |
| Fortified Mind | +Resolve. Essential on sergeants and anyone facing Fearsome enemies. | A |
| Recover | Clears most Fatigue for a turn. Lets heavy hitters keep swinging. | A |
| Quick Hands | Free weapon swap once per turn. Backbone of the Swiss-army tank and ranged swap. | A |
| Gifted | One instant max-roll level-up when taken, then inert. Fixes a weak brother early; take before you need the perk point elsewhere. | A |
| Brawny | Reduces armor Fatigue penalty. Lets two-handers wear heavy plate and still act. | A |
| Dodge | Adds Initiative-based defense. Core of the Nimble duelist. | A |
| Anticipation | Ranged Defense that scales, helps survive arrows. Good on archers and light fighters. | B |
| Rotation | Swap places with an ally. Pull a wounded brother out, push a fresh one in. | B |
| Footwork | Disengage without an attack of opportunity. Reposition polearms and ranged safely. | B |
| Fearsome | Your hits hurt enemy Resolve. Can chain-rout weak factions. | B |
| Steel Brow | Head hits no longer crit you — negates the Brute/Chop bonus on headshots. Strong early, less needed once plate and HP are high. | B |
| Duelist | Bonus damage with one-handed weapons and no shield. Core of dagger/cleaver duelists. | A |
| Nine Lives | Survive a fatal blow once per battle at 1 HP. A safety net for your best brothers. | B |
| Bags & Belts | Carry extra gear for fast swaps. Carries nets and backup weapons. | B |
| Student | +XP and a level-1 perk point efficiency tool. Situational, see leveling rules. | C |
| Backstabber | Bonus hit chance when flanking. Niche, decent on backline polearms. | C |
| Resilient | Reduces bleed/poison duration. Strong on Nimble builds that can't tank chip damage. | B |
Target stats by role
| Role | HP | Fatigue (post-armor) | Resolve | Melee/Ranged Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tank | 70+ | 80 | ~75 | MDef ~55, RDef ~10 |
| 2H / Plated damage | High | 90 | ~60 | MDef ~40, RDef ~15 |
| Nimble duelist | 80+ | High | Medium | MDef high, RDef ~25 |
| Bowman | Medium | 100+ | Medium | RDef 35+ |
| Crossbow / Lancer | Medium | 70 | Medium | RDef 35+ |
| Sergeant | Medium | Medium | Max | MDef high |