Assassin's Creed Syndicate skills, perks and gang upgrades
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Jacob and Evie each have their own skill tree with Combat, Stealth and Ecosystem branches, and a few skills only one twin can learn. Perks unlock by meeting in-game challenges, and gang upgrades, bought with money and materials, improve the Rooks.
Within each tree the tier column shows the unlock order, so you can see what a skill leads to before you spend a point.
Every skill by tree
Gang Upgrades (39)
| Skill | Tier | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| City-Wide Craze | 1 | £500, 50 Metal, 50 Chemicals | Halves the price of hallucinogenic darts. |
| Police Bribes | 1 | £5,000, 25 Silk | The police ignore some of your illegal actions. |
| Rook Training I | 1 | £1,000, 50 Leather | Gives the Rooks basic combat training and raises them to level 5. |
| Allies in Arms | 2 | £2,500, 50 Metal, 25 Chemicals | Rooks you order into a fight open with a volley of gunfire. |
| Bomb Discount | 2 | £4,500, 100 Metal, 25 Chemicals | A fireworks vendor cuts the price of all bombs by 50%. |
| Notoriety | 2 | £7,500 | The Frye name scares the Blighters enough that they stop starting fights with you in the street. |
| Black Market Affiliation | 3 | £3,000, 50 Metal, 50 Chemicals | Gun and throwing knife ammunition costs 25% less at every shop. |
| Little Rooks | 3 | £1,500, 100 Metal, 50 Chemicals | Street children give you better loot when you interact with them. |
| Training Rooks II | 3 | £10,000, 100 Metal, 50 Silk | Advanced training raises the Rooks to level 7. |
| Black Market Ties | 4 | £4,000, 50 Chemicals | New weapons and other gear cost 20% less from shop inventories. |
| Delivery Service | 4 | £1,000, 50 Leather, 25 Silk | More hanging barrels appear around London; shoot one to drop it on enemies below. |
| Enhanced Firepower | 4 | £6,000, 100 Metal, 75 Chemicals | Makes the Rooks' opening volley more effective. |
| City Takeover | 5 | £10,000, 50 Silk, 50 Chemicals | All other gang upgrades cost less money. |
| Explosive Delivery | 5 | £2,000, 50 Metal, 50 Chemicals | More explosive crates appear around the city; carry them or light them. |
| Training Rooks III | 5 | £20,000, 100 Metal, 50 Silk | Expert training raises the Rooks to level 9. |
| Ale Heist | 6 | £1,500, 50 Chemicals | Ale carts run through the city; hijack or escort them for cash. |
| Growler Boom | 6 | £1,500, 25 Metal | The Growler carriage becomes more common on London's streets. |
| Rook Riders I | 6 | £1,500, 50 Leather, 100 Metal | Buys carriages for the Rooks, which then appear on London's streets. |
| Dispatcher | 7 | £1,500 | Faster, nimbler fire trucks start reaching London's poorer boroughs. |
| Rook Riders II | 7 | £3,000, 100 Metal, 50 Leather | More Rook-themed carriages roam the streets. |
| Shell Company | 7 | £5,000, 25 Silk, 25 Chemicals | Raises the payout of all income activities. |
| Medicine Market | 8 | £500, 10 Metal, 50 Chemicals | Medicine goes on sale in shops; use it in combat to recover health quickly. |
| Rate of Income | 8 | £8,000, 25 Silk, 25 Chemicals | Money deposited in your hideout vault rises by 25%. |
| Rook Carriage | 8 | £5,000, 100 Leather, 100 Silk | Rooks carriages become tougher. |
| Cavalry Call | 9 | £8,000, 150 Metal, 100 Leather | Summon a carriage full of Rooks to help you from the Rooks menu. |
| Mad Science | 9 | £2,500, 50 Metal, 25 Chemicals | Unlocks the first Voltaic Bomb upgrades. |
| Pub Investor | 9 | £6,000, 150 Leather, 50 Chemicals | Pubs add £500 to train hideout income every 30 minutes and £500 to the safe's capacity. |
| Pub Games | 10 | £10,000, 100 Leather | Street football near pubs adds another £500 per 30 minutes to hideout income and £500 to safe capacity. |
| Rook Watchers | 10 | £2,000, 50 Leather | Adds the Watcher archetype to the Rooks; Watchers use firearms more than other Rooks. |
| Bookmaker | 11 | £12,000, 100 Leather, 50 Silk | Professional bookies at the races add £500 per 30 minutes to hideout income and £500 to safe capacity. |
| Rook Brutes | 11 | £5,000, 50 Leather | Adds the tough Brute archetype to the Rooks. |
| Rook Enforcers | 12 | £8,000, 100 Metal, 50 Silk | Adds the Enforcer archetype, which uses long-range weapons. |
| Tea Magnate | 12 | £15,000, 50 Metal, 50 Chemicals | Tea investments add £500 per 30 minutes to hideout income and £500 to safe capacity. |
| Carriage Sabotage | 13 | £4,500, 50 Metal, 50 Chemicals | Blighter carriages become less resilient. |
| Shop Investor | 13 | £20,000, 100 Metal, 100 Silk | Buying local shops adds £1,000 per 30 minutes to hideout income and £1,000 to safe capacity. |
| Poison the Well | 14 | £5,000, 50 Chemicals | Lowers the starting health of all Blighters. |
| Dull Blades | 15 | £3,500, 50 Leather, 25 Silk | Faulty weapon shipments reach Blighter strongholds, making their weapons less of a threat. |
| Bad Powder I | 16 | £4,000, 100 Metal, 50 Chemicals | Poor gunpowder makes Blighter guns misfire now and then, sometimes exploding. |
| Bad Powder II | 17 | £6,000, 100 Metal, 80 Chemicals | Templars' guns also misfire or explode from bad gunpowder. |
Perks (34)
| Skill | Tier | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absolutely Stunning | – | Break an enemy's guard 75 times | Stuns last 25% longer. |
| Assassination | – | Assassinate an enemy 120 times | Knockouts are faster. |
| Brace for Impact | – | Destroy a carriage by ramming it 25 times | Slightly raises ramming damage against other vehicles. |
| Brutal Takedown | – | Complete a full Brutal Takedown 40 times | Enemies shooting during a Brutal Takedown are less likely to hit Evie. |
| Combat Mastery | – | Kill 4 enemies in under 12 seconds, 25 times | Slightly raises your overall damage. |
| Countershot | – | Countershot 2 ranged attackers within 10 seconds, 25 times | Raises Countershot damage. |
| Cover Assassinate | – | Assassinate from cover 75 times | Slightly lowers the noise you make while moving. |
| Death by Rook | – | Have a Rook kill an enemy 50 times | Slightly raises allies' hit points. |
| Double Air Assassinate | – | Double air assassinate 2 enemies 25 times | Slightly lowers the noise of assassinations. |
| Double Kill | – | Multi-kill 2 enemies 40 times | Raises Lethality by 2. |
| Efficient Fear Bomb | – | Make 3 enemies react to one fear bomb at once, 20 times | 30% better chance of looting fear bombs from corpses. |
| Electrifying | – | Stun 4 enemies with one voltaic bomb, 50 times | Raises voltaic bomb damage. |
| Fancy Moves | – | Use a gun or knife in a combo 75 times | Raises damage from guns and knives used in combos. |
| Fear of Ghosts | – | Frighten an enemy after being detected, 40 times | Anxious enemies are startled the first time they see Evie. |
| Flawless Fighter | – | Kill 4 or more enemies in one conflict without being harmed, 50 times | Lengthens the window for counter attacks. |
| Gone Lawing | – | Hijack a police carriage 50 times | Police vehicles accelerate faster. |
| Headshot | – | Headshot with free aim 50 times | Raises critical hit damage. |
| Knife Kill | – | Kill an enemy with a throwing knife from cover, 75 times | Raises throwing knife damage. |
| Ledge Kill | – | Kill an enemy with a ledge finisher 25 times | Slightly raises damage from contextual attacks. |
| London Drift | – | Drift through 5 corners using the brake, 75 times | Better carriage control while boosting. |
| Multi-Counter Kill | – | Perform a multi-counter kill 50 times | Raises counter attack damage. |
| Near Death Recovery | – | Survive a fight after reaching a critical state 50 times | Speeds up health regeneration. |
| No Touchbacks | – | Land 20 hits in a row without being hit, 25 times | Slightly raises your overall damage. |
| Quadra Kill | – | Multi-kill 4 enemies 20 times | Raises Lethality by 2. |
| Riding Shotgun | – | Kill an enemy with your gun from the top of a moving carriage, 50 times | Guns deal more damage while you drive. |
| Road Rage | – | Kill 2 enemies with your carriage within 25 seconds, 25 times | Enemies hit by your carriage take more damage. |
| Shadowy Spikes | – | Impale an enemy from cover or from an air assassination opportunity, 20 times | An impaled enemy's scream is muffled for a few seconds. |
| Shoot the Messenger | – | Kill a lookout before he raises the alarm, 15 times | Lookouts take longer to detect you. |
| Thank You Ladies | – | Distract an enemy with a hired prostitute 15 times | Evie can hire one more prostitute at a time. |
| Triple Kill | – | Multi-kill 3 enemies 25 times | Raises Lethality by 2. |
| Vanish | – | Become anonymous after escaping a conflict, 25 times | You become anonymous faster after a conflict. |
| Vanish in Smoke | – | End combat with a smoke bomb and vanish, 25 times | Smoke bombs last longer. |
| Wanton Destruction | – | Destroy 4 destructibles within 15 seconds, 75 times | Raises damage when you ram another vehicle. |
| Zipline Assassin | – | Assassinate from a zipline 25 times | Slightly lowers the noise of assassinations. |
Stealth (19)
| Skill | Tier | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whistle | 1 | Free (Sequence 1) | Whistle to draw a target's attention and lure him to your hiding spot for a stealth kill. |
| Knockout | 2 | Free (Sequence 1) | Hold the button to knock out an unsuspecting or kidnapped enemy instead of killing him. |
| Stealth Navigation | 3 | Free (Sequence 1) | Toggle Sneak Mode to move faster while staying harder to detect, and aim or throw over low cover and around corners. |
| Air Assassination | 4 | Free (Sequence 1) | Drop onto a target from above and kill him in a high-profile strike. |
| Lockpicking I | 5 | 1 skill point | Open locked chests for money, resources and rewards. |
| Lockpicking II | 6 | 2 skill points | Open most doors in London, apart from those that need a master key. |
| Kidnap | 7 | Free (bounty hunt reward) | Grab an unaware enemy and march him along with you, letting you walk through restricted areas in plain sight. |
| Loot Takedown | 8 | 1 skill point | You loot enemies automatically when you assassinate, knock out, kidnap or Multi-Kill them. |
| Double Assassination | 9 | 1 skill point | Kill two nearby unaware enemies at the same time. |
| Intimidation | 10 | 2 skill points | Kidnapped enemies stop trying to escape. |
| Stealth I | 11 | 2 skill points | Raises your Stealth stat by 7, making you harder to detect and your kills quieter. |
| Stealth II | 12 | 2 skill points | Adds another 7 to your Stealth stat. |
| Stealth III | 13 | 4 skill points | Evie's Stealth stat rises by 11 more, and her assassinations become almost silent. |
| First Strike I | 14 | 2 skill points | Hitting an enemy just before combat begins deals heavy damage. |
| First Strike II | 15 | 6 skill points | First Strike attacks deal even more damage and may kill outright. |
| Assassin Steps | 16 | 2 skill points | Greatly reduces fall damage, silences your landings and makes your movement much quieter. |
| Knife Master I | 17 | 2 skill points | Throwing knives briefly stun enemies, and Multi-Kills hand your knives back. |
| Knife Master II | 18 | 4 skill points | Evie carries twice as many throwing knives and they do much more damage. |
| Chameleon | 19 | 6 skill points | In Sneak Mode, Evie becomes invisible while standing still; only enemies very close by can spot her. |
Combat (18)
| Skill | Tier | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-Finisher | 1 | Free (Sequence 1) | When several enemies are at Near Death, one button press executes up to four of them at once, with bonus XP for the multi-kill. |
| Stun Attack | 2 | Free (Sequence 1) | A dedicated attack that breaks an enemy's defensive stance or stuns him for a moment. |
| Counter | 3 | Free (Sequence 1) | Press the counter button as an enemy swings to turn his attack back on him. |
| Tool Combo | 4 | Free (Sequence 1) | Use throwing knives, guns and other tools in the middle of a melee combo without breaking the chain. |
| Health Boost I | 5 | 1 skill point | Adds one segment to your health bar. |
| Health Boost II | 6 | 2 skill points | Adds a second extra segment of health. |
| Health Boost III | 7 | 2 skill points | Adds a third extra segment of health, the last in the line. |
| Unstoppable I | 8 | 1 skill point | Your combo streak lasts longer before inaction resets it. |
| Unstoppable II | 9 | 2 skill points | The first hit you take during a combo no longer ends it. |
| Slayer I | 10 | 1 skill point | Once your combo reaches x10, your next attack puts the target straight into Near Death. |
| Slayer II | 11 | 2 skill points | After you bring one enemy to Near Death, your next attack on a different enemy also drops him to Near Death. |
| Counter Boost | 12 | 2 skill points | Counters get a wider timing window and deal more damage. |
| Execute I | 13 | 2 skill points | Stun an enemy with Stun Attack, then use a Tool Combo on him to execute him outright. |
| Execute II | 14 | 4 skill points | Enemies who witness an execution are frightened and drop their defensive stance. |
| Mutilate I | 15 | 2 skill points | Your successful hits push enemies to Near Death faster. |
| Mutilate II | 16 | 4 skill points | Jacob's hits bring enemies to Near Death much faster than Mutilate I alone. |
| Adrenaline | 17 | 4 skill points | Raises how fast your health regenerates. |
| Combat Stamina | 18 | 6 skill points | Multi-Kills restore health, more for each enemy killed. |
Ecosystem (18)
| Skill | Tier | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countershot | 1 | Free (Sequence 1) | Shoot an enemy who is about to fire at you, beating him to the shot. |
| Eagle Vision I | 2 | Free (Sequence 1) | Turns on Eagle Vision, highlighting enemies in the world and on the minimap; look at them to tag them and see their level. |
| Eagle Vision II | 3 | 1 skill point | Eagle Vision now sees through walls so you can watch and tag enemies behind them. |
| Eagle Vision III | 4 | 2 skill points | Eagle Vision covers a wider radius and shows which way enemies are facing on the minimap. |
| Fast Driven | 5 | Free (Sequence 1) | Gives a big short-term speed boost while you drive a carriage. |
| Leadership I | 6 | Free (Spitalfields stronghold) | Recruit Rooks to follow you and give them commands; up to two at once. |
| Leadership II | 7 | Free (level 3) | Raises your Rook following to three. |
| Leadership III | 8 | Free (level 5) | Raises your Rook following to five. |
| Gunslinger I | 9 | 2 skill points | Trying to fire an empty gun mid-combo reloads it automatically. |
| Gunslinger II | 10 | 6 skill points | Jacob's Countershots become automatic headshots. |
| Scavenger I | 11 | 1 skill point | You find more common crafting resources from every source. |
| Scavenger II | 12 | 2 skill points | You find more rare crafting resources from every source. |
| Defense I | 13 | 2 skill points | Reduces all melee damage you take. |
| Defense II | 14 | 2 skill points | Reduces all ranged damage you take. |
| Defense III | 15 | 4 skill points | Jacob takes less damage from every source. |
| Driver I | 16 | 2 skill points | Collisions hurt your carriage less and slow you down less. |
| Driver II | 17 | 4 skill points | Carriages you drive accelerate much faster. |
| Demolition Derby | 18 | 6 skill points | Your carriages deal more damage and take less. |
Fear (7)
| Skill | Tier | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show Off | 1 | 2 skill points | Brutal Takedowns can be seen from further away, spreading fear wider. |
| Life Sucker | 2 | 6 skill points | Completing a full Brutal Takedown restores health. |
| The Torturer | 3 | 2 skill points | Enemies pinned by spikes take longer to collapse, so their screams last longer. |
| Recycling Spikes | 4 | 6 skill points | Spiking an enemy improves your chance of looting a spike back from him. |
| Make Some Noise! | 5 | 2 skill points | The fear bomb's sound radius gets bigger. |
| Closer to the Epicenter | 6 | 6 skill points | Enemies at the centre of a fear bomb blast are frightened instantly, even if they were calm. |
| Fear Propagation | 7 | 6 skill points | A calm enemy turns anxious when he sees a frightened one. |
Tips
- Bartitsu and Phantom ask for every fight skill as Jacob and every stealth skill as Evie, so split points between the twins with those in mind.
- Keys to the City needs every gang upgrade, so buy the ones that raise income first.
More for this game: the assassins creed syndicate hub and the checklist tracker.
Sources
- Community wiki for this game, used to check facts; every entry is written in our own words and credits its own source page.