Abilities

Unlock and upgrade abilities in Yakuza: Dead Souls using Soul Orbs. Learn about Combat and Basic Abilities, their costs, and best uses.

As you level up in Yakuza: Dead Souls, you gain Soul Orbs, similar to Yakuza 4. These Soul Orbs are used to select ability upgrades. Abilities are consistent between characters, so you don't need to unlock them again for each protagonist.

The number of Soul Orbs gained per level is as follows:

• Levels 1-10: 1 Soul Orb
• Levels 11-50: 2 Soul Orbs
• Levels 51-100: 3 Soul Orbs

There are two types of abilities: Combat Abilities and Basic Abilities.

Combat Abilities improve your effectiveness in combat, split into aiming/gun improvements and melee/zombie repelling skills.

• Head Tracking (x1 Soul Orb): Automatically aims at an enemy's head when you press the aim button. If close enough, you can repeatedly press the aim button to continue tracking the head.
• Head Lock-On (x5 Soul Orbs): Requires Head Tracking. Extends the duration Head Tracking stays active. Highly recommended to get early. Synergizes well with Head Hunter and Focus Recovery.
• Shoulder Charge (x3 Soul Orbs): Unleash a shoulder charge while running. Useful if crowded, but less effective on enraged zombies. Primarily a stepping stone to Throw off and Leg Sweep in Dead Souls Mode.
• Throw Off (x4 Soul Orbs): Requires Shoulder Charge. Quickly throws an enemy off you when grabbed, acting like a less dedicated kick.
• Roundhouse Kick (x5 Soul Orbs): Requires Throw Off. Unleashes a wide-angle kick around you. Not very useful as melee attacks are less potent than guns.
• Leg Sweep (x5 Soul Orbs): Requires Throw Off. Sweeps in a wide angle around you while getting up after being knocked down. Highly recommended for higher difficulties as it conveniently moves hordes of zombies away if you are knocked over.
• Break-Away Kick (x5 Soul Orbs): Requires Throw Off. Kicks in a wide angle after an enemy grabs you. Better than Throw Off as it can hit multiple zombies, but points can be better placed elsewhere.
• Rapid Evasion (x5 Soul Orbs): Dodges repeatedly to evade attacks. Recommended for higher difficulties due to invulnerability frames that help avoid being knocked down by bulkier zombies and mutants.
• Super Grip (x3 Soul Orbs): Allows you to lift heavy objects like oil drums and motorcycles. Helps with the Old School trophy, but focusing on guns is generally better.
• Iron Arm (x3 Soul Orbs): Requires Super Grip. Extends throwing distance. Highly recommended to avoid, as it can make grenades miss targets.
• Unarmed Expertise (x5 Soul Orbs): Requires Super Grip. Increases the knockback of all physical attacks. Useful on higher difficulties for saving you from death, but better options exist.
• Demolition Man (x15 Soul Orbs): Boosts damage of all explosive attacks. Useful with the Grenade Launcher, especially for bosses, but the point investment is hefty.
• Rapid Reload (x20 Soul Orbs): Improves reload speed universally. Well worth the cost as you will reload frequently. Not worth getting in Dead Souls Mode due to the high point investment.
• Head Hunter (x20 Soul Orbs): Dramatically recharges the Snipe Gauge when hitting headshots. Pairs well with Head Lock-On and increasing Max Focus for more frequent Heat Snipes.
• Unarmed Mastery (x20 Soul Orbs): Requires Unarmed Expertise, Demolition Man, Rapid Reload, and Head Hunter. Allows killing with physical attacks. Entertaining but not particularly useful.

Basic Abilities are passive improvements to inventory, focus, and crafting skills.

• Focus Recovery (x2, x3, x5 Soul Orbs): Increases the speed at which the Snipe Gauge refills automatically over time. Synergizes well with Head Lock-On and Head Hunter for Heat Snipes.
• Max Focus (x3, x5 Soul Orbs): Increases the Snipe Gauge maximum up to 3 and unlocks new Heat Snipes.
• Inventory Slots (x1, x2, x5, x5, x7, x7 Soul Orbs): Increases total inventory space for items, gear, and accessories. Costs are 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 items respectively.
• Weapon Slots (x1, x5, x7 Soul Orbs): Increases the total number of weapons able to be held. Costs are 4, 5, and 6 weapons respectively. Not extremely useful as you can only equip 4 at a time.
• Accessory Slots (x3, x5, x7, x10 Soul Orbs): Increases the total number of accessories able to be equipped. Costs are 2, 3, 4, and 5 accessories respectively. It's worth increasing inventory slots before upgrading these.
• Weapon Skill (Intermediate, Advanced, Expert): Improves weapon crafting skill and allows crafting more at Kamiyama's van. Highly recommended to get ASAP, as some powerful weapons are easy to craft early.