Best Skills To Unlock In Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii marries familiar attacks and movements with a pirate-based setting, which can take some time to get used to. Goro Majima, protagonist of the story and longtime character of the Yakuza series, has two wildly different combat styles, and a plethora of skills to unlock that can further extend your options with each.
In order to unlock skills, you'll need both money and Pirate Rank points. The first is self-explanatory, and you'll be progressively filling your pockets as you progress through the main campaign and tackle side activities, particularly bounties. As per your Pirate Rank, it's tied to your overall actions in the game. The more time you spend on optional tasks to tackle challenges, the faster you'll increase it. Thankfully, you don't need that many points to unlock some of the best useful skills in the game.
If you're looking for recommendations, here are the best skills to unlock in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

Max Health and Attack Boost

These skills do what they say on the tin, but shouldn't be ignored. Both Max Health Boost and Attack Boost have four initial levels, but once maxed out, you'll then unlock more tiers to further upgrade them.
I don't think the latter ones are a priority--by then, you're better off prioritizing other skills instead. But having a solid foundation is key. The attack boost is crucial, and toward the latter half of the campaign, I encountered enemies who reduced my health considerably with just a few attacks. That extra leeway helped me turn the tide during risky fights. For further stats progression, remember to invest in rings for Majima, which can be primarily found in shops across Honolulu, Madlantis, and elsewhere.

Knockdown Evasion

This skill allows you to get up quickly and reduce the period of vulnerability after you're knocked down. Knockdown Evasion works either when you're sent flying or just before you hit the floor.
It's an extra movement that requires some precision as it demands a fast response, but it's a game changer. While Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is as modern as it gets, there are woes with the combat that remain ever present from previous Yakuza and Judgment entries. Simply put, getting knocked down sucks, and it happens often. If you don't want to sit around for a handful of seconds while Majima is on the floor exposed to additional attacks, get this skill promptly. It's particularly useful against enemies using fire weapons that can knock you over, of which you'll encounter many throughout the story.

Quickstep Boost

Quickstep, a short dodge that can be performed in all four main directions, is by far one of the most useful movements in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Quickstep Boost makes it so you can perform it three times in a row in Mad Dog style, and twice in a row in Sea Dog style. Considering the latter is far slower than Mad Dog, having this skill is a must.
I recommend pairing the skill with Quickstep Strike, which is an attack performed after doing the evasive maneuver. There's also Mad Dog Mastery: Perfect Quickstep, which temporarily increases your attack speed after a perfectly timed quickstep. It's pricey, but worth it for the latter half of the game once you've grown used to dodging.

Goro Goro Booze Master

Cooking meals usually gives you food items that can heal you or increase the heat gauge. Both are fine. Brewing alcohol, however, can give you some extra benefits like boosting attack damage and charging the madness gauge more quickly. The latter is key, as being able to use special attacks often is a great advantage. Aside from sheer benefits, it'll also give you more opportunities to increase your chef level by cooking, which will in turn lead to more recipes over time.

Perfect Guard

Yes, there is a perfect guard in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. You have to unlock it, but it's a worthy addition. Blocking just as an opponent attacks will create an opening, and this counts for guard-breaking attacks as well. While it doesn't work for strong enemies, it's useful to have. I recommend unlocking Perfect Guard if you tend to use Sea Dog style more than Mad Dog, as blocking with the cutlasses is a strategy that doesn't get old.

More Majima

More Majima increases the number of doppelgangers summoned when the madness gauge is full in the Mad Dog style. There are multiple tiers, but even just the one is already useful. The special attack is extremely overpowered against single enemies. Having multiple Majima clones who can deal quite a punch in a fast-paced manner alongside my own attacks became my go-to during boss encounters.

Essence of the Mad Dog: Maul

A special heat action that cuts through multiple enemies. You can activate it while at low health and near three or more enemies. If you've played Yakuza 0, you're likely familiar with the attack performed in Essence of the Mad Dog: Maul, featuring Majima's signature weapon. It's as flashy and gory as ever, but also extremely helpful when confronting large enemy groups to break formations.

Essence of Piracy: Skip Rope Slash

Essence of Piracy: Skip Rope Slash is a heat action that uses the chain hook and cutlass on a group of three enemies. In order to trigger this, you must be battling on an enemy ship. Then, press the button prompt near a downed enemy with two others nearby. These showdowns are particularly busy with foes to take down, so having this extra heat action will come in handy. There are other Essence of Piracy attacks to unlock, but most are too situational, such as being close to the steering wheel of the ship.

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