Lesson 6 of 10 · Intermediate · combat systems
Build a Legal Skill Bar Around Your Weapons
Understand basic actions, Q/E/C choices, weapon requirements, follow-up actions, input slots, and the test loop that makes a skill bar dependable.
Updated 2026-08-038 min readRead the weapon before the individual skill
Start in the weapon skill guide. Select the weapon family and read its basic actions before comparing Q, E, and C choices. A class may support two weapons, but their active skills and rhythms are not interchangeable. Follow-up actions shown in descriptions are not automatically separate slot choices; treat the interface as the authority for what can actually be equipped.
Check legality before damage
For every slot, confirm the current weapon, available input slot, specialization or branch requirement, and any exclusive choice. If a skill will not equip, remove assumptions one at a time instead of clicking through the error. A copied skill bar is valid only when the whole combination fits the selected weapons, not merely because every skill name exists.
Give each skill a job in the action loop
Describe what opens the fight, converts an opening, protects recovery, and enables disengagement. Then inspect cooldown, cost, condition, and range as shown in the current interface. Use the affix and gem lab to identify effects related to the chosen actions, but do not turn a related label into a precise final result unless the complete rule chain is verified.
Test one change at a time
Save a baseline in the loadout simulator, repeat the same short route, and change one skill. Record whether it solved the intended problem without creating a new gap in movement, defense, or resource use. A reliable bar is not the one with the most attractive descriptions; it is the one whose complete sequence you can still execute when the first action misses.