Weird West abilities guide — what should you pick first?

Weird West offers two types of upgrades. While perks are shared amongst all five protagonists, each of them have unique abilities. Find Nimp Relics as loot, buy them from merchants, or earn them as quest rewards, and you’ll be able to start purchasing abilities. They cost one or two Relics each, but which should you choose? We’ve got a breakdown for each character and the overall weapon abilities they can all learn. In general, what you pick first should align with your preferred playstyle.

The Bounty Hunter

The Bounty Hunter’s abilities are mostly built for combat. Roundhouse Kick is a great option for a melee approach, especially if you frequently find yourself low on ammo. Shrapnel Mine and Quick Thinker are both excellent options for making a tactical retreat: Shrapnel Mine will lay an explosive as the enemy chases you, while Quick Thinker slows down time to let you slip away or fire off some precise shots. Finally, the Charm ability is good if you often find yourself surrounded — getting enemies on your side, even for a moment, really turns the tide.

The Pigman

The Pigman is also built for combat, but you’re meant to charge right into the fray with his abilities. Unstoppable Charge literally sends you careening forward to deal damage and stun targets — it’s great for knocking into big bosses. Putrid Cloud and Shockwave are great choices if you want to get right into the enemy horde, as they poison and stun bad guys around you, respectively. Finally, Rubber Skin is a good choice if you need a defensive option early on. It reflects bullets for 10 seconds, which can save your bacon (heh) if things are going south.

The Protector

The Protector only has three unique abilities to unlock with Nimp Relics, but this is because they later gain the ability to speak to ghosts. Two options are great for combat, and the other is a must for stealth builds. Cousin Bear summons a spirit animal to fight with you, and Western Wind creates a tornado that whips across the battlefield. These are especially useful if you don’t have a posse. The last ability, Surefooted, greatly assist in stealth approaches, as it makes you move quieter and faster.

The Werewolf

More than any other hero, The Werewolf is meant to work with a posse. Two of his abilities, Inun’s Strength and Inun’s Healing, boost the defense and regenerate the health of you and teammates in your aura, respectively. If you’re playing as a lone wolf (again, heh), then don’t bother with them. Yeb’s Fire is a great area-of-effect attack if you like to go in guns blazing, and Yeb’s Invisibility, as you can probably guess, is a great choice if you like to play stealthily.

The Oneirist

The Oneirist witch is the opposite of The Werewolf, with abilities that help when playing without a posse. Summon Wisps will generate lightning orbs that attack enemies, while Spirit Ward will absorb incoming bullets and turn them into health. These are great options for playing offensively and defensively, respectively. Her other two abilities are good for stealthing your way through encounters. Shift is a straight-up teleport that can stuns an enemy on arrival, giving you a chance to subdue them. Astral Projection sends out a ghost clone that distracts enemies — this can also draw their fire if your stealthy approach goes sour.

Weapon Abilities

Weapon abilities are different from the unique character abilities. Everyone has access to the same array, but the ones you unlock are unique to the character who unlocks them. They’re based on the five weapon types: revolver, shotgun, rifle, bow, and melee. Unless you’re always low on ammo or like fighting in close quarters, melee probably isn’t the way to go. Instead, choose abilities based on the weapons you use most. They’re almost entirely geared around the weapons-free approach, but there are a few that will help you go quiet if that’s what you want. Specifically, you can choose the Rifle’s Sentry Silencer ability or the Bow’s Ambush Arrow. Both of these let you take out enemies without loudly alerting the rest of the camp.