Weird West level up guide — how perks and abilities work

Weird West is an isometric immersive sim, and there are heavy RPG elements at play across its five chapters. Each character has its own abilities, and all five share a pool of perks that you can fill out as the game continues. There are no levels to reach or XP to earn in this game: all of your improvement comes from abilities, perks, gear, and simply getting better at stealth and combat. Here’s how to ‘level up’ in all four of those categories.

First, abilities. These cost one or two Nimp relics to unlock. Look for the telltale purple glow and grab as many of these stringy things as you can; they can also be given as quest rewards, looted from bigger enemies, and even purchased from certain merchants. Every character has a set of unique abilities like the Protector’s bear spirit and the Oneirist’s teleport — here’s a list of the best picks for each character. There are also abilities for the five weapon categories: pistols, shotguns, rifles, bows, and melee; there are no abilities tied to explosives and other throwables. While each character’s assigned abilities are unique to them, they all have access to the same weapon-specific skills.

Then there are perks, which are upgraded with Golden Ace of Spades Cards. You’ll get these the same way as Nimp Relics: in the environment (look for the orange glow), from quests, from looting, and from merchants. Perks range from health boosts to better merchant prices — here’s a list of the best ones to pick. Unlike abilities, perks are tiered. It costs one card for the first level, three for the second, and five for the third; each level increases the benefits of the chosen perk. Also, unlike abilities, these perks are shared amongst all five heroes.

Gear is another great way to level up your characters. Often, you’ll see enemies with numbers next to their health bar. That’s not a level — that’s an armor rating. The better armor you have, the more damage it reduces. Keep yourself well defended while staying on the lookout for better and better weapons. As you’d expect, these are also found as loot, given as quest rewards, and sold by merchants. Amulets also add helpful effects like reduced fire damage and increased firepower when your health is low.

Finally, you should always look for ways to improve your own skills. As noted in our review, Weird West is full of all sorts of wild combinations of elements. Look for explosive and chemical barrels to shoot. Throw oil lamps to set your enemies on fire. Experiment with different weapon types to see what suits your playstyle best. There’s no wrong way to play Weird West, so keep increasing your character’s abilities, perks, and gear sets. Combine those with your own increasing skills, and you’ll be ‘leveling up’ in no time.