Sacred 2:Skill Mastery
A skill reaches mastery when exactly 75 "hard points" are put into it. Having mastery of a skill comes along with bonus such as unlocking new skill bonuses (Ex. At Level 75 Ancient Magic reduces opponents' immunities against your Combat Arts and unlocks the "Opponents' Immunities -%" skill bonus) or it substantially increases existing bonuses (Ex. At Level 75 Armor Lore further reduces the regeneration penalty from armor)
Optimum Levels for Picking Skill Masteries
[u][b]Best levels to pick Masteries in [i]Most[/i] Builds[/b][/u]
Using the results from the following methods (+5, +4, +3, +2, +1), it is easy to see at which levels a player should take masteries. Keep in mind that this only applies to most builds, because if if a player has a build that requires, for example, 5 points in spell resistance to unlock armor lore, it will slightly skew the numbers. It is recommended to take mastery skill picks at the following levels:
- Level 2- 1st Mastery
- Level 5- 2nd Mastery
- Level 12- 3rd Mastery
- Level 35- 4th Mastery
If planning out a build, one could fill in the levels in between these levels with skills that give an immediate benefit (ex. Concentration immediately gives you 2 buffs).
Basic Skill Distribution Methods
[u][b]The +5 Method[/b][/u]
This method of skill distribution involves getting a skill to mastery then completely stopping. It is called the +5 method because a player would be adding +5 to each skill after level 75. This skill distribution is useful for players who want to see the fruits of their character early, or adding points after mastery is useless. A player will receive their masteries at the following character levels.
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd- Level 75
- 4th- Level 77
- 5th- Level 92
- 6th- Level 106
- 7th- Level 120
- 8th- Level 134
- 9th- Level 147
- 10th- Level 161
[u][b]The +4 Method[/b][/u]
This method of skill distribution involves keeping 1 skill at level past mastery. It is called the +4 method because a player is adding +4 to each skill after level 75 with the other point going to the chosen skill. This skill distribution is useful for players who want to push a skill over mastery but want to master other skills in a good timeframe. A player will receive their masteries at these character levels.
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd- Level 75
- 4th- Level 78
- 5th- Level 95
- 6th- Level 113
- 7th- Level 131
- 8th- Level 148
- 9th- Level 166
- 10th- Level 184
[u][b]The +3 Method[/b][/u]
This method of skill distribution involves keeping 2 skills at level past mastery. It is called the +3 method because (just going to stop saying this as it is pretty apparent). This skill distribution is useful for players who want to push 2 skills over mastery but want to keep mastering others in the process. A player must keep in mind that they can only master 9 skills with this method. A player will receive their masteries at the following character levels.
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd- Level 75
- 4th- Level 79
- 5th- Level 102
- 6th- Level 126
- 7th- Level 150
- 8th- Level 173
- 9th- Level 197
[u][b]The +2 Method[/b][/u]
This method of skill distribution involves keeping 3 skills at level past mastery. This skill distribution is useful for players who want to push 3 skills over mastery, but want to master a few other skills. A player must keep in mind that they can only master 7 skills with this method. A player will receive their masteries at the following character levels.
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd- Level 75
- 4th- Level 81
- 5th- Level 117
- 6th- Level 153
- 7th- Level 189
[u][b]The +1 Method[/b][/u]
This method of skill distribution involves keeping 4 skills at level past mastery. This skill distribution is useful for players who really need to keep 4 skills at character level, but don't care about mastering any other skills. A player must keep in mind that they can only master 5 skills with this method. A player will receive their masteries at the following character levels.
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd- Level 75
- 4th- Level 81
- 5th- Level 154
Advanced Skill Distribution Methods
These next few methods are common in some builds. They involve adding points to a skill focus up to level 21 or 31, because it is at these levels where you get the most bang for your buck.
[u][b]Stop for 21 Method[/b][/u]
This method of skill distribution involves adding points to a skill focus to level 21, then stopping and continuing using the +5 method. You will receive your masteries at these character levels.
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd- Level 75
- 4th- Level 82
- 5th- Level 96
- 6th- Level 110
- 7th- Level 124
- 8th- Level 138
- 9th- Level 151
- 10th- Level 165
[u][b]Stop for 31 Method[/b][/u]
This method of skill distribution involves adding points to a skill focus to level 31, then stopping and continuing using the +5 method. It would seem not to make sense that the levels you get for 31 are lower then for 21, but it is because of the rounding that they differ by a level. You will receive your masteries at these character levels.
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd- Level 75
- 4th- Level 81
- 5th- Level 95
- 6th- Level 109
- 7th- Level 123
- 8th- Level 137
- 9th- Level 150
- 10th- Level 164
