Ninja Gaiden 4 Best Skills Guide
Every skill in Ninja Gaiden 4 feels useful, but some stand out early for keeping you alive longer and ending fights faster. Unlocking these key techniques first gives you a smoother path through the game’s toughest missions.
Best Early Skills To Unlock
Flying Swallow
This returning move is your fastest gap closer. It launches you forward in a quick spinning slash that can hit distant or airborne targets. It’s especially useful against ranged enemies or smaller mobs since it often one-shots them. You can unlock it early from the Combat Skills list and immediately feel the improvement in pacing.
Izuna Drop
The classic grab-and-slam technique still hits like a truck. Once you launch an enemy, follow the input to spin and drive them into the ground. It deals heavy single-target damage and small splash damage on landing. It’s one of the best crowd control moves until late-game weapons appear.
Perfect Block
Perfect Block stuns enemies if you time it right before their attack lands. It opens them for a counter and prevents guard break. This skill teaches you the rhythm of combat and leads to stronger techniques like Reflect and Fatal Flash later.
Reflect And Fatal Flash
Reflect follows Perfect Block, while Fatal Flash follows a Perfect Parry. Both counterattacks punish enemies instantly, often dismembering them or staggering bosses. Reflect is safer to pull off, while Fatal Flash has a tighter timing but higher payoff. Learn both to dominate close-range duels.
Chain Link
This skill lets you dodge between combos. It keeps Yakumo moving and prevents combo interruptions from group attacks. Once you unlock it, you can weave dodges into extended attack strings without losing momentum.
Art Of Defense
Upgrade this early to increase the number of hits you can block before guard break. It’s simple but vital, especially before mastering Perfect Blocks. The added resistance helps in multi-enemy fights and late-game boss patterns.
Ultimate Guidance
This skill lets you absorb red orbs to charge your Ultimate Technique faster. Since Ultimate Techniques clear entire groups and grant invulnerability, this upgrade drastically improves survival during waves or trials.
Final Blurb
These core skills define early success in Ninja Gaiden 4. They balance offense and defense, teaching the timing and precision that make tougher modes feel manageable. Unlock them first, master them fast, and you’ll see every fight turn from survival to domination.
FAQ
What is the best first skill to learn in Ninja Gaiden 4
Flying Swallow gives the biggest advantage early by closing distance fast and finishing weaker enemies.
Which defensive skill should I unlock first
Art of Defense and Perfect Block make a huge difference early on before you master parrying.
Is Fatal Flash better than Reflect
Fatal Flash deals more damage but has stricter timing, while Reflect is safer in most encounters.
Can you dodge mid-combo
Yes, once Chain Link is unlocked you can cancel attacks with dodges to stay safe.
Does Ultimate Guidance work with all weapons
Yes, it powers up Ultimate Techniques universally across every weapon type.
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