Sifu is a game all about seeking revenge while trying to look as cool as possible and also trying not to become old. It’s filled with interesting mechanics that make it stand out, and it’s important to have a good grasp of them to make sure you can actually get through the game without turning into dust and knowing what the Sifu best skills are.
One of the best ways to create your own playstyle is by picking the Sifu skills you want to unleash against your foes. There are a lot of different skills in the game, and some are definitely more useful than others. Figuring out the best Sifu skills is tough because at the beginning of the game you might take something that’s not actually useful at all, despite how powerful it looks.
To help you out, we’ve gone ahead and put together this handy guide on what the best Sifu skills are, including detailing how Sifu’s skills work exactly, and which you should permanently unlock first.
What are the best Sifu skills?
Here are six picks for the best Sifu skills:
- Snap Kick
- Environmental Mastery
- Weapon Catch
- Pushback Cancel
- Ground Counter
- Crotch Punch
Snap Kick
Our second pick is the Snap Kick. This is an attack that allows you to close a decent amount of distance in an instant with a fast front kick. While it’s not especially strong on its own, it does make it very easy to interrupt some foes from further away, and it’s an excellent starter hit to follow up from for longer combos.
It doesn’t work as well against bosses due to the regular super armour many of them have, but it’ll help you out against nearly everyone else.
Environmental Mastery
First up is Environmental Mastery, which can be unlocked as long as you’re under the age of 60. Environmental Mastery is a skill that lets you throw weapons on the ground at enemies without picking them up. It’s a surprisingly powerful move because it means you’ve got range at a speed that isn’t granted in the game initially.
However, it’s also powerful because it turns some other random objects into weapons. Be it bags of money or stools, you can kick these at enemies to knock them over before moving next to them and striking them while they’re down. It makes a few mini-boss fights utterly laughable, and should be the first skill you pick up.
Weapon Catch
Next is the Weapon Catch. This is an essential skill for one of the later bosses, and it allows you to catch items thrown at you. You’ll have random bricks and bottles chucked at you from quite early on in the game, and they can be hard to deal with.
This skill allows you to turn those attacks into your strength and will regularly turn around a fight where you’re unarmed.
Pushback Cancel
Pushback Cancel is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. You simply hit the guard/parry button to stop yourself from being knocked back.
You’ll mostly only get knocked back by glowing front kicks or when your structure is broken, and while it’s not a regular occurrence, it can lead you to smashing into an obstacle and taking loads of extra damage, or even flailing into another group of enemies. Neither of those outcomes are good, so this skill is an excellent one for staying alive.
Ground Counter
Then there is the Ground Counter. As with being pushed back, sometimes you’re going to end up on the floor. While your first reaction to this is going to be to roll out of the way of oncoming attacks, it’s actually far more efficient if you can simply counter the enemies as they strike.
So, taking Ground Counter is a surefire way to make sure you can sneak in some extra damage while still making sure you’re well-defended too.
Crotch Punch
Finally, we’ve got Crotch Punch. This simple move allows you to duck under a high attack and punch an enemy where it hurts. It’ll briefly stun them which makes follow up attacks and combos easy, and the added evasive window comes in handy a lot, because most of the random grunts you fight will tend towards trying to hit you in the head.
It’s not an especially fancy move, but there’s no denying the simple power of ducking down and hitting someone below the belt.
How do Sifu Skills work?
Skills in Sifu cost experience to unlock. You’ll gain experience from killing enemies and can then spend it at shrines, at the tree in your home, or whenever you die, to unlock new skills. Skills are locked to ages too.
Each one has an upper limit at which it can be claimed based on the coins on your pendant. It means that you’ll need to keep that in mind when choosing and try and keep your age so you can keep your options open. Here’s a list of the skills and the ages they’re tied to:
Up to 70
- 360 Swing Focus: A Staff focus attack that deals damage and can knock over enemies in a wide area
- Strong Sweep Focus: A focus strike that smacks an enemy in the knee to make them lie down for a bit
- Snap Kick: A fast kick that launches your forwards, excellent for engaging an enemy first
- Spin Hook Kick: A combo ending with a powerful high kick that can knock down foes
- Charged Backfist: A charged punch that can stun enemies
Up to 60
- Face Smash Focus: A focus attack that jams a bat into an enemies face
- Weapon Catch: This allows you to parry to catch weapons thrown at you
- Pushback Cancel: Hit guard to stop yourself from being pushed back and regain your balance
- Ground Counter: This lets you counter attacks while on the ground
Environmental Mastery: Grants you the ability to throw items from the ground at enemies
Up to 50
- Double Palm Focus: A focus attack that lets you push an enemy really hard
- Flowing Claw: A fast attack that also allows you to move backwards at the same time
- Chasing Strikes: Allows you to follow-up a pushed enemy with a series of fast strikes
- Crooked Foot: Lets you knock enemies over with a throw after parrying them
- Duck Strike: Attacks while ducking. You don’t say quack.
Up to 40
- Vertical Strikes Focus: A focus strike that hits an enemy in the solar plexus to stun them
- Invert Throw: Allows you to swap places with an enemy after hitting them
- Hook Intercept: A hook attack that stops you from flinching during the build-up
- Chasing Trip Kick: Attack a pushed enemy and knock them down
- Crotch Punch: A quick strike that lets you dodge down as you attack
Up to 30
- Thigh Cut Focus: A focus strike with a bladed weapon that attacks an enemies leg
- Raining Strikes: A combo that ends with a lot of fast blows
- Slide Kick: Allows you to do a sliding kick when running that can knock down enemies
- Weapon Mastery: Lets you use your weapons for longer
Each skill costs a set amount of experience to unlock, and you can pay for that cost another five times to unlock the skill permanently. This is because all of your skills are taken away if you die too much.
While there is a lot of choice here, fear not, we’ve picked six skills that are especially worth having, and even permanently unlocking when possible if you’re planning on redoing levels to grind out skills, or if you’re struggling against a specific boss.
There are all the best Sifu Skills you can unlock in the game. Make sure to check out our list of the Sifu Shrine locations to get you back in the action quicker.