Combat
Action combat with parry, dodge, and execute across nine weapon types, where proficiency mastery thresholds and ability points decide how hard you hit.
Soulmask combat has real depth. It is not a stamina-bar grind where you mash light attacks; it rewards reading the enemy, parrying on time, and converting the opening into an execute. There are nine weapon types, each with its own moveset and active skills, and your effectiveness with any of them grows the more you use it. Spear is widely called a strong early pick because it keeps its reach and can block, but the system is broad enough that most players settle on a couple of weapons they like.
The weapon types
There are nine weapon types in total, including the shield. The sources name only some of them directly: spear, blade, bow, and shield are confirmed by name. The rest exist but are not all listed, so treat “nine types” as the count and the four above as the ones you can count on. Some weapons add utility on top of damage. A spear, for example, can block alongside a shield while keeping the reach a shield user lacks.
The moveset
Every weapon shares a core set of moves, with the details varying by weapon.
- Light attack: fast, low commitment.
- Heavy attack: slower, higher damage.
- Leap attack: a gap-closer.
- Backstab: bonus damage from behind, the payoff for the Conquest stealth style.
- Execute: a finisher, set up by a successful parry.
Learning which move each weapon favors is most of the early skill curve. The Weapon Info tab shows the damage multipliers by attack type, so you can see in plain numbers whether a given weapon wants you leaning on light, heavy, or leap attacks.
Parry, dodge, and execute
Two defensive tools carry most fights. Parry has a forgiving window, and a successful parry opens the enemy for an execute, which is the main way to burst down a tough target. Dodge has generous i-frames, so a well-timed roll passes through an attack untouched.
Parry and execute are the backbone of single-target combat. If you only practice one thing early, practice timing the parry, because every execute you land starts with one and the window is wide enough to learn fast.
Proficiency and mastery
Weapon proficiency is one of the three separate progression systems. It grows only by using that specific weapon, and it caps at 50 for the player. Buffs unlock at mastery thresholds.
| Proficiency | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| 30 | First mastery buff |
| 60 | Second |
| 90 | Third |
| 120 | Fourth (NPC ceiling) |
You will not personally reach 120; the player cap is 50. Tribesmen reach 120, which is one more reason a possessed tribesman can outfight your own character. Each weapon also has a default active skill, such as the spear’s harpoon throw that drags enemies in, and unlocks more active skills as mastery rises.
Spending ability points
Character Level is a separate track from proficiency. Leveling grants ability points you spend on stats, and the safe early investment is Physique, which raises your HP. Spend points every level rather than hoarding them; a fuller health pool is what lets you survive the windows where a parry slips.
Related: see The Mask System for the passive buffs your mask layers on top of weapon damage, and Tribesmen for fielding fighters who push proficiency past your own cap.