Skills and the (ideal) order to level them

A guide on the Skills in Tribal Hunter and the recommended/ideal order to level them

Starting Line

Tribal Hunter has an skill xp buy system in place, meaning that the xp you gain from defeating enemies is used to buy and level skills.

However, you won't have access to all the skills right away nor will you be able to level what you have to their true cap. You'll have to make progress in the game in order to get access to the skills.

For simplicity sake I'll be dividing these skills into "Sets" based on when they're unlocked, and grouping them by their type (Attack for red skills, Defense for green skills, and Magic for blue skills).
The Skill that are part of these sets are as follows:

1. Attack:Strength, Combo Finisher, Sharp Punches. Defense:Health, Healing Food, Spirit Aid. Magic:Spirit, Fat Furnace, and Egg Power.
   
2. Attack:Heavy Body, Fat Fist. Defense:Body Armor, Resilient Skin. Magic:Mental Preparation, Charge.
   
3. Attack:Rage Warrior, Martial Arts Master. Defense:Rock Hard Muscles, Unyielding Spirit. Magic:Spirit Fire, Black Hole.

Set 1

When you get it: Start of the game


Your starting set of skills. While basic in nature they are the ones that grow the most through the game. These contain the skills that level up your basic stats outside of fullness and upgrade your starting abilities.

Attack Skills

Strength: Starting lvl cap: 20. 2nd lvl cap: 40. Final lvl cap: 100. Exp required to level each time: 5(x+1) (x being the current level)
Priority: Top
Notes: The attack boost is very useful early on when getting the fuel needed to use magic is hard to hold onto due to Munch's low fullness starting out. It's still reliable even in late game, as there will be points where the ability to use magic is out of the question due to having 0 fullness.

Combo Finisher: Starting lvl cap: 2. 2nd lvl cap: 4. Final lvl cap: 5. Exp required to level each time: 150+50x (x being the current level)
Priority: Mid-lowish
Notes: Depending on how you play, you might not use the combo finisher as much. It is important starting out as said above, but later on you'll have more tricks up your arsenal that will reduce the necessity to use the combo finisher. (that and sometimes just using the first attack over and over again is much better than doing the full combo as it can juggle enemies)

Sharp Punches: Starting lvl cap: 2. 2nd lvl cap: 4. Final lvl cap: 5. Exp required to level each time: 150+50x (x being the current level)
Priority: Mid
Notes: A chance to have 50% (and then later, 100%) extra damage apply to your attacks is very nice, even early on. It does, however, take a while to be sort of reliable for one's DPS and the chance based nature of it does mean that you can in rare cases go for a while without a single crit.

Defense Skills

Health: Starting lvl cap: 20. 2nd lvl cap: 40. Final lvl cap: 100. Exp required to level each time: 5(x+1) (x being the current level)
Priority: Top
Notes: Probably the most important of the base stat skills, as having more health early on means Munch can take more punishment from enemy attacks and traps. It sadly only goes up to 400, but every little bit helps tbh.

Healing Food: Starting lvl cap: 2. 2nd lvl cap: 4. Final lvl cap: 5. Exp required to level each time: 150+50x (x being the current level)
Priority: Mid
Notes: Food in Tribal Hunter can be a double edged sword at times, but the additional healing bonus from resting with a filled belly can not be ignored, and at later levels the healing from food can be just what one needs to just barely avoid getting broken... so long as you're not too full before hand.

Spirit Aid: Starting lvl cap: 2. 2nd lvl cap: 4. Final lvl cap: 5. Exp required to level each time: 150+50x (x being the current level)
Priority: High
Notes: Probably the most useful skill in the starting set outside of the stat skills, the ability to heal while attacking, even the miniscule amount it heals at the beginning is a god-send if you pair it up with a slime, as you can just hide out in a corner, spit out the slime, wail on it until it breaks apart into smaller slimes, suck them up, and then repeat until you're at full health. It also allows one to keep wailing on bosses as well while enduring their attacks, so long as you learn when to fall back before being done in, though it loses some luster on higher difficulties due to the obscene damage output some bosses have.

Magic Skills

Spirit: Starting lvl cap: 20. 2nd lvl cap: 40. Final lvl cap: 100. Exp required to level each time: 5(x+1) (x being the current level)
Priority: High
Notes: Magic early on isn't as useful due to Munch's low fullness at the start of the game. It takes til the 2nd third of the game before the pros of Magic show themselves. Ranged damage is always nice, however, so putting some points into it early on is a good investment.

Fat Furnace: Starting lvl cap: 2. 2nd lvl cap: 4. Final lvl cap: 5. Exp required to level each time: 150+50x (x being the current level)
Priority: Low
Notes: Sadly, outside of like one boss fight and facing certain enemies, the fireball magic isn't as useful as the Eggs, as the aiming can be a bit of a pain and your angle of fire is a bit limited. The only good note about this skill is that it increases the cost of the spell, so it can burn off fullness faster... but Eggs can burn fullness off quicker due to their 25 full cost. Thus putting no points into this skill is a good idea, at least in the first 2 3rds of the game, as you can use the fireballs to destroy boxes and walls at long range.

Egg Power: Starting lvl cap: 2. 2nd lvl cap: 4. Final lvl cap: 5. Exp required to level each time: 150+50x (x being the current level)
Priority: Mid-High
Notes: Eggs work much better offensively than the fireball, as they can be fired behind cover and the explosion can hit multiple enemies. The fact they also have unique interactions with some enemies and bosses is just the cherry on top.

Set 2

When you get it: After the first fight with the Fox Rival in the Crystal Caverns

Attack Skills

Heavy Body: Starting lvl cap: 2. Final Level Cap: 3. Exp needed per level: 250(x+1) (x being current level)
Priority: Mid-High
Notes: Ground Slam is pretty powerful despite the weakness of putting Munch at risk of getting hit, plus depending on the enemy Much will just bounce back up which allows you to use it again, and one can even spam it to take out some bosses and tough enemies. The fact the area of effect is increased at higher weight levels is just a bonus.

Fat Fist: Starting lvl cap: 2. Final Level Cap: 3. Exp needed per level: 250(x+1) (x being current level)
Priority: Low
Notes: Despite how much food gets thrown around in game, the attack bonus only affecting the first attack is kind of a let down.

Defense Skills

Body Armor: Starting lvl cap: 2. Final Level Cap: 3. Exp needed per level: 250(x+1) (x being current level)
Priority: High-Top
Notes: Defenses are very important, so take every chance you get on leveling this skill, as it can mean the difference between making it out of a fight with just a sliver of health and having to do the fight all over again.

Resilient Skin: Starting lvl cap: 2. Final Level Cap: 3. Exp needed per level: 250(x+1) (x being current level)
Priority: High-Top
Notes: Same as above, but this does make playing at higher weight levels more viable as it reduces puncture damage. It won't make you immune to being popped by puncture attacks when you're at critical mass, but it does make it less likely.

Magic Skills

Mental Preperation: Starting lvl cap: 2. Final Level Cap: 3. Exp needed per level: 250(x+1) (x being current level)
Priority: Top
Notes: Even more-so than the 2 Defense skills, this skill is very important as magic damage becomes more common in the late game, that and curse fullness caused by the ghost enemies in the Shadowlands is affected by this skill. Unfortunately this skill doesn't grant as much magic defense as one would like, but take what you can, I guess.

Charge: Starting lvl cap: 2. Final Level Cap: 3. Exp needed per level: 250(x+1) (x being current level)
Priority: Mid
Notes: Extra damage for extra cost is handy at higher weight levels, and at Overflow weight the charge is near instant allowing you to spam the charged spells. While the charged fireballs aren't that great the charged egg explodes into smaller eggs that also explode, which multiplies the Egg DPS by a fair amount.

Set 3

When you get it: After the 2nd Fox Rival Fight near the end of the Shadowlands

Attack Skills

Rage Warrior: Exp Required to get it: 1000
Priority: Mid-Low
Notes: If it weren't for the fact that Max Health only caps at 400 I'd put more of a recommendation on this. 35% increase to damage is nice, but the requirement to be below half health really makes things risky and mostly not worth it.

Martial Arts Master: Exp Required to get it: 1500
Priority: High
Notes: Extra 50% crit damage, what more do I need to say?

Defense Skills

Rock Hard Muscles: Exp Required to get it: 1000
Priority: High-Top
Notes: While 15% is a admittedly low chance for a survival skill, the fact that it negates (or rather, it reduces damage down to 1, so technically it doesn't negate damage) any damage taken is still very handy.

Unyielding Spirit: Exp Required to get it: 1500
Priority: Top
Notes: While it would be better if it was given much earlier, an extra second of I-frames is handy in getting Munch out of tough situations.

Magic Skills

Spirit Fire: Exp Required to get it: 1000
Priority: Mid
Notes: A step up from the regular fireball, the homing ability allows it to hit targets that are in angles where the egg bomb won't hit it, though the targeting on it can be a bit fickle and it suffers the same problems as the regular fireball. Though it's much better to use at Overflow weight as the seeking property can help with hitting enemies behind Munch, as you can't turn around at that weight level.

Black Hole: Exp Required to get it: 1500
Priority: Low
Notes: While enticing in concept, in execution it can be dangerous as it can easily put Munch at risk of popping himself due to being overfull, along with denying exp outside of resting. However, It can be useful in getting rid of certain bulky enemies (at least those who are affected by the skill), so it's not entirely useless outside of novelty.

Ideal Order of leveling

The priority order goes as such:

1. Health, Strength, Mental Preparation
   
2. Heavy Slam, Spirit Aid, Body Armor, Resilient Skin, Rock Hard Muscles, Unyielding Spirit
   
3. Sharp Punches, Martial Arts Master, Combo Finisher, Healing Food, Egg Power, Charge
   
4. Spirit, Spirit Fire
   
5. Fat Fist, Rage Warrior,
   
6. Fat Furnace, Black Hole

Conclusion

Since Tribal Hunter is still in Early Access, there is a chance that the devs will change the values of some skills to make them better, or whatever else that could significantly change them.

However I believe this is a good outline for what one should prioritize in terms of leveling your skills.

Edit: Extra: Fun fact! the total amount of exp you need to cap out all of Munch's skills is 51450 exp, or, in terms of pounds digested, 514500 pounds of food, which is 343 times Munch's max cap.

[Skull Reaper]

lolz, almost max out skills, i one run. (i'm like short 4-10 points in magic, but don't really use magic for last boss soooo. ) PS. Love the new HP max! i feel like a GOD!

[AzureIceDragon]

Heads up the update changed the stat skills so that you now can go up to 100. I haven't maxed out any of them yet so I can't give numbers for how much exp you need but otherwise I'm pretty sure what I've said here stays the same for the most part.

[TheStratovarian]

Heavy Body+Crit chance+Martial arts master can let your ground pound at high weight devastate enemies for 300-400 at times.

Its a sadly later option, but can make some places pretty good chunk damage even against bosses, and its overall area is huge.

And definitely agree on the egg over flame. The fire is good for a couple spot near the end game, but egg and its tiered upgrades are super useful.

[Skull Reaper]

You know i have rethought about it all. just give New Game Pulse. And I think i'm good.

[Solid Snake]

53500 Gold & 51450 XP To level Munch's Skill to max Level are you absolutely sure? How much for the starting Abilities at the beginning of the game? I want to get his Skills upgraded & purchase all of Key's Upgrades from his store. I want to thoroughly sure in the beginning of the Game to get those out of the way first Its how. I start out in GTA & RDR by getting a lot of the basics out of the way first its how I ensure 100% Completion. Breaking the Game down into small priorities before I take on the Big Stuff.

And I want to know what's the best way to start out farming Gold and XP before taking on the main goal of the game?

[Skull Reaper]

yep that what I meant. The shield give to you is from a cryomancer, (I think?) (Ice mage?) your right it's not ice shield. I was thinking it was one because he say's something about his powers, and got mixed up sry. But ya i would like a list of all powers and there % to work.

As to the guide, well it works, of you play on like Normal. By buff you attack to like max out the gate you can two shot all most anything.(not Boss) But i mostly play on Insane difficulty, so this guide good for someone new, but for me I go for spells first, Like the Egg buff, spell buff and go for Hp last.... mostly i like make the game harder for my self, but that's just me.

[Skull Reaper]

i think the exp needs to cut in half at least.

On side note. I wish it would list all the other buffs you pick up from the NPC you find. "Like ice shield from the cave."

[AzureIceDragon]

even for conservation, 5 fireballs doing as much damage as 2 and a half egg bombs for the cost of one egg isn't bad, but again you have to aim them, where as egg bombs are slightly more fire and forget... until you get spirit fire and can use the homing property to just fire in the general direction of the enemies. Sure the homing is bad, but still, it's decent damage for the cost...

[AzureIceDragon]

oh yea, Spirit aid is still pretty dang good even after nerf.

Though the Eggs are good offensively so the upgrade skill for them is really good, as seen in my Very Easy difficulty speedrun. It's a bit sad though how the fireball skill is so... pointless? counter intuitive? Like, Spirit Fire is really good since it homes in on targets and is immediately useful when you get the opportunity to unlock it because of the Ghost Queen fight, and still is useful after because of the various enemies in the mountain top that take bonus damage from magic.

Like, going for physical early on is really good because of Spirit Aid, as it serves as a buffer. And unless you're going for 100%, not all the magic skills are worth it while the physical and defense skills are all good.

...Though I will admit Black Hole is a really good meme skill and if one could start the game with it it'd be fun to use.

[AzureIceDragon]

Not just free, the fact that plenty of the cow enemies pop up in areas means that you can get at least 1-3 bottles and depending on where said cow is you can reasonably farm when you're too far from a bird statue.