Fallen Tear: The Ascension combat
Start with sword spacing, then use the element a target or obstacle requires. On 1.0.3, death keeps your Korr Shards; the maximum teleport cost is halved, making recovery trips cheaper.
Combat combines Hira's Korr blade, elemental blessings and Fated Bond abilities. Check the movement or attack a situation needs before spending points across the separate upgrade tracks.
The four blessings
| Blessing | Achievement name | Snapshot 26 Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Fire | Kindled Flame | 2.8% |
| Water | Tide's Embrace | 1.8% |
| Earth | Earthen Grace | 1.0% |
| Wind | Windswept oath | 0.9% |
Official site copy: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, and you can switch them. "Air" on the site is "wind" on the achievement. Same element.
Most players have Apex Minikin (80%) long before they have fire (2.8%). Early-game is sword and Bonds, not a full element kit.
Survival stats, not a build calculator
| Upgrade | Achievement |
|---|---|
| First Health Spice | Bulky |
| First Energy herb | Energized |
| Full health | Heart of Steel (0.1%) |
| Full stamina | Olympian Athlete (0.3%) |
| Full mana | Mind over Mana (0.2%) |
| Full sword | Master of Arms (0.1%) |
Korr Shards are the cash. "Dragon's Hoard" is 100,000 shards total since patch 1.0.4 (it was 250,000) — still rare, but no longer a reason to hoard. Do not spend like you will hit that on day two.
Since 1.0.3, Hira keeps the current Korr Shard balance when dying. Boss practice no longer needs a shard-recovery trip after each failed attempt. The patch also halves the maximum teleport cost, making a return to a previously visited Root cheaper; check the displayed travel price rather than assuming every trip is free. See the current patch rules.
Difficulty
Steam has a thread called Difficulty? and the 1.0.1 note admits early combat needs balance work. "Fallen Tear Mode" is a separate clear ("Tears of the Fallen", 0.2%). If you are bouncing on the first hunt, you are in the same bucket as most of the launch week, not in a secret hard mode.
Controller vibration is on the 1.0.1 wishlist, not in the patch that shipped.
Blood moons, by the numbers
A blood moon is a recurring world event: affected enemies hit harder, and their Korr Shards are the reason you fight them anyway. Patch 1.0.1 pulled it closer to intended:
| Blood moon | After 1.0.1 | Before 1.0.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Enemy strength | 1.5x | 2x |
| Korr Shards from affected enemies | Proper 3x drop | Often less than expected |
| Event frequency | Every 45 minutes | Every 30 minutes |
The rest of the patch — eight fixes and the areas it smoothed — is in the 1.0.1 digest.
FAQ
Is there a best element? Not published. Fire is simply the blessing the most people have found.
Do I need all hunter skills for the story? 0.2% have them. The story does not wait.
