Every Day We Fight character builds and skills
Every Day We Fight: work out why a skill stays locked
Read the target node's prerequisite first, then check whether an incompatible alternative is already selected. For a branch's final skill, count the advanced choices in that same branch instead of counting every skill bought on the character.
A spare Skill Point is only one condition for an unlock. The published skill reference also lists predecessor ranks, alternative choices and requirements for the final skill in a branch.
On this page
Check the lock in this order
- Confirm that the selected Thorn has an unspent SP.
- Read the target skill's named predecessor and required rank. Follow the chain back to the base ability if needed.
- Check the listed mutually exclusive skill. Buying one alternative can prevent the other regardless of spare SP.
- For a final branch skill, inspect that branch's advanced-choice requirement. The published reference lists three advanced choices for examples such as Second Chance, Keeps On Givin' and Return On Investment.
- For a tool-dependent skill, also confirm story access to the tool. Leo's Encruster requires the Resonator Dart Gun; Vivian's Early Departure route requires the Teleporter.
Distinguish missing progress from a deliberate choice
| What you see | Likely check | Next decision |
|---|---|---|
| A skill beyond a base ability is unavailable | Its predecessor/rank | Buy the required earlier node if that is the route you want. |
| One of a pair cannot be selected | Mutual exclusion | Choose the preferred route; extra SP does not make the pair compatible. |
| A final branch node remains unavailable | Advanced choices within that branch | Count qualifying choices in the correct branch. |
| A traversal-related skill has no usable tool | Story tool requirement | Continue the required campaign progression rather than expecting the skill to grant the device. |
Keep respec advice separate
The older DBLTAP build articles describe refunding and reallocating points. They do not establish the exact current 1.0 button path, so this page does not invent a respec menu or promise that every choice can be reversed at any moment. Inspect the installed game's confirmation text before changing a completed build.
Plan within the release level cap
The official1.0notes cap level at24. Do not plan a build around an older suggestion that enough grinding eventually buys every desirable node; preserve the prerequisites and exclusion choices that matter for the selected role. The notes do not supply a new full skill-tree chart.
If it does not work
- More SP does not unlock the node: recheck the named predecessor, same-branch count and exclusion.
- A tool skill is bought but cannot be used: possessing the required story device is a separate condition.
- Your current card differs: follow its requirement and record the build instead of treating the undated reference as a later-build guarantee.
How to tell it worked
The missing prerequisite is identified, or you establish that the desired node conflicts with a choice you intentionally made. The selected route can then be planned without spending SP toward an incompatible combination.
Sources & version
Steam / Windows PC. An attributed July 2025 Early Access build template, compared with the published Codex skill cards on 2 November 2026. Exact Codex capture build/date is unknown. This is conditional planning advice, not a personal 1.0 test or a best-build guarantee.
- IndieTome — Characters & skills — Relevant full skill entries and prerequisites checked 2 November 2026. Codex transcription/reference; exact capture build and date are not declared.
- IndieTome — Getting started — Complete discoveries, skills, reticle, cover and stash entries checked 2 November 2026. Exact capture build/date not declared.
- Marco Wutz — Dylan build, DBLTAP, 10 July 2025 — Full Early Access recommendation read 2 November 2026. Used as an attributed starting build, cross-checked against the separate skill reference; not a current 1.0 best-build test.
- Official 1.0 release notes — 22 October 2026 — Contemporaneous official body/source record reused from this site's first-release research. It confirms expanded weapons and parts, difficulty/saves and balance changes; it does not verify every third-party build or later build.
Source check: 2026-11-02. See our source and version policy.