Shogun Showdown is a turn-based samurai roguelite, which means every run starts fresh, though some progress carries over. Skills are upgrades you buy in shops along the way, and they change how your character fights. They're spread across six shops, so knowing what each shop sells helps you plan your run.
Shop
All Shops
Big Pockets
Adds room to carry one more consumable.
- Normal Cost
- 10 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Adds one consumable slot.
- Conditions and Limits
- Each purchase adds one slot; capacity cannot exceed six.
Rogue Retail
Lets you sell consumables anywhere for one extra coin.
- Normal Cost
- 10 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 30 skulls
- Effect
- Lets you sell consumables outside shops and raises their sale value by one coin.
- Conditions and Limits
- -
Shop
Warring Shop
Back Stabber
Adds damage when you hit an enemy from behind.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Adds 1 damage when an attack hits an enemy from behind.
- Conditions and Limits
- The enemy’s facing determines which side is its back.
Sniper
Adds damage to attacks from long range.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Adds 1 damage to attacks against enemies at least four cells away.
- Conditions and Limits
- A target that is at least four cells away when the attack is queued still qualifies after a tile moves you closer.
Unfriendly Fire
Makes enemies deal more damage to one another.
- Normal Cost
- 10 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Adds 1 damage when enemies hit one another.
- Conditions and Limits
- Does not increase damage from your own direct attacks.
Mindfulness
Waiting restores one extra cooldown point.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Waiting restores 1 extra cooldown point to recharging tiles and your special move.
- Conditions and Limits
- Cooldowns cannot be restored past their ready state.
Monomancer
Adds damage when your queue uses a single tile.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 15 skulls
- Effect
- Adds 1 damage when your attack queue contains only one tile.
- Conditions and Limits
- Maximum level is 1. A second queued tile, including a movement tile, breaks the condition.
Close Combat
Adds damage to attacks against adjacent enemies.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 3 skulls
- Effect
- Adds 1 damage to attacks against adjacent enemies.
- Conditions and Limits
- Movement tiles do not receive the bonus.
Central Dominion
Adds damage to attacks made from the field’s center.
- Normal Cost
- 10 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 30 skulls
- Effect
- Adds 1 damage to attacks made from the center of the field.
- Conditions and Limits
- Movement tiles do not receive the bonus.
Odd Curse
Curses a random enemy at the start of odd-numbered waves.
- Normal Cost
- 10 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 20 skulls
- Effect
- Curses one enemy at the start of each odd-numbered wave.
- Conditions and Limits
- The target is random; the skill does not curse every enemy.
Shop
Combo Shop
Combo Coin
Enemies killed in a Combo drop an extra coin.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Enemies killed in a Combo drop one extra coin.
- Conditions and Limits
- Does not apply to summoned enemies in the full release.
Combo Recharge
The tile that makes a Combo kill recovers cooldown.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- The tile that makes a Combo kill recovers 4 cooldown points; level 2 recovers 8.
- Conditions and Limits
- Maximum level is 2.
Triple-Combo Heal
Killing three enemies in one turn restores 1 HP.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Restores 1 HP after killing three enemies in one turn.
- Conditions and Limits
- Two kills do not trigger the heal. Healing can activate Overflow Guard.
Combo Curse
A Combo kill curses one random enemy left alive.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- A Combo kill curses one random enemy that remains.
- Conditions and Limits
- The target is random; no curse is applied if no enemy remains.
Combo Deal
Using two consumables in a turn gives you another one.
- Normal Cost
- 10 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 20 skulls
- Effect
- Using two consumables in the same turn gives you one random consumable.
- Conditions and Limits
- A Combo kill does not trigger this effect by itself.
Kobushi Combo
A Combo kill refreshes cooldowns on tiles left in hand.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 25 skulls
- Effect
- A Combo kill clears cooldown from the other tiles left in your hand.
- Conditions and Limits
- The tile that makes the Combo kill does not get its cooldown cleared.
Combo Boon
A Combo kill can give you a consumable card.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 30 skulls
- Effect
- A Combo kill can give you a consumable card.
- Conditions and Limits
- The possible cards are Mass Curse, Mass Poison, Mass Ice, and Rain of Mirrors.
Chilling Combo
A Combo kill freezes one random enemy.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 6 skulls
- Effect
- A Combo kill freezes one random enemy.
- Conditions and Limits
- The target is random; enemies that resist Ice are not reliably frozen.
Shop
Guarding Shop
Healthy
Raises maximum HP by 2.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Raises maximum HP by 2.
- Conditions and Limits
- -
Fortress
Starts each battle with a shield at a cost of 2 maximum HP.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Starts each battle with a shield and lowers maximum HP by 2.
- Conditions and Limits
- The maximum HP penalty applies while the skill is active.
Reactive Shield
Taking damage gives you a shield if you do not already have one.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Gives you a shield after you take damage.
- Conditions and Limits
- Does not trigger while you already have a shield.
Shield Retention
Shields last into the next battle.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Keeps shields between battles.
- Conditions and Limits
- Does not create a shield; you need another source of one.
Karma
Returns an enemy’s damage when it hits you.
- Normal Cost
- 10 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 20 skulls
- Effect
- When an enemy hits you, it takes damage equal to that hit.
- Conditions and Limits
- -
Chilling Blood
Taking damage freezes enemies that can be frozen.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 30 skulls
- Effect
- Taking damage freezes all enemies.
- Conditions and Limits
- Enemies with Ice resistance or the Unfreezable trait can resist the effect.
Iron Skin
Reduces incoming damage by 1 but costs 3 maximum HP.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 10 skulls
- Effect
- Reduces each incoming hit by 1 and lowers maximum HP by 3.
- Conditions and Limits
- Damage cannot be reduced below 1; at 5 maximum HP, the penalty leaves 2.
Overflow Guard
Excess healing turns into a shield.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 25 skulls
- Effect
- Healing above your maximum HP gives you a shield.
- Conditions and Limits
- Healing exactly to maximum HP does not trigger the shield.
Shop
Dancer Shop
Two-Way Move
Lets your special move work in either direction.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Lets your special move work in either direction.
- Conditions and Limits
- The Chain Master’s special move already works both ways.
Quick Recovery
Reduces your special-move cooldown by 1.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Reduces special-move cooldown by 1.
- Conditions and Limits
- Cooldown cannot go below 1.
Damaging Move
Your special move deals 1 damage.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Makes your special move deal 1 damage to its target.
- Conditions and Limits
- -
Dynamic Boost
Adds attack damage after a tile moves you in the same turn.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- Unlocked from the start
- Effect
- Adds 1 damage to attacks if you moved with a tile during the same turn.
- Conditions and Limits
- Movement on an earlier turn does not meet this condition.
Cursing Move
Your special move curses its target.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 25 skulls
- Effect
- Makes your special move curse its target.
- Conditions and Limits
- With Ronin or Jujitsuka, a collision target can take the curse’s doubled hit immediately, consuming the curse.
Chikara Crush
Enemy collisions deal 1 extra damage.
- Normal Cost
- 15 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 20 skulls
- Effect
- Adds 1 damage to enemy collisions.
- Conditions and Limits
- Ronin and Jujitsuka special moves can cause collisions; the Chain Master’s position swap alone does not.
Mamushi Move
Your special move poisons its target but takes one extra cooldown.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 6 skulls
- Effect
- Makes your special move poison its target.
- Conditions and Limits
- Adds 1 cooldown to the special move.
Two-Faced Dancer
Lets you turn for free, but a second turn in a row curses you.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 30 skulls
- Effect
- Turning around is free; turning twice in a row curses you.
- Conditions and Limits
- A second consecutive turn applies Curse.
Shop
Astronomer Shop
Fenghuang's Feather
Revives you after a fatal hit at half maximum HP.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 99 skulls
- Effect
- Revives you after a fatal hit with half your maximum HP.
- Conditions and Limits
- -
Seiryu's Scale
Makes the first reroll at each reward free.
- Normal Cost
- 20 coins
- Skull Unlock
- 99 skulls
- Effect
- Makes the first reroll at each reward free.
- Conditions and Limits
- Shop rerolls and later rerolls at the same reward still cost currency.
What Skills Do in Shogun Showdown
Skills are passive, which means they keep working once you own them, and you never press a button to use one. Each one bends a rule a little. One might make your attacks hit harder, another might bring a cooldown back sooner, and another turns extra healing into a shield. Because they stay active for the rest of the run, every skill you buy affects every fight after it.
Where to Buy Skills: The Shops and What They Sell
After you defeat a region's boss, you can stop at a shop before moving on. Each shop has its own theme. Warring offers offensive skills, Combo offers skills built around combo kills, Guarding offers defensive ones, and Dancer offers skills that power up your special move and movement. A couple of general skills can turn up in any shop, and the Astronomer shop at Moonlit Port can offer every skill, plus two rare ones you won't find anywhere else.
Each shop starts out offering just one skill. Skulls can permanently unlock another skill slot, a consumable slot and the blood service, and every shop has to be unlocked separately.
Skill Prices and Restocking
Skills cost coins, and a skill on sale costs less. Coins come from defeating enemies, so every purchase is a choice about what you can afford.
Restocking is how you get a fresh set of skills. Losing 1 HP at the blood service rerolls the shop and brings in new skills, while losing 2 HP gives you 5 coins instead. A Lucky Die can also reroll the shop without costing HP.
How to Unlock Skills for Future Runs
Not every skill is available from the start. Skulls you collect during runs carry over after a run ends, and spending them unlocks skills that can show up in later runs. Close Combat is the cheapest unlock, while the Astronomer's two rare skills cost the most.
How Skill Levels and Stacking Work
Buying a skill you already own doesn't add a second copy. It raises that skill's level instead, which makes its effect stronger, up to level 3. Two Sniper skills, for example, make a level 2 Sniper that adds +2 damage instead of +1.
A few skills have lower caps. Monomancer tops out at level 1, Combo Recharge at level 2, and most Dancer skills don't stack at all.
Best Skills to Pick and Which to Skip
Players tend to rate Mindfulness and Two-Faced Dancer highly. Mindfulness lets waiting recharge one extra cooldown point and is unlocked from the start. Two-Faced Dancer makes turning around free, but it has to be unlocked with skulls first.
For defense, Reactive Shield is a dependable pick, since it gives you a shield whenever you take damage and is unlocked from the start. Chilling Blood is also rated highly, because it freezes every enemy when you take damage, but it costs skulls to unlock. Reactive Shield is the better choice against enemies that can't be frozen.
Combo Coin is a strong early pick if your tiles can kill two enemies at once, and Healthy, which adds 2 max HP, is a safe choice. For boss fights, players often favor curse effects, and Combo Curse is easy to get since it needs no skulls.
Iron Skin is often called one of the weakest picks. It cuts incoming damage by 1, but it also takes away 3 max HP, which is a heavy cost. Two-Way Move adds little once you have Two-Faced Dancer, so it's the one to skip.
FAQ
What's the difference between skills and tiles in Shogun Showdown?
Tiles are the attacks and actions you line up during a fight. Skills are passive effects that work alongside your tiles, and they're sold in shops. New tiles also turn up as rewards along the route.
Which skills can only be bought at the Astronomer shop?
Two skills are sold only there. Fenghuang's Feather revives you at half max HP when a lethal hit would otherwise kill you. Seiryu's Scale makes the first reroll of each reward free.
Does Combo Coin work on every kill?
No. Since the 1.0 release, Combo Coin doesn't work for summoned enemies, which stopped players from farming coins without end.
Do Fortress and Shield Retention work well together?
Not really. Fortress gives you a shield at the start of every fight, at a cost of 2 max HP. Shield Retention keeps shields from one fight to the next, so with Fortress it has little left to do.