← All guides

Build Points Explained

The 400-point budget that shapes every build in the game.

Build Points are the single most important system to understand if you want to make builds that actually work. Skill points let you unlock nodes, attribute points let you scale stats, charms and essences let you customize, but Build Points are the hard ceiling that makes you choose between all of those. If you understand Build Points, you understand why builds look the way they do.

What Build Points are

Every active build has a Build Point pool of 400 points, displayed in the upper-left panel of the planner. As you make selections, points are deducted from that pool. If you try to exceed 400, the planner will warn you and the in-game system will refuse to save the build.

Build Points are not the same as skill points. Skill points are the unlock currency you spend to take a node on the tree. Build Points are a separate, parallel accounting that tracks the total weight of everything in your build at once.

What counts against Build Points

Five categories pull from the Build Point budget:

1. Unlocked skill tree nodes. Every node you've taken contributes its Build Point cost to the total. Cost varies by node — early/central nodes are cheap (2–4 points), late-tree specialty nodes are expensive (15–30 points).
2. Attribute investment. Each tier of attribute investment costs Build Points. Going from 50% to 75% Reiatsu, for example, has a higher Build Point cost than going from 25% to 50%.
3. Skill Essences. Each equipped Essence has its own Build Point cost, typically 10–25 points depending on power level.
4. Spirit Charms. Each equipped Charm has a Build Point cost, usually 8–20 points.
5. Hollow Traits (Hollow only). Each Trait you slot costs Build Points, generally 5–15 points each.

The total of all five categories must stay at or under 400.

Why 400 is the magic number

The 400-cap is deliberately set below the cost of any "everything" build. A fully maxed skill tree alone costs roughly 600+ Build Points for any faction. With attributes, essences, charms, and traits layered on top, a "take everything" build would push 900+. The 400-cap exists to force trade-offs.

This is what makes builds builds instead of just leveling up. You cannot have it all. Every meaningful build is a choice about which 400 worth of options matter most.

Budget planning

A useful way to think about your 400 points is to divide them into a rough budget before you start clicking:

• Core damage path: 150–200 points. This is the line of skills that defines what your build does.
• Attribute investment: 80–120 points. Enough to scale your damage and survive.
• Defensive / utility skills: 40–80 points. Mobility, defensive procs, crowd control answers.
• Essences: 20–40 points. Two slots, picked to amplify the core damage path.
• Charms (and Traits for Hollow): 30–60 points. Passive bonuses to fill out the build.
• Flex room: 5–15 points. Leave yourself a small buffer for late additions.

These are rough numbers. Quincy DPS builds skew more toward damage path and less toward defense. Hollow tank builds skew the other way. Use the budget as a starting point and adjust to your faction's priorities.

The expensive-node trap

Late-tree nodes have powerful effects but disproportionately high Build Point costs. A 25-point capstone node might give a 15% damage boost, while three 5-point mid-tree nodes might combine for a 20% damage boost at the same total cost. Always check whether the late-tree node is actually a better value than three cheaper picks.

There are real cases where the capstone wins — usually when it unlocks a unique mechanic that lower-tier nodes can't replicate. But "expensive equals best" is a trap, not a rule.

The attribute cliff

Attribute investment has steep diminishing returns at high allocation percentages. Going from 0% to 30% in a stat gives a near-linear return. Going from 70% to 90% gives noticeably less per Build Point spent.

The practical implication: two stats at 50% each will almost always outperform one stat at 90% and another at 10%, for the same Build Point cost. Spread your attribute investment across a primary and a meaningful secondary, not into a single all-or-nothing stat.

Build Point red flags

Some patterns indicate a build that's wasting its Build Point budget:

• Single nodes in three different damage branches. You don't get the synergy bonuses, you just pay the entry tax three times.
• Maxed attributes with shallow skill tree. Attributes scale skills. If you don't have the skills, the scaling does nothing.
• Essences that don't match your skills. An essence that modifies skill X is worthless if you haven't unlocked skill X.
• Three offensive charms on a glass build. Compounding offense without any defensive layer creates a build that wins fast or dies fast — and usually dies fast.
• Exactly 400/400. Hitting exactly 400 leaves no flex room for adjustment. Aim for 390–395 so you have a few points to shift around.

How to use the planner

The Build Points counter at the top of the planner updates live as you make changes. If the counter goes red, you've exceeded the cap and need to remove something. The order I recommend for building:

1. Pick faction.
2. Sketch the core damage path on the skill tree (don't worry about exact costs yet).
3. Look at the Build Point total. Is it under 200? Good — you have room for the rest. Over 250? You've over-invested in the core; trim back.
4. Distribute attributes. Aim for primary at ~50%, secondary at ~30%, others minimal.
5. Add defensive and utility skills until you hit ~320–340 total Build Points.
6. Slot essences and charms.
7. Adjust to land at 390–395.

Related guides

Attributes Explained · Essences and Charms Explained · Beginner's Guide