Best Kai skill setup in Avowed

If you’re diving into Avowed, figuring out the best Kai skill setup is crucial for maximizing his potential as your first companion. Kai, a coastal aumaua with a laid-back demeanor and a voice that could probably calm a storm, joins your journey shortly after arriving in the Living Lands. Armed with a sharp blade and a powerful blunderbuss, he excels as a frontline fighter who can dish out serious damage and soak up enemy attacks.

This guide covers the best Kai skill setup in Avowed, focusing on four key abilities: Fire and Ice, Unbending Defense, Leap of Daring, and Second Wind. These choices maximize his offensive power and survivability, ensuring he remains a dependable ally in every battle.

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Best Kai skill setup to build in Avowed

Check out all the 4 best Kai skill setup in Avowed (Image via Xbox Game Studios)

1) Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice is a very powerful skill and a good Kai skill setup wouldn't be complete without it. Lasting for 10 seconds with a 40-second cooldown, this skill lets him release a massive blunderbuss blast, which causes heavy stun damage and taunts enemies for 10 seconds.

It's ideal for removing pesky enemies from your back, creating space for you to deliver your own attack or spells. To top it off, it's great at staging coordinated attacks, particularly if you're wielding a gun yourself.

Recommended specialization: Extra Powder

• Effect: Ignites enemies, dealing Fire damage over time.
• Why? Many adversaries in Avowed are vulnerable to elemental damage, making this an effective choice for maximizing Kai’s offensive output.

Alternatively, you could opt for Pure Lead for increased stun duration; still, Extra Powder’s burn effect synergizes better with other elemental attacks in the game.

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2) Unbending Defense

Kai often finds himself at the front lines, taking the brunt of enemy assaults. That’s where Unbending Defense comes in. This skill grants him health regeneration and boosts his damage reduction by 25% for 30 seconds, with a cooldown of 75 seconds. It keeps him alive longer, allowing him to tank hits while you strategize your next move.

Recommended specialization: Iron Will

• Effect: Increases Unbending Defense’s damage reduction by 50%.
• Why? It synergizes perfectly with Dream Touch, a Godlike ability that many players obtain early in the game. Dream Touch provides AoE healing, ensuring Kai stays alive even in the heat of battle.

If you don’t have Dream Touch, consider Indomitable Spirit for improved health regeneration.

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3) Leap of Daring

One of the flashiest and most helpful among Kai's skills is Leap of Daring. It propels him up in the air and then slams on his target, stunning and taunting all enemy units in the proximity for 25 seconds. The skill has a cooldown period of 60 seconds. It's perfect for controlling crowds and repositioning units, allowing you to manage the rhythm of the fight.

Recommended specialization: Leap of Pride

• Effect: Doubles the area of effect for Leap of Daring.
• Why? It turns the ability into an AoE powerhouse, ideal for both mob control and boss encounters.

The other options, Leap of Faith and Leap of Conviction, provide temporary health or bonus attack damage depending on the number of enemies hit. While useful in certain scenarios, they don’t offer the same strategic advantage as doubling the area of effect.

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4) Second Wind

Second Wind is a passive ability that gives Kai a second chance when things get rough. If he’s reduced to zero health, Second Wind automatically revives him with 50% of his maximum health. With a cooldown of 120 seconds, this skill ensures that Kai doesn’t stay down for long, allowing him to jump back into the fight when you need him the most.

Recommended Specialization: Soothing Wind

• Effect: Boosts Second Wind's health restoration to 75% of Kai’s maximum health.
• Why? It makes him significantly more durable, ensuring he remains a dependable frontline unit.

The other choices, Rallying Wind and Refreshing Wind, grant increased attack speed and reset ability cooldowns, respectively. While the ability to reset cooldowns is tempting, the instant health boost is far more valuable in clutch situations and thus a better fit for the best Kai skill setup.

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Why not Firestarter?

A still from Avowed (Image via Xbox Game Studios)

You might wonder why Firestarter isn’t a part of our recommended Kai skill setup. That’s because Firestarter is always available in Kai’s radial menu and doesn’t require any investment. It allows him to shoot his blunderbuss to burn through obstacles, dealing Fire damage essential for exploration and puzzle-solving. Since it’s a utility skill, it doesn’t impact his combat efficiency as much as the other abilities listed here.

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That concludes our guide on the best Kai skill setup in Avowed.