Quick answer: Samson has four skill branches — Instinct, Tactics, Aggression, and Cunning — each containing seven skills, for 28 total. One skill, Hidden Stash, appears in every branch and can be stacked up to four times to protect 40% of your money on knockout.
Samson, the open-world brawler from Liquid Swords, puts you in the boots of Samson McCray as he fights and drives his way through the industrial city of Tyndalston to pay off a crushing debt. The skill system isn't deep in the way a full RPG's would be, but the choices you make still matter. Skill points become harder to earn as you progress, and each pick nudges four underlying stats — Health, Adrenaline, Power, and Finesse — in different directions. Knowing what every skill does before you commit a point can save you from a wasted run.
You access the skill tree through the map menu. On the keyboard, press M. On an Xbox controller, hit the View button; on a PS5 DualSense, use the Create button. Navigate to the next screen to see all four branches and your current XP progress toward the next skill point.
Instinct Skills
The Instinct branch leans into raw survivability and street smarts. Several of its skills reward aggressive, low-health play, while others soften the consequences of failure. If you tend to push your luck in brawls and want a safety net, Instinct is worth prioritizing early.
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| Against The Ropes | Deal more damage when your Health is low. |
| Deep Impact | Your car damages enemy vehicles over a wider area. |
| Thick Skull | Enemy melee weapons lose Durability faster. You still take normal damage. |
| Hidden Stash | 10% of your money is protected on KO. Stacks with other instances of this skill. |
| Fists Like Bricks | Heavy Attacks have a small chance to inflict massive Posture Damage. |
| Streetwise | After a failed Job, your next Job the same Day costs 1 less AP (minimum 1). |
| Heart Of Steel | Once per life, survive a knockout instead — heal a small amount and fully replenish Adrenaline. |
Heart Of Steel is arguably the single most impactful defensive skill in the game. Because losing a fight means losing all your saved cash, a free second chance can be the difference between paying your debt and ending a run. Against The Ropes pairs naturally with it, since you'll often be at low Health right before the revive triggers.
Tactics Skills
Tactics rewards careful planning and resource management. It's the branch most focused on Action Point economy and healing upkeep, making it a strong pick if you want to squeeze more missions into each in-game day.
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| Takedown Thrill | Heal a small amount every time you perform a Takedown. |
| Inside Knowledge | Police patrols and roadblocks appear on the minimap while driving. |
| Pill Popper | Carry 2 additional Painkillers. |
| Hidden Stash | 10% of your money is protected on KO. Stacks with other instances. |
| High And Loaded | While holding more than $3,000, gain extra Adrenaline from all sources. |
| On A Roll | If you made a good payment the previous Day, gain 1 Bonus AP at Night. |
| Sleep Of The Just | If you go to sleep with at least 1 AP remaining, gain 1 Bonus AP at the start of the next Day. |
On A Roll and Sleep Of The Just both generate bonus Action Points, which directly translates to more missions and more money. They do require discipline, though — you need to either hit your payment target or deliberately bank leftover AP by ending your day early. Inside Knowledge is a quality-of-life pick that helps you avoid police encounters during driving missions, reducing the risk of losing time and car health.
Aggression Skills
Aggression is built for players who prefer to solve problems with their fists and their front bumper. The branch includes strong combat-oriented picks alongside a couple of clever economy skills that turn failure into opportunity.
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| Punching Bag | Gain Adrenaline when you take damage. |
| Improved Side Ram | Side Rams deal more damage to enemy vehicles. |
| Disarming Parry | Enemies drop their melee weapons when you land a Perfect Parry. |
| Hidden Stash | 10% of your money is protected on KO. Stacks with other instances. |
| Broke But Unbroken | While you have $0, take significantly less damage. |
| Double Or Nothin' | After a failed Job, your next Job the same Day offers a bonus cash reward. |
| Night Owl | Once per Night, start a Job with insufficient AP as long as you have at least 1. |
Disarming Parry is extremely useful once you're comfortable with the parry timing. Stripping a weapon from an enemy not only weakens them but also gives you a free pickup. Broke But Unbroken creates an interesting dynamic where being flat broke actually makes you harder to kill — a niche safety valve if a run goes sideways. Night Owl effectively gives you one extra mission per Night phase, which can be a lifeline when you're short on cash before a payment deadline.
Cunning Skills
Cunning focuses on sustain, evasion, and squeezing value out of bad situations. It's the most well-rounded branch, offering passive healing, better loot, and reduced police heat.
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| Thrill Of The Fight | Slowly regenerate Health during combat while your Adrenaline bar is full. |
| Inconspicuous Driving | Lose your Wanted state faster while driving. |
| Fast Metabolism | Gain more Health from healing items. |
| Hidden Stash | 10% of your money is protected on KO. Stacks with other instances. |
| Scavenger | Find larger amounts of cash from pickups. |
| Running On Fumes | Adrenaline Rush lasts longer at Night. |
| Carpe Diem | If you didn't pay your due amount, your first Job the next Day costs 1 less AP (minimum 1). |
Thrill Of The Fight provides passive healing that doesn't cost a Painkiller slot, but it only activates when Adrenaline is full, so you need to manage your meter carefully. Scavenger is a straightforward income boost that compounds over an entire run. Carpe Diem is a safety net for missed payments — it won't save your run on its own, but the AP discount on the following day gives you a slightly better shot at catching up.
Hidden Stash Stacking
Hidden Stash deserves special attention because it's the only skill that appears in all four branches. Each instance protects 10% of your money when you get knocked out. If you take it from every tree, that's 40% of your cash preserved on a KO. Given that losing all your money is effectively a run-ending event, stacking Hidden Stash is one of the safest long-term investments you can make — especially if you're still learning the combat system.
Choosing Skills Based on Playstyle
Samson's missions split roughly into fighting and driving. Your skill picks should reflect which type you gravitate toward, since skill points become scarce later in the game.
| Playstyle | Priority Skills |
|---|---|
| Brawler (fighting missions) | Heart Of Steel, Against The Ropes, Disarming Parry, Fists Like Bricks, Thrill Of The Fight |
| Driver (driving missions) | Deep Impact, Improved Side Ram, Inside Knowledge, Inconspicuous Driving |
| Economy / AP management | Hidden Stash (×4), Streetwise, On A Roll, Sleep Of The Just, Night Owl, Scavenger |
A mixed approach works too. Picking one or two combat skills, one driving skill, and filling the rest with economy and AP skills gives you flexibility without overcommitting to a single mission type.
The skill system in Samson isn't sprawling, but the interplay between combat perks, driving upgrades, and the day-to-day economy of Action Points and debt payments creates meaningful trade-offs. Prioritize skills that match the missions you enjoy most, stack Hidden Stash when you can afford the points, and don't sleep on the AP-generating picks in Tactics and Aggression — extra missions mean extra cash, and cash is what keeps Samson McCray alive.