In addition to having normal attacks in Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, your characters have flashy yet powerful special Skills that should be used to succeed at the game’s combat. Each character learns a total of 10 Skills; eight by leveling up naturally and two from Monstrum Nox Grimoires. All Skills start off at Level 1 and max out at Level 3.
To level them up, you simply need to keep using them in battle. Stronger skills provide benefits, too, such as decreased SP usage.
There’s also the Virtuoso trophy or achievement (depending on if you’re playing on PS4 or Steam) for maxing out every Skill in the game. It sounds time-consuming and tough, but you’ll find useful items called Warrior Seals that provide additional EXP for your Skills every time you use them.
Warrior Seals come in four versions:
- Warrior Seal
- Warrior Seal II
- Warrior Seal III
- Warrior Seal IV
A character who equips a base Warrior Seal will add 1 extra EXP point every time they use a Skill. Warrior Seal II adds 2 extra EXP points, and so forth. You can buy Seals at the Pendleton store throughout the game, as well as have Tito create them if you have the proper materials.
By the time you reach the end of the main story, your characters should have already learned all of the skills that are available via leveling up.
But you’ll still need Grimoires for two skills for each party member. Below, we show you how to get the Grimoires and include map locations for the ones found in treasure chests.
Crimson King
Skills Earned by Levelling
- Rising Slash
- Flare Shot
- Swift Raid
- Demonic Pierce
- Void Blast
- Prisoner’s Grasp
- Abyssal Blade
- Vermillion Scythe
Skills Earned from Grimoires
- Cardinal Blast
- Blast Grimoire, discover and turn in all 21 landmarks to Alex in Main Gates
- Calamity Combo
- Calamity Grimoire, Quarry Ruins treasure chest; location shown in the image below
White Cat
Skills Earned by Levelling
- Cat Flip
- Claw Snatch
- Felicity Tail
- Heavenly Steps
- Stray Cat
- Wild Scratch
- Cerberian Burst
- Regulus Impact
Skills Earned from Grimoires
- Rapid Slide
- Swift Grimoire, reward from Vallin when turning in 11 Graffiti Collectibles
- Shooting Star
- Star Grimoire, Cloaca Maxima treasure chest; location shown in the image below
Hawk
Skills Earned by Levelling
- Aerial Stinger
- Fractus Knives
- Raptor Raid
- Guilty Blow
- Spiral Gust
- Carnage Lancer
- Deadly Rush
- Tempest Rain
Skills Earned from Grimoires
- Gale Thrust
- Thrust Grimoire, Blocked Path, secret area treasure chest; location shown in the image below
- Rebellion Crow
- Rebel Grimoire, Dry Moats treasure chest; location shown in the image below
Doll
Skills Earned by Levelling
- Crescendo
- Foxtrot Blade
- Marionette String
- Spinning Heel
- Calvary Waltz
- Principal Whip
- Illusionary Gavotte
- Coppelia Order
Skills Earned from Grimoires
- Onyx Ripper
- Reaping Grimoire, buy from Eduoard’s Bookstore starting in Chapter 7
- Mistral Epee
- Vortex Grimoire, Concealed Path treasure chest; location shown in the image below
Raging Bull
Skills Earned by Levelling
- Rumble Horn
- Bellow
- Stampede
- Titan Drive
- Brave Hurricane
- Maximum Raid
- Buffalo Dash
- Dread Breaker
Skills Earned from Grimoires
- Sledge Wave
- Bash Grimoire, Vacant Ritual Room secret area treasure chest; must have Shadow Dive Gift; location just outside of it shown in the image below
- Grand Slam
- Sturdy Grimoire, Groaning Grotto treasure chest; location shown in the image below
Renegade
Skills Earned by Levelling
- Hermitic Hand
- Acid Ray
- Phantom Balletto
- Dark Inferno
- Belial Cannon
- Orbital Souls
- Necros Ram
- Demonic Whisper
Skills Earned from Grimoires
- Dusk Drop
- Dark Grimoire, Woodlands of Woe treasure chest; location shown in the image below
- Malefic Judgment
- Wicked Grimoire, Emain Macha treasure chest; location shown in the image below
And those are all the Skills available for each character, as well as the locations for their respective Grimoires! For more Ys IX: Monstrum Nox walkthroughs and guides, including those for some of the game’s collectibles and recipes, consider heading over here.
