Although Mandragora can present a challenge, there are numerous systems at your disposal to make the game more manageable. With a detailed skill tree and a variety of powerful skills, you can develop an effective build to take on the game’s more formidable challenges.
A crucial part of crafting your build involves upgrading skills, which you won’t be able to do at the very beginning. Almost every skill features its own skill tree where you can invest resources to enhance its capabilities significantly. Let’s explore how to upgrade your skills in Mandragora and acquire the main resource necessary for these upgrades.
How to Upgrade Skills in Mandragora
You’ll unlock the ability to upgrade your skills after finishing the “Witch’s Hunt” story quest, part of the main quest line early in the campaign. Once you defeat the Necromancer, head back to the Altar of Power located in the Witched Tree to learn about Entropic Essence and how it can be used to strengthen your character.
To upgrade your skills, follow these steps:
- Make your way to the Witched Tree.
- Interact with the Altar of Power, just a short distance to the left of where you spawn.
- Select the “Skill Upgrade” tab.
- Choose any skill you want to improve.
Most skills in Mandragora offer at least three upgrade options. These upgrades are displayed in a compact skill tree. Some upgrades can only be accessed after you have acquired all the previous ones. For instance, the T3 upgrade for Chaos Beam requires that you first obtain the T2 upgrade. The T1 upgrade operates independently, allowing you to choose between purchasing T1 or T2 right away.
Once you can upgrade skills, you’re free to enhance any skill you’ve unlocked during your adventure, not just those related to your role. Keep this in mind when enhancing your character, as investment in certain skills may remove item or class restrictions.
How to Get Entropic Essence
Entropic Essence is essential for upgrading every skill in Mandragora. You can obtain this resource by completing Entropic Portals scattered throughout the game world. Similar to skill upgrades, you will gain access to these timed dungeons after completing the “Witch’s Hunt” quest. Essence Portals will appear on your map with a yellow tear icon, so be on the lookout for them.
These dungeons require you to gather as many materials as possible and make your escape before time runs out. Some portals may lead you to a boss fight, but the same rule applies. Your lantern’s energy will gradually deplete while you’re in entropy, so use your time wisely to open chests and defeat enemies. Doing so will earn you Entropic Essence for use in the material world.
Additionally, Entropic Essence can also drop from defeated bosses. The amount received is contingent upon the difficulty of the boss. Typically, main storyline bosses yield more Entropic Essence compared to checkpoint bosses. On average, you’ll need to defeat about five bosses to upgrade a skill, assuming you don’t enter any Entropic Portals.
