Breathing Styles
V0.145 playstyle loadouts (Water, Flame, Wind, and more), eight Lv25 trainers, and Final Selection.
By Bloxron Editorial Team · Last updated
Breathing Styles are the Slayer combat line. They are not given at character creation. Reach Lv25, bring the mats your trainer asks for, finish the training quest, then unlock moves on the Skill Tree.
Shared gates for every style: Lv25, Slayer path (not Demon), and the materials or unlocks in the table below. Wall Climb opens several cliff trainers. Stone also needs Axe and Mace unlocked first.
Playstyle focus by style
Roles for V0.145 (as of September 23, 2026). Not a ranked letter list — pick the feel you want, then unlock the matching trainer.
| Style | Playstyle | V0.145 note |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Consistent DPS and safer openings | Early overall pick. Whirl Pool was nerfed (exact values TBA); Water Wheel, Basin, and Surface Slash still carry the kit. |
| Flame | Sustained DPS and counter-burst | Broad counter-and-burst option that covers PvE and PvP without swapping kits. |
| Wind | Technical combo ceiling | Highest combo extension potential after faster starters; pairs hard with Shinazugawa. |
| Thunder | Burst damage and chase | Closed the gap after faster Thunder Clap / Flash and Rice Spirit casts with longer finish stuns. Rice Spirit no longer has strict stun and needs a short hold. |
| Stone | Close-range melee trades | Guard and bruiser value; second-hit guardbreak and armored ultimate help, but the counter returns less often. |
| Sound | Space control with explosive tools | Still a matchup specialist; Uzui's stronger damage mark helps offset reduced guard pressure. |
| Serpent | Poison and serpent-scaled weapons | Viable with Iguro; shorter poison and range lower consistency versus launch. |
| Insect | Mobility and fast combos | Execution-heavy after lost i-frames and a missing strict-stun confirm. Needs stamina and clean links. |
Combat rules that affect every style
- Skill cooldowns are global — swapping tools no longer resets individual timers.
- Every counter shares one cooldown (clan, Breathing, BDA, and weapon counters).
- Block regenerates correctly during stuns. After a guardbreak stun ends, guard starts recharging from about 25%; another hit cancels the recharge.
- Breathing, BDA, and Fighting Style resets clear invested skill points on that tree.
Slayer loadouts by playstyle
Each Slayer loadout is a Clan, Breathing Style, weapon, and gear set aimed at one job. Early V0.145 leans Water, Flame, and Wind as the broadest kits, with Thunder close behind after its rebuff. These are starting packages by playstyle — not a ranked letter list.
Nightfall schematic routes are on the Nightfall page. Clan keep odds are on Clans.
Slayer weapon directions
- Firstlight Tanto: safest all-round Slayer weapon (damage, block, quick M1s, easy routing).
- Firstlight Spear: better reach and AoE for PvP and bosses; Spear Z is hyper armor, not i-frames.
- Lost Shotgun: PvE-leaning catches and fast attacks.
- Nightfall Katana: strongest conventional sword stats once you have the schematic.
Water flow
Sustained DPS · PvE, learning fights, early overall Slayer pick
| Clan | Tomioka (Urokodaki as alternate) |
| Breathing | Water |
| Weapon | Firstlight Tanto, Tidal Katana, or Nightfall Katana |
| Gear | Nightfall Top · Demonic Horn II · Water Haori or Fractured Web Kata-Aki · Red Oni Mask (or any Duelist set) |
Early V0.145 overall Breathing pick. Tomioka favors active reset rotations; Urokodaki leans passive damage, mask defense, and smoother progression. Whirl Pool was nerfed, but Water Wheel still carries held sequences with tap strict stun, Basin remains a strong catch, and Surface Slash keeps approach i-frames. Firstlight Tanto is the safest universal weapon; Tidal leans utility; Nightfall Katana leans raw sword stats.
Trades Flame / Thunder peak burst for control. Exact Whirl Pool nerf numbers remain TBA.
Flame inferno
High sustained DPS · PvE and PvP without swapping kits
| Clan | Rengoku |
| Breathing | Flame |
| Weapon | Nightfall Katana or Firstlight Tanto |
| Gear | Nightfall Top · Demonic Horns · Flame Haori Style I · Bamboo Muzzle (or any Duelist set) |
Rengoku scales offense with Flame's improved counter and pressure plus burn. Nightfall Katana adds raw Additional Damage and a 1.14x Additional Damage Factor; Firstlight Tanto is the easier all-round M1 route. One loadout covers grinding and PvP pressure.
Less pure burst than Thunder and less block cushion than Water or Stone — you win by staying on offense.
Wind combo
Technical combo DPS · Players who convert extensions cleanly
| Clan | Shinazugawa |
| Breathing | Wind |
| Weapon | Firstlight Tanto or Nightfall Katana |
| Gear | Any Duelist / Technician set that stacks damage and stamina |
Post-patch specialist. Faster starters and better extensions make Shinazugawa's damage and stamina bonuses easier to convert. Highest technical combo ceiling among Breathing kits.
Punishes messy links. Less forgiving than Water or Flame if you drop the string.
Thunder burst
Burst DPS · PvP and short damage windows
| Clan | Agatsuma |
| Breathing | Thunder |
| Weapon | Nightfall Katana or Firstlight Tanto |
| Gear | Reaper's Outfit · Golden Kanzashi · Flame Haori Style II · Nightfall Mask (or any Duelist / Technician set) |
Agatsuma pairs cleanly with Thunder. V0.145 faster casts and longer finish stuns restore much of the pursuit threat. Open hard, dump a short burst, then reset. Confirm Rice Spirit after its short hold — it no longer has strict stun.
Needs timing. Spamming the same open lets experienced players punish recovery. Godspeed is slower than at launch.
Stone close-range
Close-combat DPS · PvP melee trades
| Clan | Himejima |
| Breathing | Stone |
| Weapon | Nightfall Axe & Mace |
| Gear | Black Dragon Armour · Demonic Horn II · Stone Haori · Envoy of Night Mask or Bamboo Muzzle (or Duelist / Tank gear) |
Himejima still delivers a strong defensive package (damage mark, Block Points, health, stamina, damage reduction) despite earlier nerfs. Stone gains a second-hit guardbreak and an armored ultimate. Nightfall Axe & Mace stacks block and damage reduction for longer trades.
Slow attack speed. Shared counter cooldown means the defensive turn returns less often than at launch.
Sound mark
Space control · PvP with mark setups
| Clan | Uzui |
| Breathing | Sound |
| Weapon | Firstlight Spear or Firstlight Tanto |
| Gear | Any Duelist set; lean block when Sound's guard pressure feels light |
Uzui's stronger 25% damage mark and simpler Musical Score capture help offset Sound's reduced guard pressure. Firstlight Spear adds reach and AoE when you need space; Spear Z now uses hyper armor rather than i-frames, so trades still cost health.
Less raw guard pressure than at launch. Mark value drops if you never land the setup.
Insect poison
Agile DPS · PvP and fast combos
| Clan | Kocho |
| Breathing | Insect |
| Weapon | Firstlight Insect Katana |
| Gear | Reaper's Outfit · Golden Kanzashi · Lost Cape · Golden Folk Mask (or any Duelist / Technician set) |
Kocho is the natural Insect pairing. Firstlight Insect Katana keeps the kit style-locked (+4 Additional Damage, +5 Stamina, 1.12x Movement Speed). Golden Kanzashi and Golden Folk Mask favor air approaches and short reposition bursts.
More execution than the other packages. Lost i-frames and a missing strict-stun confirm make missed links costly.
Every Breathing trainer
All eight require Lv25 on top of the extra cost column.
| Trainer | Style | Location | Extra cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obari | Serpent | Cliff north above Windy Peak — climb above the starting village | 20 Demon Horns, 5 Beast Cores |
| Gyorei | Stone | Lower path from the bear area toward the Stone yard (not the Thunder mountain climb) | Axe and Mace unlocked; 5 Beast Cores |
| Zentaro | Thunder | Mountain route beyond the bear area — Wall Climb to the high peak toward Hidden Mist Village | Wall Climb; 10 Demon Horns |
| Rengu | Flame | Roof behind the house by the long red bridge out of Mistfall Village | 10 Demon Horns |
| Shinora | Insect | Roof of a white house inside Butterfly Estate (approach from Mistfall Harbor) | Cost not confirmed |
| Urokodaki | Water | Swim the water-filled opening near the island house below the Bamboo Grove cliff — keep moving so you do not drown | 5,000 Wen, 30 Demon Horns |
| Saneri | Wind | Iceveil Valley water platform — follow the fallen tree from the Shrine | 50 Demon Horns |
| Tengai | Sound | Top of a small island north of the Iceveil Valley Shrine (cold damage ticks — move fast; Wall Climb) | Wall Climb; 10 Demon Horns |
Demon Horns and Beast Cores
- Unlock Wall Climb and Double Jump before mountain or cliff trainers.
- Trainer starts the questline; the Trainee is a separate combat encounter — talking to the wrong NPC stalls the quest.
- Listed mats are a shopping list, not always the full bill — read the trainer's dialogue before grinding.
- Demon Horns: farm Hoyuzo Subordinates in the cave near Mother Bear for a steady low-level stack.
- Faster horns: High Demons on the upper snowy ledges can drop 2 horns each, but they fight back with Demon Arts.
- Beast Cores: farm Beast Born Demons around Mistfall Harbor's village gate at night (Stone / Serpent).
- Several trainers sit on roofs, cliffs, or behind water. Check height and underwater routes before you assume the NPC is missing.
How training works
How training works in Slayers 2: Breathing Styles are unlocked through a trainer questline, not by standing near an NPC. Reach Lv25 on the Slayer path, bring the style's materials, talk to the trainer (not the Trainee), clear the training minigames, beat the Trainee boss, then spend Skill Points on Z/X/C/V/B moves in the Skill Tree.
Talk with materials ready
Speak to the trainer (not the Trainee) with the required items already in inventory. The trainer starts a questline. Standing nearby does not grant the style by itself.
Clear the training minigames
Short drills such as aim targets, barrel jumps, and rolling boulders. Failures are repeatable.
Beat the Trainee boss
The closing fight converts training into the style. If Z/X/C/V/B are still empty, the questline is not finished.
Spend Skill Points on moves
Open the M menu Skill Tree and unlock individual abilities. A finished style binds five moves to Z, X, C, V, and B.
After your first style
After your first style, practice the five-key moveset and aim at Final Selection from Lv45 (about Lv60 recommended solo). Full exam quest order, Crow / Ren / Ginzo, and the post-exam loop are on the Beginner guide. Forge recipes and Nightfall schematics are on the Nightfall page.
Full Final Selection quest order and post-exam steps are on the Beginner guide. Style keep clans are on the clans page.
Breathing FAQ
How does training work in Slayers 2?
How training works: talk to the Lv25 Breathing trainer with mats ready, finish the training minigames, beat the Trainee boss to unlock the style, then buy moves on the Skill Tree (Z/X/C/V/B). Demons use Blood Demon Art Core Training instead.
What level do I need for a Breathing Style?
Lv25 for every trainer, plus that style's materials or unlocks. Demons use Blood Demon Arts instead.
What is the strongest Breathing Style right now?
Early V0.145, Water is the most dependable complete kit, with Flame and Wind close beside it. Thunder is the nearest challenger after faster casts and longer finish stuns. Whirl Pool was nerfed; exact values are still TBA.
Which Slayer loadout should I run?
Match the job you want. Water + Tomioka/Urokodaki for safer overall play. Flame + Rengoku for all-round pressure. Wind + Shinazugawa for combo ceiling. Thunder + Agatsuma for short burst windows. Stone + Himejima for close trades.
What weapon should Slayers craft first?
Firstlight Tanto is the safest all-round pick. Nightfall Katana is the strongest conventional sword once you have the schematic. Firstlight Spear when reach and AoE matter more.
Which build is best for beginners?
Tomioka or Urokodaki with Water. Defensive and recovery tools let you learn attack patterns without melting when you mistime a punish.
Which Breathing Style is cheapest to unlock?
Flame from Rengu asks for 10 Demon Horns, the lowest horn cost on the list. Stone skips horn costs but needs Axe and Mace unlocked.
Which style costs the most Demon Horns?
Wind from Saneri asks for 50 Demon Horns. Farm before you travel to the snowy water platform.
Why can't I reach a trainer?
Unlock Wall Climb for cliff and peak routes (Thunder, Sound). Water uses an underwater passage — keep swimming. Flame and Insect sit on roofs. Check height before you assume the NPC is missing.
Trainer quest will not start — what am I doing wrong?
Confirm you are talking to the trainer, not the Trainee combat NPC. Bring the listed mats, read the dialogue for any extra fee, and finish earlier quest handoffs if the Book of Guidance still points elsewhere.
What comes after my first Breathing Style?
Final Selection from Lv45 (about Lv60 recommended solo). Full exam and post-exam steps are on the Beginner guide; Forge and schematics are on Nightfall.