Character creation is pretty simplistic, as there are no races or classes to pick from. In fact, you're not even allowed to play as a female protagonist. Beyond that, there are eight skill trees to allocate points to, including Mettle (melee attacks, melee power, stamina regeneration), Discipline (melee combos, health, melee power), Vigour (shield attacks, health, stamina), Precision (ranged attacks, mana, ranged power), Stealth (flanking/backstab attacks, health, ranged power), Zeal (fire-based spells, magic power, mana regeneration), Serenity (cold-based spells, mana, mana regeneration), and Dominance (electricity-based spells, magic power, mana). Three skill points are gained with each character level increase, and a total of sixteen points can be spent within each skill tree. Each skill point increase requires an equal number of levels, however, so you won't max out any of your skill trees until at least level 16.
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Combat has been "streamlined" (an RPG enthusiast's favorite buzzword), with the game's combos being pulled off with various combinations of three buttons and abilities being triggered with up to eight player-selected quickslots. More powerful attacks can be performed by holding down the necessary button and watching as a number of red dots begin to glow in succession. When all of the dots are lit up, your charged melee/ranged/spell attack is at maximum power. Bow/crossbow and spell attacks have to be aimed at an opponent with a thumbstick or mouselook, though you can lock onto an enemy with the press of another button (a trigger on the Xbox 360, for example) to make precise aiming much easier. Each attack drains a certain amount of your character's stamina, though stamina regenerates by default, and you can increase its regeneration rate by allocating points to certain skill trees or by wearing certain equipment. Health does not regenerate by default, though I'm told that some items are imbued with health regeneration properties. Eating food, using bandages, or quaffing a healing potion will also restore lost health.
 
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