Best Skills To Unlock ASAP In Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, even by the standards set in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, is not a traditional RPG for the franchise or the genre altogether. Longtime Yakuza anti-hero, Goro Majima, is the hero of this spinoff. Fighting enemies will reward players with items and cash but no EXP.

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To level up Goro in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii instead, players need to unlock skills with money. This puts more emphasis on getting that sweet green as fast as possible. While this list won’t look at ways to get money quickly, it will look at the skills needed to beef up Goro in the early hours. The better skills take a while to unlock but these seven are must-haves.

7

Max Health Boost

Increase Goro’s HP

Let’s begin with an obvious upgrade for an RPG regarding the player’s health. Max Health Boost will raise Goro’s HP and players are going to need it even on easier difficulties in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii because enemies will not hold back. Once players dump enough cash and points into this skill, it will unlock the next tier and continue to do so throughout the game. Players shouldn’t focus solely on health as there are a lot of other great skills to unlock but these boosts keep it in mind if death is becoming all too frequent.

6

Attack Boost

Make Goro Stronger In Battle

A strong defense with more health via Max Health Boost is one thing but players need to be on the offensive too. Attack Boost will raise Goro’s strength in battle which applies to both stances. For the record, Goro will fight with his fists and knife via the Mad Dog stance and clash blades with enemies using twin swords and a pistol in his Sea Dog form. Both are good styles of play for an action game and Attack Boost helps with weapons and not just raw fist power. Players will rarely get weapon upgrades like in a traditional RPG, which is why the many tiers of Attack Boost are vital.

5

Knockdown Evasion

Get Up After Being Knocked Down

It’s a matter of fact that players are going to get knocked down by the enemy. It doesn’t matter how good they are at blocking enemies or evading attacks. When hit with a particularly powerful strike like from a boss, or a ranged strike like from a gun, Goro will fall over and leave himself open to attacks on his back.

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The normal stand-up animation is not quick but the skill Knockdown Evasion will allow Goro to get up with ease. It’s a good defensive move to learn as soon as possible.

4

More Majima

Create Shadow Clones During Madness

More Majima is a skill that will enhance Goro’s aforementioned Mad Dog stance. In the top left corner of the screen, there is a symbol, the Madness Gauge, and when this is filled up Goro will summon two shadow clones to assist him in battle. It’s a technique similar to Ninjutsu used in the Naruto anime series. More Marina will boost this technique and add one more shadow clone to the attack pattern. It’s a great ultimate technique to use against bosses or hordes of enemies numbering in the dozens.

3

Mad Dog Trick: Frenzy

A Deadly Spin Attack

Mad Dog Trick: Frenzy is another skill that will be beneficial to the Mad Dog stance. By holding down circle, at least on the PS5 controller, Goro will become a spinning top with his knife jutted out to attack enemies. It would technically make more sense to give this skill to the Sea Dog form as Goro holds two longer blades in that stance. Senseless or not, Mad Dog Trick: Frenzy is a good way to cut through enemies all gathered around one spot. This does not require building up a meter to use, but Goro will need a few seconds afterward to recover his composure.

2

Sea Dog Skill: Catch ’N’ Slash

Boomerang Those Blades

Sea Dog Skill: Catch ’n’ Slash is a technique for the Sea Dog form. Once this stance is unlocked, players can hold down square to throw Goro’s two blades. They will return to him like boomerangs and without swords, Goro will just punch enemies.

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It’s a good attack as the blades can cut enemies on one side of the arena while players engage in some good old-fashioned brawling on the other side. Sea Dog Skill: Catch ’n’ Slash will lengthen the time these blades will attack enemies independently of Goto.

1

Goro Goro Booze Master

Craft Booze At Cooking Stations

Goro Goro Booze Master will upgrade the cooking mini-game automatically and allow players to make alcohol. The first choice on the list is Goro Goro Awakening Beer which may not seem important initially compared to all of the bento boxes that players can craft instead.

There will be times when these alcoholic beverages will come in handy outside of combat though like with recruitment side quests. Along Riverside Walk in Honolulu, players will meet Homeless Yamanaka and he wants a Goro Goro Awakening Beer to join Goro’s pirate crew. Goro Goro Booze Master is very cheap to unlock, so players might as well do it early.

Released

February 21, 2025

Engine

Dragon Engine

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown

X|S Optimized

Yes

File Size Xbox Series

45.03 GB

Number of Players

Single-player

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

PC Release Date

February 21, 2025

PS5 Release Date

February 21, 2025

Xbox Series X|S Release Date

February 21, 2025

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