Slayers 2 Breathing Styles Tier List – Best Breathing Style

Turns out breathing correctly is a lot more complicated when demons are trying to tear your head off. Check out our Slayers 2 Breathing Styles tier list!

Updated September 21, 2026 (V0.98): Water moves to the front of S tier after major strict-stun, carry, tracking, and defensive improvements. Thunder stays A with a much faster opener but weaker speed and lockdown elsewhere. I also added the new Arena mastery reward and corrected Water’s removed hyper armor. These are early V0.98 assessments.

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Water is my early pick for the best Breathing Style in Slayers 2 after V0.98, with Flame and Wind completing S tier. Water now has unusually strong combo control, a skill it can use while stunned, better tracking, and i-frames during Surface Slash’s approach. Flame remains the broader counter-and-burst all-rounder, while Wind keeps the strongest technical combo-specialist case. This Slayers 2 Breathing Styles tier list ranks all eight launch styles for PvP, PvE, farming, and practical clan builds.

Slayers 2 Tier List - Best Breathing Styles

S
Water game image

Water

Flame game image

Flame

Wind game image

Wind

A
Thunder game image

Thunder

Stone game image

Stone

Sound game image

Sound

Serpent game image

Serpent

B
Insect game image

Insect

I've ranked every Slayers 2 Breathing Style primarily according to its overall combat performance, taking into account damage, combo potential, mobility, range, crowd control, utility, ease of use, and performance against both regular enemies (PvE) and other players (PvP).

However, it should be noted that a lower-tier Breathing Style isn't necessarily unusable. Slayers 2 has a highly active combat system, and player skill, matchup knowledge, build choices, and how comfortable you are with a particular moveset can make a major difference.

My early assessment puts more weight on landing an attack and keeping the next opening than on how impressive the full animation looks. A missed gap closer, a slow startup, or a knockback that sends your target out of reach can undo a strong damage rotation. Clan synergy matters, but a damage bonus cannot fix every problem in the underlying moveset.

RELATED: Slayers 2 Clans Tier List

Breathing Style Rankings Explained

S: Water · Flame · Wind A: Thunder · Stone · Sound · Serpent B: Insect C: None currently
Breathing StyleEvaluation
SWater Breathing

All-Rounder · Combo Control · Defensive Approach

Kit:
Surface Slash, Whirl Pool, Water Wheel (two functions), Constant Flux, Dead Calm.
Best for:
Hybrid; especially PvP control, reactive defense, and sustained PvE.
Difficulty:
Moderate; easy access to pressure, higher ceiling through stun routing.
Synergy:
Tomioka for resets and reactive damage; Urokodaki for efficiency; Sabito for mobile sword pressure.
Unlock:
Urokodaki, underwater passage near Bamboo Grove; level 25, 5,000 Wen, and 30 Demon Horns.
  • Water moves to the front of S tier in V0.98. Whirl Pool now deals more damage and applies 3.3 seconds of strict stun throughout the spin. It can also be used while stunned, giving Water a rare way to interrupt an opponent’s pressure instead of waiting politely for the combo to finish.
  • Water Wheel becomes the kit’s main conversion tool. Tap deals 25 damage across nine ticks, refreshing 0.35 seconds of strict stun on every tick. Hold now carries the opponent through the combo, and its hold threshold falls from 0.3 to 0.15 seconds. That makes both variants easier to use as actual links rather than hopeful movement attacks.
  • Surface Slash trades armor for approach i-frames. The invulnerability lasts during the approach and ends when the slash begins. That is better for passing through a timed threat, but it does not protect the attack itself once the swing starts. Water Wheel also loses hyper armor, so badly timed commitments can still be interrupted before their strict-stun pressure takes over.
  • Basin is a stronger catch and finisher. Its dash moves faster, the slam reaches farther, and the final stun/ragdoll increases from 1.5 to 2.25 seconds. Improved target locking should also help the approach feel less slippery, although lock-on is not the same thing as an unavoidable hit.
  • Tomioka and Urokodaki now support an S-tier base kit. Tomioka’s random cooldown resets can recycle genuinely dangerous control tools; Urokodaki adds passive Water damage, stamina efficiency, and mask defense. Water has the strongest early V0.98 PvP case and an excellent PvE kit, but boss immunity to control and exact post-stun escape windows still need assessment.
SFlame Breathing

All-Rounder · Burst · Counter

Kit:
Unknowing Fire, Blazing Universe, Flame Undulation, Flame Tiger (tap / hold), Purgatory.
Best for:
Hybrid; Rengoku farming builds and reactive melee PvP.
Difficulty:
Moderate; clear attack roles, counter timing matters.
Synergy:
Rengoku; Flame Katana; confirm-first aggression.
Unlock:
Rengu, on the house by Mistfall Village’s red bridge; level 25 and 10 Demon Horns. Additional cost: TBA.
  • My early S-tier all-rounder. Flame already had a useful PvE mix of advancing attacks, ranged pressure, and burst. Flame Undulation (C) now counters skills as well as M1s, giving opponents more reason to hesitate before pressing back. That broader defensive threat is the biggest reason for the promotion.
  • Blazing Universe (X) reaches farther. Range increases from 35 to 45, improving the space you can threaten after an opponent retreats. Unknowing Fire remains a direct approach, but neither move should be thrown out solely because the target looks roughly in range.
  • Flame Tiger is a more practical close punish. The held V startup drops from 0.15s to 0.08s, reducing the opening needed to begin its slashes. Keep the tap projectile for a different range; faster startup does not establish a guaranteed follow-up from every launch.
  • Rengoku raises the PvE ceiling. Its burn support rewards successful Flame hits, while Indomitable Will supplies a separate control tool. Reapplying a non-stacking burn is not extra stacked damage. Pair the build with a useful sword and enough stamina to defend after a commitment.
  • S tier is an early overall recommendation, not universal safety. Baited counters and missed forward attacks still leave openings. Save Purgatory for a catch, and do not assume C answers every boss mechanic or unblockable attack. Exact counter eligibility and equal-gear boss rotations remain TBA.
SWind Breathing

Combo · Control · Range Variants

Kit:
Mountain Wind, Purifying Claws, Rising Dust Storm, Whirlwind Cutter, Typhoon finisher.
Best for:
Hybrid; combo-focused PvP and keeping grouped enemies in reach.
Difficulty:
High; spacing, repeat inputs, and tap/hold selection.
Synergy:
Shinazugawa; sword pressure backed by ranged threats and stamina support.
Unlock:
Snowy-biome trainer route from the bear area; level 25 and 50 Demon Horns. Exact trainer spot and additional cost: TBA.
  • S tier for fixing the kit’s biggest practical weaknesses. Wind now has a clearer route from an opening into continued pressure. Z starts in 0.12s instead of 0.2s, X in 0.15s instead of 0.25s, and C in 0.18s instead of 0.25s. Less waiting at the start of those attacks makes its range options more threatening.
  • Purifying Claws (X) can now extend combos. The quicker startup gives its follow-up a more useful place after a catch. Learn the initial contact and second-input positioning first; the extender role does not make every weapon-to-X string inescapable.
  • Whirlwind Cutter (V) no longer sends the target away. Knockback drops from 50 to zero, allowing V to start a combo rather than end one. Keeping an enemy nearby also helps a group maintain damage instead of chasing your knockaway. Exact variant-specific routes still need assessment.
  • Shinazugawa supports the improved pressure loop. Windstorm Vigor’s damage and stamina benefits have more practical value when the next attack can connect. Save enough stamina for an escape, and choose Rising Dust Storm’s range variant around the target’s position.
  • The strongest early combo-specialist recommendation. Wind’s promotion reflects usable starters and extensions, not a claim that its entire rotation is guaranteed. Aim, tap/hold choices, and the Typhoon finisher still demand execution. We need more time to assess boss resistance and whether the new routes remain reliable against each defensive option.
AThunder Breathing

All-Rounder · Mobility · Burst

Kit:
Thunder Clap & Flash, Lightning Folds, Rice Spirit, God Speed, Flaming Thunder God.
Best for:
Hybrid; especially duel pressure and chasing openings.
Difficulty:
Moderate; higher ceiling through aim and movement discipline.
Synergy:
Agatsuma; sword pressure and reserved stamina for pursuit or retreat.
Unlock:
Zentaro, cliffs beyond the bear village; level 25 and Wall Climb. Material requirements and cost: TBA.
  • Thunder stays A, but the way it earns that tier changes. Thunder Clap and Flash startup drops from 1.1 seconds to 0.45 seconds, making Z far more practical as a punish or gap closer. Tapping no longer skips the wind-up, so the faster baseline still needs to complete before the attack launches.
  • The kit loses lockdown after contact. Rice Spirit no longer applies strict stun, and Rice Spirit, Lightning Fold, and Godspeed finishers now stun or ragdoll for one second instead of 1.5. Older routes that relied on the longer finish or strict-stun restriction need to be retested rather than copied into V0.98.
  • Godspeed is easier to escape or contest. Its speed falls from 80 to 50. Thunder still has useful pursuit, but it no longer closes the same distance with the same urgency. Use the much faster Z to punish an opening instead of spending every movement tool trying to manufacture one.
  • Rice Spirit becomes a more deliberate commitment. It now requires a 0.3-second hold. The field still gives Thunder another attack shape, but the added input time and removed strict stun make it less reliable as an automatic bridge into the next skill.
  • Agatsuma remains the natural specialist. Thunder damage, dash support, and cooldown reduction help the revised kit, while normal momentum on its replacement dash improves movement consistency. A tier reflects stronger neutral from Z but weaker combo security and chase elsewhere. Exact optimized routes into Flaming Thunder God remain TBA.
AStone Breathing

Armored Bruiser · Counter · Close Control

Kit:
Volcanic Conquest, Seismic Burst, Upper Smash, Stone Wall, Arcs of Justice.
Best for:
PvP; armored pressure, counters, and melee trades.
Difficulty:
High; counter reads, charge decisions, and target positioning.
Synergy:
Axe and Mace; Himejima for damage reduction and skill-to-M1 pressure.
Unlock:
Gyorei, outside the Stone Sanctuary dojo; level 25, Wall Climb, Axe and Mace from the Stone Trainee (15% drop rate), and Beast Cores. Exact core count and additional cost: TBA. Complete six training trials.
  • A tier with stronger ways to punish a raised guard. V’s tap variant now guardbreaks on its second hit. The important condition is reaching that second hit: it gives Stone a deliberate guard-breaking option, not a guardbreak on every touch.
  • Arcs of Justice (B) gains hyper armor. The ultimate can better resist interruption during its armored window, which helps a committed bruiser finish an attack. You still take damage, and Shockwave’s counter now breaks hyper armor. Trading into a counter is not a durability test you need to volunteer for.
  • The counter is a scarcer resource. V’s counter cooldown rises from 16 to 19 seconds. Distinguish that defensive use from the tap guardbreak and avoid assuming the two can be spent independently. Exact shared-variant cooldown behavior remains TBA.
  • The usual build has real offsets to those buffs. Himejima’s bonus damage falls from 25% to 20% and its block-point bonus from five to three. Axe and Mace gains 10% M1 damage but loses 15% attack speed, so harder individual hits do not automatically mean better sustained damage or tighter skill-to-M1 links.
  • A strong close-range specialist, with demanding trades. Use Seismic Burst and Upper Smash around where the enemy will land, then keep pressure ready after a guardbreak. Axe and Mace’s Damage Reduction value also changes from 1 to 0.85; its precise formula is TBA, so I am not treating that as a flat 15% incoming-damage reduction. Ranged kiting and boss armor-break interactions still need assessment.
ASound Breathing

Control · Combo Setup · Group Support

Kit:
Bursting Bloom, Roar, Exploding Beads (long range / close range), Resounding Slashes, String Performance.
Best for:
Hybrid; PvP control and coordinated PvE.
Difficulty:
High; bead timing and knockback management.
Synergy:
Dual cleavers; Uzui's damage mark and skill-imprint defense; deliberate setup play.
Unlock:
Tengai, Iceveil Valley; level 25 and Wall Climb. Materials and cost: TBA.
  • Sound drops to A because blocking it becomes much less costly. Resounding Slashes (V) falls to roughly three block points of guard damage per channel from around 20, and its cooldown rises from 16 to 20 seconds. Holding a barrage into guard no longer creates the same pressure or returns as quickly.
  • Its other guard threats also weaken. Explosive Ball (C) guard damage falls from 0.65 to 0.15, while X loses its guaranteed guardbreak and now deals four guard damage. Treat these as pressure tools around a catch, not automatic answers to a defensive player.
  • The setup kit still earns A-tier value. Bursting Bloom’s approach and non-ragdoll stun give you a starting point, while placed beads can influence movement. Plan around the target’s response. The remaining close-bead block-disable interaction needs post-patch reassessment before it carries a combo recommendation.
  • Uzui softens the damage loss without restoring the old guard pressure. Enhanced Hearing’s bonus rises from 20% to 25%, and Musical Score now commits its capture immediately with one activation. That makes the specialist build easier to bring into an exchange, but stronger damage is not the same as a restored guardbreak.
  • Best for deliberate setups and coordinated fights. Use Roar and barrage knockback when you want the exchange to end; avoid scattering a group before teammates finish attacking. Sound remains useful in PvE, but patient blockers and missed setup windows now demand more work. Exact post-patch boss rotations are TBA.
ASerpent Breathing

Mobile Duelist · Combo · Single-Target Pressure

Kit:
Venom Fangs; remaining ability names: TBA.
Best for:
Hybrid; mobile duels and sustained single-target pressure.
Difficulty:
High; positioning and aerial follow-through.
Synergy:
Iguro for Serpent’s Wrath, Kaburamaru, and Flash Step; sword pressure between skill openings.
Unlock:
Obari, cliff above the starting area; level 25, 20 Demon Horns, and 5 Beast Cores, followed by training and the Serpent Trainee.
  • Serpent remains A for skilled single-target play. Venom Fangs (C) loses range, dropping from 60 to 45. It still gives the kit reach, but catching someone from the old spacing now risks a miss. Move into a useful angle before committing.
  • X becomes a more isolated grab exchange. The grabbed target gains i-frames against everyone except the grabber for the grab’s duration. Your own sequence remains relevant, but teammates cannot pile damage into that same target during the protection window.
  • The group-fight cost deserves attention. Grabbing an enemy out of several allied attacks can waste the team’s damage window. This change is less damaging to a duel-focused recommendation than to coordinated burst; whether each boss can be grabbed in the first place remains a separate question.
  • Iguro loses much of its movement advantage. Its movement-speed factor falls from 25% to 5%. Serpent’s Wrath and Kaburamaru still support the specialist build, but the old passive speed advantage should no longer carry the ranking. Percentage-health bites and poison belong to the clan, not every Serpent skill.
  • Strong in experienced hands, with less forgiving spacing. Plan the landing position after an aerial sequence and keep a short weapon follow-up ready. Full remaining move names, exact grab escape windows, and boss damage caps are TBA. A teleport animation alone is still not evidence of invulnerability.
BInsect Breathing

Fast Melee · Aerial Pressure · Poison Specialist

Kit:
TBA
Best for:
Hybrid; close-range combos and Kocho poison builds.
Difficulty:
High; short pursuit bursts, stamina discipline, and revised confirms.
Synergy:
Kocho's Insect Affinity, Aerial Mastery, and Poison Draw.
Unlock:
Shinora, main building’s roof at Butterfly Mansion / Butterfly Estate; level 25. Materials and cost: TBA.
  • Insect drops to B because safety and continuation both weaken. Z returns sooner at 17 seconds instead of 20, but trades i-frames for hyper armor and loses strict stun on the final hit. More frequent casts do not replace a protected commitment or preserve the old end-of-string confirm.
  • X is a more deliberate entry. The dash variant gains a 0.12s windup and its cooldown rises from 10 to 13 seconds. Avoid assuming an old Z-to-X route still holds: the target has lost a strict-stun restriction, and your follow-up starts later.
  • V gets faster at a steep stamina cost. Running speed rises from 50 to 65, but holding the move drains 8% Max Stamina per second. Use short pursuit bursts; three seconds already costs 24% of the maximum bar from the hold drain alone. Arriving with no escape stamina is a rather expensive catch.
  • Kocho remains a specialist option, with less passive poison value. Base poison duration falls from roughly nine ticks to five. That weakens damage from one application; exact refresh behavior and interactions with Insect Affinity still need assessment. Poison immunity and conversion matchups remain reasons to keep a direct-damage plan.
  • Viable fast melee, with a smaller margin for error. The ultimate’s range increases from 20 to 24 to better match its visuals, helping the catch at its edge. That does not undo the defensive and combo losses elsewhere. Optimized short-burst routes could improve the recommendation, but the early case now favors committed Insect players over a broad first pick.

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How These Breathing Styles Are Ranked

The comparison assumes access to the core kit and considers both baseline tools and realistic clan builds. Unlock cost does not improve a combat ranking. Difficulty matters when it reduces consistency, but a demanding style can still earn S tier through valuable, usable tools.

  • S Tier: Exceptional overall tools, specialist strength, or build synergy with a clear practical advantage.
  • A Tier: Excellent choices with a narrower strength or a meaningful constraint compared with the leading recommendations.
  • B Tier: Good styles with useful strengths, but less consistent impact or more demanding matchups than the leading picks.
  • C Tier: Usable styles held back by significant consistency problems or stronger alternatives in the same role.

A combo counter alone does not tell you whether an opponent could have escaped. Normal stun, strict stun, blocking, block-dashing, and skills usable while stunned all change which routes hold together. Water now refreshes strict stun throughout Water Wheel and can answer pressure with Whirl Pool, while Thunder loses Rice Spirit’s strict stun and several finishers lose 0.5 seconds of lockdown. Those differences matter more than a combo counter produced against a stationary target.

RELATED: All Slayers 2 Trainer and NPC Locations

Guardbreak follow-ups matter after the stun, too. Once guardbreak stun ends, guard immediately begins recharging from 25%; another hit cancels that recharge. Keep the next threat ready, but distinguish a true guardbreak from ordinary guard damage. Stone gains a dedicated second-hit break while Sound loses its guaranteed X break.

Hyper armor is resistance to interruption, not invulnerability, and Water no longer has it on Surface Slash or Water Wheel. Surface Slash instead gains i-frames during its approach, ending as the slash begins. Insect Z and Stone’s ultimate still use hyper armor. Learn which protection a move actually has before trying to tank a hit with it; the health bar is an excellent but rather unforgiving testing instrument.

Which Breathing Style Should You Choose?

  • One build for varied content: Water is my early V0.98 first choice. It now combines strong pressure, strict-stun control, a stun-break option, and approach i-frames, with several practical clan partners.
  • Combo pressure: Water for the most direct strict-stun routes; Wind for a more technical starter-and-extension game. Sound remains useful for planned team control despite weaker guard pressure.
  • Mobile duels: Thunder still suits active pursuit, but Godspeed is slower and several finishers provide less lockdown. Serpent offers angle changes and isolated grabs at the cost of shorter Venom Fangs range.
  • Poison pressure: Insect with Kocho remains viable, but shorter base poison, fewer protected attacks, and V’s stamina drain make it a more demanding specialist.
  • An approachable PvE game plan: Flame. Learn the direct approach, Flame Tiger’s range options, and when to hold the counter for a meaningful attack.
  • Reactive defense: Water can use Whirl Pool while stunned and approach with Surface Slash i-frames. Flame offers a conventional counter, while Stone favors armored commitments and a second-hit guardbreak.
  • Keeping an existing Water build: Definitely test V0.98 before rerolling. Water is now my S-tier leader. Wind remains S through its faster starters and extensions, even though it receives no additional change in this patch.

For bossing, start with repeatable damage windows rather than assuming strict stun works identically on every target. Water is my first V0.98 style to test, with Flame remaining an excellent farming and burst option and Wind offering sustained combo pressure. Whirl Pool and Water Wheel look exceptional against enemies that accept their control; phase armor or boss resistance can change the result. Equal-gear clear times remain TBA.

For skill points, unlock the attacks that define your rotation without neglecting stamina, health, and movement. Arena wins now award 1,000 mastery alongside scaling EXP and Wen, giving you another way to develop a style through PvP. That reward improves progression, not a style’s combat tier. Exact optimal stat splits remain TBA.

RELATED: Ultimate Slayers 2 Tier List

What is the Best Breathing Style in Slayers 2?

Water is my early pick for the best Breathing Style in Slayers 2 after V0.98. Whirl Pool’s 3.3-second strict stun and use-while-stunned property, Water Wheel’s refreshing strict stun and carry behavior, improved Basin, and Surface Slash approach i-frames give the kit offense, defense, and consistency in the same package.

Flame and Wind remain S-tier alternatives for different players. Flame is the easier counter-and-burst all-rounder, while Wind rewards cleaner spacing and combo routing. Thunder’s faster Z makes it more threatening in neutral, but reduced Godspeed speed and shorter or weaker stun windows keep it in A for now. These are early V0.98 judgments, and we need more time with ranked matchups and endgame bosses.

RELATED: Slayers 2 Demon Slayer Progression Guide

How I Ranked the Best Breathing Styles in Slayers 2

There are several factors I consider when ranking Breathing Styles, rather than simply looking for whichever ability produces the biggest damage number. The most important factors are:

  • Damage: Damage you can realistically land during a punish window, including sustained rotations and damage over time.
  • Combo potential: How easily a Breathing Style can start, extend, and finish combos.
  • Mobility: Dashes, gap closers, aerial movement, and other repositioning tools.
  • Range: Whether a style can threaten opponents without constantly fighting at point-blank range.
  • Crowd control: AoE attacks and abilities useful against multiple enemies.
  • Utility: Counters, defensive tools, stuns, knockdowns, and other effects beyond raw damage.
  • PvE performance: How efficiently the style deals with regular enemies, quests, and bosses.
  • PvP performance: How well the moveset performs against players who can block, dodge, punish, and escape predictable attacks.
  • Consistency: Startup, tracking, hitboxes, recovery, and whether a skilled opponent can escape before the next hit.
  • Resource efficiency: Cooldown downtime and stamina left for movement or defense after a rotation.
  • Build synergy: Clan tools and weapon follow-ups that improve the style in a practical build, with clan effects kept separate from innate Breathing mechanics.

RELATED: Slayers 2 Blood Demon Arts Tier List

Slayers 2 Breathing Styles FAQ

What is the best Breathing Style in Slayers 2?

Water is my early V0.98 overall pick, with Flame and Wind alongside it in S tier. Water now combines refreshing strict stun, a skill usable while stunned, improved tracking, carry behavior, and approach i-frames. Boss-control testing is still ongoing.

How many Breathing Styles are there in Slayers 2?

Slayers 2 has eight Breathing Styles at launch: Thunder, Sound, Serpent, Insect, Flame, Stone, Wind, and Water. All eight are ranked in this guide.

Can you change your Breathing Style in Slayers 2?

Yes, a Reset Breathing option lets you move away from your current style. The current menu route, cost, and whether mastery is retained are TBA. Check those details before confirming, then meet the new trainer’s requirements.

How do you unlock Breathing Styles in Slayers 2?

Reach level 25, find your chosen trainer, bring the required materials, and complete the training questline. Stone also requires the Axe and Mace. Mastery and skill points unlock more of your moveset afterward, and some ultimate skills require a scroll.

Are original Project Slayers tier lists accurate for Slayers 2?

No. Slayers 2 reworks combat and Breathing abilities, so the original game’s rankings, combo routes, and unlock requirements do not reliably carry over. Evaluate the sequel’s current kit and matchups.

Does your clan affect which Breathing Style you should use?

Yes. Rengoku supports Flame, Shinazugawa supports Wind, and Tomioka or Urokodaki can strengthen Water. Uzui improves Sound’s specialist value after this patch, while Kocho, Iguro, and Himejima lose some of their previous advantages. Judge the actual bonuses alongside your kit.

What is the best Breathing Style for PvP in Slayers 2?

Water is my early V0.98 PvP pick. Whirl Pool can be used while stunned and applies strict stun through its spin, while Water Wheel can maintain strict-stun pressure across multiple ticks. Wind remains the technical combo alternative, and Flame offers a broader counter game.

What is the best Breathing Style for PvE and farming?

Water is the first V0.98 style I would test for bosses and general PvE, especially where enemies accept its control. Flame remains an excellent farming and burst choice. Equal-gear boss times are still TBA because control resistance can change Water’s payoff.

What is the easiest Breathing Style for beginners?

Flame remains the easiest strong recommendation for learning a straightforward approach, ranged option, and counter. Water is more powerful in V0.98, but getting full value from its strict-stun routing and timing the Surface Slash i-frames gives it a higher ceiling.

Do you need to complete Final Selection before learning Breathing?

No. Breathing training starts at level 25, while Final Selection opens at level 45. Learn your style and develop its core attacks before taking on the selection trial.

Is Serpent Breathing the same as Snake Breathing?

Yes. Snake Breathing is another name used for Serpent Breathing. It is one launch style, not an additional ninth option; Obari is its trainer.

Is Water Breathing still C tier?

No. Water is my early V0.98 S-tier leader. Whirl Pool gains 3.3 seconds of strict stun and can be used while stunned; Water Wheel gains multi-hit strict-stun pressure and carry behavior; Basin improves; and Surface Slash gains approach i-frames. Water Wheel and Surface Slash no longer have hyper armor.

Why is Wind Breathing S tier now?

Wind’s faster startups, X combo extension, and removal of V knockback improve how its attacks work together. It can now keep a target nearby after opening a combo. S tier reflects that early practical ceiling; it does not mean every string is guaranteed.

Was Sound Breathing nerfed?

Yes. V deals far less guard damage and has a longer cooldown, C loses guard damage, and X no longer guarantees a guardbreak. Sound drops to A here, though Uzui’s stronger Enhanced Hearing bonus and simpler Musical Score activation support its specialist build.

Does hyper armor prevent damage?

No. Hyper armor resists interruption but still allows incoming damage. Water Wheel and Surface Slash lose hyper armor in V0.98; Surface Slash instead has i-frames during its approach, ending when the slash begins. Insect Z and Stone’s ultimate still use hyper armor.

Was Thunder Breathing buffed or nerfed in V0.98?

Both. Thunder Clap and Flash starts much faster at 0.45 seconds, but Godspeed speed falls from 80 to 50, Rice Spirit loses strict stun and needs a 0.3-second hold, and several finisher stun/ragdoll windows fall to one second. Thunder stays A in this early assessment.

How much mastery does the Arena give in Slayers 2?

Each Arena win now awards 1,000 mastery, plus EXP and Wen that scale with your level. That makes Arena a useful progression option, although the reward does not affect the combat ranking of a Breathing Style.

As Slayers 2 receives balance updates, these rankings will need another look. For now, choose a kit that suits your clan and the content you actually play, then learn its openings before committing to another reset. Check out our other Slayers 2 guides for progression routes, trainer locations, and build advice.


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Nikola Savic

Senior Staff Writer

Nikola is a Senior Staff Writer at Pro Game Guides with over 14 years of experience in gaming and esports journalism. A former editor-in-chief of the Serbian gaming publication Play!Zine and the RUR Esports portal, he has covered games professionally since 2012 across both Serbian and international media (senior editor at GINX Esports and GosuNoob). At PGG, he focuses on Roblox guides and tier lists, with particular depth in anime-inspired action RPGs and horror experiences like Paradox. Having been gaming since the early ’90s, he is a longtime PC gamer, and he brings an RPG and strategy game mindset to evaluating builds, meta picks, and game mechanics.

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