Rise of the Tomb Raider, similar to Tomb Raider (2013) incorporates a levelling system into the gameplay. As players perform various actions in-game, they can earn and gather experience (XP) over time. Upon accumulating sufficient XP, Lara will earn herself a Skill Point. These Skill Points can then be invested in one of three Skill Trees to unlock enhanced abilities, alternate attack types, stat boosts and some general bonuses.

In Rise of the Tomb Raider you’ll gain XP via the following:

• Completing campaign objectives.
• Completing side-missions.
• Killing enemies, either through combat or via stealth kills.
• Killing animals.
• An XP bonus is awarded for completing most combat encounters without being detected.
• With Skill Points invested in certain Skills, Lara will earn bonus XP for performing various actions. These include:

Levelling your characters means acquiring Skill Points and spending them. Spending Skill Points is important because the can offer a range of bonuses and improvements to Lara’s abilities, health and XP income which can drastically decrease the difficulty level of the game (which is a godsend on Survivor difficulty).