Since its inception in 2009 with From Software's Demon's Souls, the Soulslike genre has leaned on an RPG-inspired progression system, with XP and player stat upgrades, such as Vigor, Strength, and Dexterity. Leveling up in these fields upgrades health, stamina, attack, and defense, and allows the player to use higher-level weapons effectively.

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This has stayed true for most From Software and Souls-inspired games, but there are a few outliers with different approaches to progression. They use skill trees, exploration-based upgrades, detailed weapon-level systems, and more. Developers have built on the classic Soulslike formula with innovations in character leveling that keep the genre exciting.

1 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

FromSoft's Different Approach

From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice breaks a lot of Soulslike traditions, taking away character creation and putting players in the shoes of the Wolf. Progression is different too, replacing the array of stats to upgrade in Dark Souls with just one, Attack Power. This is increased by defeating major bosses.

These bosses drop "Memories" upon defeat, which increases Wolf's Attack Power. Health upgrades and the Posture meter are also upgraded with collection of Prayer Beads, which are found through exploration and combat. Sekiro is wildly different from the other FromSoft titles, with additional changes like one dedicated main weapon, and a revival system being among the differences from the developer's most famous titles.

2 Hollow Knight

An Inversion Of Souls

Hollow Knight is a 2D Metroidvania Soulslike game that was very well-received by fans of both genres. Progression has similarities to traditional Soulslike mechanics, but there is more of a focus on exploration to increase skills, with souls from defeated enemies used for healing spells instead of leveling up.

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To gain attack power and additional health, players must improve their weapon (the Nail) with currency and materials, and collect mask shards to add extra masks to their life bar. Exploring new areas unlocks new movement abilities, and Essence from defeating powerful enemies unlocks unique weapon skills. Hollow Knight keeps players engaged with deep systems tied to exploration.

3 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Level Up The Force

The sequel to the popular Fallen Order puts players back in the shoes of Jedi Cal Kestis. Character progression is performed through a detailed skill tree, with unlocks for lightsaber combat, force skills, and survivability. It also doubles down on visual customization with added cosmetics, Lightsaber designs, clothing options, and more.

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The Jedi series is praised for its Soulslike combat and level design, but takes a very different route from more traditional Souls-inspired games. The extensive stats of the Dark Souls series are refined into a skill tree that encourages more exploration and combat instead of level grinding and tweaking stats in menus.

4 Blasphemous 2

Exploration And Reward

The second installment of the Blasphemous series is much like the first in that it forgoes XP-based leveling and rewards exploration. It builds on the previous game's system by giving the player three weapons to upgrade and use, instead of just one. The weapons each have a skill tree with new abilities and passive upgrades.

Three may seem like too few weapons for some players, but the many items around the map provide buffs and upgrades that can offer plenty of build variety. These items are Rosary Beads, Prayers, and Altarpieces of Favours. The system allows players to switch out different abilities and buffs freely to counter certain areas and enemies.

5 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

A New Take On Levels

Following up on Nioh 2, Team Ninja returned to the Soulslike genre with Wo Long, a game that has a very different approach to player and enemy levels. Replacing XP and standard levels is the Morale Rank system. This stat caps at just 25 and increases damage and health. It rises when defeating enemies, but drops upon death.

Fighting enemies with a much higher Morale Rank will be incredibly difficult. Exploring levels and finding Battle Flags that raise the Fortitude stat will prevent drastic falls in rank. Wo Long also features the Virtues system, which boosts individual skills based on the Elements, such as Fire, Water, and Earth, as opposed to traditional Strength, Dexterity, etc.

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