Lies of P is a Soulslike set in a Belle Epoque city overrun by murderous puppets, reimagining Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio as a dark action RPG. The perfect guard system rewards aggressive parrying — successfully timing blocks chips away at enemy weapon durability, eventually breaking their weapon and leaving them open for a Fatal Attack. The weapon assembly system lets you mix and match blades and handles from any two weapons, creating hybrid combinations with mixed movesets and scaling. The lie/truth moral choice system across dozens of NPC encounters determines which of three endings you receive. Lies of P stands alongside Elden Ring and Bloodborne as one of the best non-FromSoftware Soulslikes.
Picking the right build determines how your experience plays out. These builds are ranked by overall effectiveness — factoring in damage, survivability, gear requirements, and how well they scale into endgame.
Quick Rankings
| Role | Tier | Playstyle | Core Gear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dexterity Build | S | Stay aggressive with fast weapon combos, dodge rather than Perfect Guard, and use electric damage to exploit puppet enemies' weakness. | Electric Coil Stick (or Puppet Ripper blade + technique handle), Flamberge Legion Arm, throwable items |
| Strength Build | A | Commit to heavy charged attacks during openings, Perfect Guard multi-hit combos to create stagger, and use the Aegis arm for extra blocking in emergencies. | Two Dragons Sword, Aegis Legion Arm (shield for trading), heavy armor |
| Motivity/Technique Hybrid | S | Use the mixed weapon to adapt between fast pokes and heavy charged attacks based on enemy openings. The hybrid scaling keeps damage competitive with pure builds. | Mixed assembly weapons (heavy blade + fast handle), versatile Legion Arm |
| Legion Arm Focus | B | Use Legion Arms to open fights (Puppet String pull, Flamberge fire) then follow up with weapon combos. Swap arms based on enemy type. | Multiple Legion Arms (swap for situations), Capacity-boosting amulets |
| Balanced Build | A | Use the rapier's fast thrusts for safe poke damage, Perfect Guard everything, and rely on consistent damage rather than burst. | Etiquette rapier, balanced stat amulets, utility Legion Arms |
S-Tier: Dexterity Build
Technique scaling builds use fast weapons with rapid combos. The Electric Coil Stick with a technique handle deals fast electric damage with excellent stagger. The Puppet Ripper's technique blade has a fast slash combo. Dex builds excel at building stagger through rapid hit chains and dodging between combos.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Puppet Ripper | A technique-scaling weapon with a serrated blade that deals extra damage to puppet-type enemies. |
| Core Gear | Electric Coil Stick (or Puppet Ripper blade + technique handle), Flamberge Legion Arm, throwable items | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Technique 40+, Vigor 25+, Stamina 20+ | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | perfect guard | Pressing block at the exact moment an attack connects triggers a Perfect Guard — absorbing the hit with zero stamina loss and chipping the enemy's weapon durability. |
How to Play Dexterity Build
Stay aggressive with fast weapon combos, dodge rather than Perfect Guard, and use electric damage to exploit puppet enemies' weakness.
Technique scaling builds use fast weapons with rapid combos. The Electric Coil Stick with a technique handle deals fast electric damage with excellent stagger. The Puppet Ripper's technique blade has a fast slash combo. Dex builds excel at building stagger through rapid hit chains and dodging between combos.
What makes this role work: The synergy between Puppet Ripper and perfect guard creates a gameplay loop that outperforms other options. Core gear like Electric Coil Stick (or Puppet Ripper blade + technique handle), Flamberge Legion Arm, throwable items amplifies this further.
Pros:
- Highest overall performance
- Clear stat priority (Technique 40+, Vigor 25+, Stamina 20+) makes gearing straightforward
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Popular pick, resources may be contested
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: Strength Build
Motivity scaling builds use heavy weapons that deal massive per-hit damage. The Two Dragons Sword (greatsword) has wide sweeps and a powerful charged R2. Heavy weapons stagger most enemies in 2-3 hits. The tradeoff is slower attack speed making Perfect Guard timing more important.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Electric Coil Stick | A technique weapon that deals electric damage, exploiting the weakness of puppet-type enemies (the majority of enemies in the game). |
| Core Gear | Two Dragons Sword, Aegis Legion Arm (shield for trading), heavy armor | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Motivity 40+, Vigor 30+, Stamina 25+ | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | weapon assembly | Every weapon separates into a Blade (determines damage type and base moves) and Handle (determines scaling stats and charged attack). |
How to Play Strength Build
Commit to heavy charged attacks during openings, Perfect Guard multi-hit combos to create stagger, and use the Aegis arm for extra blocking in emergencies.
Motivity scaling builds use heavy weapons that deal massive per-hit damage. The Two Dragons Sword (greatsword) has wide sweeps and a powerful charged R2. Heavy weapons stagger most enemies in 2-3 hits. The tradeoff is slower attack speed making Perfect Guard timing more important.
What makes this role work: The synergy between Electric Coil Stick and weapon assembly creates a gameplay loop that offers reliable performance. Core gear like Two Dragons Sword, Aegis Legion Arm (shield for trading), heavy armor amplifies this further.
Pros:
- Most versatile option
- Clear stat priority (Motivity 40+, Vigor 30+, Stamina 25+) makes gearing straightforward
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Lower peak damage than S-tier
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
S-Tier: Motivity/Technique Hybrid
Hybrid builds use weapon assembly to create weapons that scale with both stats. A Motivity blade on a Technique handle (or vice versa) gets partial scaling from both. This build has more flexibility in weapon choices and doesn't suffer from diminishing returns on a single stat.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Etiquette | A rapier with balanced Motivity/Technique scaling and a fast thrusting moveset. |
| Core Gear | Mixed assembly weapons (heavy blade + fast handle), versatile Legion Arm | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Motivity 30, Technique 30, Vigor 25+, Stamina 20+ | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | legion arm abilities | Your left arm is a prosthetic Legion Arm with interchangeable modules. |
How to Play Motivity/Technique Hybrid
Use the mixed weapon to adapt between fast pokes and heavy charged attacks based on enemy openings. The hybrid scaling keeps damage competitive with pure builds.
Hybrid builds use weapon assembly to create weapons that scale with both stats. A Motivity blade on a Technique handle (or vice versa) gets partial scaling from both. This build has more flexibility in weapon choices and doesn't suffer from diminishing returns on a single stat.
What makes this role work: The synergy between Etiquette and legion arm abilities creates a gameplay loop that offers reliable performance. Core gear like Mixed assembly weapons (heavy blade + fast handle), versatile Legion Arm amplifies this further.
Pros:
- Best survivability
- Clear stat priority (Motivity 30, Technique 30, Vigor 25+, Stamina 20+) makes gearing straightforward
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Slower clear speeds
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
B-Tier: Legion Arm Focus
Legion Arm builds invest in Capacity stat to increase Legion Arm charges and damage. The Flamberge arm adds fire damage to combos, Puppet String grapples enemies from range, and Deus Ex Machina fires explosives. While Legion Arms alone can't carry fights, they add significant burst damage and utility.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Two Dragons Sword | A heavy greatsword with Motivity scaling and wide sweeping attacks. |
| Core Gear | Multiple Legion Arms (swap for situations), Capacity-boosting amulets | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Capacity 25+, primary combat stat 30+, Vigor 25+ | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | P-Organ upgrades | The P-Organ system (available at Hotel Krat) uses Quartz (found throughout the game) to unlock permanent passive abilities. |
How to Play Legion Arm Focus
Use Legion Arms to open fights (Puppet String pull, Flamberge fire) then follow up with weapon combos. Swap arms based on enemy type.
Legion Arm builds invest in Capacity stat to increase Legion Arm charges and damage. The Flamberge arm adds fire damage to combos, Puppet String grapples enemies from range, and Deus Ex Machina fires explosives. While Legion Arms alone can't carry fights, they add significant burst damage and utility.
What makes this role work: The synergy between Two Dragons Sword and P-Organ upgrades creates a gameplay loop that provides a unique approach. Core gear like Multiple Legion Arms (swap for situations), Capacity-boosting amulets amplifies this further.
Pros:
- Strong in group/team content
- Clear stat priority (Capacity 25+, primary combat stat 30+, Vigor 25+) makes gearing straightforward
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- Weaker solo performance
- Requires deep game knowledge
A-Tier: Balanced Build
Balanced builds invest evenly across stats, using weapons with quality scaling (C/C in both Motivity and Technique). The Etiquette rapier is a popular balanced weapon with fast thrusts and good scaling. This build sacrifices peak damage for consistency across all situations.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Proof of Humanity | An endgame weapon obtained through the true ending path. |
| Core Gear | Etiquette rapier, balanced stat amulets, utility Legion Arms | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Motivity 25, Technique 25, Vigor 25, Stamina 20 | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | lie/truth system | Throughout the game, NPCs ask questions where you can choose to Lie or Tell the Truth. |
How to Play Balanced Build
Use the rapier's fast thrusts for safe poke damage, Perfect Guard everything, and rely on consistent damage rather than burst.
Balanced builds invest evenly across stats, using weapons with quality scaling (C/C in both Motivity and Technique). The Etiquette rapier is a popular balanced weapon with fast thrusts and good scaling. This build sacrifices peak damage for consistency across all situations.
What makes this role work: The synergy between Proof of Humanity and lie/truth system creates a gameplay loop that provides a unique approach. Core gear like Etiquette rapier, balanced stat amulets, utility Legion Arms amplifies this further.
Pros:
- Unique, rewarding playstyle
- Clear stat priority (Motivity 25, Technique 25, Vigor 25, Stamina 20) makes gearing straightforward
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- High skill floor, punishing when misplayed
- Requires deep game knowledge
Build Progression Path
- Start with Strength Build — the most forgiving option for learning the game
- Transition to Dexterity Build once you understand core mechanics and have access to Puppet Ripper
- Keep a Motivity/Technique Hybrid setup for content that keeps killing you
- Try Balanced Build for a fresh experience once you've mastered the basics
Gearing Tips
- Invest in your primary weapon first — it gives the biggest power spike
- Perfect Guard is more important than dodging. Most boss combos have 3-5 hit chains designed for parry timing. Each successful Perfect Guard chips weapon durability, eventually breaking it for a massive Fatal Attack opening.
- Weapon assembly lets you separate any weapon into blade + handle at the assembly bench. Experiment freely — you can always reassemble weapons. A heavy blade + light handle creates surprisingly effective hybrids.
- Don't spread upgrade resources across multiple builds until endgame
See our tier list for current meta rankings, or the beginner's guide if you're just getting started.
