Martial Arts Attainment Explained — How to Raise It and Build a Loadout
Understand Martial Arts Attainment in Scroll of Taiwu 1.0, how it differs from Talent and Proficiency, how to focus a weapon route, and why it now affects your first Secret Tome.
Short answer: attainment is category mastery, not a single skill level
Martial Arts Attainment is Taiwu’s accumulated expertise in a martial-art category. It is not the same as Talent, which describes learning potential, and it is not the same as the Proficiency or breakthrough state of one individual technique. Read the three values separately: Talent tells you how naturally a character fits a field, the individual art tracks how far that art has been cultivated, and Attainment summarizes the category expertise used by wider requirements and systems.
For a first build, the practical goal is not to raise every category evenly. Pick the annihilation-technique category that matches your main weapon, cultivate a small compatible set, and use the character and martial-loadout interfaces to watch which requirements you are actually meeting.
- Talent: a character-level learning aptitude; useful context, not your current mastery score.
- Proficiency and breakthrough: progress on a specific martial art.
- Martial Arts Attainment: expertise accumulated for a martial-art category.
- A coherent first build raises one main attack category deliberately instead of diluting study across every weapon.

How to raise the attainment that your build actually needs
Use the game’s displayed attainment values and technique requirements as the source of truth. Study and cultivate arts in the category you want to strengthen, complete their breakthroughs, and avoid spending scarce reading and teaching access on unrelated categories just because a manual is available. Talent and teacher access can make the route easier, but collecting a book is not the same thing as completing its cultivation.
A useful checkpoint is the next technique you intend to learn. Open its detailed requirements, identify the category and any other gates, then improve the missing piece. This keeps the grind tied to an actual unlock instead of an abstract number.
- Choose the next art first; let its displayed requirements define the training plan.
- Study and cultivate techniques in the same main category rather than hoarding unrelated manuals.
- Complete breakthroughs and confirm the live value after changes instead of trusting an Early Access formula.
- Use sect permission, Favor, teachers, and manuals as access tools; they do not replace cultivation.
- Re-check after patches because support-building and progression rules can change.

Build a loadout around one answer at each layer
A loadout becomes readable when every equipped art has one job. Start with a main attack category and the weapon that supports it. Add a Qi Art for the build’s internal foundation, Footwork for range or tempo, and only then a defensive, recovery, counter, or utility answer that solves a problem you have already seen.
The exact slot counts and available categories depend on the current True Qi and loadout interface, so use the in-game screen rather than copying a screenshot from another character. The stable rule is focus: one route that can enter range, deal damage, survive a bad exchange, and recover is stronger for learning than a collection of individually impressive arts with no shared plan.
- Main attack: one weapon or annihilation-technique category.
- Internal foundation: one compatible Qi Art.
- Positioning: Footwork that helps the main attack reach or keep its preferred range.
- Safety: one defense, counter, healing, or escape answer.
- Upgrade rule: replace the weakest job only when the new art fills that same job better.

Why patch #260714 makes attainment more important
Patch #260714 changed the first Secret Tome rule. The first tome is now guaranteed to follow Taiwu’s highest Martial Arts Attainment among eligible technique types. Qi Arts, Unique Arts, and Footwork Arts are explicitly excluded from that selection.
This does not guarantee a specific named book and it does not make every later tome deterministic. It does mean that a focused main weapon category now has a direct planning benefit before the first Secret Tome appears. If two eligible attainments are close, raise the intended one clearly rather than relying on an invisible tie.
- Eligible for the first-tome comparison: the normal combat technique categories.
- Excluded: Qi Arts, Unique Arts, and Footwork Arts.
- Guaranteed: the category follows the highest eligible attainment.
- Not guaranteed: one exact named Secret Tome or the order of every later tome.
July 10 support-building change
Patch #260710 changed the attainment reduction supplied by auxiliary crafting buildings from -20% to -33%. That is a patch-specific rule for the relevant support buildings, not a blanket reduction to every martial-art requirement in the game.
If a current crafting or cultivation setup looks different from an older guide, inspect the building tooltip in the patched client. The safest editorial rule is to quote the current interface and patch number, not carry an Early Access percentage forward.
- Current patch reference: #260710.
- Old value: -20%; new value: -33% for the affected auxiliary crafting-building effect.
- Check the live tooltip to confirm which building and requirement your setup is modifying.
A five-minute build audit
When a build feels weak, do not immediately replace everything. Audit one layer at a time: identify the main damage category, confirm the weapon and range support it, check the art’s requirements and current cultivation, then inspect defense and recovery. Most first-run problems come from a missing job or diluted study rather than from choosing the wrong faction.
If the audit reveals three different attack categories competing for study time, choose one as the real route and pause the others. You can widen the build after the main loop works.
- Can you name the one category your main damage comes from?
- Do the weapon, range, and Footwork support that category?
- Have the core arts actually been studied and broken through?
- Is one defensive or recovery answer equipped and usable?
- Is the intended eligible attainment clearly highest before the first Secret Tome?
Related paths
Sources and verification
First-party patch notes and announcements are treated as the source of truth. Community links are included only to show the player question this guide answers.
FAQ
Is Martial Arts Attainment the same as Talent?
No. Talent is character-level learning potential, while Martial Arts Attainment is accumulated expertise in a martial-art category. Progress on an individual technique is another layer again.
How do I raise Martial Arts Attainment?
Focus study, cultivation, and breakthroughs on techniques in the category you want to strengthen, and use the live character and technique interfaces to confirm the value and the next requirement. Do not treat merely owning many manuals as completed cultivation.
Which attainment controls my first Secret Tome?
Since patch #260714, the first Secret Tome follows Taiwu’s highest eligible Martial Arts Attainment. Qi Arts, Unique Arts, and Footwork Arts are excluded from that comparison.
Should I raise every martial-art category?
Not on a first build. Raise the category that powers your main attack, then add only the Qi, Footwork, defense, or utility arts needed to make that route function.