History Main / SkillPointReset

* In ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'', Orbs of Regret are [[PracticalCurrency tradable items]] that grants exactly one passive skill point refund per use. Some quests give books that grants 2 skill point refunds. Ascendancy class passives require 5 points to refund, however. Orbs of Unmaking are used to refund Atlas passive skills but are significantly rarer.

** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' uses Pale Tongues for the same purpose, which you get either for successfully [[PlayerVersusPlayer invading and killing another player]] or as a [[ItemFarming rare drop from a certain enemy]]. This time, though, the procedure can only be done up to five times per playthrough--the implied story justification is that you'd turned into [[BalefulPolymorph a horrible worm monster]] if you did any more.

* There are two unique [=NPCs=] (in the respective capital and fleet) for each faction (Republic and Empire) in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' who can reset your PrestigeClass SkillTree, refunding all points--this is free for paying players, but costs in-game currency for F2P. You cannot unlearn any powers and abilities you purchase from regular trainers, however.

* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'', the player is given the option to "Rectify" their skill point investments at any church. Skill points are rectified one branch at a time, at a cost of 20G per point. (Since some SkillTree branches are only unlocked by investing in another branch, the player can [[ExploitedTrope exploit]] this by unlocking the skills needed to open said branch, then Rectifying that branch and investing in more useful skills.)

* There's a [[TooAwesomeToUse unique item]] in ''VideoGame/GeNeSis'', the Divine Breath, that does this for one character. Usually very essential, since it's dangerously easy to make your characters' builds into complete messes.

[[folder:Other Games]]
* While stats in roguelike ''VideoGame/DungeonCrawl'' are permanent, advanced magic-users can use the Scrolls of Amnesia to forget certain spells to make room for better ones. Additionally, having a lot of favor with Ashenzari (god of knowledge) allows one to move XP from one skill to another at a slight loss.
* ''VideoGame/DeadSpace2'' allows you to reset all the upgrades you've applied to a specific weapon or piece of equipment for 5000 credits, allowing you to move them to something else instead.
* In ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', you can find/buy a Tome of Retraining on some maps, which allows you to reset your skill points (and strengthen/weaken your abilities accordingly) as you see fit.
* There's a [[TooAwesomeToUse unique item]] in ''VideoGame/GeNeSis'', the Divine Breath, that does this for one character. Usually very essential, since it's dangerously easy to make your characters' builds into complete messes.
* The Nanofield Reboot ability, from ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'', lets Iji reset her skills and recover all the applicable nanos. This also kills her shields and sets her HP to a critically low level, so it's best to do so only when there's an absolute obstacle that has to be cleared up, and/or next to upgrade stations and health boxes. [[spoiler:A reset of this kind in the right place is often the only way to get through a PacifistRun.]]
* Bite-sized indie action-adventure game ''VideoGame/RuinsOfMitriom'' uses this as its core gameplay mechanic. As you expolore the island, you come across crystals that allow you to change your skills on the fly. Putting your skill points into various categories is necessary to progress, allowing you to control the speed of your caravan and make other adjustments depending on the situation at hand.
* In ''VideoGame/DistortedTravesty'', a NPC will do this to you for a small amount of money.
* You can do this for free in ''VideoGame/GemCraft''.
* In ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'', you can reset individual skill trees at will, getting back all the skill points and a portion of the money you spent to buy individual skills.
* ''[[VideoGame/DawnofWar Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising]]'' allows you to reset all of the returning characters skill points if you imported a save game, but the option is only available before starting the second mission.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ruiner}}'' allows the player to redistribute all skill points and change their special abilities between and even during missions (when not in a fight). This becomes mighty convenient if the player runs into trouble where a build just isn't working out for the situation and keeps having to reload at the checkpoint before a tough battle over and over.
* In ''VideoGame/MyTimeAtPortia,'' Phyllis can reset your skill points at the hospital. She does so via acupuncture, which she swears [[BlatantLies won't hurt a bit.]]
* ''VideoGame/SwordFight'': There are several ways to reset skill points, including those spent on Fighting Skills, Mastery Skills, and Lineage. Only the third one is initially available and can be done once every 24 hours, the first two require specific Lineage.

* ''VideoGame/GreedFall'' has Memory Crystals, which drop from three specific bosses in the game (including the very first one) and let you reset and refund ''everything'' about your character, including attributes, skills, and talents. The only caveat is that you cannot tinker with the first three perk unlocked by your "class" template, though you are able to select a different "class" each time you use a Memory Crystal.

In many video games (mainly {{RPG}}s), you [[SkillScoresAndPerks can arbitrarily add points to your character's skill and attribute scores]] with each LevelUp. Some of them additionally provide you with an item or character that resets your PlayerCharacter's scores and lets you redistribute them from scratch. The idea behind such SkillPointReset is to let you optimize your build, better adapt it to the current level, and revert any character building decisions you came to regret.

** ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' added a SkillPointReset with a patch: given as a Quest Reward for completing [[NoobCave The Den of Evil]], for each [[NewGamePlus difficulty]]. There's also the Token of Absolution which is transmuted from an Essence of Hatred, Terror, and Destruction which are rarely dropped from the respective Prime Evils on Hell difficulty

* ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' lets you buy the consumable chip "Tabula Rasa" at every ripperdoc, which resets and refunds every perk point you have spent so far. The cost (100,000 eurobucks) is, however, prohibitively high to use it often, even late in the game.

* Stat Maxing in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' is largely based on erasing spheres already present on the sphere grid with a special kind of sphere, and replacing them with more stat-benficial ones. somewhat an oddball example as instead of this being a method of quick restructuring of a character's build, it's a rather tedious process of MinMaxing.

* In ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'' Orbs of Regret [[PracticalCurrency tradable items]] that grants exactly one passive skill point refund per use. Some quests give books that grants 2 skill point refunds. Ascendancy class passives require 5 points to refund, however. Orbs of Unmaking are used to refund Atlas passive skills but are significantly rarer.

* In ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'' using an Orb of Regret grants exactly one passive skill point refund per use. Some quests give books that grants 2 skill point refunds. Ascendancy class passives require 5 points to refund, however.

* In ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'', some quests give you a Book of Regrets as a reward, which grants you two refund points, which can be used to deallocate one passive point per refund point (5 for [[PrestigeClass Ascendancy]] skill points). There's also [[PracticalCurrency Orbs of Regret]], which give one refund point per use and can be traded.

* A variation on this is "retraining" in ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'''s fourth edition. Essentially, each time your character goes up a level, you can replace ''one'' choice you've made before (e.g. a trained skill, feat, power) with another of the same type as long as the change doesn't result in an illegal character (say, one with a feat whose prerequisite is suddenly no longer there). In addition, even without ever retraining characters of all classes will eventually hit some levels (starting at 13th) at which they are instructed to replace an old power with a new one; they ''could'' in principe just choose the old power all over again, but a 13th-level encounter attack power is apt to have a bit more "oomph" than the (likely) first-level one you're giving up for it.

** ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' added a SkillPointReset with a patch: given as a Quest Reward once per difficulty level.

** ''VideoGame/TorchlightII'' lets you reset the last three skill points you've spent at any time.

* In the ''Videogame/{{Borderlands}}'' series you can respec your character for a small fee at U-Change stations.

* Upgrade your [[PlayerHeadquarters Homestead]] enough in ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin'' and you'll eventually gain access to a demon named Moloch that will allow you to trade your [[PlayerCharacter Source Hunters']] unused stat points in one area for use in another area (e.g. trade some [[SkillPoint Ability Points]] to gain an Attribute Point). Alternatively, he can just give you a full refund on all of your currently earned points to allow you to completely re-spec your character. However, the latter [[AwesomeButImpractical isn't as awesome as it sounds]], because resetting your Ability Points to zero also means you lose all of your Skills.[[note]]To clarify, this doesn't simply make the Skill unusable until you put the points back; it's gone for good, and you don't get a refund on the Skillbook you used to learn it. For higher-level characters especially--who will have learned a wide number of Skills by this point, some of them Master-level--reacquiring the Skillbooks necessary to relearn the Skills you want can be an extremely time-consuming and expensive endeavor.[[/note]]