question about skill shape

[Pethesilea]

I'm a newbie of TQ.
Some skills are circles (e.g., Hunter's Wood Lore) and some are squares (e.g., Hunter's Take Down). What's the different?
Thanks in advance.

[Sylverphyre]

Circles are passives, whereas squares are skills that need to be activated...

[Aensland]

The circle ones are "upgrades" to the square ones. Circle ones that stand by themselves are passives (auto on all the time).

[Pethesilea]

I see. Thanks.

[Pethesilea]

Are circle skills effective all the time (even when I don't cast/activate their basic square skills), or are them only effective to their basic square skills when they are casted/activated? For example, circle skill Exploit Weakness has the effect of maganifying damages. Is it effective all the time, or only effective when I cast Call of the Hunt, which is its basic square skill?

Edit: I found there are circle skills without basic square skills, such as Volley. What about these skills? Are they effective all the time? Are those circle skills with basic square skills only effective to their basic square skills?

[Aensland]

No, they are upgrades, which means you HAVE to use the square skills for them to kick in. As long as the square skill is used/activated, the circle upgrades work.

Passives (circle skills not attached to squares) are auto-on, as mentioned. Always. Read the fine print (mouseover description) though, most of them work if you wield certain weapons, or chance to happen, etc. Volley for example only works with bows and spears and has a chance to trigger (I'm pulling this from memory, paste the skill description here if you want, but I'm pretty sure that's how it is).

[Pethesilea]

Thanks for your kind help.