The Ascent: Combat & Types of Damage

This tutorial page for The Ascent focuses on combat, including how to use tactical weapons and upgrades, dodge, and a description of all damage types.

This guide covers all aspects related to combat in The Ascent. You will learn how to heal, restore tactical charge, use grenades, and the effects of augmentations and energy slots. We also cover dodging, hiding behind covers, and changing equipment during fights. Additionally, we provide a detailed list of all types of damage.

• Health points and healing
• Tactical weapons and tactical charge points
• Augmentation slots and energy points
• Evasion
• Raising weapons and covers
• Types of damage
• Changing weapons and armor during a fight

Health Points and Healing

Constant clashes with enemies will require you to heal your character regularly. In The Ascent, you cannot carry medkits in your inventory. Instead, you must pick up health items from the ground. There are two ways to heal: walking over a red vial will restore a small portion of your health, and using a medkit restores 50 points of health when you press the interaction button. Healing items can also be dropped by defeated opponents or bought from vending machines. If your health drops to zero, your character will die, but the game does not punish you for it. You will keep all your items and credits, and you won’t lose any experience. After death, you will respawn at the last checkpoint.

Tactical Weapons and Tactical Charge Points

In addition to standard weapons, such as rifles, pistols, and rocket launchers, you can use tactical weapons, such as grenades and automatic turrets. The first tactical weapon (basic grenade) is acquired in the starting mission, and you can obtain more from traders or defeated enemies. Skillful use of tactical weapons can give you an advantage on the battlefield, particularly in killing large groups of opponents. However, the use of tactical weapons is limited by tactical charge points.

Tactical charge points are gained by attacking enemies, and you can accelerate this process by developing the Tactical Sense skill. Additionally, you can pick up yellow vials from defeated enemies and vending machines to gain extra tactical charge.

Augmentation Slots and Energy Points

Augmentations are a useful tool in navigating through the game’s different locations. These special abilities can be obtained during exploration or purchased from traders. Two augmentation slots are available in the character window, allowing players to use two different augmentations simultaneously. Each augmentation has a unique effect, such as Hydraulic Slam, which sends a shockwave causing high damage, or Mono Ranger, which summons a robot to attack enemies.

Using augmentations is limited by two factors. Firstly, every augmentation has a cooldown period, meaning players must wait a certain amount of time before using it again (the cooldown time varies depending on the augmentation). Secondly, players must have enough energy points to use an augmentation. Energy points are replenished by collecting blue vials dropped by defeated enemies. The maximum level of energy points can be increased by developing the Body Battery skill.

Evasion

Moving around the map and avoiding enemy fire is just as important as dealing damage. Evasions are an excellent tool for evading enemies and quickly moving around the map. They also help in fighting opponents with shields, and can help players avoid enemy bullets.

Raising Weapons and Covers

The Ascent has a useful mechanic for lifting weapons, enabling players to hit opponents that are higher up or behind covers. All players need to do is hold down the raise button, and the projectile will go higher. This is also useful when players are hiding behind a cover, allowing them to raise their weapon without being exposed to enemy fire.

Types of Damage

Understanding the different types of damage in The Ascent is important for selecting the right weapon for a specific opponent. The game features four types of damage: ballistic, energy, digital, and fire. Each opponent is vulnerable to a different type of damage. For example, humans are most affected by ballistic damage, while robots receive the most damage from energy. Players can check the weapon’s damage type in their inventory and the vulnerability of a particular enemy in the journal. The color of the numbers indicating damage dealt can also give players a clue, with grey indicating ineffective weapons, white indicating normal damage, and red indicating high damage.

Changing Weapons and Armor During Combat

Players can change weapons and armor at any time during combat, allowing them to choose the right weapon and armor for a specific opponent. This is particularly useful when encountering enemies that deal a certain type of damage, as players can switch to armor that offers the highest resistance to that type of damage.

FAQ

What is The Ascent?

The Ascent is a top-down action RPG that takes place in a cyberpunk world. It features a single-player campaign and co-op play, along with a variety of weapons, abilities, and upgrades to choose from. The game is set in a massive, multi-level city called Veles, where players must fight their way through various factions and corporations to uncover the truth behind a mysterious incident that has left the city in chaos.

What types of combat are there in The Ascent?

In The Ascent, players can engage in both ranged and melee combat. Ranged combat includes weapons such as assault rifles, pistols, and sniper rifles, while melee combat includes punches, kicks, and specialized weapons like hammers and swords. Players can switch between these modes of combat on the fly, depending on the situation. Additionally, players can use cover to avoid enemy fire and set up ambushes, or use abilities like dash and shield to close in on enemies.

What types of damage can be dealt in The Ascent?

The Ascent features several different types of damage, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. These include physical, thermal, chemical, and shock damage. Physical damage is the most basic type of damage, and is dealt by most weapons. Thermal damage is effective against enemies with armor, while chemical damage is effective against enemies with shields. Shock damage is effective against enemies with high health, as it deals damage over time. Players can also use grenades and other area-of-effect attacks to deal damage to multiple enemies at once.

How can I upgrade my combat abilities in The Ascent?

Players can upgrade their combat abilities in The Ascent by spending skill points on various skill trees. These skill trees include Cybernetics, Biometrics, and Engineering, each of which focuses on a different aspect of combat. For example, the Cybernetics tree enhances the player’s mobility and agility, while the Biometrics tree enhances their health and survivability. Players can also upgrade their weapons and equipment by finding or purchasing new items throughout the game.