Momentum Abilities – Gotham Knights

Momentum Abilities in Gotham Knights are special attacks that are significantly more powerful than standard melee or ranged attacks. They have unique requirements to unlock, and using one costs a portion of your Momentum Bar. Scroll down (or use the Contents button) to see each playable character’s Momentum Abilities, or read on to learn more about how Momentum Abilities work.

Unlocking Momentum Abilities

You may have noticed that most of your Momentum Ability slots are empty at the start of the game. This is because you have yet to unlock them. But how do you even know what they will be, or when you will unlock them? Well, look no further!

Of the eight Momentum Abilities each character has in Gotham Knights, six are unlocked by unlocking and completing Challenges. To see which of these challenges are available to you right now, go to the “Momentum Abilities” tab on the “Challenges” page of the Batcomputer. It is important to note that most of these challenges will only become available when you reach certain story missions, with only one exception. The other three abilities are given to you for “free” upon reaching certain story milestones.

Below is the list of how you unlock each Momentum Ability:

• Unlocked at the start: You begin with one Ability unlocked.
• During Mission 1.4 – Blackgate Blues: Your first Piercing ability is unlocked during the mission, without a challenge
• Complete “Shadowed Perch” Challenge, unlocked after Mission 3.2: This requires you to clear 2 Owl’s Nest pre-meditated crimes.
• Complete “Guard Breaker” challenge: This requires you to defeat 5 Freaks Bulldozers.
• Complete “Ferocious” Challenge, unlocked during Mission 3.2: This requires you to defeat 15 Talons, introduced during the mission.
• Complete “In Plain Sight” Challenge, unlocked during Mission 4.2: This requires you to defeat 5 League of Shadows Assassins, introduced during the mission.
• Complete Challenge after Personal Mission: Each character has a set of personal missions, made of short narrative cutscenes. These can be completed after finishing the main Case File 06. The final step of them rewards you with the Ability.
• Complete “Knighthood” Challenge: See our guide on the challenge here. This ability can be upgraded with the Knighthood skill tree, also unlocked after completing the challenge.

It is important to note that while challenges will unlock for every character at the same time, you will need to complete each challenge separately, for each character.

How to Use Momentum Abilities

Momentum is earned in combat by dealing damage to enemies, defeating them, or by doing a Perfect Evade. It is stored in your Momentum Bar, which is the purple bar found in the bottom right of your screen. Once the bar is full, it will turn white, you’ll be able to use Momentum Abilities, if you have enough Momentum for them. Abilities that you can use with the Momentum you have will light up above the Momentum Bar.

To actually use them, hold the right shoulder button (on controllers) and then tap or hold the button they correspond to will activate them.

It is important to make sure that you actually have the Ability unlocked, if you want to use it, and not just the challenge for the Ability. You can tell this by looking at the Abilities in the menu. If there is a lock on the icon, you still need to complete their associated challenge.

What Are the Momentum Ability Types

Momentum Abilities are assigned various “types” according to what their purpose is. Many Abilities have several types, while some have none.

• Piercing: Piercing attacks are capable of interrupting Armored Attacks (red attack by enemies). These are very useful against bosses, as well as against most late-game enemies.
• Area of Effect: Area of Effect Abilities are, as the name implies, attacks which hit all enemies in an area, usually around the vigilante. Partial Area of Effect Abilities only cover a specific region around your character (usually in a cone in front of you), whereas regular Area of Effect Abilities hit all enemies in a radius around you, regardless of facing.
• Guard Break: Guard Break Abilities are those capable of breaking enemies guards.
• Fear Inducing: Fear Inducing Abilities cause enemies near you to become scared, staggering them for a moment and weakening them in general.
• Damage Over Time: Damage Over Times Abilities afflict damage… over time. They are usually abilities that will last a certain amount of time, dealing damage to enemies during their entire duration.
• Ultimate: Ultimate Abilites are those which require a cooldown (instead of momentum) to use, and which can be upgraded by investing in a character’s Knighthood Skill Tree.

Ultimate Ability Skill Tree Upgrades

Each character has one Ultimate Momentum Ability which can be improved or modified by skills in the character’s Knighthood Skill Tree. Which ability is upgraded by this skill tree is listed below:

• Batgirl: Drone
  • Batgirl calls her drone, which heals allies and shoots at nearby enemies for a short period of time.
• Nightwing: Nest
  • Nightwing creates a Nest around himself and any allies, granting a large defense bonus and healing over time. The Nest also inflicts damage over time to any enemies that step inside it.
• Red Hood: Mystical Rounds
  • Red Hood Locks onto enemies and shoots a Mystical Round that will hit all targets, causing massive damage.
• Robin: Microbots
  • Robin unleashes 3 swarms of microbots that latch onto nearby enemies, dealing small amounts of Incendiary damage, followed by an explosion.

Batgirl Momentum Abilities

Batgirl’s momentum abilities give her massive damage potential, both against single targets and in an area-of-effect around her. Her Ultimate ability, the Drone, offers both healing and fire support — albeit only temporarily.

Icon	Ability	Type	Keybinds/Controls	Momentum Cost	Description
	Beatdown	None	+Tap +Tap Tap 1	1	Batgirl performs a series of quick strikes on a single enemy to deal massive damage.
	Batarang Barrage	Piercing, Partial Area of Effect	+Tap +Tap Tap 2	1	Batgirl attacks all enemies with a storm of Batarangs.
	Adrenaline Surge	Fear Inducing	+Tap +Tap Tap 3	1	Increases Batgirl’s damage, Critical chance, Critical damage and Defense by +20% and Elemental Effect build up by +50% for 12 seconds.
	Elemental Strike	Guard Break	+Tap +Tap Tap 4	1	Batgirl performs a Heavy Melee Attack that deals massive Elemental Effect damage.
	Tonfa Jackhammer	Guard Break, Area of Effect	+Hold +Hold Hold 1	2	Batgirl hits the ground twice with her tonfa, creating a circular wave of damage that knocks back and staggers nearby enemies.
	Marauderangs	Damage Over Time	+Hold +Hold Tap 2	2	Batgirl throws 2 Batarangs that spin around an area, striking multiple times and preventing some enemies from attacking.
	Bat Swarm	Area of Effect, Damage Over Time, Fear Inducing	+Hold +Hold Hold 3	2	Batgirl unleashes a swarm of bats, dealing damage to nearby enemies and protecting her from most damage. Duration: 15s
	Drone	Fear Inducing, Ultimate	+Hold +Hold Hold 4	Cooldown 6:00	Batgirl calls her drone, which heals allies and shoots at nearby enemies for a short period of time. Duration: 30s

Nightwing Momentum Abilities

Nightwing’s Momentum Abilities allow him to leap from foe-to-foe quickly, and add area-of-effect elemental damage to his kit. His Ultimate Ability, Nest, is a powerful defensive tool for Nightwing and his allies.

Icon	Ability	Type	Keybinds/Controls	Momentum Cost	Description
	Pounce	None	+Hold +Hold Hold 4	1	Nightwing jumps at a far away enemy, inflicting damage and knocking them down.
	Elemental Shockwave	Piercing, Partial Area of Effect	+Tap +Tap Tap 1	1	Nightwing smashes the ground, creating an Elemental trail that damages enemies.
	Speed Boost	None	+Tap +Tap Tap 3	1	Nightwing gets a speed boost, allowing him to move and fight faster while gaining more Momentum the further he travels to hit enemies.
	Shotgun Darts	Guard Break	+Tap +Tap Tap 2	1	Nightwing shoots a dart from each hand. The darts deal higher damage on closer proximity to enemies.
	Dart Storm	Area of Effect	+Hold +Hold Tap 2	2	Nightwing shoots multiple darts, damaging enemies and lowering their Elemental Effect resistance.
	Whirlwind	Area of Effect, Damage Over Time	+Hold +Hold Hold 1	2	Nightwing spins and throws his escrima sticks, hitting all enemies within range.
	Bright Knight	Area of Effect, Piercing, Fear Inducing	+Hold +Hold Hold 3	2	Nightwing’s symbol glows, stunning nearby enemies and granting allies 1 Momentum segment.
	Nest	Fear Inducing, Ultimate	+Hold +Hold Hold 4	Cooldown 5:00	Nightwing creates a Nest around himself and any allies, granting a large defense bonus and healing over time. The Nest also inflicts damage over time to any enemies that step inside it. Duration: 20s

Red Hood Momentum Abilities

Red Hood’s Momentum abilities generally strengthen his melee and ranged attacks while reloading. His ultimate ability, Mystical Rounds, locks onto enemies and deals serious damage to everything in his line of sight.

Icon	Ability	Type	Keybinds/Controls	Momentum Cost	Description
	Two-Fisted Reload	None	+Tap +Tap Tap 1	1	Red Hood Performs a quick reload while hitting and shooting at an enemy.
	Barrage	Piercing	+Tap +Tap Tap 2	1	Red Hood Shoots multiple rounds straight ahead, hitting all enemies in his path. Ammo is also reloaded.
	Harnessed Rage	Fear Inducing	+Tap +Tap Tap 3	1	When activated, Red Hood’s next attack increases by a portion of damage he receives. Also heals Red Hood at 1% per second. Duration: 20s
	Mystical Punch	Guard Break	+Tap +Tap Tap 4	1	Red Hood charges his fists with Elemental Effect damage. Melee Attacks do 50% more damage and 5x more Elemental buildup. Duration: 30s
	Spoilsport Reload	Area of Effect	+Hold +Hold Hold 1	2	Red Hood jumps backward, releasing explosive magazines. Ammo is also reloaded.
	Portable Turret	Damage Over Time	+Hold +Hold Tap 2	2	Red Hood deploys a mini turret that shoots at nearby enemies, dealing high damage. Duration: 6s
	Mega Tackle	Guard Break, Piercing, Partial Area of Effect, Fear Inducing	+Hold +Hold Hold 3	2	Red Hood dashes forward, knocking down all enemies in his path.
	Mystical Rounds	Ultimate	+Hold +Hold Hold 4	Cooldown 7:00	Red Hood Locks onto enemies and shoots a Mystical Round that will hit all targets, causing massive damage.

Robin Momentum Abilities

Robin’s Defensive Momentum Abilities focus on evasion and confusion, with his decoy distracting enemies and allowing him to attack them from behind. He can also keep himself safe by deflecting projectiles. His Ultimate Ability, Microbots, synergizes with the elemental damage buffs in his skill trees.

Icon	Ability	Type	Keybinds/Controls	Momentum Cost	Description
	Evade Decoy	None	+Tap +Tap Tap 1	1	Robin evades and creates a decoy that attracts all enemies. It disappears once hit. Duration: 15s
	Bo Spin	Piercing, Partial Area of Effect	+Tap +Tap Tap 2	1	Robin rapidly spins bo staff, deflecting incoming projectiles and inflicting damage on nearby enemies.
	Cloak	Fear Inducing	+Tap +Tap Tap 3	1	Robin cloaks himself, making him undetectable to enemies and security systems. Can also be activated while hanging or perching. Duration: 10s
	Warp Hit Shot	Guard Break	+Tap +Tap Tap 4	1	After shooting at an enemy, Robin warps to them and ambushes them with a Heavy Melee Attack.
	Bo Swing	Area of Effect, Guard Break	+Hold +Hold Hold 1	2	Robin wings up and performs a wide, heavy swing with his bo staff, sending his target flying and knocking back any enemies in its path.
	Fireworks	Area of Effect, Damage Over Time	+Hold +Hold Tap 2	2	Robin launches a combustible pellet that explodes into fireworks, inflicting Elemental Effect damage on enemies.
	Wraith	Fear Inducing, Area of Effect	+Hold +Hold Hold 3	2	Robin triggers a holographic wraith, automatically making nearby enemies Afraid and spreading Fear throughout the duration. While Wraith is active, Critical chance and Critical damage increase by 15%. Duration: 15s
	Microbots	Fear Inducing, Ultimate	+Hold +Hold Hold 4	Cooldown 10:00	Robin unleashes 3 swarms of microbots that latch onto nearby enemies, dealing small amounts of Incendiary damage, followed by an explosion. Duration: 20s