If being a lethal, ultra-fast cyber ninja wasn’t enough, Ghostrunner 2 goes out of its way to give players even more of a power high with its collection of Ultimate Abilities, but some are created more equal than others, so here’s my ranking of them from worst to best.
What Are Ultimate Abilities in Ghostrunner 2?
Ultimate Abilities are, as the name would suggest, Jack’s most devastating moves in Ghostrunner 2. These aren’t like your run-of-the-mill skills like Shadow and Tempest; these take time to build up and only last a few seconds before you need to go about killing again to recharge their meter.
Related: How to Unlock New Gloves in Ghostrunner 2
Over the course of Ghostrunner 2‘s campaign, you’ll be able to unlock five different Ultimate Abilities. In order to do so, you’ll have to explore off the beaten path to find Memory Shards, those purple floating chips that provide Jack with more memory to equip more skills. Earning enough upgrades Jack’s motherboard which, in turn, unlocks more Ultimate Abilities. You’ll start off with Flux but the more you play, the more you can add to your arsenal. So what Ults should be used to optimize your slicing-and-dicing potential? Let’s dig into it, starting with what I consider to be the worst Ultimate Ability and concluding with the best.
Every Ultimate Ability in Ghostrunner 2, Ranked from Worst to Best
5. Motoric Overload
As you can probably surmize by the name, the Motoric Overload Ult kicks Jack’s normal abilities into overdrive. When this is activated, players will be able to move faster, jump higher and leap farther than before. Boosting it to Level 2 increases Jack’s energy regeneration rate while Motoric Overload is active and Level 3 grants you immunity to a single hit.
Which sounds impressive but in practice it’s pretty underwhelming. The problem is that Jack already moves like a rat out the kitchen so the overall speed boost doesn’t feel all that impactful. Sure, it makes some of the larger battles faster but it doesn’t change the way you play Ghostrunner 2, especially if you’ve spent enough time optimizing your motherboard. Besides, when I think of the phrase “Ultimate Ability” I don’t associate it with “Just do what you were doing a bit quicker.” As such, Motoric Overlord is our lowest-ranked Ultimate Ability in Ghostrunner 2.
4. Overlord
I admit that this is probably more down to personal taste than anything else but I don’t rate Overlord as an especially fun Ultimate Ability even if it can be useful in certain situations. This Ult allows Jack to hack into an enemy’s brain and take it over, effectively giving him a sidekick in the middle of a fight. Upgrading it to Level 2 allows players to detonate the enemy they’ve taken over, providing some splash damage to the surrounding foes, while Level 3 grants the opportunity to use Overlord on two combatants at once.
Related: How to Complete You Shouldn’t Have Peeked in Ghostrunner 2
Honestly, I’m just not a fan of any ability that takes an AI enemy and makes it friendly. They’re never as effective as you’d like and it always feels like they’re playing the game for me to some extent. Granted, Ghostrunner 2‘s one-hit-kill system means that even the most lowly thug can be helpful but at the end of the day their combat prowess pails in comparison to Jack and his sword. Why outsource when you’re already the best person for the job?
3. Sensory Overdrive
Bullet Time! That’s… well, that’s really all this is. Activating Sensory Overdrive. Slows everything (apart from Jack) down, meaning that enemies and their attacks grind to a near standstill while you run around and slice up those helpless cyborgs and robots. Level 2 simple increases how long Sensory Overdrive lasts while Level 3 grants Jack the ability to grapple towards an enemy every time he dashes while the slowdown effect is added.
It’s undoubtable that Sensory Overdrive is a decent, even good, Ultimate Ability. Anything that allows you to move significantly faster than your enemies is going to be super useful. It’s rated dead center in this list because, well, Jack’s normal focus mechanics already does this to an extent. Sure, it doesn’t last as long but it recharges much faster so you can pop it more frequently. There were scenarios where Sensory Overdrive came in clutch, especially in the more densely packed arenas of the Wasteland levels, but beyond those, I don’t think it’s especially fun.
2. Blink
I’ve seen quite a few people ranking Blink as one of the worst Ultimate Abilities in Ghostrunner 2 and I can’t understand why. This Ult allows Jack to paint two targets and instantly kill them with a lightning fast dash attack. Level 2 allows you to return to your starting position once Blink’s action has been completed while Level 3 increases the amount of targets up to three.
Related: How to Beat Madhu the Dismantler in Ghostrunner 2
The reason I’m so found of Blink is probably because it comes in so clutch in the final chapters of Ghostrunner 2. In situations where many enemies are now flying, being able to instantly take them out and free up your movement feels essential in many cases. It kinda also just feels rad? Like, teleporting across an arena and leaving a pile of metal and bone in your wake is just cool. I also think Blink gets bonus points for being a “get out of jail free card.” By that, I mean there were many instances where I activated it while falling into a pit of instant failure. Painting the targets and zooming towards them saved me from falling to my death of several occasions. Thanks, Blink. You’re a real one.
1. Flux
Undeniably the best Ultimate Ability in Ghostrunner 2, Flux also happens to be the very first one you unlock. Activating this Ult prompts Jack to blast a laser out of his hand that he can drag around, instantly killing any enemies that come into contact with it. Level 2 increases how long the laser stays active while Level 3 instantly fires the beam without needing the “charge up” phase that was previously mandatory.
There are many, MANY times in Ghostrunner 2 where you’ll be dropped in an arena with enemies to your left and right and 75% of them can be eviscerated with a single Flux. Given that it also goes clean through your foes, simply dragging it across the screen will cut down more than you’d expect. It’s not situational like many of the other Ultimate Abilities in this list; Flux is good from Chapter 1 all the way through to the final level of the game. It’s fast, efficient and nothing kills better. As a bonus, it makes you feel like Tony Stark in Iron Man 2.
Of course, these are just my rankings of the Ultimate Abilities in Ghostrunner 2. If you’re an Overlord stan, good for you. Enjoy the sense of power you manifest over your enemies! For my money, you’re best sticking with Flux and Blink if you want to make it out of whatever situation is giving you trouble.
If you’re looking for more, check out how to find all the collectibles in Ghostrunner Chapter 8.
