Standard Combat — Batman: Arkham Knight eGuide

Strike

The Strike is your primary close range attack. Once you have delivered three sequential blows in a fight, you enter FreeFlow. In this state, you cover a much greater distance with your attacks and your strikes increase in power, knocking most enemies to the ground. Grounded enemies are susceptible to Ground Takedowns and upgrades like the Special Combo Multi Ground Takedown. To maintain the FreeFlow, you must continue to successfully Strike and Counter enemies without being hit and without leaving a gap of more than a moment between actions.

Cape Stun

Use the weighted tips of your cape to disorientate attacking enemies and temporarily stun them. The move affects all enemies standing immediately in front of you, making it useful for crowd control. Certain enemies are adept at soaking up normal Strikes, but are staggered easily by Cape Stuns. The Cape Stun is also the first stage of several advanced techniques.

Super Stun

/	Super Stun

Use three Cape Stuns in quick succession on one target to perform the Super Stun. This move knocks down most enemies for an extended period of time, leaving them vulnerable to attack. It's particularly effective against Brutes, causing them to lower their guard and leaving them open to a Beat Down attack.

Beat Down

Unleash a flurry of rapid, focused blows on a single enemy, these finish them off in one attack. The Beat Down is effective against armored opponents, but leaves you vulnerable to attack from other enemies while it is performed. You can interrupt a Beat Down and Evade/Counter against an incoming attack, but the Beat Down victim won’t be knocked out if you don’t complete the move. Beat Downs are also noteworthy since they add so many hits to the current Combo, likely readying another Special Combo move for you.

Weapon Steal

Grab Weapon

Steal weapons from stunned opponents or retrieve dropped weapons from the floor during combat. Using weapons increases the damage inflicted by your strikes and allows you to directly strike armored or electrified enemies, as well as foes wielding Stun Batons or shields.

Aerial Attack

Stun an enemy, then attack from above to come crushing down on them. This is especially useful against enemies using shields as they cannot block an Aerial Attack. This move can also be redirected to attack another enemy by selecting an alternate target while airborne.

Batclaw Slam

L2 +

/ LT +

Batclaw Slam

Fire the Batclaw at enemies during combat and follow up immediately with a Strike attack to knock assailants down, rendering them unconscious if it's the final blow. This inflicts double the damage of a normal Strike, but takes longer to perform, leaving you vulnerable to attack. Against an incoming attack, simply change plans after the Quickfired Batclaw rather than pressing / to complete the attack.

Redirect

Left Stick +

/ Left Stick +

toward an enemy

Redirect

This move flips you over the head of an attacking enemy. Effective when surrounded, giving you time and space to launch your next attack, it can also be used on charging enemies to send them sprawling. Your FreeFlow Combo won’t be interrupted by a Redirect as long as you get back to a Strike, Counter, or Quickfired Gadget quickly after recovering.

Slide

Tap R2 / RT while running

Slide

Use the Slide to navigate through very small gaps, allowing access to new areas. It can also be used to kick straight through vent covers, eliminating the need to remove them by hand, but at the cost of making more noise and potentially alerting nearby threats. Finally, the slide can be used to initiate combat as the first strike of a combo attack.

Counter

/	Counter
/	Multi-Counter

The Counter is one of the most important moves in your arsenal and mastery of this is critical to success in combat. This move instantly turns an enemy’s attack back against them and keeps you on the offensive. When multiple enemies strike simultaneously, tap / once for each attacker to fend them off. Batman can counter up to three concurrent attacks.

Batman doesn’t have to be completely at rest for you to Counter. You can attempt a Counter from many other actions, especially if you attempt to Counter on the tail end of a move. Always keep an eye out for the way enemies telegraph their attacks, and for Batman’s intuition to reveal their imminent attacks with blue flashes over their heads. Don’t go into battles jamming on the Strike button. Instead, get into a dance-like rhythm with the shifting gang around Batman, Striking where you can and deftly Countering enemies that dare swing at the Bat.

Blade Dodge

Left Stick + hold

away from attacker

Blade Dodge

Enemies armed with knives and other sharp objects attack with multiple swipes in quick succession. To avoid these repeated attacks, you must perform a number of dodges in a row by moving away from the assailant while holding the Counter button. The excellent Blade Dodge Takedown upgrade allows, given precise timing on your part, for this dodge sequence to end with the blade-wielder unconscious.

Interrogation

on Riddler Informants

Interrogate

Interrogate Riddler’s Informants to learn the location of his trophies and riddles. Informants are visible in Detective Mode as green-hued criminals. To extract information from an informant, you must first knock out every other enemy in the vicinity. Use the Evade or Redirect move to vault over the informant should he attack and keep him conscious for questioning.

Projectile Counter

/	Projectile Counter

Use the Counter move to catch projectiles and throw them back at the attacker. A thrown object can be redirected toward a different enemy by pushing in their direction as it is caught.

Throw Counter

Left Stick +

toward enemy

Throw Counter

Time your Counter strike to perfection and incapacitate opponents with a critical throw. This move allows you to counter and throw multiple enemies simultaneously and double the damage against your attackers. Throw Counters can also be useful since you’ll knock back attacking enemies into their comrades, staggering the next incoming wave.

Combat Pick Up

R2 +

/ RT +

near downed enemy

Pick Up

Pick up a downed opponent and initiate a critical Beat Down while they’re stunned. An extremely effective maneuver, but one that may leave you vulnerable to enemy attacks.

Special Combo Takedown

with full Combo meter

Special Combo Takedown

Immediately incapacitate most enemies in a single move, regardless of their health or current weapon. The Combo meter flashes when Special Combo Moves are available. Special Takedowns can be a huge help in difficult combat scenarios; build your FreeFlow Combo up on run-of-the-mill combatants, then unleash the Special Combo Takedown on the toughest enemy on the field.

Batmobile Assisted Takedown

The Batmobile Assisted Takedown lets you knock an enemy into the path of an auto-targeted Batmobile Slam Round, rendering them unconscious. This is basically an Environment Takedown, courtesy of the Batmobile.

Ground Takedown

R2 +

/ RT +

on a downed enemy

Ground Takedown

This powerful move knocks out a downed enemy in one attack and is very effective in both combat and predator situations. While performing the Ground Takedown you are vulnerable to attack, so ensure that there's enough time for the move to complete successfully before committing to it. Unlike certain other attacks, like Beat Downs in progress or winding up a Strike, you can’t Counter or Evade out of the middle of a Ground Takedown attempt.

Environment Takedown

Use environmental objects to instantly incapacitate enemies in creative ways. Environmental objects that can be used during a Takedown are highlighted in blue. Enemies are highlighted in blue once they're in range.

Silent Takedown

while undetected

Silent Takedown

This signature move allows you to sneak up on an unaware enemy and take them down silently. There are many variations on the basic Silent Takedown. In predator scenarios, try to take out as many foes as possible with unnoticed Silent Takedowns. Keep an eye on enemy groups and patrol routes, wait for them to split up, catch them unaware, or lure them into your clutches, then knock them out silently.

Corner Cover Takedown

while in corner cover

Corner Cover Takedown

While hidden in Corner Cover, you can take out any approaching, unaware enemies when they move into close proximity. This move quickly grabs your target and silently chokes them into unconsciousness while leaving you undetected.

Knockout Smash

during Silent Takedown

Knockout Smash

While performing a Silent Takedown, use the Knockout Smash to instantly render the thug unconscious. The noise alerts nearby enemies. This is usually employed during a Silent Takedown gone wrong, in which Batman is spotted by other enemies anyway. Stealth is blown at that point, so smashing your prey is the fastest way to begin dealing with others.

Drop Attack

directly above target

Drop Attack

When overlooking an enemy, launch a surprise attack directly down onto your target. Combo directly from this attack if there are other enemies nearby, or launch immediately into a Ground Takedown.

Glide Kick

while gliding

Glide Kick

When gliding through the streets or perched up high, you can target any enemy within range for a Glide Kick, indicated where possible with a Bat symbol over the enemy’s head. This move knocks most enemies to the ground, making it an effective way to initiate combat with a group. Hold the Dive Bomb button after locking on for more damage. Upgrades allow some Gadgets to be fired while diving in with a Glide Kick.

Smoke Pellet

L2 + R2 / LT + RT	Throw
While under fire /	Quickfire Drop
While in smoke /	Silent Takedown

Target a group of enemies with the Smoke Pellet and take them down silently during the confusion. When used in combat, enemies panic and attack wildly, often hitting each other. Requires a recharge time after use.

Vent Takedown

when behind a vent cover

Wall Grate Takedown

When behind a vent cover, smash through and knock your chosen target unconscious. Be careful, this move is not silent and attracts other enemies to your location.

Window Takedown

when behind a window

Window Takedown

Smash through a window and take out the target on the other side. The noise attracts nearby enemies, so evaluate the position of other combatants before initiating this move.

Drop Down Takedown

when above target

Drop Down Takedown

When positioned above an enemy, drop seamlessly into a Silent Takedown.

Ledge Takedown

when hanging from ledge

Ledge Takedown

While hanging from a ledge, reach up and grab an enemy on the walkway to silently knock them unconscious before dropping back down.

Swing Down Takedown

when perched above an enemy

Swing Down Takedown

While perched on a ledge, target an enemy directly below you and swing down to perform a long range Silent Takedown.

Grate Takedown

while in a floor grate

Grate Takedown

When under a floor grate, use the Takedown move to leap out and knock a nearby enemy unconscious. Be careful, this move is not silent and attracts other enemies, who search nearby floor grates on discovering the victim.

Wooden Wall Takedown

when behind a weak wall

Weak Wall Takedown

Smash through a weak wall, grab the unsuspecting enemy and choke them into unconsciousness. Be careful, this move attracts nearby enemies, so plan your escape route.

Ceiling Takedown

when above target

Ceiling Takedown

Target your enemy from above and smash down through a weak ceiling directly into a Takedown. The noise attracts nearby enemies, so evaluate the position of other combatants before initiating this move.

Inverted Takedown

when hanging from Vantage Point

Inverted Takedown

While hanging from a Vantage Point, drop down and grab an enemy directly below you, leaving them suspended from your perch. Plan your escape as the screaming victim attracts nearby enemies to your location.

Fear Multi-Takedown

Right Stick	Select Target
/	Fear Takedown

The new Batsuit allows you to approach enemies undetected and neutralize multiple unaware targets in quick succession. Upgrades allow you to chain ever higher numbers of targets together and wipe them out in a single attack. The power to unleash a Fear Multi-Takedown comes from intimidation, which you build up by using Silent Takedowns on criminals and not being spotted. When a Fear Multi-Takedown is ready to be deployed in predator scenarios, “Fear” is displayed on the HUD. After using a Fear Multi-Takedown, you must silently take out more enemies in order to earn another Fear Takedown. With enemies coming after Batman in larger, more aggressive groups in Batman: Arkham Knight, the Multi-Takedown becomes one of the most potent sneaking tools in Batman’s arsenal.

Line Launcher Takedown

while on zip line

Line Launcher Takedown

While using the Line Launcher, target unaware combatants and drop down to perform a powerful takedown. Nearby enemies are alerted, so plan your attack carefully.