Ninja Gaiden 4 is not an easy game, to say the least, but the large number of abilities to unlock throughout the game will help you overcome the long fight ahead throughout the game. I think there are a few key abilities players should focus on getting first for different reasons. Whether they’re a powerful attack, they help vs certain enemies, or provide better defense, here are some abilities I think players should prioritize learning early.

Check out our Ninja Gaiden 4 review to get our full thoughts on the game.

Early Abilities To Learn

Flying Swallow

Players who have played Ninja Gaiden games before will recognize this ability. It’s a flying slash attack that propels you toward the enemy. The flying swallow is a key move to learn early on, as it’s often the quickest way to close in on enemies that shoot projectiles constantly, some of which can do a significant amount of damage or create openings for the other enemies to swarm you. These types of enemies also tend to have less health, and it’s not uncommon for the flying swallow to take them out in one hit.

Izuna Drop

The Izuna Drop is perhaps the most iconic attack from the Ninja Gaiden games as a whole. It’s a good idea to pick up the move early since not only is it a highly damaging move that can kill some enemies in one shot, it also has a splash damage effect which can be useful for taking on squads of enemies until you get some of the game’s other weapons later on.

Art of Defense

This is a skill that can be upgraded multiple times throughout the game, and while it’s simple, it’s invaluable as it increases the number of times you can block an attack before the enemy breaks your guard. This is vital as it also helps you master the timing to either perfectly dodge or parry an enemy’s attack.

Landing ultimate technique

This is perhaps one of the most important techniques in the game, as it allows you to charge the ultimate technique as soon as you land on the ground. This means you can begin charging after a perfect dodge in some cases, or off the Izuna Drop or flying swallow. So you can kill one enemy, then immediately take out more with an ultimate technique right after. Its application is surprisingly malleable and should be picked up without hesitation.

Perfect Block

A self-explanatory move but still vital to learn, as once it’s picked up, it causes enemies to stagger and be left wide open for powerful counterattacks. There’s an even more powerful version of the move to unlock with the Bloodraven forms that automatically delivers a powerful counter that might one-shot some enemies. Along with parrying and dodging, perfect blocking is just another layer of defense to learn.

Reflect & Fatal Flash

I’m lumping these two together since they’re both powerful counter moves. Reflect is done after perfect blocking, while fatal flash is learned after parrying, which involves swinging your weapon to intercept enemy attacks. Both are strong follow-up options that can dismember enemies and allow you to finish them off in an instant, so it’s worth picking up both pretty early on.

Chain Link

The chain link skill allows you to dodge in between your combos, which keeps enemies from overwhelming you and interrupting your attacks too quickly, and keeps you from breaking your own momentum as well, since your combos won’t reset after. Enemies will often attack you in groups, so it’s good to learn this skill early to stay on your toes.

Ultimate Guidance

Another technique players from past games will recognize, the ultimate guidance allows you to absorb the red orbs from defeated enemies and charge up your ultimate technique levels instantly. Ultimate techniques are devastating and will finish off most enemies in one swoop, and some weapons even have the benefit of taking down multiple enemies during the combo. So the faster you can pull them off, the better.

So these are a few skills I think are worth learning in the game early. Ninja Gaiden has dozens of skills to learn, and while it may be enticing to pick up some of the more expensive ones, these skills are key to keeping a game that can be pretty hard from overwhelming you too early. Good luck and happy slashing in Ninja Gaiden 4 when it launches on the 21st.

That was our Ninja Gaiden 4 – Key Abilities To Learn article! We hope you found it helpful, and be sure to check back for more guides for Ninja Giaden 4 in the near future!

Why not have a look at the Nnja Gaiden 4 Achievement/Trophy List and study your opponent like a master ninja studies their target!