Rage 2 has a lot of great weapons, sure, but part of what makes the combat so satisfying are the nanotrite powers that protagonist Walker can use to stun, bamboozle, and otherwise decimate foes. Alongside movement-based upgrades (like double jump and dashing) these are the powers you’ll acquire during Rage 2 and use in combination with one another to wreak havoc on any group of bandits foolish enough to pick a fight with you. Avalanche teased that numerous upgrades will allow players to make these powers even stronger and demonstrated the fantastic ways in which they could be used to create combos.

Note: All the powers have in-development names and will possibly change in the final product.

Ground Slam

As powerful as its name is self-explanatory, Walker leaps into the air and plummets to the earth, smashing whatever is directly below. A direct attack on an unarmored bandit will turn them into a fine paste while those in the area will briefly be stunned, allowing you to zip to them and use another power or shoot them.

Shatter

Shatter is probably the power that grabbed our attention the most during the demo due to its dual usefulness. Shatter’s blast (similar to Star Wars’ Force Push) will not only blow foes back into walls but it’ll also rip armor off stronger foes, allowing you to target their exposed fleshy parts. Weakened enemies have a habit of being literally torn apart when thrown into a wall.

Vortex Grenade

Think of the Vortex Grenade as the combo glue of your power arsenal. Throwing this ethereal grenade will create a black hole that sucks anything—foes or objects—nearby into wherever you threw it for a brief time. When the black hole collapses, it shoots anything caught in its field upward and leaves them suspended and helpless, allowing you to do some quick skeet shooting or Shattering to send them flying off into the distance.

Barrier

Barrier, as the name implies, throws up a shield that will absorb bullets. Pretty tame, right? Don’t turn that dial just yet. An upgrade for Barrier allows this defensive power to become much more aggressive, making its touch deadly enough to turn any unlucky enemy into what Game Director Magnus Nedfors vividly describes as “meat cubes.” During our demo, we saw what happens when you throw a vortex grenade into the middle of a barrier near some enemies. Let’s just say it was a very squishy spectacle.

For more on Rage 2 be sure to check out our cover-story hub by clicking on the banner below.