Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes is launching December 19th, which means it’s time to slightly pull back the curtain and tell you more about what you can experience in the upcoming expansion.

Today, we’re here to discuss how combat & stealth are different in From the Ashes, but there’s a lot more to come. Here’s everything you can look forward to throughout the next few weeks:

Our Vision for From the Ashes

To ensure we could tell So’lek’s story as authentically as possible, through dedicated narrative moments and gameplay additions that reflect his journey, From the Ashes is a single-player only expansion. He is a character driven by grief and vengeance, forced to face the new Ash Clan & RDA alliance to protect his loved ones. The systems and gameplay mechanics we’ll discuss today were crafted and balanced to work best in a single player environment.

To reflect So’lek’s nature and motivation in all aspects of the expansion, especially when it comes to combat, the experience is darker, and built from the ground up for Third Person, aiming for deeper emotional stakes and an expanded combat experience.

A Warrior’s Skillset

So’lek is going up against a much more hostile world than you’ve experienced in the Main Game. However, the last Na’vi of the Trr’ong clan will not let himself be overcome by the new threat. As you step into the role of the veteran warrior, new skills and abilities will enhance your experience.

Deliver Devastating Finishers

In his hunt for revenge, So’lek can deliver devastating Finishers to defeat his enemies. These finishers also play into his other abilities.

Finishers represent the full strength of a Na’vi Warrior.  They can be performed in stealth, but they also function as a tool in the midst of combat, allowing you to dispatch enemies quickly and keep momentum going.

You can perform Finishers on the ground, or when engaging in aerial combat. These can be enhanced through So’lek’s dedicated skill tree, making him even more lethal and enabling other powerful moves, providing bursts of healing and more.

Finishers work in tandem with another new ability – one that lets So’lek unleash his fury. By performing finishers and defeating enemies, you fill up the Warrior Senses meter, which, in turn, makes performing more deadly finishers possible and enhancing the rest of So’lek’s combat abilities, as well.

Become Unstoppable with Warrior Senses

Whenever you deal (or take) damage, and when you defeat enemies, your Warrior Senses meter will increase. When it’s full, you can trigger Warrior Senses, a powerful combat-focused ability giving So’lek increased damage and specific temporary buffs.

When activating Warrior Senses, you gain temporary immunity to damage, higher damage output and a hefty XP bonus. Throughout the expansion, you can spend skill points to upgrade Warrior Senses, turning So’lek into a veritable one-man army, all while enhancing both Warrior Senses’ effectiveness and its intrinsic ties to the Finishers.

Slow Motion Aiming

So’lek has natural instincts that allow him to react much faster than normal. To represent this, we’re also introducing Slow Motion – an ability that slows down time while you aim, allowing you to hit weak spots with increased precision, or to clearly read the battlefield and pick your next target.

Slow Motion can change the rhythm of combat, giving you the upper hand when surrounded. Pair it with Warrior Sense and look out for opportunities to perform finishers – to make sure you’re never out of options in a fight.

Improved Na’vi Senses

Before diving into battle, or even in the middle of it, So’lek can make use of his honed and much-improved Na’vi Senses.

In the Main Game, Na’vi Senses allowed the Sarentu to spot enemies & clues, as well as track and mark threats. When using Na’vi Senses, So’lek has a better awareness of his surroundings, with improved visibility of important elements. Additionally, enemies you mark while in Na’vi Senses are easier to track and follow, giving So’lek an edge when staying hidden. These improvements, alongside dedicated skills, make stealth an increasingly effective playstyle.

Take the Fight to the Skies with Ìley

To represent the strong bond between So’lek and his ikran, Ìley, we have improved his abilities in From the Ashes.

Now, you can call Ìley in combat, seamlessly leaping on his back for a different approach, or to rain arrows from above. As you fly, you can perform aerial Finishers on some flying RDA units, or launch yourself directly into a Finisher.

Ìley will come to your aid as well – be on the lookout for him harassing enemies while you’re dominating the battlefield.

We are looking forward to showing you more gameplay from the expansion in the next few weeks. Keep an eye out on our socials and mark your calendars! The full Gameplay Walkthrough of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes is happening on November 20th!