Combat in Control Resonant runs on one rule, and Remedy states it outright: aggression fuels power. Hitting enemies with the Aberrant recharges your Combat Abilities. There is no meaningful passive regeneration, which means hanging back to recover is the single worst instinct you can bring from the first game.
The Intended Loop
Remedy’s Miika Huttunen has described the cycle directly:
- Attack with the Aberrant to recharge your abilities.
- Spend an ability to stun an enemy.
- Execute the stunned enemy, chained on L3.
- The execution grants a temporary percentage buff to melee damage.
- That buff feeds the next round of attacks, which recharges the next ability.
That fourth step is the one worth internalising. Executions are not just a finisher, they are a damage buff with a timer, so the game wants you chaining them rather than saving them. Remedy frames the whole economy around using L3 as much as possible.
Combat also emphasises air juggling, a combo meter, and crowd management, since melee range means threats arrive from every direction rather than in front of you as they did for Jesse. Our Dylan versus Jesse guide covers why that changed.
The Abilities Confirmed So Far
Remedy has named several by function:
- Seekers, which summon an increasingly volatile telekinetic entity you launch at enemies for major damage
- A Shield that doubles as an offensive ram
- A Turret that can be thrown like a bomb
- Mold Turrets, a summon that applies harmful status effects
- A projectile barrage
- An environmental ally formed from ambient debris
- Force-push and remote explosions
Each is described as having a distinct DualSense haptic feel on PS5.
How many you can equip at once is not officially confirmed. One reviewer describes six power combinations equippable simultaneously plus a separate seventh slot, drawn from twelve total choices, but Remedy has not published those numbers, so treat them as a reviewer’s account rather than fact.
Where Abilities Come From
You earn paranatural abilities by defeating Resonants, the game’s major bosses, choosing one power from a small set tied to each. Official material indicates up to three choices per Resonant.
That makes boss order a build decision rather than just a difficulty curve. Spec Points let you swap a previously chosen ability later, though the exact cost is not officially confirmed.
One review-sourced warning worth acting on: some damage-type abilities are locked behind optional Resonant fights, and skill upgrades reportedly thin out in the back half while enemy health rises. If that holds, doing optional Resonants early rather than saving them is the better plan.
What Cannot Be Answered Yet
Exact Power costs, regeneration rates per weapon form, and which abilities end up build-defining all need the game in players’ hands. We will update this guide once it is out rather than guess now.
Our Aberrant weapon guide covers the other half of the loop, and our Assist Mode guide covers the Power Recovery Speed slider if the rhythm is not clicking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I recharge Combat Abilities?
By landing melee strikes with the Aberrant. Abilities do not meaningfully regenerate on their own.
What does executing an enemy do?
Beyond killing it, an execution grants a temporary percentage buff to your melee damage, which feeds back into the loop.
Where do new abilities come from?
Defeating Resonants, the major bosses, then choosing one power from a small set tied to that boss.
Can I change my ability choices later?
Yes, using Spec Points, though the exact cost has not been officially confirmed.