Combat Moves Mini-Guide

A full guide about all combat moves in the game.

General Information

Batman: Arkham City have a complex combat system, including various combat moves and gadgets. However most of the players are using only some basic moves during the game, losing not only character experience and combat mastery, but also a game experience itself. Some of them are required for certain Riddler's Challenges in Single Player game. This mini-guide will help you to understand all characters' capabilities more clearly.

It should be noted, that some of combat moves initially are unaccessible and should be unlocked during single-player campain. To do so - play single-player story, fight enemies and collect Riddler's trophies to level up Batman\Catwoman and unlock them on Wayne Tech. upgrade screen.

Combat Moves

All combat moves can be divided on two parts. Some of them can be performed anytime, the others requires Special Combo mode, when Combo Multiplier starts glowing yellow or red.

The moves that can be used any time are:

• Strike (Left Mouse Button). It's a basic character's attack, just hit any enemy. Armored and Shielded Thugs will block this move. Thugs with Shockers will not only block, but also retaliate doing small damage. The Assassins can randomly evade the strikes.
  
• Counter (Right Mouse Button). Basic character's defensive move, RMB should be pressed when blue attack symbols appears over enemies' heads. If this symbol is yellow - an attack could be only evaded (RMB+ moving to any opposite direction), not countered. If this symbol is red - an attack can't be countered or evaded. Any object thrown to your character can also be countered and thrown back at enemy.
  
• Stun (Middle Mouse Button). An enemy will be stunned for a couple of seconds stopping his attacks. This combat move can interrupt most enemies' attacks.
  
• Ultra-Stun (Middle Mouse Button x3). An enemy will drop his weapon,fall to the ground and will be stunned for a long time. The Titans don't fall to the ground but can be easily defeated using this combat move. The Assassins cannot be stunned at all and will immediately recover consciousness. Shielded Thugs will block it completely.
  
• Aerial Assault (Stun + Jump x2). This attack will knockout an enemy for a couple of seconds and force him to drop his weapon. It is the only combat move capable to knockout Shielded Thugs. The Assassins can be hit by this move, but will immediately recover consciousness.
  
  • Directed Aerial Assault (Stun + Jump + Strike towards another enemy). Your character will climb to an enemy, then jump to another enemy, knocking him out and forcing to drop his weapon. Its damage and properties are identical to Aerial Assault.
• Beat Down Finisher (Stun + Multiple Strikes). It is a powerful attack capable of knockdown most of enemies, but its not instant and other enemies will try to interrupt it. Shielded Thugs and Thugs with Shockers ignore this move.
  
• Ground Pound (Ctrl + Right Mouse Button). Any previously knocked out enemy will be immediately knocked down. Can be interrupted by enemy.

The moves that can be only performed during Special Combo are:

• Special Combo - Takedown (E button). Your character will immediately knockdown nearest enemy, targeting Armored and Armed Thugs first, if possible.
  
• Special Combo - Group Attack (R button). Every hero character has his own Group Attack with various effects:
  
  • Batman performs Special Combo - Batswarm (Single Player Upgrade required), stunning all enemies within small radius for a couple of seconds.
    
  • Catwoman performs Special Combo - Whipsplash (Single Player Upgrade required), hitting randomly enemies around her. If there is only a few thugs around she can miss all her Whipsplash strikes.
    
  • Robin simply makes circular strike with his staff, knocking out all enemies within small radius.
    
  • Nightwing throws his Escrima Sticks to all enemies around him, knocking out some of them and stunning for one second anothers.
• Special Combo - Group Stun (T button). Every hero character has its own Group Stun with various effects:
  
  • Batman performs Special Combo - Multiple Takedown (Single Player Upgrade required), immediattely knocking down any knocked out enemies.
    
  • Catwoman performs Special Combo - Whip Trip (Single Player Upgrade required), knocking out all enemies within small radius.
    
  • Robin performs Throw Knockdown, grabbing nearest enemy and throwing him to another one. An enemy thrown will be knocked down.
    
  • Nightwing will discharge his Escrima Sticks, shocking any enemy within small radius. The effect is similar to Batman's REV gadget, forcing melee-armed thugs to hit their nearest allies and rifle-armed ones to shoot in the air.
• Special Combo - Disarm and Destroy (Y button). It's unique Batman's combat move (Single Player Upgrade required), performing which he will disarm targeted enemy and destroy his weapon, firearm or shield, preventing others from picking it up and using again.

Achievement

Performing all possible Batman's combat moves during one Freeflow Combo in any game mode will unlock an achievement - Perfect Freeflow 2.0

[DrunkenQueen]

Blade Takedown.... hardest one for me.
I did this by accident. My poor english, well, makes me dont quite understand the description of this move.

[Kasiornis]

They called not Ninja's League, but Assassin's League, so yeah - they are assassins. They actually killing people, and that's why Batman is not joining his girlfriend - he will never kill anyone including Joker. This, actually, explained and is part of main story.
Plus, historically, ninjas - ARE assassins.

[perry]

you mean the ninjas/league of assassin people?

[Kasiornis]

If you are asking - I suggest you should play more the main story.

[perry]

Who are the assassins?

[Kasiornis]

Well, you can have your keyboard glitching with some buttons, it happened with me a few times, the same way - by activating Bat Swarm without pressing R.

Red streaked attacks are Adrenaline attacks - you starting to move faster than enemies, thus avoiding may attacks and moving so quickly that you don't even have time to react and can easily lose a combo (I personnaly recommend jump away and attack again). That's all the difference from yellow streaked attacks, red - also activates Special Combo Moves

[ApeWithPC]

The guide is useful, but the fight mechanics are bit mysterious to me still.

For example inn the riddler's blind justice, Sometimes I end up activating a stunning bat swarm thing without having pressed R or T or E or any special key outside of Q (stun), LBM (strike), or RMB (block). And I don't get what's up with the red streaked attackes, what does that mean and what makes it happen?

Cool looking mysterious stuff just happens with no discernable cause. Encourages button mashing, but I'd really prefer to be consiously responsible for having done something than just having stuff be happenstance.

[ApeWithPC]

Very useful guide. Played abott 45min so far and my character has managed to do some rather amazing things while in combat... but for the life of me, I couldn't tell you what it was that I did to cause the spectaclar behavior. Now I do... thank you!

[อีขวานซิ่ง]

Dude!!! Great Guide!!!

[Major Tom]

Great guide and adding the directed aerial was a very nice touch.I didn't even notice it until my third playthrough.