Choose the primary for your opening
For a first run, our starting recommendation is Strike if you like brief attacks against one target. Pick Glaive for broad sweeps through groups, or Cleave if you regularly dodge behind enemies. The strongest choice is the attack pattern you can land safely.
| Form | Choose it for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Strike | Fast paired blades, critical hits and short single-target openings. | Short coverage. Use your secondary, abilities or finisher when you need Falter or crowd control. |
| Glaive | Scythe sweeps that catch several enemies and clear nearby space. | Slower attacks and less critical-hit focus than Strike. |
| Cleave | An axe with extra back-hit damage; the Dodge Cleave upgrade lifts targets. | Its positioning bonus needs a flank. A target facing you removes that advantage. |
Strike reaches the end of a normal combo sooner than Glaive. That helps when a safe opening is short, but it does not make every Strike setup the highest-damage build. Later weapon nodes, Talents and your Combo Finisher change the comparison.
Choose a secondary that covers a weakness
| Form | Job | When to commit |
|---|---|---|
| Crush | Hammer impact, strong early Falter and Blunt damage for armor. | After an enemy attack misses. Charge before striking; avoid charging in an unsafe crowd. |
| Drill | Sharp, repeated piercing hits along a line; pressure against Hiss shields. | When one target stays within reach. Its held attack continues after contact. |
| Extend | A segmented weapon for wider coverage and spacing. | When a short primary cannot safely reach. The charge travels forward; later upgrades add other moves. |
Crush is our general early complement to Strike. It supplies impact that ordinary Strike hits lack. Drill is a focused alternative once you can keep a target lined up; Extend suits a spacing or group-control plan. Compare the secondary attacks · 2:25 ▶
Armor and Hiss shields are different defenses. Check the enemy’s protection before copying a pairing: Blunt Crush is useful against armor, while Sharp Drill helps against Hiss shields. Fire abilities become especially useful against Mold.
Practical pairs and finishers
| Goal | Loadout idea | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| General early fights | Strike + Crush + Concussive Beatdown | Fast normal attacks with a heavy Falter option; the finisher adds pressure when you can finish the string. |
| Focused pressure | Strike + Drill + Concussive Beatdown | A short primary string plus sustained contact with one enemy. Break off when the opening closes. |
| Groups and spacing | Glaive + Extend + Wide Edge | Wide primary coverage, extra reach and a sweeping finisher. Spin Edge is an alternative for surrounding enemies. |
| Flanking and lift | Cleave + Crush + Uppercut Surge | Back-hit positioning and Lift can set up aerial follow-ups; some targets cannot be lifted. |
These are recommendations by role, not a DPS tier list. The finisher guide explains its Strength requirement, equipment slot and input. Watch the pairing examples · 9:10 ▶
Keep a dependable early finisher while buying upgrades you actually use. A fully upgraded late-game finisher is not a fair comparison with a starting node.
Unlock, equip and compare fairly
Buy another form at the Aberrant structure in The Gap, then assign it in Loadout between fights. Owning two primaries does not let you swap that slot during combat. Your selected primary and secondary are both available as different attacks.
See Aberrant Forms and Unlocks for material costs and upgrade nodes. A Reset Item is for revisiting investments; switching to an already purchased form is an equipment change.
For a useful comparison, keep the enemy type, Assist Mode settings and progression similar. Watch how often you are interrupted, whether you can restore Power, and how reliably your secondary creates an opening. Menu damage from two different saves cannot establish a universal ranking.
A quick loadout test
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Watch the weapon comparison
Select a chapter to play it here.
Watch on YouTube ↗Sources & image credits
Sources, gameplay and image credits
- IGN — starting weapons — primary, secondary and finisher demonstrations; 1:16 menu frame
- Epic Games Store — abilities and skills — launch form names, equipment and unlock system
- GameWatcher — weapon types — attack roles and positional trade-offs
- Beebom — Aberrant upgrades — Glaive menu image and purchase flow
- CONTROL Resonant Game Wiki — best weapons — comparison reference; its unconditional Strike ranking is not used here
Checked October 8, 2026. Recommendations use launch guides and recorded menus; no same-condition DPS benchmark or in-game playtest by this site is claimed.