With one of the key focuses of Scarlet Nexus being on the gameplay and combat encounters, the game is bound to have many systems and mechanics built around them. One of those systems is the game’s SAS mechanic, which is tons of fun to use but can be complicated to wrap your head around or entirely understand.

The SAS system in Scarlet Nexus essentially allows you to borrow your party member’s ability traits and use them on enemies. These traits can be anything ranging from dealing lightning damage or going invisible and likely anything in-between. However, this mechanic is deep and has many different ways to interact with it, either through bonding with your party or purchasing the right skill in the Brain Map.

14 SAS Abilities

SAS is a way for you to borrow your party members’ ability and mix it with your Psychokinesis attacks. SAS Abilities will also give you the upper hand in combat encounters, whether that comes from going invisible to have an enemy come out from hiding or using electricity on a monster that got drenched in water.

SAS allows you to change the tide of battle in your favor, especially if you’re paying attention to your environment and enemy. Most often than not, you will be able to find containers of water or oil lying around that are throwable via your Psychokinesis, which allows you to follow up with the necessary SAS ability to deal devastating amounts of damage.

13 ELECTROKINESIS - Shiden Ritter

Electrokinesis is a devastating SAS skill in Scarlet Nexus. It has tons of potential during enemy encounters, especially against water-based enemies such as the Winery Chinery or the Bile Pools. Electrokinesis is viable in many ways, but its main draw is its ability to Shock enemies, leaving them temporarily paralyzed, allowing you to unleash unanswered attacks on them.

12 PYROKINESIS - Hanabi Ichijo

Much like Electrokinesis, Pyrokinesis is a devastating offensive SAS that has lots of potential in enemy engagements. The Pyrokinesis SAS can cause enemies to Burn, which has them take consistent damage over a short period.

11 HYPERVELOCITY - Arashi Spring

Hypervelocity is one of the more unique SAS abilities in Scarlet Nexus. It allows you to speed around normal/slow-moving enemies and maintain pace with fast ones. In addition, Hypervelocity is excellent for closing the gap on foes or dealing tons of damage without having them react to it.

10 DUPLICATION - Kyoka Eden

Duplication, much like Hypervelocity, is an incredibly unique SAS ability in Scarlet Nexus. Duplication is beneficial for many reasons, but its main draw is that it will eventually triple your damage output as it creates multiple clones of you.

9 INVISIBILITY - Kagero Donne

The Invisibility SAS is excellent for keeping the Saliva and Wither Santas out of their boxes and the Base Paws’ weak spot exposed. This SAS is also helpful for getting behind enemies and backstabbing them for extra damage! Invisibility will allow you to vanish into thin air and become undetectable by most enemies in Scarlet Nexus.

8 SCLEROKINESIS - Gemma Garrison

Sclerokinesis is purely a defensive SAS and will shield you from any incoming damage. Sclerokinesis is viable when tons of enemies launch attacks at you or against bosses with hard-to-dodge attacks.

7 CLAIRVOYANCE - Tsugumi Nazar

Clairvoyance is an incredibly unique and helpful SAS ability as it enables you to see invisible enemies, allowing you to engage them on your terms. Clairvoyance is also an excellent SAS ability against shelled enemies.

6 PSYCHOKINESIS - Yuito Sumeragi/Kasane Randall

Psychokinesis will be the primary ability for both of the main protagonists in Scarlet Nexus. This ability allows them to launch objects, use their weapons, and perform spectacular moves to devastate anything in their way. However, you will also get to unlock it as a SAS ability and do even more remarkable things with it!

5 TELEPORTATION - Luka Travers

The Teleportation SAS will allow you to close in wide gaps between you and the enemy with an attack and get you out of a pinch just as quickly. You will also get to pull out quick and devastating attack combos with this SAS!

4 Party Bonds

Increasing the bond between you and your teammates is crucial in Scarlet Nexus. It will unlock new perks and abilities for when you access SAS (see SAS Abilities above for every upgrade).

Between missions, you will often be in the Standby Phase. The Standby Phase is where you and your teammates get to take a breather, relax, and talk to one another. During this time, you can strengthen your bond with each team member by talking to them or giving them gifts.

There are six total bond levels for each character in your squad, so try not to ignore anyone during the Standby Phase as it will take quite a while to max everyone out. Bonding with your fellow teammates will make you stronger in battle and grant you new, devastating abilities.

3 Concurrent SAS

When you first start Scarlet Nexus, you will be limited to only one SAS activation at a time, sparing you from mixing multiple SAS abilities at once to get the upper hand on the enemy. Fortunately, with the Concurrent SAS Activation skills within the Brain Map, you will be able to have four SAS abilities active at once, which is chaotic in the best way imaginable.

Having the ability to activate four SAS abilities at once will make you as close to unstoppable as you can be and allow you to draw out the true potential of your squad. Going invisible and sneaking up on an enemy with an electrified weapon while also having two clones of you parroting your movement is beyond absurd but in all the right ways.

Unlocking the Concurrent SAS perks in the Brain Map is essential, even if it will take quite some time and effort. Being able to pull off over-the-top team compositions and mixing their SAS abilities is a sight to behold.

2 Party Selection

After a specific point in Scarlet Nexus’ story, you will have access to all nine of the game’s SAS abilities, allowing you to mix and match them as you please. However, there is one caveat: you can’t use Electrokinesis and Pyrokinesis simultaneously. Besides that? You are free to use every ability with one another.

Additionally, you will only be able to have four SAS abilities equipped at a time, so don’t just bring anyone. The SAS system is incredibly flexible and deep, allowing you to create some deadly team compositions that will give you the upper hand in battle.

Knowing the area’s enemy types, the enemy weaknesses, and more should all play a huge factor before jumping into a fight. Fortunately, for the most part, you will be able to switch teammates on the fly if someone isn’t entirely cutting it for the situation!

1 Environmental SAS

Some SAS abilities are helpful outside of enemy encounters and will give you access to hidden areas, rare items, and more. For example, there will be many opportunities where you will be able to use your teammate’s SAS to open or pass through a door or closed gate.

However, some of these abilities may not be available to you from the start, as you will acquire more teammates as you progress through the story. So, if you see an item on the other side of a door and have no way of reaching it, fret not. You will be able to later.

ELECTROKINESIS - Can power generators to open automatic doors/wall panels.

HYPERVELOCITY - Can slow down laser sensors/disable laser barriers, making it possible to pass through security doors.

TELEPORTATION - This allows you to teleport past fences and chain-linked gates/doors.

PYROKINESIS - This allows you to melt ice walls instantly.

PSYCHOKINESIS - Can pull down drawbridges and break ice walls by launching projectiles into them.

NEXT: Best Early Brain Map Skills In Scarlet Nexus