The combat mechanics of Scarlet Nexus take a little getting used to. However, as soon as the player gets the hang of it, they'll be able to eliminate Others and soldiers left and right. While they can do so by buying upgraded weapons and using Scarlet Nexus's various Psycho-Kinetic abilities, they can also power themselves up with the use of the Brain Map.

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The Brain Map is where the player can unlock various skills in exchange for Brain Points, which are earned each time the player levels up. In the overall scheme of the game, every single skill on the Brain Map has its uses. However, some of them are definitely better than the rest. Players should make an effort to prioritize these skills first before unlocking everything else.

Updated November 12, 2021 by Mark Sammut: As the releases for 2021 slow down, people might find themselves jumping into a few games they initially skipped. Bandai Namco's Scarlet Nexus was one of the year's nicest surprises; an action JRPG with an ambitious storyline and visceral combat, there is a lot to love about this new IP. Scarlet Nexus is also available on Xbox Game Pass, making it even more tempting for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One owners. For those starting their journey with the OSF, they might find themselves unsure about which are the best Brain Map skills to unlock as soon as feasible. To make the process as simple as possible, a few more important skills have been added to this article.

13 Rebound

rebound scarlet nexus

The Rebound skill is very useful in a fast-paced combat environment, which is a common scenario in Scarlet Nexus. Upon unlocking this skill, the player can recover immediately after being knocked away by pressing the dash button.

This combat mechanic will seem very familiar to gamers who play a lot of fast-paced hack-and-slash titles. Those who do know just how useful this skill is. The player will be able to save a lot of time in combat encounters by jumping right back into action, instead of waiting for their characters to stand up after being knocked down.

12 Charge & Slam Attacks

scarlet nexus charge and slam attacks

In melee-focused games, a Charge Attack is par for the course. While they tend to leave the executor vulnerable, if hit, they deliver substantial damage. Scarlet Nexus locks this move in the Brain Map, forcing players to acquire it. Both Yuito and Kasane benefit from having this option in their arsenal, but it is especially important for Yuito since his moveset prioritizes close-quarters combat.

Yuito also needs to unlock Charge Attack to pave the way to Slam Attack, which allows him to perform a downward strike when he is in the air. The latter is one of the most useful moves in the game since it provides a conclusion for mid-air combos, something the characters originally lack.

11 Follow-Up Attack Expand

scarlet nexus follow up attack expand skill

Not to be confused with the Follow-Up Attack skill that boosts damage dealt against downed opponents, Follow-Up Attack Expand allows Yuito and Kasane to perform more consecutive psychokinesis and rush follow-up attacks. There are two of these skills to unlock, and once they are both available, the protagonists can land four consecutive attacks.

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At first glance, this might seem a bit like overkill, but the ability to chain longer combo strings is very useful in the latter stages of the campaign. If executed consistently, Yuito and Kasane will make short work of most enemy mobs.

10 Aerial Follow-Up Attack

scarlet nexus aerial follow up attack skill

Adding to the confusion, here is another Follow-Up Attack skill, albeit one that focuses on aerial combat. Along with facing airborne enemies quite frequently during the campaign, Yuito and Kasane can launch targets into the air, permitting them to execute a combo and, if the skill is unlocked, a Slam Attack.

If an Other happens to get away from Yuito or Kasane, the Aerial Follow-Up Attack comes into play, permitting players to continue their onslaught uninterrupted. On the surface, this might not seem like an especially important skill, however, this unlock helps make Yuito and Kasane's moveset more adaptive and complete.

9 Auto Heal

auto heal scarlet nexus

This Auto Heal skill is a passive that is simple, straightforward, and highly essential. When outside of combat, the player's health will automatically refill until the HP bar is complete.

With this skill unlocked, the player is able to set aside health Jellies for actual combat encounters instead of using them afterwards. The only caveat with this skill is that it doesn't apply to the other characters in the party, which means the player should still manually heal them.

8 4th & 5th Weapon Combo Attack Hit

weapon combo hit scarlet nexus

These skills will increase the number of attacks the player can perform on a single combo. Not only does this simply add an attack to the player's combo, but those new attacks at the end of the chain are also generally more powerful.

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The addition of new attacks can even be bolstered by the use of pyrokinesis and electrokinesis SAS abilities. The attacks at the end of the combo chain usually spread out or are slammed at the enemy, making foes burn or get shocked much faster.

7 Double Jump

double jump skill scarlet nexus

The Double Jump skill does exactly what it says. This Brain Map ability adds verticality to the player's traversal movement. This is very useful in fighting against massive Others whose weaknesses are placed on their backs or their heads. It is also useful in fighting flying enemies.

Certain places later in the game are unreachable unless the player is able to do a double jump. Although these places don't necessarily advance the story, they hold decent materials and items that players should grab.

6 Aerial Dash

aerial dash scarlet nexus

The Aerial Dash skill allows the player to perform a dash movement while in mid-air. This skill is an excellent choice to pair with the Double Jump ability, as it will increase the player's traversal liberty. It is also highly useful in getting to certain places that are otherwise unreachable.

To increase effectiveness, the player can also unlock Aerial Dash Attack to transform this traversal movement into a combat move. There are a handful of flying enemies in this JRPG title that are extremely agile. These skills will make it easier to catch and hit them.

5 Overkill

overkill scarlet nexus

Once the player's level reaches 50, leveling up will become more and more difficult. To mitigate this, there are a handful of skills in the Brain Map that will help the player level up faster. The Overkill skill is the best one they can employ.

Once unlocked, the player can continuously hit stunned enemies in order to receive an EXP bonus. The player should note that this only works on smaller enemies, and not bigger enemies that have zero HP while stunned.

4 Perfect Dodge Attack

perfect dodge attack scarlet nexus

This skill capitalizes on the game's Perfect Dodge mechanic. This skill is something the player should be familiar with and get used to if they want to take down the toughest enemies in the game with ease. The Perfect Dodge Attack skill allows players to perform a counterattack when they successfully perform a Perfect Dodge.

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Whether the enemy is a massive Other or a powerful OSF soldier, the Perfect Dodge mechanic and the Perfect Dodge Attack skill combo is highly effective. Upon unlocking this skill, the player should take the time to master its use in combat.

3 Additional Plug-In Equip Slot 1 & 2

plugin slot scarlet nexus

At the beginning of the game, the player is only allowed to equip one plug-in from the Equipment menu. To unlock the second and the third slot, the player must simply unlock both Additional Plug-In Equip Slot skills from the Brain Map tree.

Having three plug-ins is essential if the player wants to be as powerful as they can be. They can dedicate one to EXP bonus, another for health, and the third for power.

2 Max Psy. Gauge Boost

max-psy-gauge-boost

Only 50% of the player's psychokinesis gauge is made available to the player at the start of the game. As the player progresses through the game's campaign, they'll find themselves using their powers more and more. 50% gauge simply just won't be enough.

To maximize the gauge, the player can unlock the two variations of the Max Psy. Gauge Boost from the Brain Map. This will increase the psychokinesis gauge bar by 100%.

1 Concurrent SAS Activation

Concurrent SAS Activation scarlet nexus

The Concurrent SAS Activation skill allows the player to use up to four SAS abilities at the same time. This makes the combat gameplay of Scarlet Nexus more interesting and layered, and makes the player so much more powerful.

There are two versions of the Concurrent SAS Activation skill on the Brain Map. The first one will allow players to use two skills at once, and the second will allow them to use four.

Scarlet Nexus is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.

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