Control Resonant Best Early Build: First Ability & Loadout Picks

Which Orientation ability should you pick?

Beating The Artist at the end of Orientation offers a choice of Barrage, Volatile Anomaly, or Shield:

• Barrage — the ranged pressure option. Recommended default: it patches the melee kit’s only real gap (flyers and distant casters) and keeps Power spending useful when you can’t close distance.
• Volatile Anomaly — the AoE pick; stronger into packed crowds, weaker as a gap-closer.
• Shield — a bulldozing rock shield that builds enemy Falter. Best if you’re leaning into the execution loop early.

Don’t agonize — post-hotfix 1.3.3, The Artist drops two Reset Items, respec cost is permanently reduced, and vendors stock more resets. Every early pick is reversible.

Which Aberrant forms pair well?

A loadout is Primary + Secondary + Combo Ender, each with its own talent tree — the full form list is on the Aberrant forms page. Early:

• Primary: Flurry for single targets, Slash for crowds — covering both ranges is the safe pairing while resources are thin.
• Secondary: Crush. Slow chargeable hammer blows are the cleanest answer to Mold armor and Falter bars on early Resonant fights.
• Combo Ender: whatever matches your primary; it’s an independent slot.

How does the resource loop shape the build?

Melee hits are the only way to refill Power — abilities never charge passively — and spending Power builds enemy Falter, which unlocks executions and the Dominance damage buff. Builds that hit constantly and spend constantly outscale passive ones, so prefer talents that feed the loop (more Power per hit, cheaper ability casts) over flat survivability. The full loop is in the beginner guide.

Where should early resources go?

• Zone activities first — zone levels unlock better health drops and reveal chests; they pay off in every later fight.
• Open the Gap often — talents and Aberrant upgrades live there, and respeccing is cheap after 1.3.3. Buy, don’t hoard.
• Craft Artifacts as recipes drop — three equip slots on a first run, and crafting feeds the Paranatural Artisan trophy.