Gotham Knights character guide: Batgirl, Red Hood, Robin, or Nightwing?

Gotham KnightsThe open-world game ‘Game of Thrones’ allows you to take on four DC Comics characters: Robin, Batgirl and Red Hood. For the entire game, you can play as almost any character. But that doesn’t mean that each of the game’s four playable heroes is the same.

Each member of the Bat family has unique strengths and combat strategies. Their combos are executed differently; for example, Red Hood’s timed attacks incorporate his guns in a way that other characters’ ranged attacks aren’t used. And although it’s not required, it’s a good idea to mix things up and swap characters often, because you’ll experience different story beats with each one. The degree to which the game world bends depending on who you’re playing as is one of the game’s impressive hat tricks.

Or, you might want to choose your favourite and follow them throughout the credits. Either way, it can be handy to have a handle on each character’s individual traits.

Image by WB Games Montreal/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Dick Grayson (Nightwing).

Acrobatics, teamwork and leadership are the primary strengths

Movement: Given Dick’s background as a circus performer, his fighting style is largely centered around acrobatics, allowing him to move fluidly across the battlefield. Some of his skills trees allow him to utilize foes as springboards and jump into the air, while also evading attacks with spectacular back handsprings. This ability can be enhanced with the ability to knock down enemies faster and increase momentum energy, giving him more opportunities for special attacks.

TeamworkGrayson is also skilled in teamwork. Grayson can also gain darts to heal, or revive his allies at a distance. He has area-of-effect abilities that boost and heal fellow teammates.

Traversal: Each of the four heroes has unique traversal abilities that you can unlock by completing their “knighthood” challenges. Nightwing’s is a mini drone that allows him to glide around.

Image: WB Games Montréal/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Barbara Gordon (Batgirl)

Primary strengths: hacking, tankiness, and stealth

Hacking the planet: Barbara’s prowess with all things technological allows her to hack the battlefield in interesting ways. For example, some of her abilities let her to tank through damage without her attacks being interrupted, or to interrupt strong enemy attacks with her normal combos. She can also revive herself after being downed, and heal herself by defeating enemies.

Stealth: Batgirl can do environmental hacking while trying to be stealthy, which makes her a good choice whenever you’d rather take enemies out quickly than deal with lengthy combat encounters. She has abilities that make her undetectable to electronic security devices like sensors and cameras, and she can make environmental objects like electrical panels explode from a distance.

Traversal: Through her knighthood challenges, Barbara unlocks the ability to glide around the city on her batwings. This traversal power is most similar to the ones found in the Arkham games.

Image by WB Games Montreal/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Jason Todd (Red Hood)

Primary strengths: brute force/gunplay

Brute force: Red Hood is the most straightforward character to play. What he lacks in fancy stealth and hacking capabilities, he makes up for with raw damage. His melee and ranged pistol attacks are powerful, as are his grab moves. A favorite is his ability to attach concussive mines to grabbed enemies before hurling them back at their buddies and detonating them with a well-placed gunshot.

Ranged combat: Jason’s guns are more useful than his counterparts’ ranged weapons. If you keep your distance from foes, you can take advantage of the game’s manual aiming mechanics to rack up big damage multipliers. His momentum abilities let him unload clips rapid-fire and quickly reload for more.

Traversal: Red Hood’s unique traversal ability lets him teleport around using magic floating platforms.

Image by WB Games Montreal/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Tim Drake (Robin).

Primary strengths: Stealth/status Effects

Stealth:Robin’s stealth abilities are even greater than Batgirl’s. His powers help him to stay undetected, rather than focus on hacking. For example, he’s the only character who can gain the ability Batman had in the Arkham games to string enemies up from grapple points. He is also able to automatically use a smoke bomb, grapple into cover and take out larger enemies with stealth. Tim’s sneaky tendencies can help during all-out combat as well; for example, he can deploy a decoy that distracts enemies and then explodes.

Status effects: Robin’s other specialty is status effects. Many of Robin’s abilities deal elemental damage, such as his ranged attacks or the mentioned decoys. The effect of an element, which can include poisoning, freezing and other effects, is subject to variation. Robin can be made more resilient to enemies’ attacks by increasing his level.

Traversal: Robin’s traversal ability is maybe the weirdest of the bunch. Robin can Teleport distances using mystical satellite technology. He simply needs to hold the right trigger, and move a cursor slowly to get him back to you.