Quick Links

Abilities, also referred to as Skills, are the bread and butter of combat in Boss of the Saints. Accordingly, having the capabilities to not only protect oneself but also bring order to the municipality of Santo Ileso will require players to unlock Skills to enhance their combative performance.

It should be noted that the Skill tree in Saints Row is entirely linear, meaning there is no player choice when it comes to unlocking a new ability. Such a feature is an odd decision by the developers since the game's story is about being free and wild, breaking away from the established linearity of society. Nevertheless, it is something players should keep in mind if they are expecting to have liberty in selecting how they wish to build their Boss.

Related: How To Make Your Own Playlist in Saints Row

To unlock new abilities or Skills in Saints Row, players must earn XP. Santo Ileso is packed with side activities to complete that each reward the Boss protagonist with a sum of XP. Typically, the amount of experience depends on the difficulty or length of the objective. However, an easy and accessible method to earn XP fast is by completing Challenges, many of which will be ively fulfilled as players progress through the game. As fans gain more XP, they will level up their Boss. As a result, new Skills and permanent upgrades will become available for use. that only four active abilities can be equipped at any given time in Saints Row.

Unlocking The Best Early Abilities In Saints Row

Saints Row Best Abilities To Unlock First

Thanks to research conducted by GamesRadar+ and The Loadout, Saints Row fans can have a general idea of what the best abilities to unlock are.

Skill

Ability Details

Pineapple Express
  • Unlocked at Level 2
  • This Skill in Saints Row enables the Boss to place a grenade in an enemy target's pants before kicking them away.
  • While it seems like a comical yet simple ability, Pineapple Express is excellent for dealing with large groups by using one hostile as a mobile bomb.

Tough Mother
  • Unlocks at Level 6
  • While melee is not the optimal way to fight in Saints Row, using Tough Mother can be useful in Saints Row as a free HP boost and damage negation buff.

Transfusion
  • Unlocks at Level 11
  • Transfusion is a sustain ability that enables the player character to self-heal themselves and their allies by dealing damage to enemies.

Quick Draw
  • Unlocks at Level 18
  • This late-game ability allows the player character in Saints Row to execute an attack which auto-targets four enemies.
  • Successfully landing headshots will result in four insta-kills.

Source: GamesRadar+ | The Loadout