Auxiliary Abilities are the utility, movement, offense, and defense skills that anchor a build in Purgatorio. You slot them separately from your weapon and fire them with the [2] key, which makes them the most flexible layer of any run. You gain them by clearing enemy waves and choosing them as an upgrade path, or by buying and equipping specific Augments.
Quick answer: Pick abilities that match how your build already deals damage. Strength and Bleed builds want Obliterate, First Strike, and Warming Up; Sinking and SP builds want Mind Blast and Focus Burst; Haste and dodge builds want Outmaneuver and Quick Attack.
How Auxiliary Abilities work in Purgatorio
Each ability lists one or more triggers that decide when its effect happens. Reading those triggers is the whole game, because two abilities can look similar but fire at very different moments. Common triggers include On Use (the moment you activate it), On Hit (when your attack connects), Before Hit (a damage modifier applied as the strike lands), On Kill, On Dodge, and coin-flip results shown as On Heads or On Tails.
Many effects also spend or build resources. Sinking-focused skills drain SP, some tools consume Ammo, and others stack status effects such as Strength, Haste, Bleed, Tremor, Paralyze, Poise, or Charge. Because abilities are easy to fit into any build, the strongest picks are the ones that reinforce a status you are already stacking.
All Auxiliary Abilities and effects
The full list below covers every ability, what each trigger does, and how you obtain the ones tied to Augments. Abilities without an obtainment note are earned as upgrade choices between waves.
| Ability | Effects |
|---|---|
| Ace Up The Sleeve | On Use: gain +10 Strength for 3s. On Heads: gain 5 Feeble or 2 Strength. After Attack: gain 20 Rupture. |
| Analyze Weakness | On Use: inflict 2 Fragile for 10s. |
| Mind Blast | On Use: lose 10 SP. On Hit: inflict 3 Sinking. On Hit: at 30+ SP, spend 5 SP to trigger Sinking Deluge on the enemy. |
| Focus Burst | On Use: lose 5 SP. On Hit: inflict 2 Sinking and 1 Feeble. |
| Recursive Thinking | On Use: lose 5 SP. On Use: reduce the cooldown of your last used skill by 50%. |
| Brace Up | On Use: gain 1 Resilience for 2s. |
| Heavy Strike | On Use: gain 1 Resilience for 1s. Clash Win: inflict +2 Tremor. On Hit: inflict +8 Tremor and trigger Tremor Burst (deal Stagger damage, remove one Tremor stack). |
| Obliterate | Before Hit: +20% damage per Strength stack on self. Before Hit: +10% damage per Bleed stack on enemy. On Kill: gain 3 Strength for 8s. |
| Wallop | On Hit: deal 25 base damage. |
| First Strike | On Hit: if target has Bleed, gain 2 Haste. On Hit: inflict 2 Bleed. Obtainment: Bionic Scythe Attachments Augment. |
| Warming Up | On Hit: inflict 4 Bleed. Heads Hit: reduce cooldowns by 25%. Obtainment: Nano Tattoo Augment. |
| Grind Up | On Hit: if target has 1 Tremor, inflict 2 Rupture. On Hit: inflict 3 Rupture. Obtainment: Chainsaw Arm Augment. |
| Drying Up | On Tails: gain 1 Paralyze. On Hit: gain 2 Charge, inflict 1 Paralyze. Before Hit: +10% damage per Paralyze on enemy. Heads Hit: inflict 1 Paralyze, gain 3 Charge. Obtainment: Tacky Robot Arm Augment. |
| Firing Action | On Use: spend 1 Ammo. Before Crit: gain 1 Poise. On Hit: gain 1 Poise. Obtainment: A2R Firing Arm Augment. |
| Outmaneuver | On Dodge: gain 2 Haste for 7s. On Hit at 3 Haste: inflict 5 Feeble for 4s. On Hit at 4 Haste: reduce all cooldowns by 30%. |
| Quick Attack | Before Hit: +10% damage per Haste stack on self. On Hit: gain 2 Haste. |
| Dropkick | Before Hit: +20% damage if target has Fragile. On Hit: if target has 2+ statuses, reduce all cooldowns by 20%. On Hit: inflict 1 Fragile for 5s. |
Best Auxiliary Abilities by build type
No single ability is best in a vacuum. The strongest picks scale off a status you are already generating, so choose based on your weapon and skill tree focus.
Strength and Bleed damage
Obliterate is the payoff piece here. It adds +20% damage per Strength stack on yourself and +10% per Bleed stack on the enemy, then refunds 3 Strength on kill, so it snowballs across a wave. Pair it with Warming Up (4 Bleed on hit) and First Strike (2 Bleed on hit, plus Haste when the target is already bleeding) to keep those stacks topped up. Ace Up The Sleeve gives a fast Strength burst before a big swing.
Sinking and SP spenders
Mind Blast is the centerpiece for SP builds. It applies 3 Sinking on hit and, once you sit at 30 or more SP, spends 5 SP to fire off Sinking Deluge for extra pressure. Focus Burst is the cheaper companion at 5 SP, stacking 2 Sinking and 1 Feeble per hit. Watch your SP pool, since both drain it on use.
Haste and dodge tempo
Outmaneuver rewards clean dodging, granting 2 Haste per dodge and, at 4 Haste, a flat 30% cut to all cooldowns. Quick Attack turns those stacks into raw damage at +10% per Haste while feeding 2 more Haste on hit. Together they create a fast loop of dodge, hit, and reset.
Cooldown reduction and control
Recursive Thinking cuts the cooldown of your last skill by 50% for just 5 SP, which is strong next to a high-impact ability you want to spam. Dropkick shreds Fragile targets for +20% damage and trims all cooldowns by 20% when the enemy carries two or more statuses, so it thrives in status-heavy builds. Analyze Weakness sets that up by applying 2 Fragile for 10 seconds.
Tremor and Stagger
Heavy Strike is the Tremor engine, stacking up to +8 Tremor on hit and triggering Tremor Burst for Stagger damage. Grind Up follows well because it converts existing Tremor into Rupture, adding 2 Rupture when the target already holds a stack on top of its base 3.
Abilities you unlock through Augments
Five abilities cannot be rolled from wave upgrades. You get them only by purchasing and equipping the matching Augment, which are body enhancements you buy in The City. Equip the Augment and its ability becomes available on your Auxiliary slot.
| Ability | Required Augment |
|---|---|
| First Strike | Bionic Scythe Attachments |
| Warming Up | Nano Tattoo |
| Grind Up | Chainsaw Arm |
| Drying Up | Tacky Robot Arm |
| Firing Action | A2R Firing Arm |
Note: Experience spent on Auxiliary Abilities and skill tree passives can be lost if you die and are not revived. Buying an insurance plan protects those unlocks, which matters more the deeper you push a run.
Once you settle on a status to stack, the right Auxiliary Abilities practically pick themselves. Lock in one primary damage status, add an ability that generates it, then layer a second ability that scales off it, and use cooldown-reduction picks like Recursive Thinking or Dropkick to keep the loop firing through longer waves.
