Saros: All Abilities

TL;DR

Saros has six permanent abilities that unlock as you progress through the story.
Jump Network unlocks after defeating the first boss, Prophet, in Shattered Rise.
Grapple unlocks in Shattered Descent (Biome 3) via a Soltari terminal.
Overdrive is a powerful combat ability unlocked in Blighted Marsh (Biome 4).
Parry unlocks in Blighted Marsh and lets you deflect red Nova projectiles.
Eclipse Threads unlock in Desecrated Fortress and let you teleport during Eclipses.
Blazing Strike is the last ability, unlocked in Yellow Shore after completing Act 2.

Table of Contents

Saros is a PS5-exclusive roguelite action game from Housemarque. As you fight your way through Carcosa’s eight biomes as Arjun Devraj, you will notice locked-off areas, yellow barriers, grapple points, and jump pads all around you. These are not glitches. They are features waiting to be unlocked.

All abilities in Saros unlock automatically through story progression. You cannot miss them. But knowing exactly when each one unlocks — and what it does — helps you plan your routes, revisit old biomes efficiently, and get the most out of every run. This guide covers all six permanent abilities in Saros, where they unlock, and how they work.

For more help getting started, check out our Saros Beginner Tips guide.

All Abilities in Saros – Quick Overview

Jump Network – Biome 2, Ancient Depths
Grapple – Biome 3, Shattered Descent
Overdrive – Biome 4, Blighted Marsh
Parry – Biome 4, Blighted Marsh
Eclipse Threads – Biome 5, Desecrated Fortress
Blazing Strike – Biome 8, Yellow Shore (after Act 2)

Jump Network

Unlocks in: Ancient Depths (Biome 2)

Jump Network Saros

The Jump Network is the first permanent ability you unlock in Saros. You will start seeing golden jump pads scattered throughout Biome 1 (Shattered Rise), but they will not work until you earn this ability.

After defeating the first boss, Prophet, at the end of Shattered Rise, you will move on to the second biome, Ancient Depths. The game will send you back to the Passage for story reasons. Once there, use the World Dial at Primary to teleport back to Ancient Depths. Follow the objective forward and you will receive the Jump Network ability.

Once unlocked, every jump pad across all biomes activates at the same time. Pressing jump on any of them launches Arjun much higher than a normal jump allows. This opens up previously unreachable side paths and secret areas throughout the whole game.

The Jump Network pads also appear in at least one boss arena, so knowing how to use them in combat is worth practicing early. For a full breakdown, check our Saros Jump Network pads guide.

Grapple

Unlocks in: Shattered Descent (Biome 3)

The Grapple is a zipline-style movement ability. You will spot purple and blue grapple anchor points in the first two biomes, but they remain inactive until this ability unlocks.

To get the Grapple, you first need to defeat the second boss, Bastion, and reach Shattered Descent. Once there, you will need to return to the Passage, speak with people in the hub, then travel back to Shattered Descent. Follow the objective marker to a Soltari terminal and interact with it. That interaction grants you the Grapple.

Press Triangle near a grapple point to zip across large gaps instantly. This is mainly a traversal tool — it does not deal damage — but it has real value in combat too. Grapple points appear inside some enemy rooms and boss arenas. When enemies close in, using the grapple to get airborne helps you dodge attacks and projectiles while repositioning. For more details, read our Saros Grapple unlock guide.

Overdrive

Unlocks in: Blighted Marsh (Biome 4)

Overdrive is a powerful combat ability with no connection to traversal or room access. It is purely about dealing damage. This is the ability that turns tough fights — especially boss fights — in your favour.

As you deal damage to enemies with your main weapon or power weapon, a purple meter next to your health bar fills up. Once it is full, a prompt appears on screen. Press L3 and R3 at the same time to trigger Overdrive. The result is a massive burst of damage that hits hard and fast.

Overdrive unlocks automatically during the story in Blighted Marsh, specifically after speaking to Eli at the biome’s midpoint. You will emerge from that interaction with the ability already active.

This ability is especially effective against Overlords (bosses) and Alpha hostiles since it takes a large chunk of their health in a single use. There are also several Armor Matrix nodes that enhance Overdrive, making it even more powerful as you progress. Use it freely — it recharges through combat, so saving it too long is a waste.

Parry

Unlocks in: Blighted Marsh (Biome 4)

From the very first tutorial encounter, you will run into Nova projectiles — glowing red orbs fired by enemies. These cannot be blocked with the Soltari Shield, and you cannot dash through them. Your only option early on is to avoid them completely.

That changes in Biome 4. In the middle of Blighted Marsh, you will meet an NPC named Alab. He will ask you to restore power to a nearby Carcosan device by making your way to a tower. Once you reach it, you are teleported back to Alab, a bridge lowers, and he grants you the Parry ability.

With Parry unlocked, you can press the melee button when a Nova projectile is incoming. This deflects it back in the direction you are facing. A well-timed parry sends the projectile into enemies, dealing damage and causing a significant stagger. After unlocking Parry, many more enemies across the biomes will also start using Nova projectiles. This feels harder at first, but with Parry in hand, those encounters become opportunities to deal huge damage and control crowds.

Parrying projectiles also prevents them from triggering the Corruption effect on Arjun, unlike absorbing shots with the Shield. This makes Parry a cleaner defensive option in many situations. To understand Corruption more, see our Saros Attribute Volatility explained guide.

Eclipse Threads

Unlocks in: Desecrated Fortress (Biome 5)

Eclipse Threads is an easy ability to overlook because it is not as visually obvious as grapple points or jump pads. You may have noticed faint, curved white lines drifting through certain rooms. Those are Eclipse Threads — but they are only active during an Eclipse.

To unlock the ability, you need to reach Desecrated Fortress. At the biome’s midpoint, you will encounter a gap that cannot be crossed until you trigger the Eclipse. Once you activate it, the environment shifts and a glowing light appears near the gap. Pick it up and you will receive the Eclipse Threads ability.

With it unlocked, you can ride Eclipse Threads during an Eclipse by interacting with them. This lets you teleport short distances between fixed points in the environment — useful for reaching side areas with collectibles or bypassing hazards. The ability only works while the Eclipse is active, so if you approach a Thread outside of one, it will appear as nothing more than that faint white curve.

For the full breakdown of this mechanic, check our Saros Eclipse Threads unlock guide. And for more on the Desecrated Fortress biome, see our Saros Honorarium Sigils in Desecrated Fortress guide.

Blazing Strike

Unlocks in: Yellow Shore (Biome 8, after Act 2)

Blazing Strike is the final and most anticipated ability in Saros. Players who have played Returnal will immediately recognise yellow barriers scattered throughout Biome 1 onwards. In Saros, unlike Returnal, you cannot craft anything to break them early. They stay locked until the story unlocks Blazing Strike for you.

The ability unlocks in Yellow Shore, the final biome, which only opens after completing Act 2. When you first arrive in Yellow Shore, a yellow barrier will block your very first path. Interacting with this moment during story progression grants you the Blazing Strike.

This is one of the most powerful upgrades in the entire game. Blazing Strike does several things at once:

Breaks all yellow barriers across every biome
Increases your melee attack damage significantly
Lets you teleport to staggered enemies to deliver a finishing blow
Opens yellow-locked containers without needing a Carcosan Key

Once you have it, head back to earlier biomes via the World Dial and break every yellow barrier you previously had to skip. There is a lot of hidden loot and side content behind them. For more details, see our Saros orange walls guide and our Saros yellow barriers guide.

Soltari Shield – Built-in Combat Tool

The Soltari Shield is not a story unlock — Arjun has it from the very start. But it is worth understanding as a core ability because it ties directly into how all your other abilities and resources work.

Hold R1 to raise the Shield, which absorbs incoming blue projectiles from enemies. Each absorbed shot builds your Power meter, which fuels your Power Weapons. The Shield has a capacity determined by your Command attribute, and you can expand it through Armor Matrix upgrades.

Absorbing shots with the Shield does have a risk — it can contribute to your Corruption buildup. The Parry ability avoids this. So in later biomes where Nova projectiles are common, mixing Shield use and Parry is the smart approach.

To understand how Power Weapons use this stored energy, check our Saros all Main and Power Weapons guide.

Tips for Getting the Most from Each Ability

Revisit old biomes after each ability unlock. Earlier areas have paths and items you could not reach before.
Use the World Dial at the Passage to jump directly back to any biome after unlocking Jump Network.
Use Grapple in combat, not just exploration. Getting airborne during fights gives you a strong positional advantage.
Charge Overdrive early in each room and save it for the boss or an Alpha hostile. Do not let it sit full for too long.
Parry early and often. It takes practice, but each successful parry staggers enemies and cuts corruption risk.
Trigger the Eclipse intentionally when you want to use Eclipse Threads — they only work while it is active.
After getting Blazing Strike, go back to every biome and clear all yellow barriers before focusing on the final boss.

Resources Needed to Explore Unlocked Areas

Once you have all six abilities, many hidden areas open up. You will need plenty of resources to make full use of them. Make sure you understand how every currency works — see our complete Saros All Resources and Currencies guide for a full breakdown.

More Saros Guides

You can purchase Saros on the PlayStation Store.