Anthem: 6 Features That Aren't Explained | Primers, Detonators, Elements & More

Anthem might not look too complex from afar, but when you start digging into the nitty-gritty details, there are tons of features the game doesn’t go out of its way to explain.

Combos are pretty simple, but elemental effects, shields, melee special attacks and more just aren’t explained in any way. Most of the time, these little features aren’t that important — but if you’re planning on sticking around for the end-game, and want to take on the Grandmaster 1 difficulty, then you’ll want to buffer your brain with all the Anthem info you can get.

Here, I’m going to break down a selection of simple stats. Even after playing through the campaign, I didn’t realize that each element has a special damage property, or that certain melee attacks were more powerful than others. I didn’t know exactly how much more powerful Masterwork weapons were compared to Legendary weapons — or that you can stack consumables before jumping into a Stronghold. Here’s hoping my ignorance will help you Freelancers out there.

More Anthem guides on Gameranx:

How To Combo | Primers & Detonators

It’s never explained in-game, but combos are special powerful attacks you can land with gear abilities. First, you prime an enemy with a “Primer”, then detonate that primed enemy with a “Detonator” — the trick is figuring out which gear primes and detonates.

Gear DOES NOT state if it is a primer or a detonator. You need to check for a specific symbol.

Primers have a circle symbol beside the gear’s name.
Detonators have a 4-point explosion symbol beside the gear’s name.

Check your gear and see if there is a primer / detonator symbol. It makes life so much easier.

Rarity Of Weapon / Gear Determines Damage

Depending on the rarity, weapons (and gear) become stronger. Your masterwork weapon is stronger than an epic of the same class, and a legendary is even stronger. The difference can be pretty surprising.

Epic -> Masterwork = 32% bonus damage.
Epic -> Legendary = 52% bonus damage.

Masterwork components become even better. Component Armor / Shield Masterworks gain 400%-440% bonus, depending on the Javelin you’re using.

You Can Stack Consumables — But Only Different Rarities

Consumables can be stacked to give yourself a bigger bonus, but only if you’re using different rarity levels. The exact same consumable, used three times will not stack. But, if you use an Epic, a Rare, and an Uncommon consumable, you’ll be able to stack the bonus for a bigger buff.

Enemy Shields Block Status Effects, Primers & More

Shields on enemies can block a lot of things. When shields recharge, an enemy cannot be primed, and all status effects are blocked. Thankfully, you can still detonate an enemy if they’ve been primed before their shield recharges. Shielded enemies block critical hits, too.

Shieldcracker abilities deal +50% damage to shields.
- Shieldcracker abilities deal -50% damage to armor.
Armorcracker abilities deal -50% damage to shields.
- Armorcracker abilities deal +50% damage to armor.

Every Element Has Different Effects

You might not even realize that each element has a different effect on armor or shields. Some elements, like fire, have a burn-over-time effect that continues to damage armor. Strangely, acid doesn’t seem to have this same effect — special abilities like the gear acid cloud used by Interceptors does have a similar effect.

Electric
- +50% damage to Shields
- -50% damage to Armor
- When electrified, primed targets will discharge electricity that connects with nearby enemies.
- Will deal damage to shield + armor. If you drain shields, the remainder of the damage will hit armor.
Acid
- -50% damage to Shields
- +50% damage to Armor
Ice
- +25% damage to Shields
- -25% damage to Armor
- Will deal damage to shield + armor. If you drain shields, the remainder of the damage will hit armor.
Fire
- -25% damage to Shields
- +25% damage to Armor
- Provides continuous damage-over-time. +133% damage (13 hits every 1 second). Very good against bosses.

Different Melee Attacks Do More / Less Damage

Your standard melee attack in Anthem is pretty good, but there are certain configurations that are actually stronger. Depending on your Javelin, you can do more (or less) melee damage with the following attacks.

Ranger
- +33% Damage for Aerial Melee
Storm
- No bonus for melee.
Colossus
- +45% Damage for Aerial Melee
- -55% Damage for Shield Charge
- +18% Damage for Shield Bash
Interceptor
- Ignores shield / armor resistance. Always does 100% damage to targets.
  - Except for Titans. They still resist.
- Interceptors attack in 2 hit + 3 hit combos that cycle. They’re much faster than other Javelins in melee.
- +50% Damage for Aerial Melee