EA reveals all of Anthem's ultimate abilities

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A new Anthem update takes a look at the ultimate abilities of Javelins, the heavily-armed, highly-mobile suits of power armor that players will slip into before venturing out into the dangerous game world.

Ultimates are powerful special abilities that players can wheel out when situations get particularly hairy. It's a fairly common multiplayer mechanic, and it doesn't sound like Anthem will stray too far from the well-established basics: Ultimate abilities hit hard but must be charged up before use, a relatively slow process that can be hastened by taking down enemies, assisting allies, or equipping certain items.

As you'd expect, each of the four classes of Javelins has a distinct ability. The all-purpose Ranger packs a Multi-Target Missile Battery that enables it to engage multiple enemies—even fast-movers—simultaneously, while the heavy Colossus brings a multi-shot, area-of-effect Siege Cannon to the fight.

The Storm Javelin manipulates "the raw force of the Anthem," which is to say frost, electricity, and fire—so basically it's your elemental mage—and the high-speed Interceptor will pop Assassin's Blades that generate "echoes" that will continue to inflict damage over struck opponents for ten seconds.

EA showed off the Storm and Interceptor ultimates earlier this week during Paris Games Week, but the IGN video above gets right to the good stuff, and also shows off the different movement and combat capabilities of each class. None of it is exactly carved in stone, as EA warned that Anthem is still in development and "all game features may be subject to change," but at this stage I have to think that things are closed to being nailed down.

Anthem is slated for release on February 22, 2019. Here's everything we know about it.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.