Devil May Cry 5 Best Abilities

Although you start out pretty stylish with Nero's new Devil Breaker arm in Devil May Cry 5, there's a ton of new optional skills you can purchase, for all three playable characters. In this Devil May Cry 5 abilities guide, we'll be going over the best abilities in Devil May Cry 5, so you know which upgrades you should be spending your red orbs on first.

However if you instead need any additional information on Capcom's sequel, you can check out our Devil May Cry 5 guide. Alternatively, if you want our full thoughts on the game, you can head over to our Devil May Cry 5 review.

In Devil May Cry 5, you play as three different characters over the course of the game. There's Dante, the legendary devil hunter that we've spent the series with. Nero, the younger and more inexperienced of the two hunters, and finally V, the mysterious new character for the sequel.

You'll be playing as all three of these characters, for different portions of Devil May Cry 5. Whenever you begin a mission playing as V, Nero, or Dante, you'll have the option to head into the 'Customization' menu in Nico's motorhome. It's here that you can spend the red orbs you've acquired from slaying enemies on new abilities for the character that you're currently playing as.

Head into the Customize options to upgrade. | *Hirun Cryer/USG, Capcom*

Aside from jump, melee attack, ranged attack, and style action, you'll need to purchase additional abilities for V, Nero, and Dante. In the sections below, we've highlighted the abilities that you should be purchasing for each of the three playable characters.

Best Abilities for Nero

Nero's perhaps the more balanced of the three fighters in Devil May Cry 5. He's more mobile and agile than Dante, and he can deal out more of a beating to demons than V. Here's the abilities you should be purchasing for Nero:

Table Hopper - Easily dodge enemy attacks left and right.
Streak - A simple ability with Red Queen, rushing forward and rounding up nearby enemies for one attack.
Hard Way - A really good sword attack that covers a lot of ground quickly, and exploits an enemy weakness.
Breaker Plus - Get at least one of these upgrades to carry mode Devil Breakers with you.
Exceed - Get at least one of these, so Nero can charge up his sword by revving the left trigger.

Nero's Hard Way ability. | *Hirun Cryer/USG, Capcom*

V's definitely the more experimental character of Devil May Cry 5, and he's entirely unlike anything that's come before in the series. He has his pets Griffon the eagle and Shadow the jaguar to attack foes for him since he's actually pretty weak, but he'll need to get in close and personal with his cane to finish enemies off once Shadow and Griffon have laid into them. Here are the abilities you should be purchasing for V:

Blockade - Griffon summons two pillars of lightning.
Flank Attack - Griffon charges at enemies, launching them up into the air.
Shadow Combo B/C - Huge area attacks for Shadow.
Breakthrough - Shadow dives across the ground with tentacles as it moves forward.
Nightmare Combo B - A huge swinging area attack for Nightmare.

V's Shadow Combo C ability. | *Hirun Cryer/USG, Capcom*

Best Abilities for Dante

You're actually not going to play as Dante until the second half of Devil May Cry 5, but he's well worth the wait. Dante steadily picks up additional weapons and abilities as he goes along, unlocking the motorbike, throwable hat, rocket launcher, and more down the line. Here's all the best abilities to purchase for Dante:

Stinger - A high-speed attack that skewers enemies in your path.
Cross Line - Crosses over the twin Cavaliere blades for a continuous attack.
Highside - A Cavaliere attack that catches enemies and launches them into the air.
Revolver - Spin Cerberus around in the air before crashing down to the ground.
Style Level 2 - We'd recommend learning this upgrade for each of Dante's styles: Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger, and Royal Guard.

Dante's Stinger ability. | *Hirun Cryer/USG, Capcom*

For more Devil May Cry 5-related content, you can head over to our additional guide pages on Capcom's sequel. There's our Devil May Cry 5 Secret Missions guide to help you track down every hidden symbol, our Devil May Cry 5 Devil Breakers guide for Nero's unique abilities, and finally our Devil May Cry 5 controls guide, and Devil May Cry 5 Abilities guide for all three characters.