Push or Ground Slam: Which to Pick at the Dancer

FAQ

Which should I pick? Push — IGN's ability guide calls it the clear functional winner; pick Ground Slam only for a bigger raw-damage opener from high ground.

Where does the choice happen? After defeating the Dancer, the Resonant boss of the West Incursion Zone. Like every Resonant, beating it grants a power — the Dancer's is a branching choice between Push and Ground Slam.

Can I change my choice later? Yes — a Reset Item undoes ability picks, and New Game+ carries progression over.

Push or Ground Slam: Which Should You Pick?

Push. When the Dancer is beaten, the game offers one of two combat abilities, and IGN's ability choice guide is blunt: for functionality, Push is the clear winner. Honest caveat: IGN's writer calls these two the most disappointing picks of the bunch and stopped using either after unlocking later powers — so this is not build-defining, just picking the more useful tool of two mid-tier ones. That tool is Push, unless you want one big raw-damage number from the slot — the one thing Ground Slam does better.

Where Does the Push or Ground Slam Choice Happen?

After the Dancer, the Resonant boss of the West Incursion Zone. Resonants are the game's build checkpoints — major boss fights woven into story progression that hand Dylan a power each, and the Dancer's offers a branching pick. The full roster of named powers is tracked on the abilities page; enemies are covered under Aberrations. Continuity note: before launch, preview outlets used different labels for overlapping powers, and "Push" was flagged as a name that might not survive to release. It did. Push and Ground Slam are the in-game names.

What Does Push Do in CONTROL Resonant?

IGN's guide describes it as sending enemies flying backward — shove them off ledges and into hazards for more damage. Instant environmental kills: on Manhattan's rooftops and streets, many enemy types die outright when knocked into a drop, no damage race required. Defense and offense in one button: shove a crowd back for breathing room, or into the void. A status-spread upgrade spreads a status effect (Burn or Infected) from the enemy hit to nearby ones, quietly turning Push into an AoE tool. In a melee-first game where real damage lives in Aberrant combos and stun finishers, an ability that deletes enemies via terrain asks nothing of your DPS.

What Does Ground Slam Do in CONTROL Resonant?

IGN's guide describes it as slamming enemies from above — area of effect and damage scale with height. It hits everything around the landing point, and from real height it deals more damage than Push ever will. The practical problem is setup: Ground Slam wants you airborne above a packed group — a decent opener from high ground, but situational. Push's kills need only a ledge, and Manhattan is made of ledges. Launch-week tips coverage sums the pair up the same way: Ground Slam hits harder, Push is simpler — and simpler wins more fights than harder does.

Can You Change Your Choice Later?

Yes — not locked in forever. Ability picks can be undone with a Reset Item, which drops from boss kills and can be bought from zone vendors, per Epic's launch guide. A finished playthrough feeds into New Game+, which carries progression over — so a second run is another chance at the other power. Related: the Aberrant in the combat guide, and how long the whole ride takes.