What do God of War, Batman: Arkham Knight, and Marvel's Spider-Man (2018) have in common? They all deliver fast-paced, responsive combat that makes every punch, dodge, special attack, and cinematic finisher feel impactful. Behind those experiences are gameplay systems that are not only fun to play, but also flexible enough for designers to expand and iterate on throughout development.

In this session, we'll explore how Unreal Engine's Gameplay Ability System (GAS) can be used to build modular, data-driven gameplay systems that empower designers while remaining maintainable for engineers. Rather than treating GAS as a collection of isolated features, we'll break down its core components and examine the architectural patterns that make gameplay systems scalable, reusable, and easy to evolve as your project grows.

Together, we'll build a complete combat kit featuring five unique abilities, including melee combos, area-of-effect attacks, movement abilities, and cinematic takedown executions. Along the way, we'll see how Gameplay Abilities, Gameplay Effects, Gameplay Tags, and data-driven assets work together to create flexible gameplay features with minimal code changes.

By the end of the session, you'll understand not only how the core pieces of GAS fit together, but also how to structure your gameplay systems so designers can create new content faster, engineers can reduce technical debt, and your combat systems remain maintainable long after the first prototype.