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# Starting Ability
Version 1.0 introduced Weapon Abilities. Any ability can be marked as a weapon, and it would appear in the Weapon Select window at the start of each stage.
Version 1.0.2 expands this system with a new feature - Starting Ability. Now you can assign an ability to a character, and it will automatically start with it.
Regular Character vs Character with Starting Ability
{% hint style="info" %}
Starting Abilities can be used along with the Weapon Abilities. However, for gameplay clarity, its recommended to stick to one method.
{% endhint %}
## How enable Starting Abilities
Assigning this ability is very simple:
1. Head to your Characters Database. \
Its typically located here .
2. Open the Database. In should look something like this in the Inspector:
Typical Characters Database
There you will see new options:
Starting Ability Options
3. The first one enables the Starting Ability for this specific character. The second determines the ability itself. The ability list is determined by the Abilities Database. \
Tune them to your liking.
{% hint style="info" %}
If you want an ability to be exclusive to one character, assign it as a starting ability, and mark it as a weapon at the same time - this way it won't appear while playing as another character.
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="info" %}
If the ability you expected to appear in the dropdown is not there, make sure its properly registered. To know more, visit [Add Abilities](/monster-survivors-documentation/abilities/add-abilities.md).
{% endhint %}
4. Now, if you enabled the options, your character should display its ability in the Character Selector.
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