Neera is arguably one of the more overlooked characters in the Freedom Planet 2 cast - partly because of her role as a newcomer with no previous playstyle to iterate on for the better, and partly because of the unorthodox flow of her gameplay compared to more immediately reliable characters such as Lilac or Carol. But why would you want to use her?

You should play Neera if:

• You enjoy the feeling of swiftly and decisively executing enemies as you plow through a stage and shredding bosses
  
• You value the game's combat and the various ways you can attack and deal with the boss and enemy designs
  
• You want a more challenging playstyle that asks you to be more mindful of how you approach threats
  
• You like cute panda ladies

You shouldn't play Neera if:

• You prefer a comparative lack of commitment or value a sense of safety when handling threats
  
• You value the high-speed elements of the gameplay above all else
  
• You aren't great at action platformer games
  
• You have something against cute panda ladies

Neera is a high-risk character whose design as the "Combat Type" is eschewing the safe, speed-centric tools of a character like Lilac, the agile brute-force damage options of Carol, or the flexible mobility and defense-oriented skills of Milla for a set of strong, decisive moves meant to tear apart enemies and bosses alike. If this sounds tasty to you, read on!!!

Like the other characters, Neera uses the Stamina Gauge as part of her gameplay. By tapping the Special button when the gauge is full, Neera activates one of her Frost Arts at the cost of depleting it completely, leaving her on cooldown. To make her job easier however, unlike the other three characters Neera can speed up the Stamina Gauge's recovery by attacking enemies!

This is particularly important, as her core gameplay ties into management and mindfulness of the gauge. Eyeballing the gauge is arguably most important when utilizing her unique Guard Action, Focus State.

By tapping the guard button with a full Stamina Gauge, a circular rune arrangement surrounds Neera, and she begins to flash. This is Focus State. Once Focus is activated, the Stamina Gauge will slowly deplete, after which Focus will end. While in Focus, Neera's attack speed is increased significantly. This can mean a huge difference, and gives Neera her clearest advantage, which is in the way she handles boss battles - whether Focus State is on when attacking means the difference between two hits instead of one, and eight hits instead of four. See the value in that?

While Neera is in Focus, she can also use any of her three Frost Arts, no matter how little Stamina she has left, at the cost of instantly depleting it. In order to utilize her Stamina Gauge optimally and maximize her damage with little downtime between skills, you will enter Focus, take advantage of the given speed to throw out all the attacks you can, and finish with a Frost Art before Focus ends.

Activate Focus for tankier enemies and use that time to unleash everything you're capable of!

Since her Stamina Gauge builds with enemy engagement, this means Neera can prolong the amount of time she is in Focus State by going on the aggressive and attacking enemies and bosses with her normals. In addition, even when she is not in Focus, attacking enemies can build the gauge enough to allow for the quick use of another Frost Art, ensuring you're always swiftly dispatching even the tougher enemies.

Contrasting the other characters, Neera's Special button packs an array of three different moves, dependent on what direction is held when it is used, similarly to a game like Super Smash Brothers. These moves make up her Frost Arts. Each time a Frost Art is used, the Stamina Gauge is depleted, and a new Art cannot be used until the gauge is completely refilled. These are a large part of what makes Neera unique and lends to her hard-hitting playstyle.


Use the frostbitten bodies of your enemies and craft your own path to success!

Neera's signature technique. The Frost Lasso at first appears to just be a very slow-traveling projectile. However, it stays on screen for quite a while and unlike the other projectiles in the game, can bounce off of walls. This can make it easier to hit than one would expect as even if the Lasso misses, it can trickshot off of a nearby wall and smack right back into the enemy!

Upon making contact with an enemy, the Lasso expands into a larger damaging swirl that can hit multiple enemies. With a few exceptions, any enemy caught by this will be frozen indefinitely, and can be smashed for a one-hit kill or left alone to be used as a platform. This is the tool that lends Neera one of her greatest strength in levels. Enemies that other characters might have to spend more time trying to dispatch can easily fall from a well-aimed Frost Lasso shot by Neera!

It is particularly worth noting that the part that triggers the freezing is not the initial projectile - it's the expanded wave made upon contact. This means if enemies are grouped close enough, you can freeze a whole swarm with a single Frost Lasso, and then smash them all down. The blocks formed by freezing enemies also add nicely to her vertical movement - freezing airborne foes and using them as platforms can be an effective approach for creating your own routes through a level or simply avoiding danger.

Foes who spew flames...

...Become powerless to the frost!

"Frozen" renders the enemy completely inert, disabling any and all attacks they would launch. This also includes the clamping lasers from Traumagotchas, making dealing with those foes far less painful.


Tundra Ray is a powerful, damaging storm of frost that Neera shoots directly above her. The wave locks Neera into an animation for the duration of the move and will rapidly damage anyone who touches it.

Much like the rest of Neera's moveset, this has a great combat niche - it's an excellent way to take down any overhead or flying enemies or bosses that are juuuust out of reach for her normal aerial attacks. Neera is not invulnerable when performing the move, but the range is long and wide enough that it can be used from fairly safe distances to sweep the air above you. It shines especially when dealing with bossfights, as many bosses will easily eat the damage you throw at them and provide an ample window to safely perform the move.

Whether on ceilings or in the air, bring foes down with a rapidly-damaging storm of cold!

Arguably an even more important property, especially for those focused on regular level runs, is that Neera stays in place (even if it's in the air) for the duration of the move, and then gains a bit of noticeable upwards momentum at the end of it. This is significant enough that it can be used to cover extra ground when two jumps aren't enough! Even if there aren't enemies in sight, you can use Tundra Ray to gain that extra bit of height needed to climb a ledge, cross a gap, or pull a switch, as if it were a miniature third jump.


Neera's Spike Trap causes her to throw out a cluster of small snowball-like projectiles. On their own, they do solid damage and disappear upon contact with an enemy.

Their real function becomes clear when they don't touch an enemy, however - upon hitting the ground, the snowballs sprout into a set of ice spikes. The ice spikes damage any enemy that runs into them, deflect any projectile thrown at them, and propel Neera upwards if she steps on them.

Due to the projectile-reflecting properties, the Ice Spikes are Neera's sole "defensive" option. However, the time it takes to set them up as well as their particular coverage means under most circumstances the reflection property is best acknowledged as a bonus and not something to be relied on in the midst of combat unless it is an extended encounter, such as in a Battlesphere Arena.

Nonetheless, throwing Spike Trap down while fleeing from an enemy can be powerfully effective and at the absolute least may open the target up to Neera's other attacks.

Take advantage of Spike Trap's cluster damage to quickly clear enemies that Frost Lasso can't!

All snowballs can damage enemies before they are even "planted" - if you manage to throw multiples, they prove themselves a surprisingly powerful offense, with the benefit of being faster to come out and less vulnerable than Tundra Ray, but the disadvantage of having a strange arc and angle. For targets that can't be frozen with Frost Lasso or are simply in a harder position to hit, one can jump up, throw Spike Traps on them, and if any sprout up, jump on the spike they generate for mobility or safety.

Neera's main projectile weapon. When the button is held, Neera roots herself in place and fires damaging icicles that stop at the edge of the screen.

Poke safely at the foes that might be too hot to touch!

Compared to her other attacks, the individual shots don't do much damage on their own, and are best suited for enemies or situations that the player deems too dangerous or tricky to attack directly.

However, when in Focus Mode, Sniper Drive takes on machinegun-like properties, increasing her fire rate tremendously, and by extension her damage.

Though Neera can't walk while firing, she can jump, allowing her to reposition by moving around in the air while facing the same direction. If the player holds the opposite directional button on the ground and then pushes jump, Neera will instantly swap firing directions. This makes repositioning while firing fairly easy!


On the first hit, Neera jabs with her staff. On the second hit, Neera performs a second jab and gains a burst of speed.

Solid damage, but its value is primarily in its utility - the second hit's speed boost allows her to quickly accelerate to the speed cap! Whenever you're on the ground, you can jab with it repeatedly to propel her forward.

Decent for sweeping enemies as you go if you don't want to jump into Spear Drive Air.

If Neera ends up in the air after the first hit, she will naturally transition into the second hit of Spear Drive Air.

Before the Christmas patch, it was harder to justify this move's usage compared to the rest of Neera's kit, as the first hit would slow her down. In addition, it possesses a narrow hitbox and no invulnerability. While you shouldn't rely on this for strictly attacking enemies, it is now one of Neera's main options to increase her speed along with its air counterpart.


On the first hit, Neera jabs with her staff. On the second hit, Neera spirals through the air with an attack that surrounds her body, propelling forward.

The first hit, the jab, is identical to the first hit of Spear Drive Ground, and has similar limitations, though the benefit of air control. The spiral that follows, however, has excellent coverage and solid damage!

Travel through the air in style and cut up all in your path!

If need be, Neera can perform the jab in one direction, and then shift to the opposite direction to perform the spiral. She has to at least commit somewhat to the momentum of the attack when using it, however, so using it when she's up close to her enemies makes it highly likely to whiff.

In addition, the spiral has some properties that make it invaluable for level navigation - it greatly slows Neera's falling momentum, allowing her to cover more horizontal space. This gives her something of a damaging glide - after any jump, you can use the Spear Drive to carry yourself through the air longer and in a way that you couldn't normally.

When moving through the air in any form, this is the tool that keeps you safe, preserves your momentum, and gives you more control over the process. If need be, you can save your second Double Jump for after Spear Drive ends, and then use it before launching into another Spear Drive.


Neera makes a smashing motion with her staff as she swings it downward, causing ice to rupture from the impact point.

Though it comes out somewhat slowly, it does a large amount of immediate damage, has a fat hitbox, and is also probably one of the most satisfying moves in the game!

It doesn't move her in any particular direction like Spear Drive does, making it a reliable option for up-close enemies along with the Baton Drive.

By holding the Down button, Neera can do a fast-fall, increasing her likelihood of connecting the attack with enemies that are farther below her.


Neera simply spins her staff in the air above her.

While one of her least flashy moves, it hits multiple times and does great damage overall!

Its main benefit is how fast it comes out - it's quick to start and quick to end, making it extremely reliable for dealing with airborne or larger enemies up close when you lack the preparation for a good Spear Drive.

As a result, Baton Drive benefits greatly from the increased attack speed given to Neera in Focus State, and helps with shredding bosses and building the Stamina Gauge.

Since it can be used on the ground and doesn't interfere with her movement much, Neera can even rapidly throw it out while in the middle of running, smacking enemies along the way.

A deadly flourish for even the peskiest of foes!

Baton Drive also gives Neera a teensy bit of upwards momentum when used. If she was in the midst of falling when she used it, it won't be noticeable, but if she was at the beginning of her jump, it means once the attack finishes she will continue to travel upwards in some way, depending on how much speed she had going into it and how many times the attack connected.

• Neera's official element is Earth, reflecting her sturdy, immovable disposition.
  
  
• Neera is the only playable character in Freedom Planet 2 without anything close to a confirmed age, but is implied to be older than the other playable characters by a wide margin.
  
  
• Neera is stated to be proficient in a variety of elemental weapons, but chooses her ice staff for its ability to capture criminals non-lethally.
  
  
• Neera is the only playable character in Freedom Planet 2 whose design was not originally by Ziyo Ling. Sabrina has stated that Tyson Tan's redesign for her was a catalyst that lead to her becoming playable.
  
  
• Neera was originally intended to be a villain in Freedom Planet 1, who believed Brevon's arrival was part of a prophecy - an unused cutscene from early in development shows her as the one who steals the Kingdom Stone instead of Spade.
  
  
• To this day, Neera's backstory on the official website for the first game says she was the former Priestess of Shuigang who defected to Shang Tu to earn the trust of the Magister after Dail went mad. This is not reflected in the final narrative, and appears to have been firmly retconned as of Freedom Planet 2.
  
  
• Neera's cutscene at Diamond Point and the scrapped email system in Freedom Planet 2 tease the idea that Askal may be attracted to her.
  
  
• Pressing Focus/Guard+Down while landing on a rail causes Neera to gain a pair of shades while she grinds.
  
  
• Neera is neat :)