Quick Start

This guide gets you from zero to a working ability system in under 10 minutes. By the end, you will have a character with health and stamina attributes, a basic melee ability, and input binding through Enhanced Input.

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1. Set Up Your Character

Use one of the provided modular base classes, or add the components to your existing character.

Using Modular CharacterUsing Existing Character

Inherit your character from AFWModularCharacter:

#pragma once
#include "ModularGameplayActors/FWModularCharacter.h"
#include "MyCharacter.generated.h"

UCLASS()
class AMyCharacter : public AFWModularCharacter
{
    GENERATED_BODY()
};

Add the required components to your existing character:

AMyCharacter::AMyCharacter()
{
    // Ability System Component
    AbilitySystemComponent = CreateDefaultSubobject<UFWAbilitySystemComponent>(
        TEXT("AbilitySystemComponent"));

    // Core Component (event bridge)
    GASCoreComponent = CreateDefaultSubobject<UFWGASCoreComponent>(
        TEXT("GASCoreComponent"));

    // Input Binding (for EnhancedInput integration)
    AbilityInputBinding = CreateDefaultSubobject<UFWAbilityInputBindingComponent>(
        TEXT("AbilityInputBinding"));
}

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2. Configure Attributes

On your character Blueprint (or in the C++ GrantedAttributes array on the ASC), add the default attribute set:

1. Select the FW Ability System Component in the Components panel.
2. Under Granted Attributes, add an entry:
   • Attribute Set: FWAttributeSet
   • Initialization Data: (optional) Point to a DataTable with initial values.

If you do not provide a DataTable, attributes start at 0.0. To set initial values via a DataTable:

1. Create a DataTable with Row Structure AttributeMetaData.
2. Add rows for each attribute (e.g., FWAttributeSet.Health, FWAttributeSet.MaxHealth).
3. Set BaseValue for each row.

Example DataTable rows:

Row Name	Attribute	BaseValue
Health	FWAttributeSet.Health	100.0
MaxHealth	FWAttributeSet.MaxHealth	100.0
Stamina	FWAttributeSet.Stamina	50.0
MaxStamina	FWAttributeSet.MaxStamina	50.0
HealthRegenRate	FWAttributeSet.HealthRegenRate	1.0
StaminaRegenRate	FWAttributeSet.StaminaRegenRate	2.0

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3. Create a Gameplay Ability

Create a simple melee attack ability:

#pragma once
#include "Abilities/FWGameplayAbility.h"
#include "GA_MeleeAttack.generated.h"

UCLASS()
class UGA_MeleeAttack : public UFWGameplayAbility
{
    GENERATED_BODY()

public:
    UGA_MeleeAttack();

    virtual void ActivateAbility(
        const FGameplayAbilitySpecHandle Handle,
        const FGameplayAbilityActorInfo* ActorInfo,
        const FGameplayAbilityActivationInfo ActivationInfo,
        const FGameplayEventData* TriggerEventData) override;
};

#include "GA_MeleeAttack.h"

UGA_MeleeAttack::UGA_MeleeAttack()
{
    InstancingPolicy = EGameplayAbilityInstancingPolicy::InstancedPerActor;
    NetExecutionPolicy = EGameplayAbilityNetExecutionPolicy::LocalPredicted;
}

void UGA_MeleeAttack::ActivateAbility(
    const FGameplayAbilitySpecHandle Handle,
    const FGameplayAbilityActorInfo* ActorInfo,
    const FGameplayAbilityActivationInfo ActivationInfo,
    const FGameplayEventData* TriggerEventData)
{
    if (!CommitAbility(Handle, ActorInfo, ActivationInfo))
    {
        EndAbility(Handle, ActorInfo, ActivationInfo, true, true);
        return;
    }

    // Play a montage, apply effects, etc.
    // EndAbility when done
}

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4. Grant the Ability with Input Binding

On the FW Ability System Component, add an entry to Granted Abilities:

Property	Value
Ability	GA_MeleeAttack
Level	1
Input Action	Your IA_Attack Input Action asset
Trigger Event	Started

The ASC will automatically grant this ability and bind it to the specified Input Action when InitAbilityActorInfo is called.

Input Action Setup

Create an UInputAction asset (e.g., IA_Attack) and add it to your Input Mapping Context. The UFWAbilityInputBindingComponent handles the bridge between Enhanced Input and GAS ability activation.

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5. Add the Core Component for Events

Add a UFWGASCoreComponent to your character (or it may already be present if using AFWModularCharacter). This component provides Blueprint-assignable events for common GAS scenarios:

In your character Blueprint's Event Graph, bind to:

• On Health Change -- Update health bar UI.
• On Stamina Change -- Update stamina bar UI.
• On Ability Activated -- Play activation effects.
• On Death -- Trigger death animation.

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6. Test It

1. Place your character in a level.
2. Ensure an Input Mapping Context with IA_Attack is active.
3. Press Play and press the attack input.
4. The GA_MeleeAttack ability should activate.

Debug Commands

Use showdebug abilitysystem in the console to see granted abilities, active effects, and attribute values in real time.

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Next Steps

• Configuration -- Learn about AbilitySet DataAssets and developer settings.
• API Reference -- Full documentation of all classes.
• Tutorials -- Build a complete combat ability with combo chains.