Atomic Heart is an unforgiving first-person action role-play shooter that has players fighting for their life with every battle they face. Players won't have to rely on their base weapons or skills, as collecting resources and killing robots will give players the necessary items to upgrade both themselves and the various artillery they will use while exploring the facility.
When advancing in the story, these upgrades can get rather pricey or need far more materials, which will lead to the player needing to save up. That is why it's good to know which upgrades players should focus on equipping first if they want the best chance of surviving while exploring Atomic Heart.
10 Energy Density – Energy Management
When exploring, players will find countless bullets, and will also be able to craft them for their weapons. However, many will still rely on using energy weapons in cases where reserving their ammunition may be important. Weapons like Electro require the player to expend energy from their glove. This energy can get eaten up fast in stressful situations; therefore, unlocking extra energy slots is vital.
Players will need to save for this upgrade as it does require quite a large amount of Neuropolymer, though once purchased. Players will be better off in the intense battles they may face.
Cost:
- 104 Neuropolymer
9 Electromagnetic Polarizer – KS-23
The KS-23 is the first gun players unlock while adventuring around Atomic Heart. It is also by far one of the most reliable weapons to use against the now-aggressive robots they face. Players will want to continue to improve the damage of this shotgun early into their playthrough and this can be done for a small amount of materials.
Upgrading the barrel of the gun with the Electromagnetic Polarizer not only increases the damage done to anything in the game, especially robots, but also increases the rate of fire of this shotgun, allowing players to defend themselves more quickly.
Cost:
- 15 Synthetic Materials
- 22 Biomaterials
- 4 Superconductors
8 Chain Lighting – Shok
In addition to the eye-opening conversations it offers, P-3's glove called Charles also unlocks a variety of abilities for the player to use while defending themselves in the facility. Shok is the electrifying enhancement players will get early into Atomic Heart. It is not only used to solve puzzles, but also injure many of the enemies.
If players have found themselves overrun by repair drones, better known as WSP-9 Pchelas then purchasing the Chain Lighting may be the way to go. Costing a fairly decent amount of Neuropolymer, when hitting one enemy with Shok, the effect will bounce off to other foes.
Cost:
- 69 Neuropolymer
7 Reverse Medical Inductor – Swede
Another must-get upgrade near the beginning of the game involves the trusty axe P-3 finds after crashing landing in the facility. Healing items can be difficult to find and very expensive to craft early in the game. With the Reverse Medical Inductor upgrade on Swede, players can recoup some of the health they've lost with every kill.
It may not look like a lot at first, but if a player can master the art of dodging attacks, Swede can become a last-ditch effort to save the player's life when all else fails.
Cost:
- 23 Metal Parts
6 Forced Fall Acceleration – Mass Telekinesis
While the player can already use a form of telekinesis through Charles by picking up materials and objects that can be lightly thrown, the Mass Telekinesis ability means the player can even injure enemies. However, without the Forced Fall Acceleration upgrade, this can be pretty useless.
After purchasing this upgrade, players are able to lift enemies into the air and then violently throw them into the ground for a decent amount of damage. This can make dealing with groups of enemies a lot easier.
Cost:
- 70 Neuropolymer
5 Extended Magazine – KS-23
While the KS-23 shotgun is incredibly powerful, many players may find that they have to reload far too often. Thankfully, this can be upgraded early in the game after unlocking the recipe, meaning players can shoot for longer without needing to reload.
The Extended Magazine recipes can be unlocked by accessing the first Testing Grounds facility once players are finally allowed to explore the open world of the game. Once finding this in a chest, they can then go to a Nora and purchase the upgrade.
Cost:
- 23 Metal Parts
- 15 Synthetic Material
4 Second Wind – Character
Like any good action role-play title, Atomic Heart throws the player up against ferocious enemies that will not give the player a break. Thankfully, there is a dodge mechanic that allows the player to quickly bolt out of the way of critical attacks.
In some situations, one dodge will never be enough to keep P-3 out of harm's way. That's why it's important for players to consider purchasing the character upgrade of Second Wind as soon as possible. With this upgrade, players can dodge twice, allowing P-3 to either get further away or quickly move in two different directions.
Cost:
- 38 Neuropolymer
3 EMP Generator – Electro
As mentioned above, guns like Electro are very useful due to the fact that they don't require bullets in order to shoot them. When players first unlock Electro, it may not appear as that powerful of a weapon. However, upgrading it with the EMP Generator adds a special attack to this electrifying pistol. Charging it will cause an area of electricity to appear, which can hit a group of enemies.
This can be incredibly helpful when dealing with the repair drones or other robots that are highly susceptible to electric damage. What's more, players can still use it as a single firing gun.
Cost:
- 12 Metal Parts
- 6 Superchargers
- 5 Energy Modules
2 Wild Boar – Character
One of the character upgrades players should consider purchasing as soon as possible, even before getting any ability upgrades, is the character upgrade, Wild Boar. While this name doesn't give the player any hints on what it does, they will be happy to know that this increases P-3's maximum health.
With how deadly some enemies can be in Atomic Heart, it is vital that players equip this perk. A player can never go wrong with a little extra health.
Cost:
- 37 Neuropolymer
1 Cartridge Module – All Weapons
Overall, the upgrade that players should consider unlocking as soon as possible is the weapon upgrade known as Cartridge Gun. Certain guns and melee weapons can be upgraded to include a slot which allows the player to add different status effects to their weapons.
Each enemy in Atomic Heart has different elements that it's vulnerable to. Having this cartridge slot available means players can swap out the element they are using easily to deal more damage to the foes they face.
Cost For The KS-23:
- 18 Metal Parts
- 12 Synthetic Materials
- 3 Chemistries
Atomic Heart is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.