Summary

  • Customize your sub with gear like motors, armor, and weapons to enhance gameplay in SteamWorld Heist 2.
  • Unlock secret abilities for party members through the Personal Upgrade Terminal to maximize their potential.
  • Increase crew HP permanently with upgrades like Dumbbells and gain more Water with the Water Purifier in battles.

SteamWorld Heist 2 is a departure from the first game in many ways. The biggest is the theming around water-based pirates instead of space pirates. It’s coincidental since another indie game, Cat Quest 3, is also about seafaring pirates albeit in cat form.

Your party in a scene and fighting a battle in SteamWorld Heist 2
6 Beginner Tips For SteamWorld Heist 2

For those just starting out in SteamWorld Heist 2, here are a few beginner tips to make the early hours of the game play more smoothly.

In SteamWorld Heist 2 players can cruise around on a sub that surfaces above the water. They can engage in combat but armaments are deployed automatically. The turn-based tactical battles are the only direct way to control units in the game. Upgrading the sub can unlock several key features through a material called Fragments. Let’s go through the best early upgrades to get with Fragments to beef up the sub and party.

7 Sub Equipment Slot

Equip More To Your Sub

Sub Equipment Slot sub upgrade in SteamWorld Heist 2

Sub Equipment Terminal is the first upgrade that players have to get in the game through a tutorial. This will unlock an equipment menu players can use to spruce up their sub with gear. Each item players acquire will take up a slot in the Terminal and players can unlock more slots with two early non-tutorial upgrades: Sub Equipment Slots.

Players can acquire gear like a motor for the sub to go faster while sailing around or a plate of armor to get more HP. Most important are the weapons players can find from turrets to torpedoes to fend off the Navy forces. Each piece of gear takes up space, so Sub Equipment Slots will allow players to customize their sub better.

6 Personal Upgrade Terminal

Give Party Members Abilities

Personal Upgrade Terminal sub upgrade in SteamWorld Heist 2

Another good Terminal upgrade is called the Personal Upgrade Terminal. This will unlock a way for players to get secret abilities for party members in the crew. Most have two innate ones hidden away, just begging to be unlocked through the aformentioned Fragments in SteamWorld Heist 2.

For example, Wesley, who begins the game as the Reaper class, can get the Grenadier perk. This will allow him a free action once per turn to throw a grenade. With a maximum of three Utility Slots, players could potentially throw three grenades, free of charge, during a mission for some explosive results. Maximizing the potential of the party in an RPG is always a sound strategy.

5 Job Upgrade Terminal

Improve Classes With Abilities

Job Upgrade Terminal sub upgrade in SteamWorld Heist 2

The Job Upgrade Terminal is quite obviously another Terminal-based upgrade but this one pertains to boosting the power of specific classes. Classes, after all, are not exclusive to one particular character. They may start with one like Daisy being a skilled Sniper in the pirate crew.

Once a character equips the proper weapon, they will change classes. For example, if Wesley equips a rifle, he will become a Sniper. It’s good then that the upgrades within the Job Upgrade Terminal benefit all instead of individual characters like the Personal Upgrade Terminal. A great upgrade within, speaking of Snipers, can boost the power of the Power Shot attack ability.

4 Dumbbells

Crew Gains +1 To HP

Dumbbells sub upgrade in SteamWorld Heist 2

Getting away from Terminal upgrades, Dumbbells is a great one that will benefit the whole crew. It will raise the HP level of party members by one permanently. That may not seem like a lot but this RPG never deals with extreme numbers like contemporary tactical games.

One of the wildest series is Disgaea wherein players can quite literally break through HP limits. Disgaea aside, players will probably fight enemies somewhere in the twenty HP range and that’s on the very high end for SteamWorld Heist 2. So, to reiterate, even a small HP boost with Dumbbells is more significant than other RPGs which can help heroes last longer on missions.

3 Water Purifier

Gain 10% More Water

Water Purifier sub upgrade in SteamWorld Heist 2

Water is the basic currency of SteamWorld Heist 2 which is measured in Gallons. It can do everything from buying weapons at shops to hats to other materials. One of the aforementioned rarer materials, Fragments, can be purchased in large quantities in one go.

The more Fragments players have, the more permanent upgrades they can get for their party members or sub. Speaking of, the Water Purifier is a sub upgrade that will increase how much Water players will get by 10%. This includes getting water through combat along with exploration while sailing.

2 Utility Belts

Crew Can Equip An Additional Utility Item

Utility Belts sub upgrade in SteamWorld Heist 2

The Utility Belts upgrade is not as cool as it sounds, but it is useful. It’s no Batman-themed Utility Belt but the one in SteamWorld Heist 2 will allow characters to carry more Utility Items into combat. Most characters start with the ability to only take one Utility Item into a mission.

steamworld-heist-2-trophy-achievement-guide
Steamworld Heist 2: Trophy and Achievement Guide

Here's a breakdown of how to get all 34 achievements/trophies in Steamworld Heist II.

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Utility Items range from medical kits to explosive devices and all of these replenish after missions are over. So, the Utility Belts upgrade will increase that allotment to two and then there is a skill upgrade via the Boomer class in SteamWorld Heist 2 that will increase the Utility Item space by one more for a total of three.

1 Bunk Bed

Gain A New Party Member

Bunk Bed sub upgrade in SteamWorld Heist 2

Players will begin the game with two party members: Daisy and Wesley. They can then recruit two more at the local bar including Sola and Judy. After that, the roster will be filled and even if new recruits do appear, they can’t join the team because of spacing issues on the sub.

That’s where the Bunk Bed upgrade comes into play. It will allow players to recruit more party members in SteamWorld Heist 2. Having a diverse cast of characters is key to getting good grades on missions and it also allows players to go on more missions before they have to rest for the day.

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SteamWorld Heist II Tag Page Cover Art
SteamWorld Heist II
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Systems
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Released
August 8, 2024
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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ESRB
E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
Developer(s)
Thunderful Development
Publisher(s)
Thunderful Publishing
Engine
unreal engine 5
Franchise
SteamWorld
Steam Deck Compatibility
Yes
Genre(s)
Adventure, Tactical, Action