Quick Links
There are a variety of different weapons in Atomic Heart and each of them has multiple upgrade paths. Different upgrades will empower you weapon in different ways, giving them more damage, elemental powers, or unique special attacks.
To level up your skills & craft better weapons, you'll need to find materials and discover blueprints. There are lots of hidden blueprints throughout the map, hidden in puzzle-locked areas called Testing Grounds. We show you how to access these various testing grounds below.
How To Collect Crafting Materials
To begin upgrading your weapons, you need to gather materials. These can be looted from various wardrobes, desks, and chests as well as directly from defeated enemies. Use your Scanner to search for objects that are highlighted in blue to find loot boxes and collectibles.
These crafting materials are required to craft upgrades, new weapons, and consumables.
Looting is really easy in this game, so just collect everything!
How To Upgrade Your Weapons
You can only upgrade your weapons in set locations, i.e at the upgrade terminal. You will be introduced this at the start of the game (alongside some very raunchy dialogue), and you can access this machine again at various locations as you play.
Typically, the machines are located in safe rooms. These are accessed via random doors in a corridor and will have a save point, an upgrade terminal, and usually a chest inside with specific upgrade materials or even a blueprint. It's worth checking every single one of these rooms, even if you don't intend to save or upgrade your gear.
How To Get New Blueprints
New weapons and consumables are locked behind blueprints. These are found by exploring the world (completing locked door puzzles or exploring new areas), or by completing Testing Grounds, which are like separate puzzle areas with a blueprint and other loot as the main reward.
These are found near to the start of the game when you first access an open world area. You will need to use the map to find the entrances to each of these puzzle rooms.
Once you've acquired a new blueprint, you can take it to an upgrade terminal and craft it using various materials.
Tips For Upgrading Your Weapons
- Weapons have unique attacks - usually two per weapon, you can exchange materials to craft either special attack at any time
- Read the tooltips for each upgrade, as weapons have specific uses while you fight
- Melee weapons build charge for your energy weapons, and you can craft new Shotgun shells, pistol ammo, and SMG ammo at the upgrade terminal
As well as upgrading your weapons, you can use those materials to upgrade your glove (Charles). This lets you access unique energy abilities via your glove, like a Telekinesis attack or an electric shock.