NOTHING’S WORSE THAN TAKING ON AN ARMY OF
KILLER ROBOTS UNPREPARED. MY NAME IS CODIAK…THIS IS LEGACY GAMING…AND
TODAY WE’RE SHARING EVERYTHING WE WISH WE KNEW SOONER ABOUT ATOMIC HEART [INTRO ANIMATION] [WEAKNESS & RESISTANCES] LET’S BE HONEST, REVIEWS FOR ATOMIC HEART
ARE ALL OVER THE MAP, AND ONE OF THE MISCONCEPTIONS WE SEE REPEATED TIME AND TIME AGAIN IS THE
IDEA THAT ENEMIES IN THE GAME ARE SIMPLY BULLET SPONGES…THEY’RE NOT. EVERY SINGLE ENEMY IN THE GAME HAS A SET OF
WEAKNESSES AND RESISTANCES THAT YOU CAN IDENTIFY BY SCANNING THEM. THIS WILL TIP YOU OFF AS TO WHAT TYPE OF DAMAGE
YOU SHOULD EMPLOY DURING A FIGHT, WHETHER THAT BE SHOK, ICE, FIRE, KINETIC…YOU NAME
IT, SCANNING THE ENEMY WILL REVEAL THE TRUTH FOR EXAMPLE LET’S TAKE THE ELITE NATASHA
BOT.
SMALL ARMS FIRE AND ELECTRIC ATTACKS WILL
DO NOTHING AGAINST THIS ENEMY, WHICH COULD BE WHY SOME PLAYERS THINK ATOMIC HEART IS
FILLED WITH BULLET SPONGE ENEMIES. INSTEAD, IF YOU CRAFT A FAT BOY AND TAKE ON
THE NATASHA BOT WITH THIS WEAPON, YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY HUNK IT’S HEALTH. THE SAME THING GOES FOR OTHER ENEMIES LIKE
LABORERS, WHO ARE EASY TO TAKE OUT WITH A FEW WELL PLACED SHOTS FROM A SHOTGUN. IF SOMETHING DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT ABOUT TAKING
ON AN ENEMY TAKE A SECOND, SCAN THEM, AND REASSESS THE SITUATION. DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT
WEAPONS AND ABILITIES BECAUSE EVERYTHING…AND I DO MEAN EVERYTHING IN THE GAME, HAS A COUNTER. [CARTRIDGES] FAST ON THE HEELS OF THAT LAST TIP IS ANOTHER
COMBAT-PREP TIP YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT…CARTRIDGES.
SINCE YOU CAN ONLY HAVE 2 ABILITIES EQUIPPED
AT ANY TIME YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO COVER ALL YOUR BASES, AND THERE WILL BE GAPS IN WHAT
ENEMY WEAKNESSES YOU CAN EXPLOIT AT ANY ONE TIME. ENTER CARTRIDGES AND THE ABILITY TO INFUSE
YOUR WEAPONS WITH A SPECIFIC ELEMENT, ALLOWING YOU TO DEAL WITH ENEMIES THAT WOULD OTHERWISE
FEEL…SPONGY. TO ACCESS THESE ENHANCEMENTS SIMPLY TAP THE
MIDDLE MOUSE BUTTON TO CYCLE THROUGH CANISTERS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR SCREEN, OR CONTROLLER
EQUIVALENT TO PULL UP YOUR RADIAL MENU. HERE YOU CAN CYCLE THROUGH THE VARIOUS CANISTERS
YOU HAVE IN YOUR INVENTORY AND EQUIP THEM. IF THE OPTION TO ADD A CARTRIDGE ISN’T SHOWING
UP, IT’S LIKELY YOU HAVEN’T MADE THE NECESSARY CANISTER UPGRADE TO YOUR WEAPON. NO BIG DEAL, HEAD BACK TO THE NORA BOT, UPGRADE
THE WEAPON YOU WANT TO EQUIP CARTRIDGES TOO, AND TAP INTO A WHOLE NEW WAY TO EXPLOIT YOUR
ENEMIES.
[INTERESTING COMBAT COMBINATIONS] MUNDFISH DID SUCH A GREAT JOB IMPLEMENT DIFFERENT
COMBAT COMBINATIONS INTO THE GAME, AND IT PROVIDES PLAYERS WITH YET ANOTHER WAY TO EXPLOIT
THE WEAKNESSES OF THE VARIOUS ENEMIES WITHIN THE GAME. FOR EXAMPLE, USING FROSTBITE ON MOST ENEMIES
WILL NOT ONLY SLOW THEM DOWN AND FREEZE THEM, BUT ALSO MAKE THEM SUSCEPTIBLE TO HEAVY MELEE
ATTACKS. THEY’LL TAKE INCREASED DAMAGE AND IF YOU
MANAGE TO HIT THE DAMAGE THRESHOLD BEFORE THE FREEZING EFFECT WEARS OFF THEY’LL SHATTER
IN A BRILLIANT EXPLOSION OF ICE AND METAL. FROSTBITE CAN EVEN BE UTILIZED TO FREEZE FLYING
ENEMIES, FORCING THEM TO FALL FROM THE SKY…INSTANTLY EXPLODING.
IN THAT SAME VEIN, MASS TELEKINESIS WILL QUITE
LITERALLY GRIND THE ROTORS OF FLYING ENEMIES TO A HALT, RESULTING IN THEM ALSO CRASHING
TO THE GROUND. IF YOU HAVE THE UPGRADE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO
SLAM ENEMIES DOWN, ONCE LIFTED, YOU CAN NOT ONLY USE THIS TO INSTANTLY KILL MOST FLYING
ENEMIES, BUT ALSO MOST OF THE SMALLER GROUND ENEMIES, SUCH AS LABORERS AND MUTANTS. IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO STOP A ROBOT
IN IT’S TRACKS, TRY OUT A SHOK TECHNIQUE. THIS CAN BE USED TO GREAT EFFECT TO DISRUPT
A STRONG MELEE ATTACK GIVING YOU PRECIOUS TIME TO DODGE THE INCOMING BLOW AND REPOSITION. FINALLY, DON’T SLEEP ON POLYMER JET. IT REQUIRES A BIT OF SET-UP, BUT THE RESULT
IS A MUCH STRONGER ELEMENTAL ATTACK. BY COATING AN AREA OR AN ENEMY WITH POLYMER
YOU CAN THEN USE YOUR ELEMENTAL ABILITIES AND EVEN CANISTER ATTACKS AND ANYTHING COATED
IN POLYMER WILL TAKE SUBSTANTIALLY MORE DAMAGE.
THINK OF POLYMER AS A DIRECT WAY TO WEAKEN
ANY ENEMY IN THE GAME, WITH SOME ENEMIES QUITE LITERALLY RESISTING ELEMENTAL ATTACKS ENTIRELY
UNLESS COATED WITH POLYMER FIRST. WHILE IT DOES TAKE SOME THOUGHT AND SKILL
TO USE PROPERLY THE OUTCOME IS MORE DAMAGE AND LESS WASTED RESOURCES…AND THAT’S ALWAYS
A GOOD THING. [WHEN IN DOUBT RESPEC OR SCRAP IT] NOW THIS TIP MAY BE OBVIOUS TO SOME, BUT I’M
WILLING TO BET A FAIR NUMBER OF YOU COMPLETELY MISSED THIS. IF YOU’VE INVESTED A TON OF POLYMER INTO
SKILLS YOU DON’T LIKE OR DON’T NEED, YOU CAN CAN FULLY REFUND THOSE ABILITIES WITHOUT
ANY NEGATIVE EFFECTS. SIMPLY HEAD OVER TO YOUR SKILL MENU AND SELECT
‘RETURN.’ THIS WILL ALLOW YOU TO REFUND EVERY BIT OF
POLYMER YOU’VE SPENT SO FAR, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN ENDLESSLY ADJUST YOUR SKILL TREE,
EXPERIMENT WITH WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOUR PLAYSTYLE, AND ADJUST TO WHATEVER CHALLENGE IS CURRENTLY
PRESENTING AS THE BIGGEST ROADBLOCK. THE SAME CONCEPT GOES FOR LOOT AS WELL. ANYTHING YOU AREN’T USING SHOULDN’T JUST
BE SITTING AROUND.
INSTEAD, GO AHEAD AND DISASSEMBLE IT FOR PRECIOUS
RESOURCES THAT CAN HELP YOU EITHER CRAFT WHAT YOU NEED, OR EEK OUT THAT ONE IMPORTANT UPGRADE. IT’LL MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE AND COULD
SAVE YOU LIFE IN A PINCH. [ESSENTIAL UPGRADES] SINCE WE’RE TALKING SKILLS WE MIGHT AS WELL
PLANT OUR FLAG IN THE GROUND AND SHARE WHAT WE THINK ARE ESSENTIAL UPGRADES, APT IN PRETTY
MUCH EVERY SITUATION.
THE FIRST TWO ARE STORAGE UPGRADES UNDER THE
CHARACTER TREE CALLED “NEURO-COMPRESSION TACTICAL BACKPACK.” EACH OF THESE WILL EXPAND YOUR MAIN INVENTORY
BY 10 ADDITIONAL SLOTS. NOT ONLY DOES THIS ALLOW YOU TO CARRY MORE
STUFF, BUT THAT STUFF INCLUDES MORE WEAPONS, AMMO, HEALTH, AND EVEN CANISTERS. IN A GAME WHERE BEING PREPARED IS EVERYTHING,
THESE SIMPLE UPGRADES ARE A GAMECHANGER. TWO OTHER PERKS I THINK EVERY PLAYER NEEDS
TO TAKE CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN THE CHARACTER TREE. * SECOND WIND GIVES YOU A SECOND DODGE CHARGE. SINCE THE FIRST DODGE BEGINS RECHARGING AS
SOON AS IT’S USED YOU CAN ALMOST INDEFINITELY STRING TOGETHER DODGE AFTER DODGE WITH THIS
UPGRADE. * SECOND IS SLEAZEBALL WHICH MAKES YOU INVULNERABLE
WHILE DODGE, GIVING YOU VALUABLE I-FRAMES DURING THAT DODGE WINDOW. FOR ANYONE THAT’S EVER PLAYED A SOULS-GAME
YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHY THIS IS HUGE AS YOU NOW HAVE A SURE-FIRE WAY TO AVOID ALL INCOMING
DAMAGE, ALBEIT FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME.
