There’s an adage in the post-apocalyptic Scientific community that goes a little something like this: “It’s always better on the second try”. Propelling humankind out of darkness requires that kind of never-give-up-and-constantly-redo attitude. This gives rise to the ability to upgrade gadgets, weapons, universities and their defenses.
Before you can do any upgrading you need to do the researching. Not just the “open a book and read for days” kind of research; you also need the “fill a Supernatural full of scientific lead and stuff its corpse in the Van for study” kind of research too.
Of course, research for one piece of equipment can lead to discoveries for another. Keep an eye on the Research requirements for locked equipment that piques your interest, then pursue it with all your might! And with that we mean go out and obliterate some Supernatural scum and bring back more delicious $cience, we need that.
University and University Defenses Upgrades
As you progress through the campaign, you’ll be able to upgrade your Universities, the place where you do your all-important research. As the invading Supernatural hordes grow in numbers and strength, it would be wise to upgrade the University Defenses, including Electro Barriers, Minefields and Health Stations, so that you can study in peace. Unless of course, you like it when the Supernaturals bring the fight to you and let you perform battlefield vivisections right outside the lab.
But perhaps most important, the improved facilities of an upgraded University allow you to research and develop entirely new upgrades for the Gadgets and Weapons you take into the battlefield.
Gadget and Weapon Upgrades
Gadgets have a single upgrade path with two potential upgrades, meaning you can only choose one or the other. If you are ultimately dissatisfied with your upgrade choice please write a strongly worded letter to your local scientific upgrades ombudsman. In reality there are no bad choices, just preferred choices.
For example, everyone’s favorite Rocket Boots allows for either Limited Steering or a Boots Boost that knocks down enemies.
Weapon upgrade trees are slightly more complicated. There are two upgrade tiers, one for each weapon mode. Tier One offers two pairs to select from. As with Gadgets, you can choose one upgrade from each pair.
The Tier Two upgrades either upgrade one of the weapon modes or affect both weapon modes in some way. After you’ve upgraded your University twice and completed the Tier One weapons upgrades, you’ll be able to install the ultimate upgrade of your choice.
Dev Tip! There’s no hard and fast rules about what upgrades you should prioritize. Read the upgrade preview notes and choose the one that compliments your play style, or that sounds like the most fun. If you just can’t choose because your options sound equally splendid, try-before-you-buy in the Danger Room. That’s where you can preview weapons and gadgets (and their upgrades) from the safety of your own university. No more “wrong” choices!
