FAQ

Map is completely open outside of late game areas

The dagger on your back is use to kill giant enemies. Get their leg HP to zero, climb their back
with the “Interact” button, use the dagger to hit a weak point. All giants have more than one
weak point. You can move around on their back to position your character.

Almost all large enemies drop important recipes.

Recipes

You’ll receive recipes for new gems (via the Handler) and potions (via the Crafting menu).
Recipes drop exclusively from enemies. It is in your best interest to kill every enemy you
come across. Return to areas when you’re more powerful to tackle the giant enemies. They all
drop important items, including recipes.

How do I strengthen my character?

Handler Echoes

Your equipment can be upgraded from Mk. I to Mk. V via finding Echoes on the map to the
Handler NPC at the Blok 6174 (Hub).

There are 5 Echoes in the game. Each Echo belongs to a specific area group listed below. As
an example, let’s take Echo 2. One copy will populate in the Machinarium, Upper Blocks, and
the Rain District in a pre-defined location. If I find the Echo in Upper Blocks, then the game will
remove the Echo in the other 2 locations. From the developer:

Echo 1 = Konrad (First boss)

Echo 2 = Machinarium or Upper Blocks or Rain District
Echo 3 = Asylum or Uranopolis
Echo 4 = Desert Mirage or Ghosttown
Echo 5 = Desert after Wormlord boss

In general, you can tackle an area comfortably once you find the Echo in that tier.

Upgrading Equipment

You can upgrade your equipment at the Handler via Upgrade Splinters (Mk. I-III) and Upgrade
Modules (Mk. IV-V). Both are dropped from enemies. Each upgrade will strengthen the armor
rating or damage (sharp/blunt/technomancy) for a piece of equipment. And it will provide a new
slot for you to insert gems.

Gem creation

In the Handler menu go to Manufacturing to create gems. Your list of gems will grow as you gain
more recipes via defeating enemies and general plot progression. Each gem requires materials
dropped from enemies and Essence. The benefit a gem provides will differ whether it’s being
slotted into a piece of equipment or weapon.
The max gem level you can create is +2. There are four +3 gems hidden on the map. And, very
rarely, you can have a piece of equipment drop from an enemy with a native +3 to a stat. If you
insert a gem into a slot that already has a gem the old one will be destroyed.

You can dissolve lower tier gems for materials by going to Inventory > Backpack > Gem
(Icon) > Extract. I have never seen a +2 gem drop from an enemy, so I can’t confirm if that is
possible. Later in the game dissolve your +1 gems for Essence to avoid farming enemies.

Controls

You can redo the keybinds for your gamepad or controller by going to Settings. The developers
are continuing to refine the controls. However, there is an extremely useful guide created by
Steam user valcan_s that emulates the Fromsoft control layout and overall feel.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1173220/discussions/0/3783625216789777527/

The directions are simple and it takes 3-5 minutes. Encourage you to check it out if you’re still
not liking the default settings.

How do I use items or weapon abilities?

Items and weapon abilities are linked to the Primary and Secondary Quick Slot. For items you
have to equip them beforehand. Hold the assigned button (usually X, Y, or < >) and a wheel will
pop up. Select the item or ability you want to assign. It will show up on your HUD. Now, hit the
assigned button to use the item or skill.

Why are my potions so limited?

You start with the ability to equip 2 items with 2 uses each. This will expand over time at key plot
progression points. At the end game you will be able to use 4 items for 4 uses each. The
Tinkerer perk will increase these values.

How do perks work?

You can only have 4 perks, maximum, during one playthrough. Each perk has several upgrade
options, but the first level is mandatory. You can only pick one of the upgrades. Perks are
permanent and cannot be reassigned. The developers have indicated that this is likely not
going to change in future patches.

Perk essences only drop from bosses. After defeating a boss, the Perk Essence is “unstable”
until you manually walk back to a Homonculus save point. A Homonculus Mirage (temporary
respawn point) does not count. If you die or respawn on your way back to the save point the
Perk Essence will return to the boss’s room. Fortunately, most bosses are located closely to a
save point via shortcuts.

To select a Perk, go to Character > Perks. If you click on a Perk you can read about its
upgrades to see what options you will have in the future.

Note: Many of the Perk descriptions are confusing or incorrect. The developer has received a lot
of feedback from the community and is adjusting the language to be more clear.