In a game where a single misplaced upgrade can cost you everything, a question is inevitably asked, “where should I invent my power nodes first?”. If your answer isn’t the suit and plasma cutter, then it’s a lost cause. Jokes aside, weighing in the pros and cons of where to apply your limited collection of power nodes is never as simple as it seems. But it’s still worth noting the Dead Space Remake Best Upgrades and which ones to prioritize.
In this list, we’ll go through all the best upgrades you need to go for first when considering where to invest your power nodes in Dead Space Remake. And just as a friendly reminder, you won’t have all the credits and nodes you need in your first run of the game. It is what it is. So don’t sweat it too much until your second, or even third playthrough of the game.
Prioritize Your RIG Health
At the top of your priority list should be upgrading your RIG, specifically the upgrade that increases your health bar. You can make a case for upgrading the plasma cutter first and we can’t really fault you for that. But if plan on tackling this game on hard mode right off the bat, you’ll need to upgrade the suit ASAP. One upgrade is enough to keep you alive through one more slasher hit. And as an added bonus, your health replenishes to full once you buy the upgrade. (Just like in the original!) These kinds of tactical choices might save you the odd medkit and much-needed credits.
Plasma Cutter
Your second priority should be the plasma cutter. Apart from being the most iconic weapon in the franchise, it is also the most versatile and ammo-efficient weapon in the series. It is the perfect tool for cutting off limbs as its alternate fire mode rotates the barrel by 90 degrees. And unlike the pulse rifle, it won’t burn through your credit reserves to keep the magazine full.
We suggest going for Damage first and then going for Capacity. The same purchase rules also apply to magazines. You will be given a full magazine of ammo after activating the upgrade node.
Humble Stasis Upgrade
Now that you have your health and primary weapon sorted out, it’s time to give priority to your support items. While the Kinesis Module’s range upgrade is very tempting, it won’t come into play at least until the third or fourth chapter. Upgrading the Stasis Module should be next on your priority list. Not only is stasis incredible at crowd control, there are stasis stations scattered throughout the Ishimura, allowing you to refill the gauge without using a stasis refill pack.
Go for Energy first before investing in Duration. Unless you’re going up against a Brute or the Black variants, you’re not going to make much use of the duration upgrade.
Now that you’ve invested a point in stasis, now you can add a point in Kinesis range.
Choose a Good Secondary
Assuming you’ve stuck with the plasma cutter as your primary weapon, you’ll want to look for a secondary weapon that compliments it. The plasma cutter is an all-arounder but excels in 1 vs 1 combat. Your next weapon should be a weapon that’s geared toward crowd control, or at least that can deal damage to multiple enemies with one pull of a trigger.
The first secondary you pick up is the pulse rifle. It functions a bit differently from the original but it is a decent weapon. Though you might want to get a handle on it first before upgrading it. It consumes ammo like there’s no tomorrow but if get used to it, it’s an invaluable weapon for keeping groups at bay.
If that’s not your preference, you might want to hold off until chapter 3 when the game introduces the Ripper and Flamethrower. These might be more your speed. Use any of these for a while until the Line Gun and Force Gun become available in chapters 5 and 6, respectively.
And yes, you would have gotten access to the Contact Beam already but let’s save that until your trophy run and you need to upgrade all the weapons.
As usual, go for Damage and Capacity first. Save the alternate fire stuff until you have a decent stash of upgrade modules.
Oxygen Upgrades
Last on the priority of upgrades is your oxygen. We say this from experience when we say that oxygen is the least of your worries in both the original and the remake. And with the changes that see us trading in gravity boots for the free-floating system from the second game, you really won’t be spending that much time in oxygen-deprived zones.
This isn’t to say that we won’t need it, we’re saying that in a list of priorities, oxygen is at the bottom of it. As to when you want to start upgrading oxygen, maybe before you walk the hull of the ship and into the forward gun turrets. But even then, there are oxygen refill stations and oxygen canisters you can use.
Now that you have a sense of which pieces of equipment to prioritize first, you can focus more on the combat aspect of the game. If you so choose, you can fill up all available slots and distribute the upgrades evenly. But for harder difficulty first runs, sticking to a primary and secondary is a must.
And that’s about it for all the best upgrades you need to prioritize in the Dead Space Remake. We hope that this list helps you out.