Augmentations are special upgrades of Adam Jensen, the main protagonist of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. These mechanical objects were put into his body after first mission when he was almost destroyed by Jaron Namir. Augmentations can seriously increase all parameters of Adam’s corpus and facilitate your game. But at the beginning you have only certain upgrades activated. Other parts you should turn on with special points.
There are 7 categories of augmentations:
- Arm;
- Back;
- Cranium;
- Eye;
- Leg;
- Skin;
- Torso.
Here we will describe all possible upgrades and provide our opinions about each of them. You just cannot unlock all upgrades, because there are not enough special points for that. Because of this fact, you will find our verdict about each improvement with an indication whether you should install it or no. Also, the last paragraph is all about different styles of playing. We provide essential upgrades for fighters, stealth men, and hackers.
Let’s begin with the description of each augmentation!
Arm
Arm augmentations are divided into 2 big groups. The first one contains upgrades of mechanical Adam’s arms. The second one lets you increase accuracy and sustainability of your shots. Certain bonuses you can receive for free at the beginning. Other systems you can unlock with special points.
The first group of arm implants called Cybernetic Arm Prosthesis includes 8 points:
- Instant Take-Down. Lets you to choose manually one enemy and immobilize it with a lethal or safe attack. It’s the best improvement and you surely should use it against different hostiles. You will be awarded it for free at the beginning.
- Punch Through Wall. Once unlocked this ability lets you destroy walls and open completely new ways in rooms and corridors. You can kill foes behind destroyed walls. Pay attention to this feature if you are about to earn Pacifist achievement. It costs 1 point.
- Recoil Compensation 1 and 2. The first rank reduces all weapons’ recoils by 50%, the second level removes recoils at all. Take this implant if you are going to eliminate enemies in combat. It’s useful with Heavy Riffle. It costs 1 point per rank.
- Move/Throw Heavy Objects. It means exactly what you think. Using it you can interact with big and heavy items. It’s pretty helpful! Try to discover secret ways, block doors, destroy walls or use large objects as a moving cover. It costs 1 point.
- Carrying Capacity 1, 2 and 3. Each level of this augmentation adds 2 additional columns to your inventory. Take 1 and 2 levels to feel more comfortable with the huge amount of loot. It’s better to take this upgrade before leaving Detroit. It costs 1 point each.
The second group here called Aim Stabilizer. It helps you to fire better and includes 2 parts: Aiming Motion Control 1 and 2. The first one removes 50% of penalties for aiming in motion. The second level totally removes such penalties as well. We don’t suggest taking this upgrade even if you are a fan of fighting strategy. Earlier or later, you have to use covers to reload and take a rest. Shooting in motion isn’t effective even without penalties. It costs 2 points for the first level and 1 pint for the second one.
Back
Adam has 2 main systems installed on his back. Each of them also contains one unique upgrade to discover with special points. The first system totally removes all damage from falling. The second one lets you immobilize two enemies instead of only one with a standard skill of immobilizing your hostiles.
Implznt called Icarus Landing System is very cool without doubts. Unlock it and all damage from falling will be removed. In addition, you can stun nearby opponents in the moment of landing. It’s cool to know that you can jump from any height and safely land on a street. Remember that special animation triggers only in case of falling from large heights, but this system works every time you fall even without triggered animation. It costs 2 points.
Upgrade with title Quicksilver Reflex Booster allows you to stun two foes with a single hit. Enemies should stay near each other, remember that. Such double immobilization counts as a single attack for achievements. However, it will grant more experience than a regular take-down. Always try to have enough energy to attack the enemy as for normal attack. It costs 2 points.
Cranium
In this category, you will find more augmentations. Cranium upgrades include 8 subcategories, 4 of which relate to hacking skills. It’s worth to unlock all hacker abilities if you want to become a professional burglar. Other upgrades focus on social interaction, monitoring enemies’ ways, stealth improvement, and connection with NPCs.
The first upgrade Adam has by default. It’s information and communication system called Infolink. It allows you to speak with allies without being overheard. Two parts of this upgrade divide into the implant for ear and implant for the throat. Thus, you receive both implants for listening and speaking for free.
Wayfinder Radar System shows ways of all types of hostiles in your map. You will track foes in a circle with the diameter of 25 meters at the basic rank. Next rank doubles this distance. Try to buy this ability as fast as possible. You will receive 1 level of it for free and you should buy next rank for 1 point.
Social Enhancer or C.A.S.I.E. is a creative system that makes your dialogues with NPCs easier. This system shows behavior patterns of every companion and indicates which responses will be better in certain situations. You also will have access to special dialogue box with chemically strengthen answers. C.A.S.I.E. makes your conversations way easier, but some NPCs with augmentations can resist it. Frankly speaking, this implant is obligatorily needed only during Ladies Man quest. Other tasks you can pass without it. It costs 2 points.
Next augmentation called Stealth Enhancer costs 2 points itself and can be enhanced:
- Noise Feedback. It shows how far travels sound from your steps. We suggest using it only if you didn’t buy 2 level of radar. It comes with unlocking of a base implant for free so don’t worry.
- Cones Of Vision. With it all enemies will be shown with a cone of their vision. It’s quite needlessly if you are good at following foes. Just watch from your position to learn where hostiles are looking. It costs 1 point.
- Last Known Location Marker. It shows indicators of opponents on the map when they detect you. Sounds quite stupid, heh? You can understand where foes are by their sounds and steps. It costs 1 point.
- Mark And Track 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. This boost makes available tracking 3, 5 or 7 enemies with special markers. It’s not very useful because you can monitor enemies’ paths and remember them. Don’t spend points on this. It costs 1 point for each level.
Let’s proceed with hacking upgrades and first subcategory of it named Hacking: Capture. It includes 8 pints with 5 relatively close to each other:
- Capture 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. You can hack terminals with level appropriate to your rank of capture or lower. Unlock all ranks as you are about to hack all terminals. The first level of this implant you will receive for free and all next levels cost of 1 point.
- Camera Domination. It lets you turn off cameras attached to a hacked terminal. It’s not so helpful thing so far as you can pass sectors controlled by cameras in stealth mode. But don’t mind as it’s free to upgrade.
- Turret Domination. With it, you can reprogram turrets and disable them or even turn against your foes. Increase your muscle power and try to use turrets as handcrafted machine guns! It costs 1 point.
- Robot Domination. It works exactly as the previous augmentation. But it’s not as useful as robots are rather than turrets. You want to unlock it near the end of the game as robots are more often then. It costs 1 point.
Note also that activating turrets and robots against hostiles will ruin your Pacifist progress. Just disable it if you want to finish the game with no kills.
Next category here has the title Hacking: Analyze. It contains only two options:
- Detection Feedback. With it, you can analyze chances of hacking for every node. Just put the cursor over the certain place and you can reveal percentage. This ability comes without expenses when you unlock Hacking: Analyze for 1 point.
- Analyze All Datastores. Hubs which contain data can provide you some useful bonuses. With such skill you can know for sure what items or resources will certain node grants. It costs 1 point.
The third pack of upgrades for hackers has title Hacking: Fortify. It contains three levels of an option called Fortify. Each rank adds a new point to a defense of one node. Fortifying grants you an additional time before defensive systems will capture you. But it also increases the possibility of being detected. We suggest taking Hacking: Stealth instead. It costs 1 point for 2 and 3 levels while the first rank is free.
The last category here called Hacking: Stealth. It contains one option named Stealth divided into three levels. As you may understand from the title this implant reduces the chance of being detected. Exact percentages are 15% for 1 level, 30% for 2 and 45% for 3. It may be useful to become a more invisible hacker in the late game. This skill also costs 1 point for 2 and 3 levels when the first one is free.
Eye
Category of vision includes 2 different implants with several boosts. The first category named Smart Vision comes with 2 points with free Wall-Penetrating Imager upgrade. Combination of these abilities grants you an opportunity to look through all walls and track additional threats. You may take it near the end if you aren’t a total stealth man. Or just use your map and invisibility features!
The second category is Retinal Prosthesis. You may use its first feature which called Retinal HUD from the beginning. It displays the HUD and also shows an additional reality around. Other options are:
- Flash Suppressant. This option makes you unreceptive to concussion grenades. There are a lot of enemies with such grenades so unlock this implant if you are a combatant. But it’s nor essential for stealth men. It costs 1 point.
- Cooldown Timer. This timer shows when opponents will drop out of alarmed condition. We suggest don’t wasting points and just waiting when enemies will become calm. It costs 1 point.
Leg
Legs of Adam can be upgraded only with one system which includes several upgrades as well. It is called Cybernetic Leg Prosthesis and costs 2 points for activation. Basic augmentation lets you jump better as it comes with the first boost named Jump Enhancement. Improved jumps let you reveal secret ways and just reach 3 meters in the air. Also, you can buy other parts:
- Sprint Enhancement. It makes you run faster. It will be definitely useful when you need to chase enemies or run away. Sprint Enhancement allows you to accelerate to 7,5 meters per second. It costs 1 point.
- Run Silently. You can understand it from this title. It’s the best ability from a described category. Enemies will not hear your steps at all. We suggest unlocking it for all who like stealth. It costs 1 point.
- Sprint Silently. It’s an improvement of the previous boost. With it, you can not only walk silently but accelerate with no sound. However, stealth men don’t run often so you can let this upgrade locked. It costs 1 point.
- Jump/Land Silently. Finally, another silent option for hidden killers. You become totally silent even in moments of jumping or falling. It works better with an improved system of landing, because you can fall with no harm. It costs 1 point.
Skin
As usual, here are 2 subsystems and you can unlock them with special points. The first category is Dermal Armor with significantly reducing harm taken. Dermal Armor 1 costs 2 special points and will decrease damage by 15%. 2 and 3 levels of it will decrease damage received by 30% and 45%. These levels cost 1 point each. The last option called EMP Shielding makes our protagonist unreceptive to electricity and electric bombs. Also, he will take no damage from touching live current.
The second category with a title Glass-Shield Cloaking System just lets you become invisible. It costs 2 special points to unlock invisibility itself and Base Longevity upgrade. The first boost regulates energy and sets the cost of this feature: 3 seconds per cell. Buy other upgrades with titles Longevity Upgrade 1 and 2. They reduce consumption of energy and increase the duration of one cell to 5 and 7 seconds. Each new level costs 1 point as well. Try to use it with improved batteries.
Torso
This category of Adam’s body includes many upgrades. The first of them called Sentinel RX Health System is just your health and it is totally free. This system lets you heal your wounds with time. Don’t mind several subcategories of this system, because all implants here are focused on healing your wounds.
Implanted Rebreather makes you more protected from toxins and allows you run longer. You should spend 2 special points on it. After unlocking you will be immune to harmful gases and bombs with gas. Note that toxic areas always have another way for players without Implanted Rebreather. Also, you may unlock Hyper-Oxygenation 1 and 2 which lets you run longer: 2, 5 seconds per each level. These boosts cost 1 point.
Next implant is Typhoon Explosive System and it’s a jewel for fighters. Spend 2 special points and have access to devastating explosions with a range of 8 meters! Even the first rank of it will kill all enemies around. The second rank costs 1 additional special point and can destroy mechanical foes too. You will spend an energy point per explosion and one unit of special ammo for this system. Keep shells for the final battles.
Sarif Series 8 Energy Converter can add new cells of energy and better recovering from it. The base level at the beginning grants you an opportunity to use up to 2 energy cells. Unlock Energy Level Upgrade 1, 2 and 3 to get a new cell per each level. These upgrades cost 1 point as well. It’s possible to upgrade recharging level with Recharge Rate Upgrade 1 and 2. These upgrades cost 1 point.
We suggest increasing a number of cells if you use Glass-Shield Cloaking System often. In other cases improve recharging level. With maximized rates, you can immobilize foes faster. It’s pretty fun!
Upgrades to different strategies
Finally, we want to introduce guides for each strategy. You can follow these schemes completely or make your own changes:
- Combat strategy.
Take all Dermal Armor upgrades to become almost immortal.
Take all Cybernetic Arm Prosthesis upgrade to fight more effectively.
Take all Aim Stabilizer upgrades to shot better while you are moving.
Take all Typhoon Explosive System upgrades to eliminate your foes.
Take Smart Vision to always know where enemies are.
- Stealth strategy.
Take all Dermal Armor upgrades to be defended in boss fights.
Take all Glass-Shield Cloaking System upgrade to hide from foes.
Take all Cybernetic Leg Prosthesis to become completely silent.
Take Noise Feedback and Cones Of Vision to monitor enemies’ behavior.
- Hacking strategy.
Take all Hacking upgrades which mean Capture, Analyze, Fortify and Stealth subcategories. That’s all you need to be a perfect hacker.
We hope you are familiar with different augmentations already. Choose your strategy and improve Adam’s body!
