Cronos: The New Dawn presents a considerable challenge, intensified by the limited upgrade materials available per playthrough. This scarcity necessitates strategic decisions regarding your health, inventory capacity, and weapon enhancements to effectively navigate the game`s dangers.
Although upgrade materials become more abundant later, the initial hours can feel constrained, demanding careful choices about which upgrades will best bolster your chances of survival. This guide outlines the most effective early upgrades to help you confidently face forthcoming challenges.
Understanding Upgrade Materials in Cronos: The New Dawn
Two primary upgrade materials exist: Energy and Cores. Energy is dedicated to weapon enhancements and is relatively common, often found on shelves, in the environment, or dropped by defeated adversaries.
Cores, conversely, are vital for improving your suit`s capabilities, including health and inventory slots, alongside your Torch Fuel and Pyre items. These rare resources are usually discovered by exploring optional routes, like those behind chained doors, or by finding and interacting with hidden cats.
Prioritizing Early Upgrades in Cronos: The New Dawn
Temporal Shell: Balancing Inventory Slots and Suit Integrity
Inventory space in Cronos: The New Dawn is extremely limited, making item management a constant source of stress. Players often face difficult choices: sacrificing essential ammunition for a valuable sellable item, or prioritizing healing supplies over crucial tools like bolt cutters for unlocking new paths.
While these decisions are complex, early investment in Inventory Slot upgrades can alleviate much of the pressure by allowing you to carry more items. Concurrently, enhancing Suit Integrity (health) is crucial during the initial stages, as you learn the game and are more prone to errors. Therefore, allocating some Cores to both is highly recommended.
For the first half of the game, a balanced approach is best: alternate between upgrading Inventory Slots and Suit Integrity whenever you acquire enough Cores. Once your Suit Integrity reaches its fourth slot and your health hits 200, pivot to exclusively upgrading Inventory Slots until maxed. The latter portion of the game offers a wealth of items and weapons, making expanded inventory space invaluable.
Sword MK-1615 (Handgun): Prioritizing Stability and Charge Speed
While a natural inclination might be to boost the Sword MK-1615`s Firepower, its damage output is less critical than for the shotgun. Most standard enemies typically fall within 1-3 headshots regardless. Accuracy trumps raw damage if shots miss, making Stability upgrades a smarter initial investment. Enhancing Stability minimizes weapon sway and aids in quickly re-acquiring targets after firing.
To maximize the handgun`s effectiveness, charging each shot is essential. Consequently, investing in Charge Speed is highly beneficial, especially when facing rapidly approaching enemies. Faster charge times allow for quicker shot delivery and more agile repositioning.
Hammer PROV-2030 (Shotgun): Boosting Firepower and Charge Speed
The Hammer PROV-2030 shotgun serves as your primary damage dealer for much of the game. Unlike the handgun, the shotgun significantly benefits from Firepower upgrades. Maximizing its Firepower makes it exceptionally potent against bosses and effective for grouping and eliminating multiple enemies with a single, powerful blast.
Given its role against formidable bosses and enemy hordes, upgrading the shotgun`s Charge Speed is equally crucial. Although its charge time can still be considerable even after upgrades, every reduction in charging duration translates directly into less vulnerability during intense encounters.