Best character abilities and upgrades to invest in Atomic Heart

The character abilities in Atomic Heart will be an essential mechanic that you'll need to master as early as possible. Doing so will be extremely helpful for your journey since they can make a big difference in deciding how easy or difficult your experience will be.

You will have plenty to choose from regarding character abilities, and having an idea about them will make your life easier. It will allow you to know about the best ones to upgrade, which becomes an important element later in the game.

Character abilities in Atomic Heart work differently from glove abilities. Unlike the latter, the upgrades you make to your character don't show up directly in the game. However, make no mistake, as they can majorly impact your playthrough. Hence, choosing the best ones from all the options is highly important.

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Choosing the best character abilities in Atomic Heart becomes paramount for your long run success

Atomic Heart can obtain character abilities in the same way as they get glove-based ones. You can get them from any of the NORA centers in exchange for neuropolymers. Just like the glove-based abilities, you'll get different choices. While there are many effective options, the three mentioned below are better than the rest.

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Neuro-compression Tactical Backpack

Inventory has an important role to play in Atomic Heart, especially after you reach the surface. A lack of inventory space will mean that you'll have to leave a lot of resources, weapons, and ammo lying as they are. Alternatively, an increased inventory space will reduce the problem, which can be done with the Neuro-compression Tactical Backpack character ability.

You'll need the Extra Capacity Cluster Munitions ability as a prerequisite. Unlocking this allows you the chance to unlock the Neuro-compression Tactical Backpack. Unlike the Extra Capacity Cluster Munitions ability, the latter increases the overall inventory size in the game.

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Full House

The Full House character ability is your best choice for increasing the speed of switching weapons in Atomic Heart. Different enemies are present, and you'll want to switch between different weapons quickly. It could be simply due to the nature of an enemy or because you have run out of ammo on your gun.

The Full House ability makes transitioning between weapons faster and smoother. This can often make a difference in a hard boss fight or when you're swamped with enemies. It's a nice little upgrade that can be extremely helpful later in the game.

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Juggler

Several character abilities allow you to increase your healing in Atomic Heart. None comes close to the Juggler ability to do so, and it has everything to do with neuromeds. Ordinarily, you'll need both hands to get neuromeds in the game. Ideally, this shouldn't be an issue, but things change when you're in a battle.

Once the Juggler character ability is unlocked, you'll need only one hand for the neuromeds. Certain prerequisites must be completed before you get to unlock the Juggler ability. However, it's relatively cheap compared to other character upgrades and can be extremely beneficial in challenging fights.