The objective of Atomic Heart is for players to take on the persona of Major Comrade P-3, who must prevent a revolt of robots in Facility 3826. The game is set in a world that blends past and future aspects, resulting in a diverse selection of sophisticated weaponry. As players explore the various laboratories and testing grounds in Facility 3826, they will encounter numerous upgrades and tools to augment their abilities.
One of the unique aspects of Atomic Heart is the presence of cartridges, which players can attach to their weapons for enhanced functionality. These cartridges are player-craftable and can be used with most weapons to add elemental damage.
However, the game’s explanation of how to use cartridges is quite essential. Players should refer to a detailed guide to gain a thorough understanding of how to equip and utilize cartridges effectively.
While playing Atomic Heart, players can come across various cartridges while exploring levels. However, they need to obtain blueprints from vending machines to craft them. For example, the blueprints for Fire Cartridge can be found in Vavilov Complex, Seed Bank, while those for Ice Cartridge are in Hot Workshop and Electric Cartridge in Algae Workshop, Breakroom. These cartridges can be crafted easily using a few resources, and players can accumulate them.
Nonetheless, players should remember that inventory space is limited, and priority should be given to health and ammo. Any extra cartridges can be stashed in vending machine storage for future use.
To utilize cartridges in Atomic Heart, players must upgrade the weapon they intend to use them on. This process involves accessing the crafting screen at any vendor and applying the cartridge gun upgrade to the desired weapon. The promotion can be applied to most guns and melee weapons.
However it is essential to note that only the first level of the module upgrade is necessary to permit the attachment of cartridges.
Navigating the process of equipping a cartridge in Atomic Heart can confuse some players, mainly when opening the weapon wheel.
To access the weapon wheel, players must press the X/SQUARE button. Once open, they can locate a blank hexagon shape at the bottom of the wheel and select it by scrolling down. Then, by pressing RT/R2, players can activate the EDIT SLOT function of the inventory.
Players must follow a specific sequence of steps to use cartridges in Atomic Heart. The first step involves installing the cartridge upgrade on their desired weapon by visiting NORA. Once the upgrade is installed, players can open the weapon wheel by pressing square on PS4/PS5 or X on Xbox. From there, they can equip a cartridge by hovering over the hexagon shape at the bottom of the wheel.
Players must first obtain the recipe to create a cartridge in Atomic Heart, which can be found in large chests. Once obtained, the recipe can be used to craft the cartridge at NORA.
After crafting the cartridge, players can access their weapon wheel and select the desired cartridge by clicking on the icon at the bottom center of the screen, provided they have it in their inventory.
Using cartridges effectively is essential, and players should target enemies with elemental weaknesses for maximum impact.
To optimize gameplay in Atomic Heart, players can have more than one cartridge type in their inventory. In such cases, they can cycle through the cartridges and select the best suits their needs. However, if they intend to carry a more significant number of cartridges, they must understand how to expand their inventory space.
Another thing which needs to be kept in mind is that the players must access the weapon wheel first to use a cartridge in the game, where all available cartridges will be displayed in the inventory.
Once a cartridge is selected, it can be equipped by pressing the RT/R2 button, and the game will show an animation of P-3 inserting the cartridge into the chosen weapon. To avoid running out of energy during battles, it is crucial to monitor the energy level of the cartridge, which is displayed on a meter located at the lower right corner of the screen. Thus, players must remain vigilant and monitor the meter closely to avoid any inconvenience during battles.
Players can increase the efficiency and duration of cartridges by upgrading cartridge modules on weapons. Additionally, some upgrades can boost the elemental damage of cartridges. Since certain elements are more effective against specific enemy types, players should experiment with different combinations to find what works best.