One of the first things players will notice in Atomic Heart is their talking glove companion, Char-les. This A.I. character provides P-3, the game's protagonist, with some more-than-natural abilities, which can be utilized for loot collection, puzzle solving, and combat special abilities. While there are only limited abilities to choose from in Atomic Heart, each contains a tree of skills that can be customized to the player's will and offers a diverse range of modifications to each ability.
In Atomic Heart, glove abilities and upgrades can be purchased at NORA robot stations. These are located fairly frequently throughout the game, usually nearby to a save point; however, players should be prepared as these robots can be more than mere workstations at times, and they sometimes have aloof and promiscuous personalities of their own. Abilities and upgrades can be purchased with the currency of Neuropolymers, which can be found throughout in loot-able chests, draws, and desks as well as fallen enemies.
6 Shok
The basic ability in Atomic Heart, Shok allows Char-les to deliver a small electromagnetic bolt toward enemies or objects. This can be best used to stop charging enemies, buy extra time to heal, and interact with a variety of objects such as blocked doors and CCTV cameras, which may require this ability to be used in order to pass them.
Shok can be upgraded to include "Chain Lightning" and "Extended Topology." These upgrades turn it into a powerful area-of-effect weapon that deals heavy damage against multiple enemies at once, with bonus damage to robots - who make up the majority of the enemies P-3 faces throughout the campaign. Shok is, therefore, essential, which is probably why it is provided from the very start of the game for free.
5 Frostbite
This ability unleashes a cold blast that can freeze opponents and deliver damage as well as give the player a window of time in which to unleash free attacks. While there are many good upgrades for Frostbite, "Careful Disassembly" is one of the best, granting players additional items when looting fallen enemies.
As for the attack itself, "Absolute Zero" will be at the pinnacle of the skill tree in terms of handing out heavy damage to both organic and robotic foes alike.
4 Mass Telekinesis
A strong area-of-effect ability, Mass Telekinesis is most useful when P-3 is faced with multiple opponents so that the power can link them together and lift them into the sky, enabling the player free ranged attacks. "Forced Fall Acceleration" will do as it says, slamming enemies into the ground to deliver additional damage and often finish them off.
An additional noteworthy upgrade is the "Increased Power" ability, enabling players to lift heavier enemies, including bosses. This is the most unique and effective ability and provides the most entertaining animations as PS-3 uses the slam ability to rapidly disassemble his mechanical attackers.
3 Polymeric Jet
Polymeric Jet might not be the most effective Atomic Heart option against the majority of enemies, but provides bonuses when facing certain bosses and can be useful when upgraded. However, this is generally a weaker tool in comparison with other alternatives. Its base ability will act to slow enemies, but not as effectively as Frostbite.
It is best used with the upgrades "High Viscosity" and "Mixture Efficacy" to increase overall damage. In conjunction with "Increased Chemical Reactive Distance," the Polymeric Jet can be turned into quite a powerful area-of-effect weapon against groups of enemies, but it is not as potent as Shok or Mass Telekinesis when upgraded.
2 Polymeric Shield
This ability will provide extra damage resistance which can be particularly useful in boss battles or when someone is outnumbered. "Med Unit Feedback" is the most practical upgrade as it will convert enemy damage into health, which can be essential in close moments when an Atomic Heart player is low on medical supplies.
"Sponge Effect" works similarly, converting enemy damage into energy, allowing P-3 to use more abilities in succession before it is drained. "Kinetic Reflector Upgrade" can also be useful on harder difficulties as it deflects critical hits, avoiding massive amounts of game-ending damage in the process.
1 Energy Management
Being able to access more efficient energy will mean that certain weapons and abilities which drain this will do so more slowly, maximizing the player's damage output as they gain a significant advantage over most opponents. "Energy Density" will double the amount of total energy stored and is best purchased earlier in order to provide maximum benefit to other weapons and abilities.
"Greedy Guts" will work to slow the cooldown time of energy abilities, meaning that in combination these two upgrades will enable players to double the output at half the ordinary cooldown cost. This skill tree is pursued first as it has a knock-on effect that benefits all other glove abilities in Atomic Heart.
Atomic Heart came out on February 21, 2023, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.