There are a lot of mechanics spread throughout Soul Hackers 2. The combat is fairly straightforward at the start but gets a lot more complex as players continue their adventure through the neo-Tokyo-based adventure. Once Ringo and her friends gain access to the COMP Smith, they'll open a world of upgrading potential that can transform the party into element-based specialists, capable of dishing out some serious damage to their enemies. Augments, Affinities, and Mistiques go above and beyond simple damage upgrades and can unlock a character's true potential if used correctly.
Players who want to get the most out of their party in Soul Hackers 2 are going to need to understand exactly how equipping augments works, as well as how they can upgrade their affinities and Mistique slots. The following guide will go into detail about how these mechanics work and give players a look at the COMP Smith system. It seems a bit overbearing at once, but once players understand how each subject affects the other, it gets much easier. Here's all players need to know about how to use Affinities and Mistiques in Soul Hackers 2.
Everything To Know About Mistiques
Mistiques are a bit of an overwhelming mechanic at first glance, as players will be seeing the word all over the place. To boil it down, each and every character in the Party has a slot to input something called a Mistique. As players progress through the game and complete side quests, they will sometimes be rewarded with Mistiques, which can greatly improve a character's effectiveness in battle depending on what the Mistique does. To make these special items easier to identify, they are marked with a Pink Diamond icon. Mistiques can do a variety of things, like reducing MP consumption for certain skills, increasing the power of augments, and more.
Characters start with one Mistique slot, but players can add more by purchasing specific upgrades from the COMP Smith. Some equipable Mistiques are rewarded by Demons once players train them up to their Maximum level. These Mistiques usually pertain to specific elements, and can increase their damage output or decrease the amount of MP it takes to use them. There are a wide array of Mistiques available to players throughout the game, and some of them are incredibly powerful. Unfortunately, the stronger the Mistique, the stronger the character's Affinity will need to be to wield it.
Here's a look at the "types" of Mistiques, and what each one of them does:
Mistique Type | Effect |
Arcana | Decreases Skill-type MP consumption |
Augment | Increases Skill-type power |
Boost | Increases Skill-type power when used against enemy Weakness |
Burst | Increases Skill-type power but also increases MP consumption |
Everything To Know About Affinities
Each character has access to a subset of letter grades known as Affinities. These letter grades will let a player know how proficient that character is in a specific element or Skill type. As players progress through the game and begin to unlock more powerful gear and Demon companions, they'll start to receive higher-level Mistiques that they can wield. For example, the Fire Augment can increase the power of Fire Skills by a specific percentage. Although this Augment starts out at Fire Augment I, players will begin to see Fire Augment II, and Fire Augment III as the progress (with Roman numerals continuing with each stage). The higher the Roman numerals, the more powerful the Mistique.
Some of these Mistiques are so powerful that they require a character to have a certain "proficiency" or Affinity in the appropriate element. For example, Fire Arcana VI requires a B-tier ranking in Fire Affinity. If a player has a C or D in Fire, they won't be able to equip the Misqitue. Instead, they will need to carry a B letter grade or higher. Thankfully, players can easily increase a character's Affinities by heading to the COMP Smith and purchasing the appropriate upgrade. To do this, players will need the right amount of Yen and the materials necessary, similar to upgrading a weapon.
By understanding how Mistiques work, what they do, and how to upgrade Affinities to allow for characters to wield higher-level Mistiques, they can easily increase their power to surpass the strongest enemies.