Deus Ex: Mankind Divided lets you play out your own cyberpunk fantasy.
It's an RPG set in a future where augmentations — corrective or performance-enhancing implants and prosthetics — have gifted willing humans with extraordinary capabilities. You can shoot straighter, run more quietly, hack computers with your mind and make yourself invisible.
Microfibral Muscle and Speed Enhancement are essential for making the most of Deus Ex's sprawling, multi-level environments. Targeting will let you place shots dead center on your target at almost any range, eliminating spread and recoil. Deus Ex: Human Revolution augmentation guide Usually the modern sequel to a classic PC game ends up simplifying it. Human Revolution, however, doubles the number of different augmentations you.
SEE ALSO: 'Pokemon Go' gets a cute welcome from the 'Hitman Go' team
It's all a tradeoff in Mankind Divided. There's only so much Praxis — the game's word for ability points — to go around and too many augmentations, or augs, to spend it on. Mankind Divided also introduces the new wrinkle of experimental augs which threaten to overclock your system unless you permanently shut down something else.
With so many choices in front of the player, we decided to seek some help. Deus Ex gameplay director Patrick Fortier was kind enough to offer Praxis advice to players looking to specialize in Mankind Divided's combat, stealth or hacking roles.
First things first
There are a few hoops for Adam Jensen to jump through before you start earning Praxis and unlocking his many augs.
First is a hefty tutorial mission set in a familiar location from the last game. Here, you start out with a range of augs unlocked. It's basically a 'jack-of-all-trades mode' where you get to try out a variety of basic skills suited to different play styles.
You head to the game's Prague hub after that mission but quickly discover that all of your augs are malfunctioning. Simply follow the story to fix that. It doesn't take long. You'll know you're close when you find yourself sneaking around in an enemy-occupied bookstore.
Combat build recommendations
It should come as no surprise that, according to Fortier, combat-oriented playtesters tend to focus on beefing up the Cybernetic Weapon Handling skills first. Spending here allows you to improve accuracy, cut down on recoil and boost reload speed with all firearms.
'Some of the people's favorite skills for combat are definitely the aiming stability [and] the reload speed,' Fortier said. 'All of those weapon-related ones are skills players like to invest in quickly.'
Fortier also recommends investing in Smart Vision, an aug for Jensen's eyes that allows players to see through walls and figure out where enemies and items of interest are located. It's really a skill that's useful for all playstyles, since it helps with both tactical planning and evasion.
When it comes to more active abilities, Fortier thinks Typhoon is a good one for combat players. The ammo-dependent aug allows Jensen to wade into a group of enemies and put down everyone around him in one strike.
He also wanted to remind players the lethal combat isn't the only option. Non-lethal players can benefit from many standard combat augs, thanks to Jensen's stun gun and tranquilizer rifle, as well as abilities like Typhoon.
Deus Ex Augmentations
'You can do [Typhoon] non-lethally as well now,' Fortier said. 'Combat doesn't necessarily mean lethal; you can still use non-lethal augmentations as well. You can be pretty aggressive with the P.E.P.S. or even the stun pistol. The effective range of the Typhoon is really beneficial.'
The Nanoblade aug also comes highly recommended. While its upgraded form works as a sort of remote Typhoon attack, the initial unlock is especially effective for dealing with targets that try to flank Jensen.
'You can always pick them off on the side without having to stop shooting for long,' Fortier said of Nanoblade. 'Since there's an auto-lock, you can [turn around and] get rid of [flanking enemies], then get right back into the shooting action.'
Stealth build recommendations
For players that prefer to stay quiet, avoiding action entirely or only engaging on their terms, Fortier's recommended starting point is Jensen's Glass-Shield Cloaking aug. But a close second behind that is the Icarus Dash.
'I feel like the Icarus Dash is a really interesting one as well because it lends itself so well to navigation,' Fortier said. 'You can use it aggressively to smash into people, but probably the best use of it is for traversal.
'You can actually use [Icarus Dash] to go straight into cover on a lower floor from the second floor. And you can combine with cloaking to do cloaked dashes. So you can traverse the environment really quickly and quietly.'
All stealth players should go for the initial Cybernetic Leg Prosthesis upgrade, which gives Jensen a powered high jump. But Fortier recommends investing an extra point here for the Leg Silencers as well.
'If you're a little bit more clever with your crouching, you can get away with a lot of stuff [without relying on Leg Silencers],' he said. 'But if you do like to run, that's definitely something you want to invest in.'
Noise management — and general environmental awareness, really — is made easier by improving Jensen's radar. Vision Feedback and Noise Feedback are especially useful; the former for revealing enemy vision cones and the latter for seeing how much noise you're making.
Another very helpful early investment for all stealth players is Jensen's strength enhancement, Optimized Musculature. It's the last tile in the center tier of the Cybernetic Arm Prosthesis skill tree.
This aug allows you to pick up and move heavy objects, such as refrigerators and supply crates. Not only do these objects provide mobile concealment and cover in open spaces, they're also often placed to block ventilation shafts that you can use for sneaking around.
Finally, don't overlook Remote Hacking, which is really best for stealthier play styles. Hacking unlocks doors and breaks into computers, but Remote Hacking works differently.
'You don't necessarily use it on the same items as the [standard] hacking, but it nullifies cameras, lasers, turrets, drones and things of that nature,' Fortier said.
Shutting down enemy alert systems remotely — even temporarily, as is the case with cameras, turrets and drones — is especially helpful later on in the game as enemies rely more and more on automated defenses.
Hacker build recommendations
This is the most straightforward aug path for Jensen to follow, and a strong early-game choice that pairs particularly well with a later lean toward stealth.
Hacking Capture is your top-priority aug, since it's the one that dictates which devices you can and can't hack. Hacking Stealth should be next, since remaining unseen gets tough with the more difficult hacks.
Deus Ex 1 Download
Save Hacking Fortify for last. It's a big help with higher-level hacks, provided you remember to fortify all of your captured tiles. Stealth's benefits apply passively, which is why it's best to invest in that before Fortify.
In truth, most play styles should incorporate some form of hacker build. If you're looking to beef Jensen up early on by playing through sidequests and exploring, going hacker-first is smart. There's no penalty for stealing from unoccupied apartments, and looting the city of Prague with abandon is easier when you can hack your way past obstacles.
All that said, hacking isn't a requirement. If you prefer to skip it entirely, be sure to stock up on Multi-Tools — single-use items that let you commandeer a device without hacking it. Similarly, hoard all of your crafting parts — which can be found in abundance — and use them to make even more Multi-Tools.
Deus Ex 1 Download
Other useful augs
All players should consider investing in the Social Enhancer relatively early, especially before you go digging into much of the story. It's a little tough to understand at first, but the aug allows you to 'win' during most key conversations.
The trick to using Social Enhancer is watching the meter that sometimes appears during conversations. The meter shows the speaker's Alpha, Beta and Omega levels. What those are doesn't actually matter; the trick is to watch the flashing light that appears under each one.
As whoever you're talking to speaks, the light appears under Alpha, Beta or Omega at varying intervals. The trick is to figure out which one gets the most flashes and then choose the subsequent dialogue prompt marked with that level.
So, for example, if you count two flashes for Beta and three for Omega during one stretch of conversation, you'll choose the dialogue option marked with Omega next. It's very simple once you see it all laid out.
Deus Ex 1 Augmentations Guide 4
It's also worth looking at Jensen's other strength upgrades regardless of your play style. The one that lets you punch through certain walls can open up new paths of travel (though it makes a little noise).
More valuable are the inventory upgrades. In a game like Deus Ex, being able to carry more stuff — which means you can sell more stuff with each store visit — is always helpful. It's not a priority, but boosting your inventory is never a bad thing.
A word about Overclocking
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided introduces a set of 'experimental' augs. There are seven of them in all, though investing in even one starts to throw Jensen's system out of balance, as indicated at the bottom of the Augmentations screen in the 'System Status' field.
Ideally, your System Status is always at 100%. Investing Praxis in an experimental aug pushes that number higher, but you can bring it back down by permanently deactivating one of the other experimental augs.
The idea is for players to find a balance. If you're going the non-lethal route, you might want to invest in the Tesla experimental aug and balance it out by shutting off Nanoblade, which delivers lethal strikes.
You can simply wait, as an option opens up much later in the game that allows you to activate as many experimental augs as you want. But as Fortier pointed out, overclocking Jensen isn't the worst thing you could do.
'There is some leeway. You can overclock a bit without much of a penalty,' he said.
'You're only going to start seeing an effect with the second augmentation, and then with the third and the fourth the effects are still relatively minimal. It's not too penalizing. So you can still go down that rabbit hole a little bit and explore that.'
- Arm Augmentations: Cybernetic Arm Prosthesis
Instant Take-Down: You start the game with this. The takedown may not seem instant, but it is. The world clock pauses, and everything freezes as you engage in a takedown.
Move/Throw Heavy Objects: You can move and throw heavy objects, such as vending machines, dumpsters, fridges, metal containers etc.
Is it worth it? Yes. The ability to move objects allows you to get to areas previously inaccessible, reveal that hidden passage, or stack objects to get over that fence. You don’t have to upgrade this immediately, but it is quite useful, especially as a stealth player.
Punch Through Wall: As may be evident, you can punch through a wall. If there is an enemy on the other side of said wall, you will punch through, grab his neck, and snap it. Any other nearby enemies will also fall to the ground from the impact. Breakable wall segments exist throughout the game, but you can only seem them outlined if you have this augmentation. Simply walk up to the wall, and press your interact button to punch through it.
Is it worth it? Yes. It is just one point, and there are a lot of areas peppered throughout the game that will allow you access to hidden stashes as well as alternate routes.
Recoil Compensation 1-2: All weapons in Deus Ex: Human Revolution recoil. At Recoil Compensation 1, this is reduced by 50%. At level 2, recoil is eliminated altogether. Bear in mind though, that you will need points in Move/Throw Heavy Objects or Punch Through Wall.
Is it worth it? If you are a stealth player, no. If you are an aggressive player, absolutely yes.
Carrying Capacity 1-3: Your inventory size is limited. Each point invested in Carrying Capacity unlocks two additional columns of inventory space.
Is it worth it? Depends on how much of a pack-rat you really are. The only reason to continue to carry weapons is to sell them later to weapons, as you will find them off of enemy bodies, in hidden stashes and weapon cabinets quite often. So if you choose to be careful with your inventory, you can actually get away with investing zero points in this. Towards the end, you can invest points in this tree if you have any to spare. - Arm Augmentations: Aim Stabilizer
Aiming Motion Control 1-2: This augmentation reduces the bloom you see when moving by 50% at level 1 and eliminates it altogether at level 2.
Is it worth it? As a stealth player, no. As an aggressive player, maybe. If bloom really bothers you, you can invest points in this augmentation later on. I found it to be a waste of points in any playing model. - Eye Augmentations: Smart Vision
Wall-Penetrating Imager: This augmentation allows you to see outlines of enemies and other threats (cameras, lasers, robots, turret, alarm panels) through walls, including the floor and the ceiling. It has a limited range, about 30 yards, if I had to venture a guess.
Is it worth it? Yes, but not immediately. You can wait a bit to focus on more critical upgrades, but you should definitely get this one. I didn’t think this would be useful, but I have been wrong before. This can quickly become very useful as you find yourself activating it frequently to determine exact enemy positions. It also drains an energy cells at a very low rate, so you don’t have to worry about running out of juice. - Eye Augmentations: Retinal Prosthesis
Retinal Prosthesis: Displays the HUD. You start the game with this.
Cooldown Timer: A suspicious enemy will investigate an area of disturbance (heard you running around, saw a grate open, heard something crash, saw you very briefly etc.) The enemy will be in an alert state during this time, and will go back to a relaxed state after a time. This augmentation tells you exactly how long before he goes back to a relaxed state.
Is it worth it? No, avoid it like the plague.
Flash Suppressant: Flash and concussion grenades will have no effect.
Is it worth it? If you are feeling particularly wasteful and generous with your Praxis points, go ahead. But this is one augmentation that can wait until you have upgraded just about everything else. - Back Augmentations: Reflex Booster
Multiple Take-Down: Allows you to take out two targets (lethal or non-lethal) if they are standing sufficiently close. If you take out two enemies after this augmentation upgrade, it will still only use up one energy cell.
Is it worth it? The term “no-brainer” was invented for situations like these. This is a critical upgrade, get it as soon as you can. - Back Augmentations: Icarus Landing System
Descent Velocity Modulator: In addition to being able to fall off a building without taking damage, you can also activate a ground pound which will stun nearby enemies, opening them up to a devastating area attack like the Typhoon.
Is it worth it? Not really. If you have points towards the end of the game, this can come in handy. Hengsha, for example, has plenty of quick drops that can save you some time. But this is not a critical upgrade and you can do without it the entire playthrough. I eventually invested in it because I had accumulated way too many Praxis points as a stealth player.