Atomic Heart is an action packed game with intense combat and difficult enemies. Luckily, the game not only gives you a variety of powerful weapons. You also have several ways to improve them.

If you’ve played the game for even a little while, you know how tough it can get. Trust me when I say this, you really need this. If you don’t upgrade your weapons, you will be fighting an uphill battle. Even on the lowest difficulty!

The way to do it is a little… tricky. Before you can upgrade your weapons, you must find the relevant blueprint. But you’re not done there. You need the right resources to buy the upgrades.

Luckily, the game is literally littered with resources. If you go around every room searching, you won’t run out of stuff. 

On the other hand, finding the blueprints can be tricky. Some of them are in specific locations. Others are randomly spread out in the world. That being said, they are more likely to pop up in some places. So in this guide, I’ll highlight those spots.

10. Ergonomic Handle - Pashtet

I’m gonna be honest here. Pashtet is my favorite weapon in the whole game, so I might have a bias towards it. But can you blame me? It’s a fast swinging one-handed weapon that deals a lot of damage. And in Atomic Heart, both matter a lot.

There’s a big reason for choosing this upgrade. Energy is pretty important for using weapons like Electro, Dominator or Railgun. But it takes time to recharge.

Why Ergonomic Handle Is Awesome:

• Speeds up the recovery of energy with every hit
• Pashtet’s fast swing speed means the energy meter can be filled very fast.
• It can be upgraded to increase attack speed even more

How to Get Ergonomic Handle:

Ergonomic Handle Details:

• Attack Speed: +2
• Charge Speed: +2
• Killing an enemy can recharge health or energy

9. Reverse Shot - Zvezdochka

I don’t usually play games with two-handed weapons, but I’m happy to make an exception for this bad boy. Zvezdochka is a powerhouse of a weapon. Just one look at it is enough to make you shiver. Even the game doesn’t know what exactly is going on, but we’re happy it exists.

This weapon also has a great range. But you can often find ways to extend a range. And the way this weapon does it is by shooting flying saws!

Why Reverse Shot Is Awesome:

• Zvezdochka shoots out circular saws towards enemies
• The flying saws deal a lot of damage
• The power attack costs energy, but that can be easily recovered by attacking

How to Get Reverse Shot:

Reverse Shot Details:

• Charge Damage: +1
• Enemies can’t knock you down when you’re attacking
• Every kill restores your health

8. Electromagnetic Polarizer - Kalash

Every first person shooter has an AK-47, it’s almost a rule. And Atomic Heart was made in Russia. Of course the most powerful projectile weapon is Kalash!

Still, you can never have too much damage. And since this is one of the weapons you should be holding onto for Boss Battles, it should be dealing extra damage. That’s where this upgrade comes in.

Why Electromagnetic Polarizer Is Awesome:

• Kalash deals 10% more damage to robots
• Most of the powerful enemy types are robots, with one exception. This makes it the ideal upgrade for these encounters.

How to Get Electromagnetic Polarizer:

Electromagnetic Polarizer Details:

• Damage: +2
• Recoil Control: +1
• Decreased Spread: +2
• Reduced recoil
• Increased accuracy

7. Electrokinetic Stock - Kalash

And here’s another entry for Kalash! This one obviously does something slightly different. And very essential.

You’ll see this in most games that have automatic weapons. The bullets spread a fair bit, so a lot of them end up missing. Especially when you’re far. This upgrade fixes that.

Why Electrokinetic Stock Is Awesome:

• The upgrade stabilizes Kalash, reducing its spread
• More of the bullets will actually land on the enemies
• And as more bullets hit, you’ll deal more damage

How to Get Electrokinetic Stock:

Electrokinetic Stock Details:

• Damage: +1
• Ergonomics: +2
• Recoil Control: +1
• Decreased Spread: +2
• Increased accuracy
• Reduced recoil
• You’ll do more damage if you shoot for longer

6. Damper-Polymeric Stock - KS-23

Who doesn’t love a shotgun? Atomic Heart throws a lot of enemies in your face, and you’ll find yourself pulling this weapon out to deal with crowds. It also helps that the shotgun is pretty powerful and you get it early on during the game.

You probably already know that the downside of any shotgun is their low firing rate. Well, that’s why you want this upgrade.

Why Damper-Polymeric Stock Is Awesome:

• Increases reload speed
• Makes it possible to fire more often during combat

How to Get Damper-Polymeric Stock:

Damper-Polymeric Stock Details:

• Damage: +1
• Rate Of Fire: +2
• Ergonomics: +1
• Recoil Control: +3
• Decreased Spread: +2
• Reduced recoil
• You get more energy for killing enemies

5. Reflex Blade - Pashtet

I’ve already sung a lot of praise for this weapon. You already know that it swings fast and hits hard. What if I told you it could hit harder?

Hear me out. The organics are some of the most annoying enemy types in Atomic Heart. Most of them can be taken out easily, but they’re fast and viscous. And that’s why you need a fast weapon like Pashtet.

Why Reflex Blade Is Awesome:

• Pashtet will deal extra damage to organic enemies
• High swing speed means that organics can be dealt with quickly

How to Get Reflex Blade:

Reflex Blade Details:

• Damage: +2
• Speed: +2
• Charge Damage: +1

4. Energy Vampire Module - Electro

When you first get Electro, you might underestimate it. I know I did. It basically looks like a gun with some fancy wires and tubes taped to it. More like a toy, if anything.

But this little guy has the highest damage output in the whole game. And because it’s an energy weapon, you don’t need ammo. Your energy meter fills up by itself. Or when you attack your enemies.

But what if you could recharge your energy bar with an energy weapon? Pretty crazy, but you can do it with Electro if you have this upgrade.

Why Energy Vampire Module Is Awesome:

• Sucks up the enemy’s energy battery
• Fills up your energy meter
• Has a cool effect that makes it look like the enemy’s skin is being sucked up
• Electro can be fired over and over as the meter can recharged using Energy Vampire
• How to Get Energy Vampire Module: https://youtu.be/eLrc7yLbLXw (Start at 1:48)

Energy Vampire Module Details:

• Increases the range of the special attack
• You absorb more energy from robots
• You absorb health from organic enemies

3. Revolver Loading Module - Fat Boy

With a name like Fat Boy, you know it’s going to be super powerful. It’s a rocket launcher so of course it’s powerful. 

For context, the name’s actually a nod to real life history. At the end of World War II, the US dropped two Atomic bombs on Japan. They were called Fat Man and Little Boy. This weapon basically merges the two names.

That’s enough history lesson for today. Let’s talk about the upgrade, shall we? Rocket launchers are slow weapons because you can only load one ammo. But this upgrade fixes that!

Why Revolver Loading Module Is Awesome:

• Load three missile projectiles in the Fat Boy
• The rocket launcher can now shoots three missiles at the enemy

How to Get Revolver Loading Module:

Revolver Loading Module Details:

• Extended magazine

2. Homing Projectiles - Fat Boy

This is another upgrade for the very overpowered Fat Boy. And this upgrade is part of what makes it so OP. The Fat Boy already deals a ton of damage. If you get the last entry, it’ll potentially do 3 times as before. 

And with this, you won’t even miss. I’m sure you’ve figured it out from the name of the upgrade. It’s a pretty simple name.

Why Homing Projectiles Is Awesome:

• The Fat Boy locks onto the enemy automatically
• The missiles shot from the rocket launcher follow the enemy until it hits

How to Get Homing Projectiles:

Homing Projectiles Details:

• Rockets target the enemies
• Faster lock-on
• Faster rockets
• Better accuracy
• You deal more damage from farther away

1. Cartridge Gun - All Weapons (Except Railgun and Fatboy)

You might be wondering, what is the cartridge gun? Well, it’s basically something you can attach to almost any weapon. By doing so, they will deal elemental damage. 

Pretty handy, right? Personally, I consider this to be the best upgrade in the game. Other than the Railgun and the Fat Boy, every weapon can be upgraded to use this. 

With this, you can make any weapon dish out elemental damage. And this is very useful when you think about the enemy’s weaknesses. 

Using it can be a little tricky though. Yes, you can install the cartridge gun from the get go. But you need to find the blueprints for the three cartridges to use them. Luckily, you can find them pretty early in the game.

Why Cartridge Gun Is Awesome:

• Weapons upgraded with this can attach a cartridge that deals elemental damage
• It’s very easy to use. The cartridge slot can be found using the Weapon Wheel

How to Get Cartridge Gun:

Cartridge Gun Details:

• Fire Cartridges deal fire damage and can burn enemies
• Ice Cartridges deal ice damage and can freeze enemies
• Electric Cartridges deal shock damage and can electrify enemies

You may also be interested in:

• Atomic Heart Best Weapons (Ranked Worst To Best)

• [Guide] Atomic Heart Difficulty Levels Explained - Choosing Best The Difficulty For You

• [Top 15] Atomic Heart Best Skills To Have (From Early To Late Game)