In Atomic Heart players, take on the role of Agent P-3, a secret agent in the employ of Dr. Sechenov. The doctor sends P-3 to Facility 3826, where the events of Atomic Heart take place. His mission is to investigate a malfunction that switched all the civilian robots there into combat mode.
P-3 shows up to Facility 3826 with surprisingly little in the way of armaments. Instead, he fashions weapons out of whatever scrap, goop, and sheet metal he can find in this ruined, futuristic facility. The player can choose how to upgrade these weapons in ways that maximize their effectiveness against various enemy types or in certain situations. The following is a deep dive into the strongest weapon builds players can craft in Atomic Heart.
Best Weapon Builds
The following builds have been found by many players to be the most effective in the game. There are many wild weapons in Atomic Heart, and they can all be incredibly powerful. However, the following builds provide the best damage or utility among similar weapons.
The Shredding Star
The Zvezdochka (roughly translated to mean “star”) is absolutely the most devastating weapon in Atomic Heart. That is, as long as it has the Saw Dance charge attack. Fully upgraded, the Zvezdochka can shred any enemy to tatters in seconds.
| Part | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Disk | Extra Saw |
| Crushing Blow | Saw Dance |
| Handle | Ergonomic Handle |
| Cartridge Gun | Cartridge Module |
The Boomstick
The KS-23 packs one helluva punch. Built out properly it can drop most regular robots or organics in one or two hits. With a fully-extended magazine, it can fire 10 shots before needing to reload. The KS-23, fully upgraded as shown below, is a reliable, efficient weapon any player can take through the whole game.
| Part | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Handle | Damper-Polymeric Stock |
| Barrel | Expansive Converter |
| Cartridge Gun | Cartridge Module |
| Magazine | Extended Magazine |
| Aiming Device | Collimator |
Fatty Boom Boom
The Fat Boy starts out as a very typical rocket launcher. It fires big, dumb missiles and can only hit big, dumb targets. However, once fully upgraded, the Fat Boy can be an incredible weapon to use on even the most agile enemies.
| Part | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Projectiles | Homing Projectiles |
| Barrel | Revolver Loading Module |
The Shokkubus
The Electro might seem unimpressive at first, and its damage output supports that assumption. However, upon closer inspection, players will discover that the Electro has one amazingly useful upgrade: The Energy Vampire Module. Any player that relies on careful use of Energy is better off with a properly-upgraded Electro.
| Part | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Stunning Head | Energy Vampire Module |
| Barrel | Electromagnetic Emitter |
| Recirculation Chamber | Polymer Rheostat |
The Kalashbah
The Kalash (a Russian slang word for Kalashnikov rifles) does a decent job of peppering enemies with low-damage bullets. Fully upgraded however, the Kalash has a seemingly bottomless magazine and bullets that slam through enemies like cannonballs. It’s especially effective at taking out organic enemies at medium range, where the KS-23 would fall short.
| Part | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Stock | Electrokinetic Stock |
| Barrel | Expansive Converter |
| Cartridge Gun | Cartridge Module |
| Magazine | Extended Magazine |
| Aiming Device | Thermal Imager |
The Granny Zina Special
The Dominator Agent P-3 gets from Granny Zina takes some work to get to the point that it’s actually useful. However, after it is fully upgraded, the Dominator can shred health bars with rapid-fire blasts or a charged Plasma Ram burst. It’s incredibly effective against any boss that isn’t resistant to Energy weapons.
| Part | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Projectiles | Vortex Transducer |
| Receiver | High-Intensity Modulators |
| Plasma Storage | Plasma Ram |
The Snowball from Hell
The Snowball itself is a seemingly middling weapon. It serves as a nice balance between the speed of the Fox or Pashtet and the hard-hitting Zvezdochka. It has one trick though that can make it the most powerful weapon in Agent P-3’s arsenal: the Battering Blow special attack.
If the player can corner a boss with a Battering Blow, the Snowball from Hell will absolutely melt that boss’ health bar. It isn’t always easy to pull off; many times the player will end up charging back and forth like they’re trying to joust, but in ideal circumstances it works wonders.
| Part | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Finial | Polymeric Alloy Aerodynamic Attachment |
| Crushing Blow | Battering Blow |
| Handle | Ergonomic Handle |
| Cartridge Gun | Cartridge Module |
Atomic Heart is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.