Prey drops you right into the chaos aboard Talos I without much character building to start. There’s no sugarcoating this: it will be HARD to navigate the space station no matter what neuromods you invest in during the beginning of the game. However, there are some skills that will help things go a little- and we stress the little here- more smoothly in the beginning. This character build guide isall about the neuromods you should install right away in Prey .
READ: Here's The First Safe Combination You'll Need In Prey, Plus 5 More
Leverage I
Neuromods needed: 1
Out of bullets with a phantom coming at you? Throw a computer terminal at the bastard to slow him down! Leverage I lets you pick up lift moderately sized objects like a chair or a small table. It might not sound so glamorous, but Prey requires a lot of improvisation.
Leverage I also allows you to move crates and boxes to get around certain areas. This is a godsend early on when you’re trying to pick up the Psychoscope. Without giving away spoilers, the main storyline will direct you to a bathroom area with two openings, at least that’s what we’ve experienced so far. If you go left, you’ll have to sneak your way past some Phantoms and Mimics to get to a hole in the floor. Drop down that hole and you’ll encounter some mimics and a Psychoscope. If you have Leverage I, you can go right and there will be an area with some crates you can push through. You’ll encounter less Typhon that way..
Leverage also comes in handy for accessing hidden areas and stashed goods. Basically, if you can move something you should move it. Early in the game resources are scarce and that extra medkit will go a long, long way.
Hack I, Hack II
Neuromods needed: 1, 4
Hack I will allow you to bypass level 1 security measures on computers, keypads and some robotics systems, like turrets. Hack II allows players to bypass level 2 security measures and so on.
Like we said earlier, Prey requires a lot of improvisation. You will need to be resourceful and carefully check your surroundings for weapons, ammo, medkits, snacks, drinks and random “junk” lying around. Things like frayed wire, banana peels, plants, crumpled paper, cigars, typhon organs, tubing, spare parts, etc. can be thrown into recyclers to craft items. There are plenty of keypads that only require Hack I to open them. You’ll be grateful for this skill even if the room you’ve hacked into only contains some junk and a water cooler to help you heal. There are plenty of supply closets on Talos I that contain some medkits and GLOO canisters.
Pro tip: Make sure to close doors behind you when possible. Typhon will follow you. If you’re in a room with glass that can easily be smashed, you’ll also want to make sure they can’t see you. Typhon can and WILL break the glass.
Repair I, Repair II
Neuromods needed: 1, 3
It’s safe to assume at least 75 percent of Talos I needs some kind of repair. Especially turrets. You need turrets. Turrets are your friend.
Repair I will let you fix broken grav shafts, fabricators, and recyclers with spare parts. It also lets you fix turrets that get smashed during combat. Repair II lets you tinker with operators and electrical junctions with spare parts, and boost the efficiency of spare parts so the things you fix don’t break as easily. You’ll want to fix as much as you can when possible. You don’t have a huge cache of weapons and medkits when you start Prey . Sometimes your best chance for survival is luring multiple Typhon to an area with a turret. You can let the turret distract them as you make your way to your destination. The goal is to survive.
Conditioning
Neuromods needed: 1
Conditioning boosts your health to 115 and your stamina to 105, but the perk here is you’ll be able to run faster. Sometimes you have no choice but to run to a door before the Typhon get you. This boost might be the difference of you loading up another quicksave to start over or getting to your destination.
Stealth I
Neuromods needed: 1
This neuromod buys you a little bit more time before you’re detected by a Typhon when sneaking around. Always sneak. Don’t just walk in and think you’re safe. Trust nothing. One time we saw a medkit on a conference table and thought, “THANK GOD!” It was a mimic. That was a particularly hard lesson to learn.
Pro-tip: Quicksave is your friend. Be sure you quicksave when you’re by a medical or engineering operator. It’s a good starting point when you- and no matter how hard you try it will happen- fuck up later.
---
All of these neuromod enhancements are human abilities. You’ll be a few hours in before you can really start considering using neuromods on Typhon abilities. Plus Typhon abilities require an extra step; you’ll need to scan multiple Typhon with the Psychoscope to unlock traits. Just focus on the human abilities first, then play around with alien abilities. However, the point of Prey is that no two players’ experiences will be alike. Which skills do you think are worth investing in early on? Let us know in the comments below.
Prey is available now on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes for our official review.
