Not only will Upgrade Chips make you stronger in Ghostrunner 2, but they will also totally change the feeling of combat and movement. All of them are useful, but choosing the right ones to prioritize first can be difficult.
This guide will walk you through which Upgrade Chips are the “must haves” of Ghostrunner 2. All Upgrade Chips are viable options, but some are cornerstones that I can’t even imagine playing without.
How do Upgrade Chips work in Ghostrunner 2?
The system for Upgrade Chips is pretty straightforward but has some really cool and unique quirks. For the most part, you can just think of Upgrade Chips as the perks of Ghostrunner 2.
Every Upgrade Chip has a price in Data to be purchased, as well as an Install Cost that takes up room in your Memory. Memory is upgraded by finding Memory Shards hidden throughout levels.
In short:
- Upgrade Chips are purchased with Data
- Upgrade Chips take up Memory space
- You can Upgrade your total Memory as you progress
There are also different categories of Upgrade Chips. There are eight total categories, but you only need to worry about four categories for now, as the others don’t become available until you’ve advanced further into the game. The four early game Upgrade Categories are:
- Sword
- System
- Traversal
- Flow
When and how do you unlock Upgrades?
At certain checkpoints in Ghostrunner 2, you return back to HQ to speak with other characters. The first time you do so, which is right after the level Will Bushido Allow It—you will unlock Upgrades. The terminal where upgrades are purchased and installed sticks out like a sore thumb, especially because you will be specifically instructed to go use it.
The best Upgrade Chips to unlock first in Ghostrunner 2
Out of the categories available early on in Ghostrunner 2, there isn’t really one category that dominates the others in terms of early game benefit. Rather, there is a very simple combination of categories that will make you formidable, but more importantly—make the game easier.
Here are my top picks for the most important Upgrade Chips to pick up first in Ghostrunner 2.
Smooth Moves—System Upgrade
This is the absolute best Upgrade that you can get early on in Ghostrunner 2.
- Smooth Moves makes it significantly easier to perform parries and reflect projectiles.
In Ghostrunner 2, blocking an attack at the last possible second gives an added bonus—a parry. If the attack is coming from a melee enemy, parrying instantly kills them. If it is coming from a ranged enemy, you will reflect the bullet instead of just blocking it.
The window for parrying in this game is very, very small. I’m a God of War fan, so I’m no stranger to difficult parry windows. Even so, I found the window in Ghostrunner 2 challenging to consistently hit.
While the exact amount that the window is extended by isn’t revealed, I can tell you this—Smooth Moves took parrying from pretty difficult to second nature. With this Upgrade, I’m able to hit the parry 90 percent of the time.
Smart Deflect—Sword Upgrade
Smart Deflect is fantastic on its own, but it also synergizes very well with Smooth Moves.
- Smart Deflect causes parried bullets to return straight back to the attacker.
Normally, parrying a bullet doesn’t mean that the attacker is doomed, because the bullet goes wherever you are currently aiming. 90 percent of the time, that isn’t toward the one who fired the shot.
Ghostrunner 2 is such a fast-paced and hectic game, that taking the time to position your reticle on ranged enemies is not only impractical, it is almost self-destructive. You really don’t have time to be slow and meticulous in this game.
As such, parrying bullets very rarely means that you’re killing an enemy, just that you’re not getting killed yourself. With this Upgrade, that changes, as parried bullets will find their attacker no matter where your reticle is relative to them.
Combined with Smooth Moves, you now have a much larger window to parry, AND parried bullets will automatically kill the foe that shot them. These two Upgrade Chips alone will make you an absolute menace.
Artificial Senses—Traversal Upgrade
This Upgrade will help you start taking advantage of one of the most important survival mechanisms in Ghostrunner 2.
- Artificial Senses makes Sensory Boost consume 25 percent less Stamina.
Sensory Boost is the ability triggered by holding down the dash button that slows all time around Jack and gives you time to choose your dodge direction. It is rare for games to have a feature like this, so many players probably aren’t used to taking advantage of it.
In Ghostrunner 2, there are many attacks that are almost impossible to pinpoint the correct dodge direction for without Sensory Boost. This is a tool that you should be using very often—it will absolutely save your life.
Of course, this ability consumes Stamina, and keeping an eye on your Stamina bar during fast paced and stressful combat can be a big ask. Running out of Stamina without realizing it can also be a death sentence. With Artificial Senses, you don’t have to worry about this happening nearly as often.
Finding the right Upgrade Chips for you in Ghostrunner 2
While I firmly believe these are the three best Upgrade Chips to get first, there is no objective right answer. As you keep playing and learning, you may find that you don’t like parrying at all. That’s okay—there is no one single “right” way to play.
The best way that you can pick Upgrade Chips is by asking yourself, “What are my favorite parts of the gameplay?” If you don’t like using Shurikens, don’t feel obligated to get Upgrades for them. There are plenty of different viable build options in Ghostrunner 2, so you should always play to your own strengths and preferences when deciding on which Upgrade Chip to get next.
On that note, the Data used to buy new Upgrade Chips is very abundant—don’t be afraid to try things out and change your mind. Purchasing a Chip doesn’t mean you have to use it forever, or even for a little bit.
