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The Ascent: Character Build Guide

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The Ascent is a complex RPG, and like any video game of this genre, you have a lot of choices when it comes to customizing your character. This customization comes in the form of both cosmetic and gameplay choices. There are many different perks to unlock, skills to upgrade, and weapons to acquire, so you'll need a lot of information to build the best character possible that also fits your unique play style.

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It may seem as though weapons and skills are the most important aspect for combat upgrades, however, augmentations are equally as useful because they offer important upgrades that you can't unlock through any other methods. These are the most important things to consider while building your character, and all the information that you'll need to start upgrading every aspect of your build.

Customizing Your Character's Appearance

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Although combat abilities and weaponry are the core aspects of customizing your character, you may also be interested in the customization options for your character and whether or not they make a difference during the gameplay.

To start, visual character customization is cosmetic only, so you won't gain an extra speed or strength advantage regardless of how you choose your character to look. However, The Ascent isn't a first-person video game, which means that you'll have to look at your character for the majority of the game, so customization of your character in an aesthetically pleasing way is important.

There are many different appearance options for you to choose from, from hairstyles to tattoos, so take your time while creating your character at the beginning of a playthrough because you won't get to change their appearance for a while.

If you do decide that you want to change your character's appearance later in your adventure, then you can travel to the Grafter, which is an NPC that you can find by looking for the DNA symbol on your map. After talking with the Grafter, you can then select the option "Go In For Surgery" where you will be allowed to customize every aspect of your character's appearance.

What Are Modules And Augmentations And How Do You Unlock Them?

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Augmentations and Modules are one of the best item types in The Ascent because they not only grant powerful abilities, but you can also switch them out whenever you want, unlike regular perks. You can purchase augmentations and modules from vendors throughout the game; however, they can also be found occasionally while adventuring inside of chests or through random enemy item drops.

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There are a lot of different augmentations and modules for you to consider; however, some of them are very expensive, so you may not be able to afford them all until you've been playing for a while. Augmentations add a unique ability, such as deploying drones to deal damage towards enemies. While modules give you a passive effect, including increasing your maximum HP.

You can equip any two augmentations and any two modules at the same time, so it's important to consider which ones will have the greatest positive impact on your build since every player is different. Even if you're building a specific type of character, you may prefer to have an augmentation or module that doesn't fit the traditional parameters of your build.

What Armor Should You Use?

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Armor isn't quite as connected to an individual character build as your weapon type or primary skills; however, every piece of armor grants unique abilities, so it's important to consider the best armor for your build when creating your character.

Most of the armor you will use in The Ascent is obtained through completing missions and random enemy drops; however, you can also buy various armor pieces from vendors throughout the game, although this will require spending a lot of in-game money if you buy new armor pieces often.

The best policy for which armor pieces to use is to consider if it grants a bonus to one of your build's primary skills. For example, if you are prioritizing the Balance skill, then you should equip armor that has a bonus for the Balance skill. Otherwise, use what armor you think fits your play style the best, whether that be for the extra effects or because it grants a lot of damage protection; the choices are up to you.

NOTE: You can also sell armor for a profit, so you should consider selling armor that you aren't going to use or are no longer using to a merchant.

Which Weapon Type Should You Choose?

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There are a ton of different weapons to find and use while playing through The Ascent; however, there are only five core weapon types.

The five different weapon types include everything from sniper rifles to flame-throwers, so you have a lot of choice. You can purchase weapons from vendors and upgrade them at the Gunsmith NPC. You can also find new weapons by defeating enemies and completing missions, so stay on the lookout for new weapons while adventuring. Here's a brief description of what to expect with each type of weapon.

Precision Weapons

Precision Weapons are exactly what you would expect — sniper rifles. You can use this weapon type at a range much further than other weapons, so you should consider picking one up if you prefer staying behind cover instead of rushing into battle head-on.

You can deal a ton of damage with each shot from a Precision Weapon, which is great if you don't want to reload after defeating a single enemy. However, Precision Weapons also tend to have less ammo per magazine, so you'll have to hit most of your shots to use these guns effectively.

Shotguns

Shotguns deal damage to multiple enemies that are next to each other, but their core downside is that they can't damage enemies in middle or far range, which makes them ineffective if you prefer to hide behind cover or don't have a lot of HP.

Even with this disadvantage, shotguns are one of your best choices for guns that deal high DPS, which makes them worth considering if you enjoy staying within close range of your enemies. It may be worth upgrading your HP if you use shotguns a lot since you'll regularly be within the damage range of your enemy's weapon.

Sidearms

Sidearms are made up of pistols, which aren't quite as strong as most of the other weapon types, although they do have their advantages at certain points. Most notably, sidearms are particularly advantageous to use while starting off since they're relatively common.

Furthermore, sidearms are simple and don't require much getting used to, which can be an advantage when you are getting the hang of the controls. Although sidearms aren't as viable towards the end of the game, they're one of the best starting weapons, and there are a few pistols that can rival the DPS of other weapon types, such as the EP4 Pacifier.

Machine Guns

Machine guns deal a lot of DPS, and they're usually automatic, which means that you can fire a lot of shots with a single magazine. However, machine guns don't deal as much damage per shot as precision weapons or shotguns, so you should be careful to manage your shooting during combat with these guns.

​​​​​​You can't go wrong with choosing machine guns as your primary weapon type; they're versatile and plentiful throughout The Ascent. Machine guns typically have a medium-range, which is important to keep in mind in case you prefer close-up or ranged combat styles.

Excessive Weapons

Unlike the other four weapon types, excessive weapons are much more varied in terms of weapon range and DPS. Excessive weapons are one of the strongest choices for a character build, and there are many different ways that you can go about using them. Because of the variation of excessive weapons, they could be considered multiple different weapon types that all fall under the same label.

For example, rocket launchers, mini-guns, and flame-throwers all fall under the excessive weapon category, so you can use this weapon type with the goal of dealing a lot of area-of-effect damage with a flame-thrower, or use a minigun while focusing on a single target. Rocket launchers are an especially fun weapon to use, and they're very helpful when you need to defeat a large crowd of enemies with a few hits. If you want to choose the weapon type with the most variation, then look no further from excessive weapons.

​​​​​​How To Choose And Upgrade Your Skills​​​​​

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There are eight primary skills in The Ascent, as detailed in the box below, and each of them determines an important attribute about your character. For example, the Vital Signs skill controls how much health your character has, which determines how many hits they can absorb during combat before being defeated.

Skills are one of the most important traits while building your character, so choosing which skills you will prioritize early in your playthrough is of great importance. You should choose the skills that connect to your weapon type, such as upgrading your Vital Signs perk while using shotguns, since the extra HP will be helpful in close-combat situations. Although you can also choose skills that don't work well with your primary weapon type, it will most likely be detrimental in the long-term for building a powerful character.

You unlock three new skills points each time you level up, so you'll collect a lot throughout the entirety of the game. You can upgrade your skills by selecting the character menu and then selecting the skills menu; you can then choose any skills you want to upgrade.

You also have the ability to reset your skills and retrieve your spent points by traveling to the Grafter NPC and selecting "Go In For Surgery". Resetting your skills points costs UCRED, but it isn't particularly expensive.

Critical Hit Rate Determines your chance of performing a critical hit
Tactical Sense Determines how much tactical charge you obtain for inflicted damage
Aiming Controls your weapon spread recovery rate
Weapon Handling Determines how quickly you swap weapons and reload ammo
Body Battery Controls your maximum energy capacity
Vital Signs Controls your maximum HP
Balance Determines your resistance level to stagger, stun, and knockback attacks, and also controls your movement while using heavy weapons
Evasion Controls your evasion cooldown speed

Next: The Ascent: The Best Weapons

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