System Shock: Eight tips for beginners

The remake of Shooters System Shock is no less brain-bending than the 1994 original. Puzzles, locked doors, convoluted corridors, and tons of collectible items should all do the trickn who have never played the original face a tough challenge. That’s why we’ve prepared eight tips for you to help you get started with System Shock Remake.

In order to find your way around in System Shock, there is no harm in gathering useful knowledge about the game world and its objects. You start in the skin of a hacker who is forced by the “TriOptimum” corporation to free the KI SHODAN, who rule the space station Citadel, from their ethical restrictions. As you can probably already guess, the barriers to artificial intelligence were not thoughtlessly imposed. And so, after waking up from anesthesia, you find yourself in the midst of the catastrophe that SHODAN has now wreaked. Below we have eight tips for you that can make your entry into System Shock much easier.

8 tips for beginners

Uses surgical equipment and saves on first aid kits: Later in the game, you’ll be thankful for every healing item in your inventory. So only use first aid kits in extreme emergencies. Instead, you can use one of the operational devices found on some floors of the Citadel Station. Surgical Devices offer several advantages: they are free to use, they completely refill your health and you can use them as many times as you want. The disadvantage: They are not available on every level, which is why long walks are unavoidable.

Collect objects and turn them into scrap: On the Citadel Station you will find all kinds of items that you can put in your inventory, although they don’t seem to serve any purpose. However, that’s not entirely true, because you can monetize them. If you select the items in your inventory, you can see how many credits they are worth and how much scrap you get when you recycle them. With a right click on the item you can select “evaporate” which turns the item into scrap. As the game progresses, you’re bound to come across a Recycle Station. There you will receive 1 tri-credit in exchange for every 10 scrap. It’s best to collect as much scrap as possible, because you can use tri-credits to buy ammunition, weapons and other useful items from vending machines.

Destroys all surveillance cameras: Dozens of surveillance cameras can be found on every level of Citadel Station. If you destroy them, you reduce the security level. This has no direct impact on the gaming experience – at least during our playthrough, for example, we could not perceive a decrease in the number of opponents – but some doors of the space station are locked until you have fallen below a certain security level. It is not uncommon for useful items to be found behind these doors. In some cases it is even necessary to lower the security level to a certain percentage range in order to progress in the game.

Saves ammo: Many enemies, such as mutants or repair bots, can easily be vanquished with a melee weapon. However, you should put down the pipe wrench as quickly as possible and use a stronger melee weapon. For example, you can find the wrench very early in the game.

Uses charging stations: Energy is essential in System Shock. Not only do you need them to use the Sparqbeam sidearm, you also need them to use certain gadgets that you unlock as you progress through the game. When you run out of energy, you can use battery packs to replenish them. However, you should only use them if you urgently need them. If you have time to breathe deeply, you should visit charging stations. Similar to surgical devices, they are free and can be used again and again. You only have to wait a few seconds after use before the charging station is ready for use again.

Open your eyes when exploring: Many rooms in System Shock can only be entered once you have met certain requirements. Access cards that open up new areas in the game world can be found on most levels. Junction boxes are small puzzles that can power rooms, giving you access to levers or switches. Enter cyberspace to infiltrate the Citadel network and complete the challenge to unlock new gateways as well.

Ensure your survival with the regeneration bay: In some Citadel medical facilities there is what is known as a regeneration bay (also called “cyborg conversion” in the game). They are always locked, but are activated by the use of a lever or other conductive connections. They’re especially useful if it’s been a long time since your last save point and you don’t want to lose progress after dying. An activated Cyborg Transmuter will bring you back to life on the spot in the regeneration bay. All you have to do is walk the path to the place of your virtual death again, but you won’t lose any items through the revival.

Avoid biological contamination initially: Already on the first level you could come across rooms whose radiation is so high that you take damage. The following applies: the higher the radiation, the more damage you take. Even if you leave the room again, the radiation continues to have an effect and only slowly reduces. However, you can collect items during the game that dissolve the subsequent radiation when used and find suits that reduce radiation exposure. So if you want to take your time exploring contaminated rooms, you should first be able to arm yourself accordingly.