The Gunk Upgrades: The Best Upgrades For Rani's Arm

The Gunk has several upgrades that you can obtain for Rani's bionic arm. A couple of these are mandatory, required to progress further in the campaign. The rest, however, are optional. Here's our guide to help you with the best upgrades in The Gunk.

The Gunk Upgrades: How To Unlock Blueprints

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To unlock more upgrade blueprints in The Gunk, you'll need to scan new types of objects and enemies. The scan action itself should be available at the start of the campaign.

Once you do this, you'll notice that your scanner's EXP will increase, and each level up grants new upgrades that you can obtain. Simply make your way back to the dropship and interact with the machinery to see the ones that you can acquire.

The Gunk Upgrades: Scanning Tips

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Once a type of object or enemy has already been scanned, it will have a red marker when you use the "vacuum" or when you aim. Those that haven't been scanned yet will have a light blue marker.

If you truly wish to unlock all the upgrade blueprints in The Gunk, then keep your eyes peeled for scannable items. Otherwise, you might need to backtrack to find ones that you've missed. Lastly, if you encounter new types of plants or creatures, make sure you scan them first before vacuuming or destroying them.

The Gunk Upgrades: Mandatory Upgrades

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There are only two upgrades in The Gunk that are required for progression. The first is the Glove Grip Soldering, which you're told to craft once you reach the dropship. It requires 20 metals to create.

The upgrade is used to grab and pull plant pods. Some are thrown at green nodes, causing them to create leaf platforms that you can use to jump across gaps. Others, meanwhile, burst and turn into resources that can be gathered.

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The second is called the Pulse Cannon. It requires four alien materials to craft. This will allow you to aim and shoot a projectile that can activate switches.

You'll be notified of this once you reach the Alien Ruins. Coincidentally, this is also when The Gunk's fast travel system becomes available.

The Gunk Upgrades: Optional Upgrades

Below, we'll list the remaining upgrades in The Gunk. These are completely optional and you don't need to craft them to finish the campaign. Still, there are a select few that are useful, which we'll make note of.

Hydraulic Braces (10 organics and 3 fibers) - Allows you to sprint. This has minimal use since The Gunk's areas are fairly easy to navigate.

Stun Pulse Array (10 metals, 30 fibers, and 15 alien materials) - Your pulse cannon can fire a plasma blast that can stun smaller enemies. Although you do fight several critters in the game, you won't need this at all.

Energy Lure (35 organics, 20 metals, 18 fibers, and 10 alien materials) - Throw a decoy that can lure creatures. This is also unnecessary.

Emission Amplifier (20 organics, 30 metals, and 15 fibers) - Increases the range of your Energy Lure.

Persistence Core (30 organics, 30 metals, and 30 fibers) - Prolongs the active state of your lure device. You should only get this if you like using the Energy Lure.

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Energy Siphon (30 organics, 30 metals, and 10 fibers) - Gives you a temporary speed boost after absorbing gunk.

Kevlar Fiber (10 organics, 30 metals, and 30 fibers) - Increases Rani's defenses, allowing her to take more hits before she's downed. This can be slightly helpful for survivability, especially if you already have a lot of materials.

ATP Extractor (50 organics and 10 alien materials) - You get healed when you collect alien materials. This can aid you during combat situations. Once creatures are killed, you can pick up their alien materials to keep yourself in tip-top shape.

Charge Deflector (30 metals, 15 fibers, and 20 alien materials) - Reduces the recharge time of your plasma pulses. Since the Pulse Cannon recharges within a few seconds, and because it's unlikely that you'll fire it often, then you won't need this. However, if you unlocked the Stun Pulse Array, then this becomes almost mandatory.

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Momentum Oscillator (30 organics, 40 metals, and 26 fiber) - Allows you to absorb gunk at a faster rate. The difference in speeds is somewhat minimal, but you can grab this if you want it.

Void Expander (25 metals and 40 fibers) - Increases the radius of your vacuum drive. Similar to the Momentum Oscillator, this just makes cleaning goop a breeze.

Cortex Jolt (50 organics, 30 fibers, and 20 alien materials) - Automatically restores consciousness when blacking out. To be frank, we're unsure about this upgrade's use. When downed by enemies or when you fall to your doom, you'd mostly respawn close to your last location.

Now you know about all the best upgrades in The Gunk, why not read about our top The Gunk tips?