These Pragmata tips and tricks will help you learn how this hack-and-dash third-person shooter works beyond its tutorials, so that you can battle murderous robots easily and uncover the secrets of the Cradle. Thankfully, Pragmata isn't that complicated overall, but its short runtime means it piles on new systems and mechanics at quite a pace, so it can get a bit confusing and there's always a chance you might miss or forget about something crucial. But with these 12 tips for Pragmata, covering combat, exploration, and some pointers for how best to upgrade Hugh and Diana, you should be fine.
Be aware of some very mild early-game spoilers below.
Pragmata combat tips and tricks
1. Hacking is not optional in combat
Diana's hacking skills are integral to Pragmata's combat system as without using it to 'open' an enemy, Hugh's guns deal pitiful damage to the armored robots at IDUS' disposal. We've got a dedicated Pragmata hacking guide to help you learn the ins and outs of the system, but the key thing to know is to try and pass through as many blue nodes as you can before reaching the green EXE node. Doing so will increase the amount of damage the hack deals and will increase how long the target is open for.
2. Target enemy weak points and get in close for maximum damage
When you hack an enemy and they become 'Open' they will also expose at least one weak point that you can deal additional damage to for faster kills. These weak points are usually obvious – a robot's head, body, or some other glowing battery-looking thing – and will briefly flow red after they've been shot. When you eventually unlock the Bot Scan ability, you can use Diana's scan to highlight weak points.
3. Always be ready to dodge, especially while hacking
Enemy attacks are usually clearly telegraphed and usually not difficult to dodge with a tap of R1/RT, but they become much harder to notice when you're distracted by a hacking puzzle. Remember that hacking progress on a given enemy isn’t lost if the hacking matrix closes, so if an attack is incoming, stop your hack attempt and use your thrusters to rapidly create distance between you and your foe, then you can continue the hack.
4. The Shockwave Gun is great!
The first Attack Unit that Hugh gets is also one of the best as it fits nicely with Pragmata's close-range-oriented combat. You can hack an enemy from a safe distance and use the Stasis Net or Riot Blaster to immobilize them, then use your thrusters to close in and blast away with the shotgun-like Shockwave gun, dealing massive damage. Since all the other Attack Units have a lot more ranged power, I think the Shockwave Gun is always worth having in your loadout, particularly once you unlock the second Attack Unit slot.
5. Use all your weapons and hacking nodes often
While Hugh's Attack, Tactical, and Defense units, and Diana's Hacking Nodes, all have limited uses, resist the temptation to save them for when the time is right. You'll find replacements as you navigate through the Cradle and using them in concert will make combat much easier too – don't just rely on the Shockwave Gun! Remember that your Primary Unit also has infinite ammo but needs to recharge its bullets, so you should be switching to your other units while you wait for the ammo to regenerate.
Pragmata exploration tips and tricks
6. Don't skip escape hatches
Escape Hatches are basically Pragmata's answer to Dark Souls-like bonfires – sort of. Use one and you'll quickly retreat to the Shelter, letting you heal, regain spent Repair Cartridges, spend your Pragmata currencies and resources on upgrades, and adjust your loadout. There is also almost no point in saving your resources for later too, so if you have Upgrade Components, Lunafilament, and Cabin Coins to spend, treat yourself to some upgrades.
The only downside to using an escape hatch is that all enemies respawn and some puzzles get reset, but this doesn't really matter if you're returning via the same hatch to carry on through the level.
7. Hunt down Safe Boxes whenever possible
Pragmata has quite a few different collectibles and useful resources that you can find as you explore, so it certainly pays to be thorough in your plundering. But the most important things to look out for are Safe Boxes, the white and orange crates. Each one contains either one Cabin Coin, at least one Upgrade Component, or varying amounts of Lunafilament, which are the three main resources you need to improve Hugh and Diana's gear and abilities. Bear in mind that some of these boxes will be inaccessible until you get an upgrade that allows you to destroy blue and red crystals in Pragmata!
If you've missed some Safe Boxes in the early levels, check out our Pragmata Solar Power Plant collectibles and Pragmata MPA collectibles guide to see where they all are.
While not as useful as Safe Boxes, don't forget to open or destroy small, yellow supply boxes too as these sometimes contain things that are useful in the moment, such as Data Shards that fill the Hacking Gauge, and restorative Repair Kits.
8. Look for illusory walls
If you can see some useful items on Diana's scan but no obvious way to reach them, it's likely that there's a fake wall that you need to find and deactivate. These walls are always large white panels with a blue holographic shimmer to them. This shimmer should be the first giveaway, but an obvious Triangle/Y interact prompt appears whenever you get close to one of these walls too. Follow the prompt to deactivate the wall and get at what's inside.
There's one of these walls near the end of the Pragmata Solar Power Plant level which hides a REM!
Pragmata upgrade tips and tricks
9. Prioritize Repair Up, Thrusters, and Mod Slot upgrades
I found these to be the best Unit Printer upgrades to get early, helping with Hugh's healing, combat manoeuvrability, and general power by being able to equip more Mods. Spend your Lunafilament on these upgrades first, then you can start upgrading weapon units as well. As you progress and increase the Shelter's level, you'll reveal even more upgrade levels for these. You should max out Mod Slot as soon as possible as it allows Hugh to equip up to six Mods at once, but I didn't feel the need to upgrade Repair Up and Thrusters beyond level 5.
10. Upgrade everything in the Firmware Updater equally
Upgrades for Hugh's Primary Unit and Diana's Hacking seem like the most important at first, especially since Hugh's Suit seems perfectly fine for the less threatening robots you fight early on, but it's worth spending your Upgrade Components on all three upgrades as equally as possible. You don't want any of these aspects to lag behind the others as it'll be harder to catch up unless you’re willing to backtrack and scrounge for Upgrade Components.
11. Cabin's Training Simulations offer excellent rewards
I found all the early simulations and their objectives quite easy to complete, and they're a great source of Cabin Coins, Lunafilament, Upgrade Components, and Pure Lunum, all of which are vital for upgrading Hugh and Diana. It's well worth looking out for Training Data as you explore too to unlock more Training Simulations for even more rewards. But be aware that they get noticeably harder around simulation 15 to 20.
12. Get the Pocket Refinery Mod for more Lunafilament
This Mods boosts Lunafilament gains by 10% which I found to be very useful in helping me afford some of the pricier upgrades sooner. You get Pocket Refinery from the Business District Redzone in the Mass Production Facility level, which can be quite challenging this early in the game. You have to fight a lot of enemies including two of the large Executor robots, but it's well worth it.
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