Atomic Heart: Complete Guide

A practical guide to Atomic Heart and its four story DLCs: combat fundamentals, the Polymer Glove, weapons and crafting, how to handle robots and bosses, testing grounds and collectibles, and what to play in which order.

Researched September 2026 — current as of patch 1.16.3.0 (April 23, 2026) with all four DLCs released, ending with Blood on Crystal. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

What You're Playing

Atomic Heart (Mundfish, February 2023) is a first-person action RPG set in an alternate-history Soviet utopia where robots have turned on their creators. You play Major P-3, investigating Facility 3826 with CHAR-les, an AI living in your Polymer Glove. Expect melee-heavy fights, glove powers, crafting, puzzle rooms, and optional testing grounds.

The story is now finished. Mundfish called the base game plus four DLCs "the first chapter" of Atomic Heart:

DLC | Released | Notes

Annihilation Instinct | Aug 2, 2023 | Continues right after the main story

Trapped in Limbo | Feb 6, 2024 | Surreal, platform-heavy episode with challenge areas like the Tower of Memory

Enchantment Under the Sea | Jan 28, 2025 | Underwater Triton facility

Blood on Crystal (DLC#4) | Apr 16, 2026 | The final chapter. Patch 1.16.3.0 improved its RACCOON miniboss and fixed bugs

Atomic Heart 2 and a multiplayer spin-off, The Cube, were announced at Summer Game Fest 2025. The DLCs are sold separately and in bundled editions such as the Ultimate Edition. Check the store page for which DLCs each edition includes. Big sales (up to 80% off in September 2026) are common.

Quick Start

• Melee is your bread and butter. Ammo is scarce, so use melee on weak enemies and save bullets for elites and bosses.
• Dodge (dash) constantly. Enemies hit very hard even on the middle difficulty.
• Use the glove. Shok (electric), Frostbite (freezing), and Telekinesis are free damage and crowd control on cooldowns.
• Scan enemies. Scanning shows weaknesses. Hitting a robot with the element it's weak to changes the fight.
• Loot everything. Hold the glove's mass-loot to vacuum up containers. Crafting materials are everywhere.
• Craft and upgrade at NORA. The crafting machines build weapons, upgrades, and consumables, and your inventory is shared with NORA's storage.
• Spend Neuropolymer on glove and P-3 skills. Dodge and glove upgrades are the most valuable early.
• Kill cameras and repair robots first in open areas. They raise alarms and bring back destroyed robots.
• Do testing grounds. They're optional puzzle dungeons with weapon upgrade blueprints.
• Pick a difficulty that fits you. There's an easier story-leaning mode, a standard mode, and Armageddon, the hardest (the Atomic Heart achievement requires completing the game on Armageddon).

Combat Fundamentals

Melee

Melee weapons (an axe early on, then heavier and faster blades) are crafted from blueprints at NORA. They have combos and charged attacks, and upgrades add special effects. Melee restores nothing by itself but costs no ammo, so it's your default for weaker enemies.

Firearms and energy weapons

• Ballistic guns such as the PM pistol, plus a shotgun and an assault rifle, hit hard but use scarce ammo. (An achievement asks for 25 headshot kills with the PM.)
• Energy weapons, including the Railgun (an achievement rewards killing 3+ enemies with one shot), run on a shared energy pool that refills over time and with melee hits. Weave melee to recharge them.
• Cartridges add elemental effects (freeze, fire, electricity) to guns. Pair them with enemy weaknesses.

Glove powers

Power | What it does | Best use

Shok | Electric blast | Stun and chain damage on robots

Frostbite | Freezes enemies | Lock down big threats, then shatter or punish

Telekinesis | Lift and throw enemies or objects | Throw dangerous enemies, or knock an Owl down with a thrown object (achievement)

Mass telekinesis | Lift many enemies at once | Crowd control in open fights

Polymer spray | Coats enemies in polymer to amplify elemental damage | Combo starter with elements

Polymer shield | Protective shield | Absorbs projectiles in heavy fire

Exact in-game names for the last three can differ slightly by language and version; look for them in the glove's skill tree.

Combos are the core of the game. Polymer plus an element, freeze then shatter, and electric chains on groups of wet or linked enemies make fights much easier. The Avatar achievement rewards burning, electrifying, and freezing 10 enemies each, so experiment.

Crafting and Upgrades

• NORA crafting machines (found at safe rooms) let you craft weapons from blueprints, upgrade them, craft ammo and consumables, and store items.
• Materials come from robots, containers, and junk. Mass-loot every room.
• Blueprints are found in the world and in testing grounds. Several weapon upgrades only come from testing ground chests.
• Weapon upgrades add damage, fire rate, and special modules. Maxing one weapon unlocks The Great Inventor, and collecting all weapons gives Lord of War.
• Neuropolymer is your skill currency. Spend it on the glove and on P-3 upgrades such as dodge improvements and health.

Priority early on: the dodge and health upgrades, then Shok or Frostbite upgrades, then one reliable melee weapon upgraded to its first special ability.

Enemies and Bosses

The Steam achievements name many of the big encounters. Here's how to approach them without spoiling the story:

Encounter | Achievement | Approach

Hedgie | Make It Go Round | Keep moving and punish openings. The Strike achievement asks you to beat it without firing a shot

Plyusch | Plyusch Rush | Scan first, then use the element it's weak to and dodge-heavy play

Belyash | Medium Rare / Chop Chop Chop | It can be beaten with melee alone (Chop Chop Chop). Dodge its big swings

Natasha | Show's Over | Big, durable fight. Bring healing and your best-upgraded weapon

Dewdrop | Dew Point | Keep dodging and use freezing to create openings

Twins | Murderous Beauty / Clean in Two | Two-part threat. Don't get sandwiched and focus one at a time

RACCOON (Blood on Crystal) | Let's Shake on It! | Its behavior was tuned in patch 1.16.3.0. Take time to learn its moves

General enemy tips:

• Vova robots (the common workers) are simple but dangerous in groups. Freezing one mid-air earns Below Zero.
• Flying robots (like the Owl) can be knocked down with Telekinesis-thrown objects.
• Mutants can be stopped before they grow from sprouts, which also earns an achievement.
• Alarm systems escalate open-world fights. Destroy the cameras and repair robots, then retreat indoors if a fight goes sideways.

World Structure and Exploration

• The open world links hub facilities (Vavilov, Pavlov, Chelomey, and others) with roads, the Lesnaya Maglev train, and vehicles. You can run over enemies with cars (Hands on the Hood).
• Facility interiors are linear and puzzle-heavy.
• Testing grounds are optional puzzle and combat areas. Completing all of them earns Clean-up, and they hold important weapon upgrades.
• Collectibles include Lootyagins (More Than Profit), talking dead animals (Beast Friend), BEA-Ds (A Girl's Best Friend), and phone booths.

Easy-to-miss achievements

A handful of achievements are one-off actions that are easy to skip if you don't know about them (descriptions quoted from the Steam list):

Achievement task | Tip

"Take a train at the Lesnaya Maglev train station" | Ride it the first time you pass the station

"Use a phone booth at Chelomey" | Interact with any booth while you're in Chelomey

"Use an industrial press to destroy robots" | Lure robots under a press in factory areas

"Kill 3 M4D-5 robots in a row while they're hopping on one foot" | Kills only count during the hop, so time your finishing blows

"Destroy 15 enemies using the neuropolymeric launch module" | Start using it as soon as you unlock it so the count builds naturally

"Use a Strekoza for the first time" | Watch for them as you explore

"Don't let a sprout grow into a mutant" | Kill sprouts fast before they mature

"Hit 20 enemies by a car" | Easy on open-world roads

DLC Tips

• Annihilation Instinct: continues the main story with new weapons and enemies. Finish the base game first. DLC weapons like the Klusha and Secateur have their own achievements (Maximum Strength for maxing both).
• Trapped in Limbo: many challenge areas, like the Tower of Memory, Cliff of Perseverance, and Plateau of Responsibility, each with a deathless achievement. It has lots of platforming, so turn up your sensitivity comfort.
• Enchantment Under the Sea: underwater facility with swimming sections. Don't swim past the world border if you want to stay alive, though doing so earns Hic Sunt Dracones.
• Blood on Crystal: the final chapter, released April 2026. It ties the whole story together, and Mundfish published a timeline of events covering the main game and every DLC for anyone who needs a refresher. It also has the RACCOON miniboss.
• Secateur trick: combined BEA-Ds can be split with a single Secateur shot (Divide et Impera).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Shooting everything. You'll run out of ammo. Melee first.
• Ignoring the scanner. Enemy weaknesses make fights far easier.
• Skipping the dodge upgrades. Survival in this game depends on dodging.
• Fighting in the open with cameras alive. Endless reinforcements follow.
• Not mass-looting. Crafting stalls without materials.
• Hoarding Neuropolymer. Upgrade your glove as soon as you can.
• Starting DLCs before finishing the main story. They assume you know the ending.

Advanced Tips

• Freeze, then shatter: frozen enemies take big melee damage. This is great against elites.
• Polymer combos: coat enemies with the glove's polymer spray, then hit with an element for boosted damage and area effects.
• Energy weapon loop: alternate melee and energy weapon fire to keep your energy pool topped up.
• Telekinesis as a panic button: lift a dangerous enemy out of the fight while you deal with others.
• Armageddon runs: master the dodge rhythm and stick to proven builds (a strong melee weapon plus Shok or Frostbite, and one energy weapon).
• Farm materials in cleared areas before crafting spikes, since some robots respawn.

FAQ

How long is Atomic Heart? The main story takes most players roughly 20 to 25 hours, and considerably more with testing grounds and DLCs.

What order should I play the DLCs in? Release order: Annihilation Instinct, Trapped in Limbo, Enchantment Under the Sea, then Blood on Crystal.

Is Atomic Heart finished? Yes. Blood on Crystal (April 2026) is the final chapter of the first game. Atomic Heart 2 is in development.

What difficulty should I choose? The middle (standard) setting is the intended experience, and the lowest setting suits players who mainly want the story. Armageddon is the hard mode needed for the Atomic Heart achievement.

How do I get more ammo? Craft it at NORA from looted materials, and lean on energy weapons and melee.

Are there multiple endings? The base game's finale has a choice. Save beforehand if you want to see both outcomes.

Sources

• Atomic Heart on Steam
• Atomic Heart Steam announcements (patch 1.16.3.0, DLC#4)
• Atomic Heart Steam global achievements
• Atomic Heart on Wikipedia