In Hyper Light Breaker, each character has two different SyComs that give them separate abilities and allow you to customize each character to your liking. It is an important thing to consider, as this will affect your gameplay quite a lot. Players will want to use the SyComs to their advantage and upgrade them to make their characters permanently better.
There are currently 3 playable characters in Hyper Light Breaker, giving you a total of 6 SyComs to play around with. They are all tailored to the character’s playstyle. At the very beginning, you will only be able to use Vermillion until you can unlock the other two. You will therefore likely end up unlocking a SyCom upgrade or testing out the other one of his early as well, but only if you know how to do it.
Quick Links
How To Maximize & Upgrade Each SyCom
Getting Each Character To Their Max Level
It is unclear how to upgrade the SyComs when you first load into the game. What you will want to do is go to the character’s loadout screen, and you need to look at the left side of the screen. It will say SyCom and have the starting SyCom in the box. If you tap over to “Modify Loadout” and select the SyCom box, you will see that there is a second one, but it is currently locked.
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One of the new and most important pieces of gear in Hyper Light Breaker is the Holobyte, and they will be crucial for every player to understand.
Below the box on the left are the stats for each individual SyCom. This is also unclear in the beginning, as it looks like those are just the character's stats at first glance. However, once you do unlock the other SyCom and are able to switch between them, you will see that there is a difference between the stats once you do. For instance, Vermillion’s drastically changes how much HP he starts out with, which will change how much you have to heal in Hyper Light Breaker.
To unlock the second SyCom, you will need a Golden Ration, which you get at the end of each Cycle depending on how well you did. You unlock it on the character screen by selecting the SyCom box.
To upgrade the SyCom, you will need to find Cores in the Overgrowth. Once you do, you can click the “Upgrade” button and scroll between them on the left side of the screen. Each one has lines beneath them representing how many times they can be upgraded. When you scroll through them, it will also tell you the cost. Many of them are 1 Core, but some are more and some require other materials as well.
Pick one you have the materials for and unlock it. There were rumors at one point that the SyCom would only be upgraded for a single Cycle, but the upgrades have stayed on my character so far, and since it cost a Golden Ration to unlock the second SyCom, it seems like it would stick around. The best upgrades tend to be the ones you have the materials for, but getting your HP and damage up is always the most straightforward and consistent option.
All SyCom Abilities For Every Character
6 Different Ways To Play The Game
Essentially, the SyComs give you 6 different ways to play the game. Each character has a lot of available options, but some are more helpful than others. Some of them change how your weapon works, and some of them give you abilities that allow you to heal or take less damage. Again, Vermillion's second ability is a good example, as it increases your damage if you perform a parry in Hyper Light Breaker. The abilities are all found in the box below.
Character |
SyComs |
Ability |
|---|---|---|
Vermillion |
Gunslinger |
When a Rails deals a CRIT hit, the next shot will also be a Crit hit. |
Tank |
Parrying briefly boosts your Armor. |
|
Lapis |
Lightweaver |
Increases Rail damage after Battery pickup. |
Warrior |
Boosts Core stats during upgrade. |
|
Goro |
Astrologer |
Charges Blade skills faster while shooting. |
Sniper |
Increases Critical Hit frequency. |
Vermillion is quite balanced and versatile, which is good for the first character players are ever going to pick up. However, Lapis can get stronger with every upgrade she gets or have increased Rail Damage if ranged weapons are more your thing. However, Goro is very good with dual weapons, as one of his SyComs increases your blade damage if you switch between the Rail and the blade quite a bit. Or, he can just be a very good sniper. As I tend to favor the fast weapons with a ranged option, Goro is likely the best one for me.
Once you know which one you favor, you will want to mostly invest in that SyCom as far as upgrades go. Getting the materials isn’t very easy, so getting the main character upgraded first is the best plan. However, Vermillion will likely get a couple of upgrades before any of the others are unlocked. And, if you are struggling, you can always call for help and play in co-op in Hyper Light Breaker to help you get the materials you need to upgrade your SyComs.
