Pragmata: 8 Tips and Tricks We Wish We Knew Sooner

Capcom just recently announced that Pragmata has sold 1 million copies—rightfully so, given the game's chokehold on everyone, thanks to Hugh and Diana's adorable dynamic and the overall innovative gameplay ideas.

Despite the game being fairly linear in progression, it can still overwhelm you with its various mechanics and later difficulty spikes, especially if you're still not getting used to the multitasking gameplay elements with Diana's hacking. Although I won't be able to help with that, I'm here to lighten that burden a bit.

In today's list, we'll be discussing tips and tricks for Pragmata that we wish we had known earlier when beginning this whimsical space adventure with Hugh and Diana. So strap in, because I assure you most of these won't be the obvious details you already know.

8 Use Your Weapons Unsparingly

You Get More Than Enough

Let me repeat that again for people in the back; use Hugh's Units/Weapons as often as you can, because we all know you can't always spam that primary weapon. The game will give you enough of their drops consistently, so you never run out of a weapon in a given slot.

However, don't misinterpret this as me saying you should spam them. Try to intermix them between your shots always, even if it's the Riot Gun that's mainly used for dispersing enemies with it's AOE fire. This isn't an RPG or a Souls-like where you'll need to hoard and wait to use them for when the "right time" comes, so utilize their firepower in every encounter, even if it's just trash fodder enemies.

7 Get Object Scan as Soon as Possible

No More Having to Find Everything Yourself

This might seem like an obvious one, but as you make your way in the game, by the time you get access to the Terra Dome sector/area, you'll be able to buy and unlock a new ability back in the Shelter with your Lunafilament currency.

This is called Object Scan, and it is extremely cheap. It upgrades Diana's pre-existing scanning ability to allow her to ping nearby items in the vicinity, like any available REM disks, Upgrade Modules, Mods, and even Pure Lunum. Just pretty much all the important collectibles and pickups besides the Mini-Cabin figurines.

6 Combat Secrets That'll Help You in the Long Run

Some Obvious, Some Illusive

Alright, this is a quickfire one where I'll list a few things to be aware of about combat when starting out, so you can have a smooth experience fighting against those dreaded AI bots.

Remember that Hugh can still fire his weapons in hip fire. You don't need to constantly ADS or focus your entire concentration on hacking; play it safe and always maintain a safe distance. Also, a few enemies will shoot missiles at you later in the game. You can actually quickhack them mid-flight to send them back to the enemy.

Lastly, this one will come with practice, but try to save your yellow hacking nodes for tougher enemies in encounters instead of using them on weaker ones like the Walkers. You'll get those Yellow Node drops as well, but they are better used strategically in fights.

5 Essential Mods

They Can Help a Lot More Than You'd Expect

This is another short one, but to follow up on the Object Search ability for Diana, you'll come across a lot of different mods to equip Hugh back at the Shelter. These can fundamentally enhance your playstyle, allowing you to create a couple of different builds if you optimize your loadout before heading out.

One of these includes the Sturdy Armor that increases your health by 10%, which is great early on, plus it's hard to miss this one. Other honorable shoutouts include Close Quarters, which will boost your damage at close range, and there's another one that grants you 10% extra Lunafilament pickups, so make sure to have these on at all times to help you as much as possible.

4 Backtrack Once You Get Lim Eraser

Gain Access to the Inaccessible

Sick and tired of seeing those blue thorn spikes everywhere? Thankfully, if you keep playing and reach the end of your stay in the Mass Production Array, Diana will come across a new ability that she can use from a structure: the Lim Eraser.

Once you obtain it, while it goes without saying that you should still continue onward with the main story objectives, I also strongly advise backtracking to obtain any resource collectibles that you may have missed whilst exploring because of these dreaded spikes in their way. This way, you can min-max each location and potentially reach 100 percent completion in the starting zone.

3 Stacking Hacks and Getting Extra Damage

Get More Value out of Diana's Hacks

Moving on to Diana's unique hacking element, here is a disclaimer: start stacking hacks on enemies because, sooner or later, you'll also unlock hacking chips that modify Diana's blue hacking nodes. After the first hack, you can continue to hack enemies again, and with those chips I mentioned, you can gain an extra stack of damage.

Mode Chips like Combust Mode can help increase Heat buildup on enemies, which is essential for repeatedly stunning them. So don't be shy about going for hacks again on enemies after their initial armor break, as you'll need to do it anyway later once you get Mode Chips unlocked.

2 Best Attachments

Proper Lunafilament Investment is Important

Attachments are also one of the building blocks for ensuring a smooth-sailing adventure for Hugh and Diana in Pragmata, found in the Unit Printer section at the Shelter. Now the ones I recommend prioritizing are Thrusters > Mod Slots > Repair Up > Hacking Gauge.

Provided that you rarely get damaged and are good with your evasions, you won't need to invest in Repair Up that early on, but if you're struggling, then feel free to prioritize upgrading your healing. Mod Slots are there obviously to increase the number of mods you can equip on Hugh, and Hacking Gauge lets you charge up Diana's powerful Overdrive ability more often from successful hacks.

1 Unlock & Upgrade Your Weapons

They Do Actually Grow on Trees

I wouldn't blame anyone if they presumed that unlocking weapons at the Shelter means that you'll need to purchase them every single time to use them. Thankfully, that's not the case, since after the first time you unlock and purchase a weapon here for 100 Lunafilaments, you can freely add them to your loadout before departing for an area.

More importantly, once you have added the weapon to your armory, you can upgrade each of them for additional properties as well as increase their viability in combat.

I strongly recommend upgrading both the Shockwave and Charge Piercer for their high damage, but besides that, make sure to use your Pure Lunum on them wisely, as it is the rarest material in the game. So, having a set of favorite weapons that you rotate between and keep upgraded is a good idea here.