In Atomfall, upgrading weapons gives them better stats, a shiny new skin, and can even unlock the ‘Maake do and mend’ trophy. Here’s how to upgrade weapons in Atomfall.
In order to unlock the crafting recipes for upgraded weapons in Atomfall, you’ll first need to unlock the Gunsmithing skill. This is a survival skill which requires reading the Crafting Manual to learn. Finding some of these skill related books in Atomfall can be quite a challenge, but there’s thankfully a fairly direct way to earn this one.
Morris Wick at the Village Shop in Wyndham has a copy of the Crafting Manual, but you won’t be able to get it from him with any old bartering. Instead, you’ll need to engage in some blackmail and bartering. When you first enter St. Katherine’s Church, you’ll be faced with some dialogue revealing that the murder of Maisie has recently taken place, and the Vicar is eager to cover it up. However, when doing some further investigating, you can find evidence that proves Morris is the one responsible, and presenting him with said evidence will pressure him to give you the Crafting Manual.
The evidence to implicate Morris can be found in the Brewery Cellar, located at coordinates 30.5 E, 80.5 N in the west of Wyndham Village. Look for a cellar door by the ruined building to enter the cellar. Once inside, search around until you find and can read the “Kill the One They Call Maisie”. Once you’ve found this note, head back to Morris’ Village Shop located at 33.3 E, 79.9 N and speak with him. Choose dialogue options that put the pressure on Morris without outright threatening him until you get the “Bargaining” dialogue choice. Selecting that will have Morris give you the Crafting Manual, in exchange for your promised silence on the true nature of his crime.
You can also find the Crafting Manual in the D Section of The Interchange but this is a far more difficult and time consuming way than the path with Morris we’ve outlined above.
Once you’ve acquired and read the Crafting Manual, you’ll need to spend 7 Training Stimulants to get the Gunsmith skill, which unlocked the recipes to craft upgraded weapons. It’s a hefty yet worthy price, so be sure to search B.A.R.D. structures like Bunkers and The Interchange to get the required amount of skill points.
Once you have the Crafting Manual and the Gunsmith skill, you’ll have recipes to craft weapon upgrades. When you acquire a weapon, you will unlock the recipe to craft its next highest tier. These go from Rusty, Stock, and then Pristine. In order to upgrade a weapon, you’ll need two of it in the previous tier and a set amount of Gun Oil and Scrap, the amounts required of which may vary.
For example, to upgrade the Falkirk Battle Rifle to Pristine (pictured above) you will need 2 of the Falkirk Battle Rifle (Stock) items, 3 Gun Oil, and 6 Scrap. Gun Oil and Scrap are most commonly found at military installations, so be sure to search for them at Protocol Camps. If you plan on upgrading weapons often, it’s worth it to invest in the Deep Pockets survival skill to carry more crafting supplies.
When you upgrade a weapon to Pristine for the first time, you’ll be rewarded with the Make do and mend Achievement or Trophy.
Atomfall is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox Game Pass.
