Augmentation Efficiency Analysis
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Walkthrough and Guide
AUGMENTATION EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS
Not every augmentation in Deus Ex Human Revolution is as useful as the rest, there's no doubt about it. No one will argue that Strength or Jump Enhancement is less useful than Aim Stabilizer. The question is, which augmentations are useful early in the game, and which ones can be activated later on, while maximizing the sufficiency of every single aug?
The lists below go over the augmentations that are best to get as soon as possible, ones that are good to consider halfway through the game, and ones you can leave alone until very late in the game when you have Praxis Kits left to spare. Lastly, the final list goes over so-called secondary augmentations; useful additions in some cases, but less essential and often more contextual than other augmentations.
Remember, these are only guidelines. You're free to spend all your Praxis Kits any way you like, just keep in mind that some paths are more rewarding than others.
As you can see, the early in-game list only contains the essentials, so if you have any Praxis Kits left to spare, feel very free to use them for augmentations that allow you to maximize experience (such as the Reflex Booster, allowing for multiple takedowns)
EARLY IN-GAME
- Hacking Capture 2 (& 3 4 if you want to maximize XP)
- Move/Throw Heavy Objects
- Jump Enhancement
- Cloaking System Level 1 (& 2)
- Carrying Capacity 1 (& 2)
(-) Reflex Booster (only if you want to maximize XP)
MIDWAY IN-GAME
- Hacking Capture 3 & (& 5 if you wish to maximize XP)
- Punch Through Walls
- Cloaking System Level 2 & 3
- Carrying Capacity 2 & 3
- Energy Level Upgrade 1
- Typhoon Level 1 (&2) (before the second boss)
- Run Silently
(-) Dermal Armor Level 1
(-) Icarus Landing System (when you reach a certain optional part in Hengsha that leads to a Hugh Darrow Ebook)
ENDGAME
- Hacking Capture 5
- Typhoon Level 2
- Dermal Armor Level 2 (& 3)
- Recharge Rate Upgrade Level 1 & 2
- Energy Level Upgrade Level 2 & 3
- Hacking Fortify & Stealth (2 & 3)
- Aim Stabilizer
SECONDARY AUGMENTATIONS
The following augmentations aren't bad, but they are either very contextual and thus limiting their usefulness, they provide you with information that is already in this guide (or with useless information), or you simply won't benefit all that much from some of them. It's recommended to only spend your valuable Praxis Kits on these when you've obtained the above augmentations already.
Social Enhancer
I'd definitely recommend doing a playthrough with this at least once, simply because it looks pretty cool, but you will only be able to use it several times, and you can win Social Battles easily by reloading your game.
Radar System Level 2
It sounds really useful, but the truth is that the radar already has excellent functionality, and this augmentation doesn't help you all that much.
Stealth Enhancer
This includes Noise Feedback, Mark & Track 1/2/3, Last Known Location Marker, and Cones of Vision. These augmentations might be useful for the less experienced player, but hardly come in handy for someone who already knows to stay out of sight, and where his/her foes are located at.
Hacking Analyze Add-On
This has little practical purpose, and it's wiser to just improve your actual hacking skills.
Implanted Rebreather
The Chemical Resistance can be useful at times, and this augmentation is probably one of the best of all secondary augmentations. The Hyper-Oxygenation 1/2 can also come in handy for quickly travelling through hubs, but this is more a nifty little thing rather than a life-saving augmentation.
Recoil Compensation
If you're heavily relying on combat measures, this augmentation has its uses (it improves your accuracy), but for stealth players it's not very important.
Smart Vision
A fun addition, but never required.
Cooldown Timer & Flash Suppressant
The Cooldown Timer is hardly useful, and the Flash Suppressant is very contextual.
Sprint Enhancement
This only improves your running speed from 6.5 meters per second to 7.5 meters per second. The Hyper-Oxygenarion augmentations are far better.
Sprint/Jump/Land Silently
These are extremely contextual.
Great guide! But as you said, these are guidelines, and there are no "correct" path to take. My last playthrough was a stealth run, completely without the cloaking system. I find that the cloaking system consumes more energy than it is worth. (could be useful to have atleast level 1 at one or two occasions, though...)
On the other hand, I find the Icarus Landing System very useful from midway in-game. It saves a lot of time (and maybe your life) in particular places, and lets you explore more easily. And you don't look like an idiot for dying after accidentally falling off a wall or rooftop... ;)