Amicia de Rune isn’t messing around in A Plague Tale: Requiem. Along with her trusty Sling, she’s armed with a Crossbow and can craft different ammo types, alchemical items, and more to one-up enemies. However, your equipment requires a workbench to upgrade (unless you unlock an upgrade to bypass this).
Let’s look at all the upgrades for each category, starting with the Sling. Its upgrades are as follows:
- Softened Cords – Amicia makes less noise when using the Sling. It requires one Tool and 20 Pieces.
- Double Cradle – You can fire a second shot with the Sling before having to reload. It requires two Tools and 65 Pieces.
- Elongated Cords – Shots are stronger and will stun enemies for longer periods. It requires three Tools and 90 Pieces.
If you’re going with stealth, Softened Cords is good, though it’s not the most potent means of disposing of enemies. Elongated Cords is fine if you’re leaning on the Sling as a primary weapon and want more time to keep enemies knocked out, but it’s not mandatory. Plus, there are other ways to do much more damage. In the end, the best upgrade is undoubtedly Double Cradle. Being able to fire another shot when dealing with numerous enemies is invaluable. But also, if you miss the first shot, you essentially get another chance.
Next, let’s look at all of the Crossbow upgrades:
- Flexible Limb – Increases the reload speed of the Crossbow. It requires one Part and 40 Pieces.
- Bigger Quiver – The number of bolts Amicia can carry is increased, with a maximum of six. It requires two Pieces and 65 Pieces.
- Reinforced Bolts – Amicia can recover bolts from enemy corpses. It requires three Parts and 80 Pieces.
While having Bigger Quiver for more shots seems appealing, it’s not the best upgrade. Instead, it’s better to go with Flexible Limb and Reinforced Bolts. Increased reload speed is invaluable, especially in the heat of battle, while the latter makes up for having less ammo by letting you keep reusing bolts. Granted, you’ll need a backup if you run out of ammo while there are still enemies, so keep that in mind.
Next, here are all of the Alchemy upgrades:
- Hidden Pockets – Amicia can carry more alchemical ammo. It requires one Part and 30 Pieces.
- Strong Fire – Throw a jar combined with Ignifer. It requires two Parts and 55 Pieces.
- Unstable Reaction – Using Odoris on a source of fire causes an explosion, which is good against enemies without armor. It requires three Parts and 80 Pieces.
Strong Fire is easily the best upgrade since the Ignifer jar creates a large fire circle. You don’t need to combine it with Odoris to cause massive damage, making Unstable Reaction somewhat redundant. If you lean a lot on alchemical ammo, then Hidden Pockets may be worthwhile, but it’s not mandatory.
Next up are all of the different Gear upgrades:
- Ringing Belt – Amicia can carry an additional jar. It requires one Part and 30 Pieces.
- Bottomless Bag – Can carry more alchemical resources. It requires two Parts and 55 Pieces.
- Belt Cases – Carry more Pyrites and Knives. It requires three Parts and 80 Pieces.
More crafting resources is always a good thing, especially for alchemical items. Go with Bottomless Bag, and don’t look back.
Finally, here are all of the upgrades for Tools:
- Recycling Tool – If there’s no more space in one’s inventory for jars, Knives, Pyrites, and bolts, this allows for breaking them down into pieces. It requires one Part and 30 Pieces.
- Traveller Tools – Upgrade equipment anywhere without needing a workbench. It requires two Parts and 55 Pieces.
- Unbreakable Tool – Upgrade equipment without needing to spend any Tools. It requires three Parts and 90 Pieces.
Traveller Tools is invaluable if you can’t find any workbenches or want an immediate edge in combat without going back to one. However, perhaps the best upgrade is Unbreakable Tool. It removes the Tool cost for upgrading equipment, weapons, and gear. You’ll still need Pieces, but given how common they are, you’ll have more flexibility with upgrades.
For more details on A Plague Tale: Requiem, check out our review here. You can also check out our guide on obtaining all the collectibles here, and how to craft different items and ammo here.