Whether it’s movies, TV shows, or video games, interaction with an alien species has always been a trendy topic in the sci-fi genre. Arkane Studios continued that trend in 2017 with the release of Prey. Not to be confused with the 2006 game with the same name that was developed by Human Head Studios, Bethesda’s Prey is its own adventure entirely.

Players control Morgan Yu, a neuroscientist studying an alien species called the Typhon on the space station Talos 1. While hostile, the Typhon possess many different abilities, such as shape-shifting, teleportation, telekinesis, and psychic attacks. Morgan and his brother, Alex Yu, seek to integrate Typhons into human DNA, to gain the aforementioned alien abilities.

As the main test subject, Morgan can learn many powerful Typhon abilities, but that also means losing his humanity along the way. The beauty of Prey is having the flexibility to play the game in multiple styles, which means it’s possible to complete the game without obtaining any Typhon abilities. By choosing this route, it’s crucial to know which human upgrades are essential in surviving Prey.

10 Physician - Scientist

All of Morgan’s human upgrades are broken down into three main categories: Scientist, Engineer, and Security. Within each category, the abilities branch off into their own unique paths.

Now, to survive Morgan needs to stay alive (obviously), which makes Medkits a hot commodity. Physician increases the effectiveness of Medkits to 150 percent, initially, and can be upgraded again to 300 percent. Upgrading to 300 percent might be overkill, but upping the effectiveness of Medkits to 150 percent will make a huge difference to your survival.

9 Gunsmith - Engineer

Swinging Morgan’s trusty wrench does get the job done in eliminating the Typhon, but something with a bit more firepower might help.

Throughout Talos 1, Morgan finds an assortment of weaponry that can be upgraded with Weapon Upgrade Kits. From the start, Morgan can only upgrade gun stats once, but Gunsmith allows him to upgrade his weapons further. Weapon upgrades include reduced recoil, higher firepower, and faster reload time.

8 Necropsy - Scientist

For Morgan to upgrade any of these abilities, the neuroscientist needs Neuromods. Morgan finds plenty of Neuromods through routine exploration of the space station, but he can also construct Neuromods with the fabricator.

Organs salvaged from Typhon remains after killing the aliens can be recycled for Exotic Material, which is then used for creating the Neuromods. Necropsy increases the number of Typhon organs recovered, providing valuable crafting materials for Morgan to create more Nueromods. If there’s an abundance of Neuromods that means Morgan can mass upgrade his abilities.

7 Leverage - Engineer

Other than shooting at aliens or smashing them with his wrench, Morgan can pick up various objects to throw. The concept of Leverage is pretty simple: the more Morgan upgrades the ability, the heavier objects he can lift and throw.

It’s worth it to unlock the base ability early and slowly upgrade it because certain areas are blocked off by heavy objects. The last upgrade also gives Morgan the strength to forceable open unpowered doors that lead into more blocked-off areas.

6 Impact Calibration - Engineer

There will definitely come a time where Morgan’s wrench is his last line of defense against the Typhon. Using the wrench is effective, but requires stamina. Impact Calibration reduces the amount of stamina needed to swing the wrench, allowing Morgan to get in a few more whacks.

Depending on the game difficulty, gun ammo is scarce on Talos 1 so utilizing the wrench is imperative to Morgan’s survival.

5 Dismantle - Engineer

Talos 1 is littered with all kinds of items that Morgan can collect, which means his inventory space will fill up rather quickly. Dismantle allows Morgan to break down equipment, such as guns, into Spare Parts.

Guns occupy more inventory space, so having the ability to break them down into Spare Parts helps a lot. These items are also used to repair broken equipment around the space station.

4 Suit Modification - Engineer

Properly managing Morgan’s inventory is essential to his survival. Suit Modification expands Morgan’s inventory, allowing the neuroscientist to carry more items and equipment.

This upgrade also allows the installation of two additional chipsets in his suit. These chipsets offer extra perks to Morgan, like the INTegral Structor b5nm chipset makes his suit more resistant to environmental hazards that degrade its integrity.

3 Repair - Engineer

With the Typhon wreaking havoc throughout Talos 1, there’s going to be plenty of broken-down equipment. Repair allows Morgan to fix broken Grav Shafts, Fabricators, and Recyclers with Spare Parts.

Upgrading Repair will expand the objects Morgan to fix to include turrets, Operators, and Electrical Junctions. Certain areas are blocked off by Electrical Junctions, so upgrading Repair also opens up other areas to explore. If Prey is on Survival Mode, Morgan can also use Spare Parts to fix damaged weapons.

2 Conditioning - Security

In most games with RPG elements, there will always be an upgrade to increase the character’s base health. Conditioning increases Morgan’s health to 115 and boosts his stamina to 105. Also, he’s able to run, sneak, climb, and sprint five percent faster.

There isn’t a reason to be stealthy in Prey, so enhancing Morgan’s base stats soon will be advantageous.

1 Hacking - Scientist

Certain areas in Talos 1 require a password or access key to enter. By unlocking Hacking, Morgan can break into the security system and bypass the requested password. Morgan can hack into doors, computers, and safes. Upgrading the ability increases the security level clearance Morgan has to hack more objects.

Maxing out Hacking allows Morgan to freely access most areas and any computer system. He’s also able to hack into various Operators or enemy turrets. While most of these upgrades present some form of value, being able to hack into computer systems and safes offers the highest reward potential.

Accessing computer systems to download maps and files, locate missing crew members across the station, and disable corrupted turrets makes the Hacking ability an essential tool for Morgan to survive in Talos 1.

NEXT: Prey: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Typhon Powers