The vast and unforgiving wastelands of Rage 2 can be pretty brutal at times, especially for new players just getting started. The majority of the map is open to explore right off the bat and accidentally wandering into an area that’s too strong for you happens fairly often.
To help you out, Rage 2 provides upgrades for your guns, gear, and abilities that can be unlocked which provide a range of benefits that can turn the tide of any firefight. There are a lot of them to choose from and over time you can reach Doom Slayer levels of near-invincible power that the trailers for Rage 2 showed off back when it first launched in 2019. Some upgrades are more useful than others and it can take a bit of trial and error to figure out what works the best, so if you’re in need of a power boost or want to give your Ranger more of a fighting chance, then here are the best Rage 2 upgrades to equip.
10 Weapon Juggler
You can carry quite the large arsenal of weaponry and abilities with you in Rage 2, which makes sense considering the number of threats you’ll be facing. From mutants to bandits and high-tech weapon-wielding drones, there’s a lot of deadly foes to deal with on your adventure.
To make handling this target-rich environment easier, it’s recommended you pick up Weapon Juggler. Available through the Kill & Destroy project list at tier 3, it increases your switch speed between guns as well as auto-reloading the weapon being swapped to. So you never have to worry about pulling out your assault rifle or shotgun mid-fight only to find it half full as this will keep you covered.
9 Grav Jump
Rage 2 is a game that encourages exploration; there’s a lot of verticality to its sprawling outposts and often there are rewards tucked away in hard-to-reach spots, and having a double jump makes getting around the catwalks and cliffs of this game so much easier.
The Grav Jump is essentially a double jump with some extra hang time in mid-air when you hold the jump button down. It’s incredibly helpful for traversing areas or getting to a better firing position. This ability is unlocked by entering the Great Crack Ark in the south part of the Broken Tract area and it can be upgraded with Nanotrites.
8 Grenade Tennis
If there’s one thing the enemies in Rage 2 love to do it’s toss grenades. Any firefight in this FPS by Bethesda usually devolves into a brutal slugfest where you’re constantly diving out of cover because some bandit has chucked an exploding canister your way.
With the Grenade Tennis upgrade though, you can bat their bombs back at them and watch them explode into gooey chunks. Available from tier 1 for one skill point as part of the Kill & Destroy projects, the Grenade Tennis ability repels any incoming bombs with a well-timed melee strike. Plus at Tier 4 you can enhance this further with the Topspin upgrade which sends bonked grenades soaring back specifically to the person that threw them.
7 Moving Target
If you want to survive any firefight then you have to stay on your toes as the bullets come at you fast in Rage 2, and being able to outrun the deluge of lead can make all the difference. That’s where the Moving Target Upgrade comes in.
Often overlooked, this enhancement is perfect if you plan on tackling some of the more dangerous areas in Rage 2. This is because it cuts the damage taken by incoming attacks by 30% when you’re sprinting. So those shots in the back when you’re trying to find cover aren’t going to hit quite as hard. To unlock it you will need two skill points to spend in the second tier of the Kill & Destroy project list.
6 Slam
If you want to turn yourself into a walking grenade then Slam is what you need. Perfect for clearing out large clusters of enemies, this upgrade lets you impact into the ground like a meteorite sending out a shockwave of damaging force.
Not only can this instantly shred softer targets like bandits, but it also turns armored elites into piles of twisted scrap metal. Found in the Earthscar Ark of the Torn Plains, further upgrading this ability with Nanotrites increases the radius of the shockwave, reduces its cooldown, and adds a black hole that pulls in more enemies to squash.
5 Tracking
The map in Rage 2 is big — it really can’t be understated how large it is when compared to the first game — and spread out across this vast landscape are plenty of rewards, resources, and Arks all ripe for the taking. Tracking them all down can be a bit of a chore though as they’re often hidden away in hard-to-find spots but the Tracking upgrade can help with that.
Perfect for post-game clean-up, it’s available from the NPC Doctor Anton Kvasir and it can help you hunt down Datapads, Feltrite, Spy Drones, and Arks when you’re close. There are four tiers with each subsequent one providing more useful tracking abilities for treasure hunters.
4 Triple Re-Direct
The Wingstick, whilst underpowered in the first game, in Rage 2 has taken on a life of its own and with the right upgrades, it’s an amazing murder tool.
Its basic attack is to fly towards someone and embed in their head causing a ton of damage, but with the Triple Re-Direct upgrade, you can send it soaring to three extra enemies. Unlocked through the Control Projects provided by Lossum Hagar at Tier 4, after throwing the Wingstick move your reticule around and it will follow it to a new target. Combine it with its Explosion Upgrade and you can turn it into a flying grenade that can be detonated at will.
3 Surprise Attack
There are a lot of incredibly tough things to fight in Rage 2 and whilst there’s nothing that can really block your progression, it can still be a chore at times to take down the tankier enemies. So why not give yourself an edge in the fight by picking up the Surprise Attack upgrade.
Unlocked through the Kill & Destroy projects provided by John Marshal, this nifty upgrade grants you 5x damage on unaware enemies. So it’s perfect for those looking to do big damage and chunk a large amount of health out of the tougher targets in the game.
2 Large Infusion Belt
The wastelands of Rage 2 are not a friendly place, and to survive them you’re going to need a lot of infusions to keep your health and Overdrive topped up at all times. Being able to heal during a fight or pop your Ultimate at a moment’s notice can often mean the difference between clearing an area or losing a substantial amount of progress.
When you first start out you can only take a maximum of three with you, but unlocking higher tiers with the Search & Recovery projects allows you to bring along more. At project level 4 you can unlock the Large Infusion Belt, which allows you to carry along a maximum of eight infusions for health, Overdrive, and other abilities. So if you’re tired of constantly struggling to survive the Infusion Belt upgrades are what you need.
1 Defib
The Defib is by far the most important upgrade in the game and whilst you can complete it without it, doing so just makes everything ten times harder. The gameplay in Rage 2 is brutal at times, but and for those new to the series, the Defib is essentially an extra life that gives you another chance to keep causing havoc should you get fatally wounded.
Found in the Canyon Cove Ark, if you take too much damage and your health drops to zero, instead of dying and reloading, a quick QTE plays out whereby the Defib restarts your heart and gets you fighting again. It’s a great Second Wind mechanic that can help you squeeze through firefights that might be just a bit too difficult. Plus it can be upgraded with the ability to release a damaging shockwave when you revive.
NEXT: Rage 2 Tips For Beginners
