Top Saros Armor Matrix Upgrades You Should Prioritize

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As players get into Saros and familiarize themselves with its various systems, they’ll discover that visiting the Primary station after each run is very important. During these visits, it’s best to collect as many Armor Matrix upgrades as possible, especially at the beginning of the game. These upgrades can be bought with Lucenite, which players earn by defeating enemies in each run, as well as Halcyon, which usually drops from chests.

At first, the options for Armor Matrix upgrades are limited. However, after defeating The Prophet and other main bosses and moving through the first few biomes, more helpful nodes become available. These can be very useful if you find yourself underpowered.

Best Early-Game Armor Matrix Upgrades in Saros

Tier 1

When starting out, the main upgrade options are Drive, Resilience, and Command. These focus on your key attributes and should be prioritized in this order:

Drive – Increases Lucenite gains and speeds up Proficiency upgrades, allowing you to get more Armor Matrix upgrades faster.
Resilience – Improves your HP and overall survivability, which is crucial as you learn to dodge and dash effectively early on.
Command – Boosts shield capacity, allows more use of Power Weapons, and becomes more important as you progress further into Carcosa.

Early in the game, it’s best to focus on gaining as many Drive and Resilience nodes as possible. But most importantly, aim to unlock the Second Chance node quickly. This mechanic is vital in Saros, as dying is inevitable, and getting it early can make a big difference.

Tier 2

After beating The Prophet and moving into the second tier of Armor Matrix upgrades, there will be fewer Drive nodes available. Instead, Resilience and Command nodes will be more common, with some expensive nodes that upgrade all three attributes at once. Focus on unlocking the Proficiency Enhancements first, and save nodes like the Additional Acolyte’s Wager for later. Also, acquiring Additional Artifact Slots can be very helpful if your inventory gets full too often.

Tier 3 and Beyond

When you reach Tier 3 and higher, it’s helpful to max out each tier to stand your best chance against future bosses. Remember that each attribute also affects your weapon scaling, so choose your upgrade path carefully as you pick new weapons during runs. It’s also worth noting that death is unavoidable—and at times necessary—in Saros, as you need to die to progress.

In the higher tiers, some nodes are especially valuable before others, such as the Hostile Extraction Halcyon nodes from the start of Tier 3, which increase Lucenite drops from enemies.

Everyone plays differently, and those who rely more on shields might prioritize Command early on. Saros offers many upgrade options with Armor Matrix, so aiming to unlock every upgrade in each tier is the best strategy to improve your chances of winning.