CP Noire Upgrade system

Upgrades mean business - Info drop #3

As promised, the third info drop will be dedicated to the Upgrade system in Cosmic Paradox: Noire

First, we will go over the basics and some general information, then we will focus on each upgrade category individually.

Those of you who read our second info drop will already know that upgrades are purchased using Credits. Credits are part of our Wave Rewards system. Everything you need to know about Wave Rewards was explained in our previous News post, so we highly suggest reading it if you want the full picture.

To reach the Upgrades section, you will access the Armory from the main menu. From here, you will be able to purchase any available upgrades.

We will immediately confirm that you will be able to purchase every upgrade, however, it is still a wise decision to try and see which category might be most beneficial for you and focus on it early on.

For example, I find Mobility to be extremely useful when it comes to closing the distance between you and the target. It also makes evasion slightly easier. This makes it ideal for aggressive playstyles when you like to get up close and personal to enemy ships. This is obviously a risky way to play, as your projectile dodge window is limited, but on the other hand it becomes easier to lead your shots. This is just one example for players who might prefer a similar approach and why it would be a good idea to invest Credits into Mobility early on.

Others might prefer a more distant approach, in which case, prioritizing Laser damage as well as the Rampage power-up could be the way to go.

Your playstyle and preferred methods of engagement might also change as you become more familiar with the game, so you have nothing to worry about if you decide to prioritize a different stat down the line. It’s just something to keep in mind at the very beginning of your journey with CP Noire.

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Upgrade specifics

Now, let’s go over every upgrade stat individually and point out some important information as well as the base and maximum stat value.

Laser - Upgrading the laser will increase its damage output. Base damage will start at 100 and the maximum damage output will be 200 per shot. Ammunition is unlimited and fire rate is tied to the Rampage power-up. Exact stats per upgrade are as follows:

Level 1 - 100

Level 2 - 125

Level 3 - 150

Level 4 - 175

Level 5 - 200

We highly recommend upgrading the Laser to at least Level 3 before starting the third stage. Not a requirement, but it will ensure that you are able to earn all Wave Rewards as you will not be limited by damage output. Otherwise certain enemies will likely leave the battlefield before you are able to defeat them.

Ship hull - It’s always good to have a strong defense! Upgrading the ship hull will increase your health. This will give you a greater chance at completing the level and might also prevent some of those one shot deaths by more powerful enemies. Here are the Health stats per level:

Level 1 - 1000

Level 2 - 1500

Level 3 - 2000

Level 4 - 2500

Level 5 - 3000

Mobility - As stated, a very useful stat for evasion and closing the distance between you and the enemy. The latter is particularly useful when you want to catch up to a target that might otherwise slip away, ensuring that you do not miss out on a Wave Reward.

These are the Mobility stats that we landed on:

Level 1 - 100%

Level 2 - 110%

Level 3 - 115%

Level 4 - 120%

Level 5 - 125%

Rampage - Since this is the ability that directly ties in with your primary weapon and doubles its rate of fire, Rampage is incredibly powerful. When combined with an upgraded Laser, the possible damage output is off the charts! With every upgrade, the duration of this power-up will be increased:

Level 1 - 7s

Level 2 - 9s

Level 3 - 11s

Level 4 - 13s

Level 5 - 15s

Shield - This ability might just be the difference between a successful run or another attempt. The shield will completely protect you from every  type of enemy projectile. As it is also possible to destroy enemies by ramming them, we had to balance the shield by removing the ability to fire your laser. If that was an option, it would simply be too overpowered.

Upgrading the shield ability will also increase its duration:

Level 1 - 10s

Level 2 - 12s

Level 3 - 15s

Level 4 - 17s

Level 5 - 20s

The reason we gave the shield such a high maximum duration is because every enemy collision will additionally deplete it, so realistically, it will expire much faster than the values that were listed here in most cases.

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Three down, more to go!

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This concludes our third info drop. I hope that you enjoyed reading this story and found it useful. The next info drop will be a direct sequel where we will cover ship selection and how every ship will additionally enhance a specific stat.

Looking forward to seeing you there. Take care.