Saros Guide: How to get started and all you need to know about attributes, weapons, resources, and more

After having to wait half a decade, developer Housemarque is finally back with a brand-new action title. Building on the formula which impressed so many when Returnal debuted, the new Saros is a more forgiving roguelite project, one where there are firm checkpoint elements in place and also a progression system that makes protagonist Arjun Devraj stronger after each and every run.

As there are quite a few moving parts, we figured it might be handy to have a glossary-like guide that delves into each and every attribute, 'currency', upgrade, and what there is to know about them, and how you can use this information to your benefit in conquering Carcosa.

What are Arjun's key attributes?

To begin with, when you open the Status page in-game, you will notice a bunch of words that perhaps aren't all too well explained. "Command" and "Drive" are just two examples of Arjun's core attributes that affect how he performs in combat, so let's dispel any confusion you may have.

• Proficiency - This is the base 'level' of Arjun at the start of every run. The higher the level, the better weapons and abilities you will find from the outset in chests and occasionally from defeated enemies. Higher Proficiency tools may have increased damage, additional perks, a whole host of extra benefits to lower Proficiency ones, and you can increase base Proficiency permanently by acquiring upgrades at The Passage and temporality by gathering Lucenite in runs.


• Integrity - This is Arjun's health stat.


• Power - This is Arjun's energy stat, with higher Power stats making the shield ability more effective and quicker to recharge.


• Resilience - An additional health stat. Higher Resilience means you will have a higher Integrity.


• Command - A by-product of the Power stat. A higher Command value will mean a greater shield capacity and more frequent Power Weapon usage.


• Drive - The rate at which you gain Lucenite - the key resource necessary for increasing Proficiency in each run.

What are the resources/currency/pick-ups and what do they do?

• Lucenite - This is the basic currency that you find all over Carcosa. These little glowing gold orbs improve Proficiency during a run and can be used to purchase upgrades at Primary at The Passage, should you manage to bring enough back.


• Halcyon - A much rarer resource that is limited to a certain number per biome/region of Carcosa. It's a purple glowing orb that can be used to buy specific upgrades at The Passage.


• Aether - These are health drops found during runs. They have a signature glowing green look to them.


• Keys - Used to open certain locked doors and gold 'chests' all before you earn the ability to simply smash open said chests.


• Artefacts - The modifiers you can find during runs. These will have solely positive effects when the eclipse isn't in effect, but will include negative effects too when the eclipse is active.


• Adrenaline - The positive effects an Artefact might bring.


• Corruption - The negative effects an Artefact might bring.

What weapon options are there?

There are two main types of weapons; your actually fireable weapon and the secondary Power tool that can be used when you have enough energy built up, typically by absorbing blue projectiles.

• Handcannon - A handgun main weapon.


• Rifle - A fully automatic main weapon.


• Shotgun - A high-damage close-quarters main weapon.


• Crossbow - A chargeable and long-range main weapon.


• Chakram - A sawblade firing main weapon that deals damage by leaving blades in enemies and by retracting and embedding blades also.

Each of these main weapons come in a variety of alternatives and sub-options that are entirely random. You may get a Crossbow that fires a horizontal array of projectiles or one that launches a star-shape effect, or even a handcannon designed for ranged encounters or perhaps one built for close-up warfare. It's entirely the luck of the draw.

Each weapon also comes with a slate of minor perks that are entirely random. You may get Spectral Rounds (rounds that can pass through terrain) or Extra Round (for two more projectiles per shot), and you can learn about what each minor perk does by visiting the Equipment page of the menu.

As for Power weapons, there are a handful of options also.

• Prominence - An explosive RPG-like effect.


• Dispiritor - A virus-like effect that targets an enemy from within.


• Nova Lance - A sniper-like tool that requires precision but hits truly hard.


• Illumine - A beam-like weapon that deals more damage the longer it targets an enemy.

Like main weapons, Power weapons also have unique effects that can be read about in the Equipment page. This could be a knock-back like effect on Prominence called Purge Blast, or even an additional projectile spawner called Grape Missile.

What are Carcosan Modifiers?

One of the other areas that may lead to a bit of confusion comes in the modifier system in place. This is a way to make the game easier or harder, with the reward being less demanding combat or greater rewards. You can add Protections and Trials, which are effectively positive and negative modifiers, respectively, and the only catch is that you can only use six of each modifier and it all must be relatively balanced out.

As for how this works, each modifier is assigned a value, so if you activate Overlord Restoration to top your health back up before a boss fight, you will take on a -1 effect, which you could render out by also activating Growth Incapacitor I Trial to disable the Second Chance mechanic and add +1 back to your overall tally.

The key is that you can't be more than +/-4 unbalanced in either direction, be that in the Protections or Trials manner. We would recommend deciding what you don't need and then introducing Carcosan Modifiers around that to make the game easier to your liking, as there's not really any reason not to do so. I.e. as the main story often requires you to return to The Passage after key boss encounters in biomes, you may as well activate the Artefact Destruction Trial to destroy a random Artefact upon reaching a new biome and take on a +2 balance change that you can use to your advantage to make Arjun hit harder with Damage Enhancement Protection (rated at -2), for example.

Beyond this, the only other bits and pieces worth knowing are related to collectibles that simply add more worldbuilding and narrative depth to the game. Most biomes offer Audio Logs, Holo Logs, and Text Logs to find, and each will expand your Database so you can learn more about Carcosa and better overcome the threats of this wider world.

And that's about all there is to it. From here, it's simply about finding what works for you, having a bit of luck on your side to get the tools you need, and then being effective in combat, avoiding projectiles and dealing plenty of damage in return. As a final note, we'll just add that it's a good idea to keep any re-roll pick-ups you find on you until you're about to head into a boss encounter, as most bosses have a couple of containers just before their 'rooms' for you to open. So, if you open a container and find nothing of value, at least with these items you can re-roll the gear and hopefully find something more useful.

For more from Saros, be sure to read our glowing review of the game to see why you should be checking out Housemarque's latest project.