Prey's Best Neuromods - What to Unlock First

Throughout the wreckage of Talos 1, Morgan Yu can come across plenty of Prey Neuromods, which the character can then plunge into their eye to unlock new abilities in Prey. Sounds strange, but then again, nothing about Prey is particularly normal.

Should you instead need help with any other areas of the game, we have a full guides walkthrough hub for Prey, covering full level walkthroughs and how to collect every Neuromod in a certain area, as well as how to obtain every safe code in the game.

This Prey best Neuromods guide will walk you through the best Neuromod abilities to focus on and unlock first, allowing you to get the most out of Prey and Talos 1 in the first few hours. We'll also detail the best Typhon abilities to unlock first, as these grant Morgan special abilities in overcoming the alien threat aboard Talos 1.

Prey Neuromods - The Best Neuromod Abilities to Unlock First

When you obtain your first Neuromod in the early hours of Prey, the game presents you with three skill trees to advance down. These are Scientist, Engineer, and Security, and each focus on a different physical aspect for Morgan Yu. For example, Security allows Morgan to handle firearms better, while Engineer allows you to modify machines in the environment.

Repair 1 - This first Repair skill is a great one to unlock first, as not only does allow you to fix broken items like Gravity Shafts and Fabricators, but it also allows for a variety of unlockables later. In purchasing Repair 1, you can then unlock, Gunsmith 1, Repair 2, Suit Modification 1, and Dismantle, all of which are extremely useful abilities for Morgan.

Leverage 1 - The Leverage skill path is a fairly smart one to advance down, as it allows Morgan to pick up and move increasingly heavy objects. While Leverage 1 allows the moving of smaller items, by the time you eventually unlock Leverage 3 Morgan will be able to move the heaviest objects around, opening up new pathways, entrances and exits from different locations all around Talos 1.

Conditioning - As with Repair 1, the Conditioning unlock allows Morgan to then advance down several different skill paths, these being Toughness 1 to increase your health again after Conditioning, as well as Stamina 1 and Mobility 1. Both Stamina and Mobility unlock a much quicker Morgan, able to successfully evade enemy attacks instead of being stood there helpless.

Hacking 1 - This skill does what it says on the tin, as Hacking 1 allows Morgan the chance at hacking the most basic computer systems in Prey. This skill can be advanced all the way to Hacking 4, which allows for Morgan to attempt to unlock the most advanced security systems in the game, like Turrets. While the hacking in itself is another different mini-game, this Hacking 1 sets Morgan down a very useful path indeed.

The Best Neuromod Unlocks to Focus on Later in Prey

As Prey is an experimental game of sorts, a whole host of different unlockables come into play later on in the game, chiefly through Morgan's ability to scan Typhon aliens with the Psychoscope. As Morgan scans more Typhon aliens, more unlockable abilities in the Energy, Morph, and Telepathy skill trees become available.

However, heed the warning from January that should Morgan invest too heavily in the Typhon-based skill trees, the security systems of Talos 1 will target the protagonist as an alien, with turrets gunning them down on site. Installing two Typhon abilities causes the turrets in Talos 1 to start targeting Morgan, and at three Typhon abilities, a huge, hulking Nightmare will begin stalking the player, somewhere in your current vicinity.

Mimic Matter 1 - A fairly cheap ability to purchase at only 2 Neuromods, the Mimic Matter ability allows the player to disguise Morgan in the form on an object in the environment, exactly as the Mimics have been doing so far in the game. At Mimic Matter 2 level, Morgan can turn into a turret, taking the fight directly to the Typhon aliens at a fairly small Psi rate.

Kinetic Blast 1 - Perhaps the most basic of the Typhon abilities, the Kinetic Blast 1 allows Morgan to unleash an area of effect blast anywhere in the surrounding vicinity. Not only does this deal a fair amount of damage to all enemies caught in the target area at a fairly low cost to your Psi, but it also knocks targets back, giving Morgan some key breathing room to reload weapons or move to a better position.

Backlash 1 - Another fairly simplistic ability in the Typhon skill trees, the Backlash 1 ability shield Morgan from the next incoming enemy attack, knocking back those that strike the player. This is extremely handy in tight situations, particularly when the player finds themselves surrounded by Mimics or other alien enemies, in a confined space.

How to Hack in Prey

As mentioned earlier, choosing to unlock Hacking 1 early on in the game will let Morgan hack through some of the more basic computer terminal throughout Talos 1. Upgrading the hacking ability after this to Hacking 4 will let Morgan take over turrets, which can be especially useful if the security systems on Talos 1 have identified Morgan as a threat.

However, it should be noted that progressing through the various hacking levels does not make the actual act of hacking easier, as instead it only opens up the ability for Morgan to hack more complex items, such as robots and turrets around Talos 1.

When the player undertakes the act of hacking, no matter the target, they will have to guide a small orb through a maze-like level from above, avoiding all the walls with an electricity symbol on them, and making their way to the designated zone within the time limit. Be advised that the more complex security systems you attempt to hack, increases the possibility that Morgan will have to move the orb to multiple destinations, so you best hit the ground running.

In case you need help with anything else related to Prey, feel free to consult our guide on how to make it through the opening level of the game, or our guide hub containing every safe code in Talos 1.

Now that we've advised you what abilities to spend your previous Neuromod points on, and which ones not to waste your time with, Morgan should be well on his way to containing the Typhon threat aboard Talos 1. Just watch out for that Nightmare!