ANNO: Mutationem Beginner’s Guide | Gameplay Tips & Tricks

ANNO: Mutationem is a cyberpunk action RPG with discovery and growth systems that aren't always clearly explained at the start. Noctis City has useful features that you might miss out on if you aren't prepared. You might also waste resources or have a harder time than you need to in fights.

This guide walks you through essential beginner knowledge and combat fundamentals so you can play efficiently from the start. Every section is written to help you make informed decisions as you progress, without overwhelming you or changing how the game naturally teaches you its systems.

Exploration and Resource Management

Search Everything

You should scan every area you enter. Items are spread across rooms, containers, and corners that are easy to overlook. Using the scan function highlights containers that hold loot, allowing you to collect items quickly and consistently.

Items fall into three categories: Consumables, Junk, and Collectibles. Junk should be sold whenever you visit a shop, as it only exists to generate credits. Collectibles should usually be kept because they can be broken down into valuable materials later. If you are short on money, you can sell collectibles, but this should be a last resort.

Input Lag and V-Sync

If the controls feel delayed or unresponsive, you should check your settings and turn off V-Sync. While V-Sync reduces screen tearing, it introduces input delay that affects combat timing. Disabling it makes movement, dodging, and attacking feel more responsive.

Inventory Management

At the start, your backpack only allows five item slots. Each slot can stack up to five of the same item. Because space is limited, you must prioritize carefully.

Stim Shots are the most important healing item during the first half of the game. Later, they are replaced by Digitalin, which offers stronger healing. Corn Juice is also useful early on. Damage and defense boosters such as Erythropoietin and 654-2 provide strong temporary advantages. FM HE Grenades become more useful later, once your backpack capacity increases.

Early on, you shouldn't fill your slots with things like burgers, onion piquants, arc draughts, and lightning gum because they aren't as useful as things that help you heal or fight. You can choose to use grenades or not, depending on how you like to play.

Progression and Side Content

Complete Side Missions

You should accept every side mission you encounter. These missions are short, easy to complete, and often finish naturally as you explore. Some side missions reward Grom Points, which are required to upgrade your stats.

There are exactly enough Grom Points in the game to fully upgrade every stat, meaning skipping side missions can limit your growth. Accepting them ensures you do not miss permanent upgrades.

Bartending for Money

Early in the game, you unlock a bartending minigame at your family’s bar. This minigame is one of the best early sources of credits. You mix drinks using combinations of red, blue, and green liquids, then stop a meter within a target zone.

To slow the meter, you can press L1 and R1 repeatedly. Achieving 700 points, which requires seven perfect drinks, gives the highest payout. You have enough time to reach this score if you remain patient.

Drink order does not matter, failed drinks only reduce your score slightly, and you can restart the minigame at any time. If you dislike minigames, you can skip this entirely, but it remains an efficient way to earn money early.

Grinding Grombits

Grinding is never required, but if you want extra Grombits, you can revisit the Underground Water Channel Base, which becomes available in the first third of the game. Enemies here respawn whenever you teleport back into the area.

Teleport points heal you automatically, allowing repeated combat without resource loss. The section before the Absalom fight is especially efficient for farming.

Using the Map

The map is very helpful. It keeps track of the rooms that have been visited, the places that are still unknown, the side tasks that are in progress (which are marked with question marks), and the NPCs who are waiting for things (which are marked with stars). If you're looking for stuff that you missed earlier in the game, the guide helps you find it quickly.

Chips, Upgrades, and Skills

Upgrade Your Chips

You can buy chips from vendors, but you should also remodel them. Remodeled chips are significantly stronger and provide better bonuses. Chip remodeling is done at FT Chip Shop Headquarters, located in Noctis City along the main shopping street and marked with a chip icon on the map.

Investing in remodeled chips greatly improves your combat efficiency and weapon performance.

Upgrade Tree Priorities

When picking skills, you shouldn't use moves that require a lot of time and keep you from moving. These moves are temporary, and there is a chance they could go wrong. Instead, focus on quick hits, skills that make you more mobile, changes that make it easier to dodge, and upgrades that make you faster.

For stat upgrades using Grom, prioritize attack power, defense, and health. One point in luck and inventory offers good value, but further investment should be delayed. Most Grom Points are earned late in the game, so progression feels slow early on.

Hacking Mechanics

General Hacking Strategy

As hacking puzzles become more complex, cylinders begin to affect each other. A reliable approach is to start from the bottom cylinder and work upward. This method solves most locks, sometimes requiring a second pass.

Central Intelligence Base Lock

The hardest hacking puzzle appears in the Central Intelligence Base. Start by rotating the second cylinder until the third and fourth cylinders align. Then rotate the third cylinder until the first and second align. Next, adjust the top cylinder until the top two are centered. Finally, rotate the last cylinder until the bottom two are centered.

Combat Fundamentals

Dealing with Flying Enemies

High-flying enemies are best handled with guns, but enemies hovering at jump height can be defeated using midair greatsword attacks. Air combos keep you suspended and usually kill standard flying enemies in one or two hits.

The Burger temporarily increases gun damage and becomes useful later once you have more inventory slots.

Parry System

You should invest in the parry ability. Most enemy attacks can be parried, and enemies clearly telegraph their moves. Parrying quickly strips enemy armor and opens them up for damage. Additional parry upgrades are helpful but optional.

Light Sword: Shadowstep

Shadowstep allows you to dash through enemies while dealing damage and is required to progress the single sword skill tree. However, it is easy to trigger accidentally due to analog movement, which can place you in danger. Once unlocked, you must control your movement carefully.

Attacking Downed Enemies

When you stun a strong enemy, you should attack normally before performing the finishing blow. Their shield is down, allowing you to deal unmitigated damage. After the finisher, you can often land additional hits before the shield regenerates, which is critical during boss fights.

High-Commitment Attacks

Cancel windows are small and don't last long. Do not use slow, heavy moves unless your opponent is shocked or you have them locked into a pose. For most situations, one and two knives are better. The greatsword works best for getting past boss shields.

Tactical Skill Focus

Instead of unlocking flashy attacks, you should focus on practical improvements. A lot of expert skills make you more exposed, but tactical skills help you improve your block time, shooting speed, and transformation length. These improvements give steady gains in every meeting.

Enemy Friendly Fire

Some enemies can damage their allies. Missiles and lasers fired by certain robotic enemies can hit nearby foes. Positioning yourself so enemies attack each other reduces pressure and saves resources.

Invincible Roll

Rolling grants full invincibility and allows you to pass through attacks and projectiles. However, there is a short cooldown after each roll. Later in the game, you must time rolls carefully when facing multiple projectiles.

Using Items During Combat

To use things from the inventory screen, you can pause the game. This is a better way than using the D-pad to cycle through things during heated fights. You can heal or use buffs like Erythropoietin during a pause, so you don't waste time.

Transformation Ability

Later in the game, you unlock a transformation that makes you invincible, heals you, and greatly increases damage. You should activate it when your health is low to maximize its effect. Upgrades for this ability are expensive but should be prioritized.

To build transformation meter quickly, you should rely on Twin Swords, as they generate meter faster than other weapons.

Also, check our ANNO: Mutationem Review.