Saros players need to learn what to prioritize in each run ASAP

The difference between a good break-in and a bad break-in Saros comes down to priorities, and the sooner players figure out how to prioritize their upgrades on the fly, the faster they'll have more good ones and fewer bad ones. Of course, it depends on what players want out of a specific run-in Saros.

When delving into one of the Saros' many biomes, players must quickly decide why they are there: do they want to finish and beat the biome? Do they want to collect a bunch of Lunecite and upgrade the Armor Matrix in it Saros? Are they just exploring or are they returning for a specific cleanup? The good news is that my priority list, developed after spending way too much time in the game the past few days, is only slightly different for one type of run. Unless otherwise noted, consider my priority list universal for all runs.

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Saros: All audio logs

Here are all the audio logs and the biomes where players can find them in Saros.

Saros Run Upgrade Priority List

Halcyon
Attribute Booster
Privacy and Health OR Lunecite Upgrades
Arms*
Artifacts

Yes, if your first move in one Saros running is to maximize your artifacts, then I think you are dampening the potential of your running. Once I established this priority list, I found myself making each run even better—arguably even easier than the Carcosan upgrades in Saros. The reason it works is that it ensures protagonist Arjun has profits for the next run while polishing the key components of the current run, both in almost equal measure.

Now it should be noted that Saros often forcing players to choose between two upgrades: two artifacts, two weapons, and so on. In that case, it will be what is best for the run on a micro level, but this priority list is best applied overall. While two artifacts are last priority, for example, be sure to pick one up if it fits, no matter how early in one Saros bike you are. But if it's a choice between your favorite artifact and Halcyon, always go for Halcyon.

GameRant Quiz

Easy (15s) Medium (10s) Hard (5s)

1. Halcyon first, always

While most permanent upgrades are unlocked with Lunecite, some of the best upgrades are locked behind Halcyon, but Halcyon has two limitations that players should be aware of. First, there are a limited number of Halcyons in most Saros biomes, and it's entirely possible to go through an entire run without seeing any Halcyon. Because of these two details, no matter how attractive the other option is, always choose Halcyon first to ensure your long-term growth stays on track.

2. Attribute Booster

Second to Halcyon are Attribute Enhancers, which should be chosen above all other than Halcyon. The reasoning here is also quite simple. Yes, eventually there are unlocks so enemies just drop them and there are many ways to get them, but they amount to free upgrades. Players are limited to how many artifacts they can carry, and obviously they are limited to one Saros Main weapons and power weapons, but there is no limit to Attribute Enhancers. If not paired against Halycon, always go for Attribute Enhancers.

3. Healthmaxxing is the goal

Rahul Kohli was selected as Saros' protagonist so that looksmaxxing would be on par with the healthmaxxing requirements of the game, I'm convinced. But seriously, Saros is a game where you don't want to get hit. If you're not perfect, you're going to get hit, though, so increasing the number of hits you can take, no matter how small, goes a long way. As such, this one weaves itself into other choices in the game. If it's between two Attribute Enhancers, always go for Integrity and Health. If it's between health and something lower on this list, always go for health. It will drastically change how long you can survive Saros.

If your goal in a run is to get a lot of upgrades and levels, prioritize Drive & Lunecite fans over healthmaxxing.

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4. And then there are weapons

Choosing a stronger gun, if I had to guess, is there a lot Saros runs go wrong unknowingly. In the context of two weapons, higher power is not always the deciding factor. If anything, I'd say the weapon progression throughout the game is one of its weakest points as nothing really tops the Smart Rifles and Eruptor Hand Cannons for me. But that's my recommendation: find out which weapons work best for you, stay within those categories, and simply upgrade the strength between the two. Perks and weapon types should determine which weapons you prioritize, not raw power, unless* raw power is only a significant step.

If a new weapon comes in Saros is 10 points stronger, then obviously make the switch and hope for another gun later. But being comfortable with your weapon should be goal one, while anything above that should come before a gun.

5. The last priority is artifacts

I know this may seem strange, but I don't care how good the artifact is: it's not more important than having a good gun that you're comfortable with, it's not more important than maxing out your health, it's not more important than free upgrades via Attribute Enhancers, and it's not more important than Halcyon. Players should only take new artifacts when it's a choice between artifacts, when it's just an artifact, when it's a health artifact (over weapons per priority #3), and only in those situations. This may seem counterintuitive since these are the most common upgrades, which also means they are the easiest to pick up in a run.

Balance the critics' averages

Light (6) Medium (8) Hard (10)

More than that, though it expands as you play Sarosyou are limited to the number of artifacts you can carry. Picking up the wrong artifact can completely end a run, just as having a good selection of artifacts can help beat a boss in Sarosso don't pick one up for the sake of picking one up – if it doesn't fit the playset you've created so far, skip it and consider the next one.

Have fun!

Saros is probably my favorite PS5 exclusive game to date, so while I enjoyed figuring out this priority list (and hope it helps), you might not. Maybe you just want to vibe-drive each level; that's totally cool in that case. The most important priority in any video game is to have fun because if it's not fun, why bother? H/T to Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime.