The best Lego Horizon Adventures upgrades to buy first

Lego Horizon Adventures upgrades
(Image credit: Guerrilla Games)

Lego Horizon Adventures upgrades allow you to give Aloy and her companions a boost, so knowing which ones you should be focusing on first is incredibly helpful. The upgrades on offer can earn you extra XP, help you find more gadgets and rare weapons, and enable you to deal additional damage in combat. Firstly, to unlock upgrades, you need to reach the Tallneck at the end of the second story quest, and then to access them going forward, you visit the All-Mother Tree in your village.

You’ll purchase upgrades using the studs you collect as you play, so make sure you’re opening chests and destroying barrels whenever you get the chance. You can also unlock upgrades by learning how to get Lego Horizon Adventures Gold Bricks. So, which ones should you buy first? Here’s everything you need to know about the best upgrades in Lego Horizon Adventures and what they bring to your brick-building journey.

Which Lego Horizon Adventures upgrades should you buy first?

Lego Horizon Adventures upgrades

(Image credit: Guerrilla Games)

If you're trying to decide on the best Lego Horizon Adventures upgrades to buy first, then you should prioritize investing in those that increase how much XP you earn for completing certain actions, as these will help you level up faster and unlock additional perks for your characters. Initially this will be Weak Sauce, which awards 50% extra XP when removing weakpoints from machines once fully upgraded, followed with Environmental Warrior when unlocked by collecting Lego Horizon Adventures Gold Bricks to provide 75% additional XP for using the environment to defeat enemies when maxed out.

The next XP boost, Gadgeteer, isn't available until you collect a total of 20 Gold Bricks, so in the meantime you should invest in other upgrades such as Power User, Gadget Surprise, and Rare Surprise to increase your abilities in combat. For a complete list of all the upgrades in Lego Horizon Adventures and when they will become available, see below:

  • Unlocked immediately:
    • Weak Sauce - Removing weakpoints will award XP [XP/+25%/+50%]
    • Free Lunch - Enemies affected by fire, ice or shock may drop healing berries [5%/10%/15%]
    • Barrels of Peril - Barrels cause more damage to enemies [+15%/+30%/+45%]
    • Slow Burn - Increases the number of seconds enemies stay on fire [2/4/6]
  • Unlocks at 7 Gold Bricks:
    • Environmental Warrior - Earn more XP when you use the environment to defeat enemies [+25%/+50%/+75%]
    • Power User - Gadgets and rare weapons are more powerful [+15%/+30%/+45%]
  • Unlocks at 10 Gold Bricks:
    • Gadget Surprise - Start with a random gadget
    • Rare Surprise - Start with a random rare weapon
    • Chill Out - Increases the number of seconds enemies stay frozen [2/4/6]
  • Unlocks at 20 Gold Bricks:
    • Gadgeteer - Earn more XP when you use gadgets or rare weapons to defeat enemies [+25%/+50%/+75%]
    • Ninja Skills - Deal more damage when hiding in tall grass [+15%/+30%/+45%]
    • Shocker - Increases the number of seconds enemies stay shocked [2/4/6]
  • Unlocks at 30 Gold Bricks:
    • Berry Good - Bushes grow even more berries [+1/+2/+3]
    • Super Berries - Berries heal fire ice, and shock effects
  • Unlocks at 40 Gold Bricks:
    • Zero Waste - Gadgets and rare weapons can be used more times
    • Gadgets A-Gogo - Gadgets and rare weapons are easier to find [+5%/+10%/+15%]

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Iain Wilson
Guides Editor

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 750 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.

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