Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
In Deathloop, players can unlock unique abilities called Slabs. These Slabs each have four unique upgrades, which alter how they are used and what effects they might do. Finding all the Slabs and unlocking all the upgrades is going to take a bit of work, but it’s worth it to flesh out Colt’s arsenal of destruction.
The Slabs, which were created by Dr. Wenjie Evans, are devices unique to Blackreef that imbue some Visionaries with powerful abilities. By defeating someone that is using a Slab, you can take it for your own arsenal of weapons to use. While not all the Visionaries have a Slab, those that do use one are the owners of that specific Slab. For example, Charlie is the only one that uses Shift. The exception to this rule is Julianna, who can use any Slab that Colt can (except Reprise). While you're gathering Slabs, you should also try to unlock the Gold weapons.
| Slab name | Base Effect | Upgrade 1 | Upgrade 2 | Upgrade 3 | Upgrade 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reprise (Only Colt) | Die twice and come back. Die a third time, and the day restarts. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Masquerade (Only Julianna) | Exchange appearances with someone else. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Shift | Teleport over short distances. | Reach: You can travel further - and higher - when using Shift. | Airborne: Using Shift in mid-air briefly halts your fall. | Dropkick: Kicking during a use of Shift produces a powerful (and dangerous) sonic boom. | Swapper: Shift can be used to swap your poisition with that of an enemy. |
| Nexus | Link enemies. Hurt one, hurt all. | Protraction: Nexus drains your power at a slower rate. | Attraction: Nexus projectiles home in on enemies until they become unstable. | Parasite: When someone affected by Nexus takes damage, you regain health. | Influence: Enemies affected by Nexus spontaneously create connections to others nearby. |
| Karnesis | Throw enemies around… painfully. | Flesh Bomb: Enemies affected by Karnesis land with a damaging blast. | Zone: Use Karnesis to push away multiple enemies for some much-needed breathing room. | Slam: Using Karnesis again on affected enemies violently hurls them down. | Suspension: Enemies thrown by Karnesis hover helplessly in the air. Easy pickings. |
| Havoc | Become tougher and hit (and kick) harder. | Withdrawal: Regain power by damaging your foes while using Havoc. Invigorating! | Euphoria: The more damage you take while using Havoc, the more damage you dish out. | Backlash: When Havoc ends, you release a powerful and damaging blast. | Bulwark: Hits don't drain Power, but Havoc drains Power faster. Also, you move slower. |
| Aether | Become almost entirely invisible. | Ghost: Aether doesn't consume Power while you're standing still. | Erase: While Aether is active, killing an enemy doesn't leave a trace. | Flicker: Attacking while using Aether makes you appear briefly, but doesn't halt the effect. | Phase: Damage doesn't deactivate Aether, and you suffer less damage while it's active. |
To get a Slab upgrade, you must first own the base version of the Slab. By picking up that Slab again, you will unlock one of its many versions. Sometimes, Julianna will drop an upgrade that does not follow the normal upgrade path – so you might get a later version earlier than you should, which is great!
What all this means is that if you find a Slab you really like to use, you can repeatedly kill the Visionary that uses it to unlock more of its upgrades. Bear in mind, you must know how to keep items between loops so that you can actually hold on to your Slab upgrades.
Getting new Slabs and upgrading the ones you have is an excellent way of getting new tools to better deal with the task at hand. Remember to infuse the Slabs you like, and the Slab upgrades, so you can keep them between loops. Check out the Shacknews Deathloop strategy guide for more information to help you complete Colt’s mission.