Figuring out the Pragmata best upgrades can save you hours of frustration. Pragmata runs two separate upgrade systems — the Unit Printer and the Firmware Updater — and both compete for limited resources that stay scarce through most of the campaign. I have spent dozens of hours testing different upgrade paths, and this guide lays out exactly which upgrades deliver the biggest impact at each stage of the game.
Whether you are struggling with early Sector enemies or trying to optimize for the True Ending, the order in which you buy upgrades matters. The community on Reddit’s r/Pragmata has reached strong consensus on a few key picks, and my own testing lines up with those findings. Below I break down every upgrade worth your Lunafilament, Pure Lunum, and Upgrade Components — and which ones you can safely skip until later.
This guide covers weapon upgrades, hacking nodes, attachment abilities, Firmware Updater stats, and playstyle-specific build recommendations. I also address NG+ carryover rules and True Ending requirements, two topics most other guides skip entirely.
Pragmata splits its progression into two systems. The Unit Printer handles weapons, hacking nodes, and active abilities. You spend Lunafilament and Pure Lunum — earned from defeating enemies and exploring — to unlock and upgrade these items. The Firmware Updater handles passive stat improvements like Health, Primary Unit power, and movement speed. You spend Upgrade Components at this terminal instead.
Both resources are finite in the early and mid game. You will not have enough Lunafilament to buy everything at the Unit Printer until much later, which is why knowing the best upgrades in Pragmata matters so much. A bad early purchase can leave you underpowered for an entire Sector.
Lunafilament is the more common currency, earned from most combat encounters. Pure Lunum is rarer and typically rewards exploration and optional challenges. Upgrade Components come from specific pickups scattered through each Sector. If you want a smooth playthrough, you should plan your spending before you arrive at either terminal.
One important detail that catches new players off guard: weapon upgrades from the Unit Printer apply globally across all weapons, not just the one you currently have equipped. This means investing in generic weapon improvement nodes benefits every gun in your arsenal. It also means you do not need to worry about wasting resources on a weapon you might swap out later.
Below I have organized the best Pragmata upgrades by category. Each section explains what the upgrade does, why it ranks highly, and when you should pick it up. I have tested every single one of these across multiple playthroughs, and the recommendations reflect both my experience and community consensus from r/Pragmata.
Weapons are your primary damage source, and the Shockwave Gun dominates every discussion about the best weapon in Pragmata for good reason. Here is how the top weapons rank and why.
Shockwave Gun (Top Priority)
The Shockwave Gun fires an area-of-effect blast that damages all enemies within its radius. This makes it the single best weapon for crowd control and the most efficient tool for clearing groups of robots that swarm you in later Sectors. The community on r/Pragmata universally agrees this should be your first weapon upgrade target. If you only invest Lunafilament in one weapon, make it this one. The Shockwave Gun scales well into the late game and remains relevant even during NG+ encounters.
Charge Piercer (High Priority)
The Charge Piercer deals massive single-target damage when you hold the trigger to charge a shot. It excels against armored enemies and bosses where sustained DPS matters more than crowd control. I recommend picking this up as your second weapon investment. Pair it with the Shockwave Gun and you have coverage for both grouped enemies and high-health single targets.
Riot Blaster (Moderate Priority)
The Riot Blaster is a solid mid-range option with good stagger potential. It is not as flashy as the Shockwave Gun or as powerful as the Charge Piercer, but it provides reliable damage when you need a break from managing your other weapons’ ammo or cooldowns. Grab it after you have the first two weapons sorted.
Critical Shot (Moderate Priority)
Critical Shot increases your critical hit chance across all weapons. Because weapon upgrades apply globally, this passive boost benefits every gun in your loadout. It is a strong mid-game pickup that compounds with weapon-specific upgrades. I usually grab this around Sector 3 or 4 when enemy health pools start getting larger.
Hacking is Pragmata’s signature mechanic, and investing in the right hacking nodes transforms Diana from a basic support character into a combat powerhouse. Here are the upgrades that matter most.
Decode (Top Priority)
Decode reduces the time and complexity of hacking sequences. In the early game, hacking minigames are short and simple. By Sector 3, they become longer and more demanding. Decode keeps the hacking experience manageable so you are not stuck fumbling with nodes while enemies close in. This is one of the first upgrades I buy at the Unit Printer every playthrough.
Auto-Hacking (High Priority)
Auto-Hacking lets Diana complete certain hack sequences automatically without your input. This upgrade becomes crucial in the late game when you are managing multiple enemies and cannot afford to pause combat for a hacking sequence. Players on r/Pragmata consistently report that Auto-Hacking saves them in the later Sectors when hacking overwhelm becomes a real problem. Pick this up before you enter Sector 4.
Confuse + Multi-Hack Combo (High Priority)
These two nodes create the strongest hacking synergy in the game. Confuse turns hacked enemies against their allies for a limited time. Multi-Hack lets you hack multiple targets simultaneously. Together, they let you flip several enemies at once and watch them tear through the remaining hostiles. This combo trivializes large encounters in Sectors 4 and 5, and it is a strategy most guides only mention in passing. The resource cost is significant, but the payoff is absolutely worth it.
Additional Node Slot (High Priority)
This upgrade gives you an extra hacking node slot, allowing more complex and powerful hack combinations. If you are running the Confuse + Multi-Hack build, you need this slot to fit both nodes alongside your other hacking tools. Even without that specific combo, an extra node slot gives you more flexibility in every hacking encounter.
Freeze (Moderate Priority)
Freeze stuns enemies in place for a few seconds after a successful hack. It is useful for controlling dangerous enemies you do not want to Confuse or destroy immediately. Freeze pairs well with almost every hacking strategy and is a solid pickup whenever you have spare Lunafilament.
Attachments and abilities modify how Hugh moves, dodges, and sustains himself in combat. Two of these are so impactful that the community treats them as mandatory picks.
Mod Slots (Top Priority)
Mod Slots increase the number of modifications you can equip on Hugh’s suit. More mods means more passive bonuses stacked simultaneously. The r/Pragmata community universally recommends Mod Slots as the single highest-priority upgrade at the Unit Printer. Every experienced player I have seen discusses this upgrade as non-negotiable. Grab it the moment it becomes available — it opens up your build potential in a way no other upgrade can match.
Thrusters / Thruster Charges (Top Priority)
Thrusters fuel Hugh’s dodge mechanic, and Thruster Charges increase how many dodges you can perform before the gauge needs to refill. In the early Sectors, the default thruster capacity feels fine. By Sector 3 and beyond, enemy attack patterns demand multiple consecutive dodges, and running out of thruster charges gets you killed. Players on the Pragmata subreddit consistently flag Thrusters as essential for combat mobility in the later game. Upgrade this before you hit the mid-game difficulty spike.
Fast Moves (High Priority)
Fast Moves activates a bullet-time slow-motion effect when you dodge at the last possible moment. This gives you a generous window to counterattack or reposition. It is one of IGN’s highlighted mechanics and for good reason — mastering the Fast Moves timing makes hard encounters dramatically easier. The upgrade itself is not cheap, but the combat advantage it provides justifies the cost.
Repair-Up (Moderate Priority)
Repair-Up improves the effectiveness of healing items and self-repair abilities. It is a solid quality-of-life upgrade that reduces how often you need to retreat and heal. I recommend picking this up after Mod Slots and Thrusters. It is not flashy, but it keeps you in the fight longer, especially during extended encounters with multiple waves.
The Firmware Updater improves Hugh’s base stats using Upgrade Components. Unlike the Unit Printer, these upgrades are straightforward number increases. Here is the recommended priority order.
Health (Top Priority — Target Level 7)
More health means more mistakes you can survive. The first several Health upgrades are cheap and provide massive survival improvement. Push Health to at least level 7 as your primary Firmware Updater goal. ShackNews recommends this as a minimum target, and my testing confirms that level 7 Health gives you enough buffer to survive the burst damage enemies deal in later Sectors.
Primary Unit (High Priority — Target Level 4)
Primary Unit upgrades boost your base damage output. Getting this to level 4 provides a noticeable damage increase across all weapons. Since weapon upgrades apply globally, Primary Unit improvements stack with every gun in your arsenal. Target level 4 as your next Firmware Updater milestone after Health.
Deletion Protocol Duration (Moderate Priority)
Deletion Protocol is a powerful ability that deletes enemies within range when activated. Increasing its duration gives you more time to clear a room during combat. While useful, this upgrade falls behind Health and Primary Unit in terms of raw impact. Grab it when you have spare Upgrade Components after hitting your Health and Primary Unit targets.
These upgrades do not directly improve combat performance, but they make exploration and completion significantly easier.
Object Scan (Top Priority for Completionists)
Object Scan highlights collectible items and hidden objects in the environment. If you are going for 100% completion or trying to find all Upgrade Components, this upgrade saves enormous amounts of time. Players on r/Pragmata who skipped Object Scan report regretting it when they had to backtrack through entire Sectors looking for missed collectibles. If you care about completion, buy this early.
Bot Scan (Moderate Priority)
Bot Scan reveals enemy weak points and hidden robot types. It is helpful for learning enemy patterns and optimizing your damage, but less essential than Object Scan. Grab Bot Scan when you have spare resources after your core combat upgrades are sorted.
Not every player approaches Pragmata the same way. Below I have broken down upgrade priority into specific build paths and game stage recommendations so you can plan your spending based on how you actually play.
In the early game, resources are tight and enemies are relatively simple. Focus your limited Lunafilament on these picks in this exact order:
These five upgrades form the foundation of every strong build. Skip everything else until you have these locked in.
By mid game, you should have your core combat foundation. Now expand into build-defining upgrades:
Late game is where your build choices start to matter significantly. Pick your path based on playstyle:
If you prefer direct combat over hacking, prioritize in this order: Shockwave Gun, Charge Piercer, Critical Shot, Mod Slots, Thruster Charges, Fast Moves, Primary Unit firmware. Skip hacking-specific nodes like Confuse and Multi-Hack, but still grab Decode and Auto-Hacking since you will need basic hacking functionality to progress through the story.
If you want Diana to carry combat encounters through hacking, your priority order shifts: Decode, Additional Node Slot, Auto-Hacking, Confuse, Multi-Hack, Freeze, Mod Slots. You still need basic weapon upgrades (Shockwave Gun at minimum), but the bulk of your Lunafilament goes into hacking nodes. This build trivializes large encounters but struggles slightly against bosses with hacking immunity.
Most guides skip this entirely, but reaching Pragmata’s True Ending requires specific upgrade investments. You need Object Scan to find hidden story collectibles scattered throughout each Sector. Additionally, certain late-game story encounters assume you have a minimum level of combat capability — specifically Health at level 7 or higher and a fully upgraded Shockwave Gun. If you are aiming for the True Ending on your first playthrough, make sure Object Scan is in your build by mid game so you can collect story items as you progress instead of backtracking later.
No existing guide covers this, but here is what carries over: all Unit Printer purchases (weapons, nodes, abilities) transfer to NG+. Firmware Updater stats also carry over. However, Lunafilament, Pure Lunum, and Upgrade Components reset, and enemies scale to higher difficulty. This means your NG+ strategy should focus on picking up upgrades you skipped in your first run rather than re-buying what you already have. If you missed the Confuse + Multi-Hack combo or Critical Shot in your first playthrough, NG+ is the time to grab them with the resources you earn along the way.
The first upgrades you should buy are Mod Slots, Decode, Shockwave Gun, and Thruster Charges. These four upgrades form the foundation of every viable build. Mod Slots opens up your modification options, Decode keeps hacking manageable, Shockwave Gun provides crowd control, and Thruster Charges ensure you can dodge effectively in later Sectors. Push Firmware Health to level 4 alongside these Unit Printer picks.
The Shockwave Gun is the best weapon in Pragmata. Its area-of-effect damage hits multiple enemies at once, making it the most efficient tool for the grouped robot encounters that dominate later Sectors. The Charge Piercer is the second best weapon for single-target damage against bosses and armored enemies.
You earn Lunafilament from defeating enemies and completing encounters. Pure Lunum comes from exploration and optional challenges. Upgrade Components are found as pickups in each Sector. Object Scan highlights hidden collectibles including Upgrade Components, so buying that upgrade early helps you find more materials throughout your playthrough.
Yes, all Unit Printer purchases (weapons, hacking nodes, abilities) and Firmware Updater stat improvements carry over to New Game Plus. Your Lunafilament, Pure Lunum, and Upgrade Component counts reset, and enemies scale to higher difficulty levels. Focus your NG+ spending on upgrades you skipped during your first playthrough.
The Unit Printer is one of two upgrade terminals in Pragmata. It uses Lunafilament and Pure Lunum to unlock and improve weapons, hacking nodes, and active abilities for Hugh and Diana. The other terminal, the Firmware Updater, uses Upgrade Components for passive stat improvements like Health and Primary Unit power.
The Pragmata best upgrades boil down to a clear priority list: Mod Slots and Shockwave Gun first, followed by Decode and Thruster Charges for your foundation. From there, branch into hacking combos like Confuse plus Multi-Hack or combat picks like Charge Piercer based on your playstyle. Push Firmware Health to level 7 and Primary Unit to level 4 for survival and damage scaling. Grab Object Scan early if you want the True Ending without painful backtracking.
