The Evil Within 2 guide: weapons, upgrades, crafting, and survival tips

The evil within 2 weapons upgrade crafting guide

Shinji Mikami and Tango Gameworks are shifting gears for the forthcoming The Evil Within 2. Compared to the first game, hub areas have been added for freeform exploration, new crafting elements will keep you agonising over every resource, and a massively expanded upgrade tree lets you better mould Sebastian’s skillset.

Related: read our The Evil Within 2 PC review.

All of these extra options come in handy as the town of Union is not a very welcoming place. Expect to find a zombie-like infection tightening its grip on the settlement when you arrive, which means hordes of shambling, gurgling, and groaning enemies to fight your way through, not to mention some nastier monstrosities that have so far only been glimpsed in trailers. How you choose to tackle these threats is up to you: silently execute them, brawl with them, gun them down, or simply run away.

To help you make the right survival choices, we’ve assembled this handy The Evil Within 2 guide, looking at everything from weapons and crafting, to upgrades and survival tips.

The Evil Within 2 weapons

It doesn’t need to be said, but by far the most useful bits of kit in the game are the weapons, as it’s these you’ll be using to kill standard enemies and fend off the bigger ones. That’s what weapons do best. There are heaps of The Evil Within 2 weapons, some hidden, some requiring you to complete side quests, and some you will find naturally as you progress through the game.

Brass Knuckles

Brass Knuckles are a pugilist’s best friend, but in order to get these you will have to beat The Evil Within 2 on Nightmare difficulty or higher. On the plus side, once you have them you will be able to deliver some of the goriest takedowns in the game – what’s not to love?

Hand Axe

While the bulk of melee combat is done with a knife, you can also pick up limited-use melee weapons like the Hand Axe. These weapons are lethal, but break after a couple of uses – a handy backup when you find yourself under attack by multiple enemies at once.

Semi-Automatic Handgun

Your bog-standard pistol, the Semi-Automatic Handgun takes between three to four shots to down an enemy in The Evil Within 2, which means you’ll need plenty of ammo and time to reload if you want to deal with a group.

Laser-Sighted Handgun

the evil within 2 pc review

With a similar damage output as the Semi-Automatic Handgun, the main draw for this pistol is its incredibly accurate, Resident Evil 4-esque laser sight. You can find the Laser-Sighted Handgun in Chapter 3, hidden in the parking area of Union Auto Repair.

Silenced Handgun

Low damage keeps the Silenced Handgun from stealth perfection, but it is very useful for luring enemies into traps or away from large groups. To obtain the Silenced Handgun you will have to complete the Getting Back Online sidequest for Julian Sykes in Chapter 7.

Revolver

You need to complete all three Anima events (located at 336 Cedar Avenue, Juke Diner, and The Marrow: Restricted Labs respectively) in order to get Sebastian’s Revolver. It deals a lot of damage, but is slow to fire and difficult to aim thanks to some hefty recoil.

Magnum

This beast can down standard enemies with a single shot, but you have to complete the game on any difficulty in order to get wield it.

Sawed-Off Shotgun

No self-respecting survival horror game would be complete without a boomstick. It is absolutely lethal in close-quarters, so it is wise to keep a few spare shells in case of an emergency. You can get the Sawed-Off Shotgun at multiple locations: Tredwell Trucking, The Marrow: Armory, and The Marrow: Facilities.

Full-Barrelled Shotgun

the evil within 2 shotgun

Prefer to keep the bad guys at arm’s length? The Full-Barrelled Shotgun is nearly as deadly as its stubby cousin, but it can deliver that punch with a more comfortable effective range. It can be found in a storage shed near Post Plus in Chapter 7.

Double-Barreled Shotgun

This classic firearm fires from both barrels at once, which should be enough to end most standard enemies in a split-second. The drawback is a lengthy reload time, making this a situational weapon. You can get hold of the Double-Barreled Shotgun you have to complete the Getting Back Online side quest for Julian Sykes in Chapter 7, followed by The Last Step side quest given by Sykes in Chapter 13 – the shotgun itself is in The Marrow: Experimental Wing.

Assault Rifle

It takes a while before you can equip this fully-automatic monster, but it is worth the wait – it is adept at taking out bosses. You come across this in The Marrow: Facilities at the end of Chapter 13. One obvious caveat: the Assault Rifle can eat through a magazine in a few seconds, so watch that trigger finger.

Warden Crossbow

the evil within 2 warden crossbow

The most interesting weapon in The Evil Within (the Agony Crossbow) returns for the sequel, albeit with a name change. The Warden Crossbow is a versatile crossbow that can be loaded with one of seven different bolt types, ranging from harpoon to shock. These are highly effective when fired directly at enemies, but become even more useful when used in tandem with the environment. For example, fire a shock bolt at a pool of water and watch as all the zombies standing in it get stunned, letting you walk in and stomp each one to certain death. Here is every flavour of bolt available to you: Harpoon, Shock, Smoke, Explosive, and Freeze.

Sniper Rifle

the evil within 2 sniper rifle

You can find the Sniper Rifle in the first open area of the game, but you’ll need to track down all the necessary parts and then put it together before you can start claiming zombie scalps. The main part is located on the roof pretty much opposite O’Neal’s Safe House. Make sure you investigate the fallen Mobius soldiers on the roof as one of their radios will point you in the direction of the last part, which is situated in a shed near Union Auto Repair.

Flamethrower

Not only is this weapon great at taking at groups of enemies, it is also extremely useful for tackling a boss you come across later in the game. Like the Sniper Rifle, you have to assemble the Flamethrower by finding the necessary parts for it: the main piece is located in The Marrow: Restricted Labs; then you’ll need to acquire two tanks, which you can get by killing Harbingers in the Business District.

The Evil Within 2 upgrades

the evil within 2 upgrades

The Evil Within 2 streamlines the hefty upgrade tree from the first game into five distinct paths: Health, Athleticism, Recovery, Stealth, and Combat. Weapon buffs also return, but are now a part of the game’s bulkier crafting system. We’ve done some digging and unearthed every upgrade in the game, so you can plan which abilities to buy first.

How to purchase upgrades in The Evil Within 2

Green Gel is the currency you need to stockpile in order to purchase upgrades for Sebastian. You can find Green Gel hidden throughout the world and earn it by completing select quests, but the most reliable way of gathering it is by killing enemies and harvesting it from their remains.

Once you’ve got enough Green Gel for an upgrade or two, you’ll need to head to a safe house with a portal to Sebastian’s Room. Once there, seek out the mysterious wheelchair at the end of the hallway and sit in it – this acts as yet another portal, this time to Safe Haven, the recurring psychiatric hospital from the first game. You’ll be confined to the upgrade chair, a crude device that allows Sebastian to inject himself full of upgrades – it’s a bit of a slog to get there, so make sure you have enough Green Gel for the enhancement you want before you head off.

Some upgrades are locked away and require a single jar of Red Gel to access in the upgrade tree. We didn’t come across any Red Gel in our hands-on time with The Evil Within 2, so our guess is this crimson gunk is pretty rare. Here’s every The Evil Within 2 upgrade you can give to Sebastian:

Health upgrades

  • Toughness 1 – increase Life Gauge maximum (100% > 125%)
    Cost: 1500Green Gel
  • Toughness 2 – increase Life Gauge maximum (125% > 150%)
    Cost: 3000Green Gel
  • Toughness 3 – increase Life Gauge maximum (150% > 175%)
    Cost: 7500Green Gel
  • Toughness 4 – increase Life Gauge maximum (175% > 200%)
    Cost: 12000Green Gel
  • Vitality 1 – total health recovered when regenerating from near-death status is increased (100% > 110%)
    Cost: 4000Green Gel
  • Vitality 2 – total health recovered when regenerating from near-death status is increased (110% > 125%)
    Cost: 8000Green Gel
  • Defiance 1 – if an attack would have done just enough damage to kill you, you’ll grit your teeth and bear it, remaining alive with a small amount of health
    Cost: 4000Green Gel
  • Defiance 2 – raise your pain threshold, allowing you to survive attacks that should have done more than enough damage to kill you
    Cost: 8000Green Gel

Athleticism

  • Endurance 1 – increase Stamina Gauge maximum (100% > 120%)
    Cost: 1500Green Gel
  • Endurance 2 – increase Stamina Gauge maximum (120% > 130%)
    Cost: 3000Green Gel
  • Endurance 3 – increase Stamina Gauge maximum (130% > 150%)
    Cost: 7500Green Gel
  • Endurance 4 – increase Stamina Gauge maximum (150% > 170%)
    Cost: 12000Green Gel
  • Bounce Back 1 – stamina recovery speed increased (100% > 130%)
    Cost: 4000Green Gel
  • Bounce Back 2 – stamina recovery speed increased (130% > 170%)
    Cost: 12000Green Gel
  • Reflexes 1 – gives a chance to automatically avoid an attack that would have damaged you (certain attacks cannot be avoided this way) (0% > 20%)
    Cost: 5000Green Gel
  • Reflexes 2 – increases probability of automatically dodging an attack (certain attacks cannot be avoided this way) (20% > 30%)
    Cost: 10000Green Gel

Recovery

  • Treatment 1 – recover more health when using healing items (100% > 110%)
    Cost: 1500Green Gel
  • Treatment 2 – recover more health when using healing items (110% > 120%)
    Cost: 4000Green Gel
  • Treatment 3 – recover more health when using healing items (120% > 130%)
    Cost: 7000Green Gel
  • Second Chance – automatically use a Medical Syringe when taking fatal damage (does not work when taking fatal damage from certain attacks)
    Cost: 5000Green Gel
  • Quick Recovery 1 – health recovery speed increased when regenerating from near-death status (100% > 150%)
    Cost: 3000Green Gel
  • Quick Recovery 2 – health recovery speed increased when regenerating from near-death status (150% > 200%)
    Cost: 8000Green Gel

Stealth

the evil within 2 stealth

  • Low Profile 1 – your footsteps produce less noise, making enemies slower to investigate
    Cost: 1500Green Gel
  • Low Profile 2 – your footsteps produce even less noise, making enemies even slower to investigate
    Cost: 3500Green Gel
  • Low Profile 3 – your footsteps produce much less noise, making enemies much slower to investigate
    Cost: 7000Green Gel
  • Bottle Break – bottles in your inventory will automatically be used to break free from some enemies’ grab attacks (does not work against certain attacks)
    Cost: 5000Green Gel
  • Ambush – perform sneak kills from around a corner while in cover
    Cost: 3000Green Gel
  • Prowler 1 – move faster while crouched (100% > 120%)
    Cost: 4000Green Gel
  • Prowler 2 – move faster while crouched (120% > 130%)
    Cost: 8000Green Gel
  • Predator – special ability which allows you to quickly close on an enemy for a chance to sneak kill them
    Cost: 12000Green Gel

Combat

  • Steady hands 1 – reduces reticle sway when firing weapons
    Cost: 1000Green Gel
  • Steady hands 2 – further reduces reticle sway when firing weapons
    Cost: 3000Green Gel
  • Steady hands 3 – greatly reduces reticle sway when firing weapons
    Cost: 7500Green Gel
  • Firing Stance 1 – less kickback when firing weapons
    Cost: 3000Green Gel
  • Firing Stance 2 – even less kickback when firing weapons
    Cost: 6000Green Gel
  • Brawler 1 – melee attacks, including attacks with weapons like knives and axes, do more damage (100% > 150%)
    Cost: 3000Green Gel
  • Brawler 2 – melee attacks, including attacks with weapons like knives and axes, do more damage (150% > 200%)
    Cost: 6000Green Gel
  • Push Kick – gain the ability to kick stunned enemies away from you (cannot be used on certain types of enemies)
    Cost: 5000Green Gel
  • Bullet Cascade – for a set amount of time, shooting damage is increased with each consecutive shot (the effect ends when either time or ammunition runs out)
    Cost: 20000Green Gel
  • Synaptic Focus – press Y while aiming to concentrate and slow down time (press Y again to end the effect) (this skill consumes stamina while active)
    Cost: 75000 Green Gel

The Evil Within 2 weapon upgrades

The evil within 2 weapons upgrades

Just as you can develop Sebastian over the course of your The Evil Within 2 playthrough, you can also improve his arsenal with weapon upgrades. These are part of the revamped crafting system and so require resources called Weapon Parts to purchase. As with Sebastian’s upgrades, some weapon upgrades are also locked away and require High-Grade Weapon Parts to access. It is also worth noting that weapon upgrades apply to all different types of a similar weapon, so tweaks made to your Laser-Sighted Handgun will carry over to your Revolver.

While the weapon upgrades are not identical for different categories of guns, the differences between them are very slight. With that in mind, we are just going to outline all the weapon upgrades you can get for the handguns:

Fire Power

Increase damage for all weapons of the same category.

  • Firepower 1 – increase firepower for more damage (100% > 120%)
    Cost: 90 Weapon Parts
  • Firepower 2 – increase firepower for more damage (120% > 130%)
    Cost: 100 Weapon Parts
  • Firepower 3 – increase firepower for more damage (130% > 140%)
    Cost: 200 Weapon Parts
  • Firepower 4 – increase firepower for more damage (140% > 150%)
    Cost: 400 Weapon Parts
  • Firepower 5 – increase firepower for more damage (150% > 200%)
    Cost: 800 Weapon Parts
  • Critical 1 – increase the probability of inflicting critical damage when shooting an enemy’s weak point (1% > 30%)
    Cost: 120 Weapon Parts
  • Critical 2 – increase the probability of inflicting critical damage when shooting an enemy’s weak point (30% > 60%)
    Cost: 360 Weapon Parts

Ammo Capacity

Increase the amount of ammunition a weapon can hold before needing to be reloaded. Upgrade applies to most weapons of the same category.

  • Clip Capacity 1 – increase weapon clip capacity (6 > 7)
    Cost: 20 Weapon Parts
  • Clip Capacity 2 – increase weapon clip capacity (7 > 8)
    Cost: 50 Weapon Parts
  • Clip Capacity 3 – increase weapon clip capacity (8 > 10)
    Cost: 120 Weapon Parts
  • Clip Capacity 4 – increase weapon clip capacity (10 > 12)
    Cost: 120 Weapon Parts

Fire Rate

Increase the speed at which a weapon fires. Upgrade applies to most weapons of the same category.

  • Fire Rate 1 – decrease the time between shots for a better firing rate (0.50 Sec > 0.40 Sec)
    Cost: 30 Weapon Parts
  • Fire Rate 2 – decrease the time between shots for a better firing rate (0.40 Sec > 0.33 Sec)
    Cost: 80 Weapon Parts
  • Fire Rate 3 – decrease the time between shots for a better firing rate (0.33 Sec > 0.25 Sec)
    Cost: 160 Weapon Parts

Reload Time

Decrease the amount of time it takes to reload a weapon. Upgrade applies to most weapons of the same category.

  • Reload Speed 1 – decrease the amount of time it takes to reload (2.33 Sec > 1.86 Sec)
    Cost: 20 Weapon Parts
  • Reload Speed 2 – decrease the amount of time it takes to reload (1.86 Sec > 1.49 Sec)
    Cost: 50 Weapon Parts
  • Reload Speed 3 – decrease the amount of time it takes to reload (1.49 Sec > 1.16 Sec)
    Cost: 160 Weapon Parts
  • Aiming Movement Speed – increase walking speed while aiming (100% > 165%)
    Cost: 120 Weapon Parts

The Evil Within 2 crafting

the evil within 2 crafting

While crafting is still a complementary gameplay mechanic in The Evil Within 2, it seems to have received a lot more love for the sequel with more components and uses than in the first game.

For starters, you can now craft far more than different types of bolts for your Warden Crossbow. In The Evil Within 2 you can craft crossbow bolts still, but also weapons, ammo, health, and recovery items. At the start of the game only seven types of components are available to craft with, although more crop up as you progress through the campaign. For example, to craft ammo for your Handgun, you’ll need to collect Gunpowder, which you can find secreted away in buildings – it takes two quantities of Gunpowder to craft a single bullet for a Handgun. Medical Syringes require three quantities of Herbs to craft, which are tough to come by towards the end of the game.

One important detail: you use up nearly twice as many components when crafting away from a Workbench, so avoid crafting on the fly unless you have to.

That’s all from us. If you’ve got any The Evil Within 2 survival tips, let us know in the comments below.