Essence Stones are - Sun God, forgive us - the essence ofAtlas Fallen. The game’s got no shortage of collectibles, but no other kind contributes nearly so much to the relative strength of your character. And in world as dangerous as Atlas Fallen’s, you’re going to want every edge you’re able to get.
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Below, we’ll not simply tell you what Essence Stones are, but why they’re so pertinent, and what kinds you ought to prioritize above the rest. There’s no wrong loadout, but therearesome very ‘right’ ones.
What Are Essence Stones, And How Do They Work?
The first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ultimately revolved around Thanos' collection of the Infinity Stones, and the powers unleashed through his efforts therein. In Atlas Fallen,your (talking) gauntlet is your most prized possession,and similarly,you’ll be equipping Essence Stones to that gauntlet.
But we don’t need to mystify these things - really,Essence Stones can be summarized as skills. They have an in-universe name, and their artwork is all quite shiny, but it’s all rather straightforward. You’re collecting, equipping, and upgrading skills.As your Momentum Gauge buildsin combat, you will be able to execute the powers of action-oriented stones.
Equipping Essence Stones is as simple as accessing the gauntlet in the menu. Generally,you will have access to more square slots than diamondat any given time. But what’s the difference?
Shapes And Colors
Essence Stones come in two core varieties, which are then split into five categories. Note that many Essence Stones are square, whilst the rest are shaped in the form of diamonds.Square Essence Stones are ‘active’; diamond Essence Stones are ‘passive’.
Finding Stones
Many Essence Stones arefound while exploringAtlas Fallen, and a great deal of thosearen’t far off the beaten pathas you progress through the main story. (That said, you should still poke around every corner, since a fewareharder to come by, and there are plenty of other collectibles to acquire.)
Some higher-end Essence Stonesrequire fusion with various resources. In these cases, anEssence Coreis mandatory for the process, since you’re essentially bringing a brand-new Essence Stone into existence.
Excellent Essence Stone Choices
Our thoughts on which Essence Stones to prioritize tend to change depending on how far along in the game we are, which is to say that our recommendations will be case-specific. Broadly speaking,your character’s going to be more capable of taking hits later in the game, which is when you should think about slotting up quite a bit - if not entirely - ondamage buff stones and stones with added offensive effects.
Anything with words like’Slayer’in it is a good pick at this point. There are also some greateffectivelyoffensive-oriented stones that boostthe rate at which you build theMomentum Gauge, so check those out, too.
But again, this is all in reference to when you’ve beefed up your character in other ways. When you’re toward the beginning of your Atlas Fallen adventure,consider focusing instead on Essence Stones that offer valuable buffs, like the Yellow stones. And don’t neglect these entirely even later on. An excellent Yellow stone, for example, isSand Barrier, whichcreates a barrier around you that slows all foes who enter it. This is never not handy!
