Atomic Heart: Expanding Inventory and Managing Resources
In Atomic Heart, players quickly hit supply limits. The game offers a handful of weapon types, a limited set of cartridges, a few healing items, and stimulants. This guide explains how to enlarge the inventory, streamline item management, and avoid losing valuable gear during play.
Atomic Heart Guides
- Atomic Heart walkthrough and endings – how to solve puzzles, find all blueprints and audio recordings
- Passage of all polygons in Atomic Heart – how to open and find all improvements
- Are there co op and online modes in Atomic Heart
- How to expand your inventory in Atomic Heart – where to find a neuropolymer, how to unlock the Character branch and use inventory wisely
In the game, the hero cannot carry ten weapon types, twenty first aid kits, and thousands of rounds. The inventory is divided into cells with a fixed capacity, and each weapon or consumable occupies a certain number of cells. When the inventory fills up, collected items are sent to a warehouse accessible via Eleanor on the warehouse parsing tab.
The developers allow a small workaround by separating crafting materials from the inventory. Crafting items do not take up space and are shown in a dedicated crafting window alongside the inventory. Ammunition occupies slots, and the exact amount is visible on the left side of the inventory, together with the neuropolymer count.
How to expand the inventory in Atomic Heart
The expansion is called a skill named Neurocompression Parachutist Backpack. Up to two upgrades can be acquired, each adding ten more cells. The skill appears in the Character tab and unlocks when the player navigates the laser field, allowing access to its upgrade tree.
Once the skill Kiss from Eleanor is purchased, access to the remaining skills on that branch is opened. To acquire the necessary upgrade, the player spends one Volumetric Cassettes, which costs 27 neuropolymer units.
Currently, neuropolymer amounts are shown in the inventory screen’s upper left corner. Each upgrade requires 75 neuropolymer units, earned by defeating enemies. The amount gained depends on the danger level of the opponent; simple enemies yield one to two units, while tougher foes like the black Vovchik model can yield as many as ten units.
To fully upgrade the inventory, apart from the first unlock in the story, a total of 177 neuropolymer units is required.
What to keep in stock
With a limited inventory, it is practical to avoid clutter. A basic loadout often includes one melee weapon, PM, Kalash, and KS-23. One cell of Kalash cartridges and two cells for KS-23 ammo are usually enough to handle most enemies and reach storage locations, along with the magazine. The number of healing items depends on skill level and difficulty, but six to eight pieces of varying sizes are typically sufficient.
This setup mirrors Major Nechaev’s standard kit, though different encounters may demand other items. The guide avoids detailing cassette players that can inflict elemental damage such as fire, electric, or cold. It can still be useful to keep a few different cassette types in reserve.
Even on medium difficulty, ammunition is reasonably abundant in later stages. Players are advised to leave some space empty to prevent useful items from being automatically sent to the warehouse. Periodic inventory cleanups every twenty to thirty minutes help ensure that unnecessary items are sent to Eleanor for teleporting.
Without this discipline there is a risk that cartridges will run out and all cells will be filled with essential items. In that case, cartridges vanish from the inventory and go directly to the warehouse.
Warehouse and its functions
The warehouse is accessed through Eleanor on the warehouse parsing tab. Between missions, players sort collected items, tally required cartridges and essential crafting components, and set aside unnecessary consumables for raw materials.
There is a quick sorting feature that works in both the warehouse and the inventory. By pressing a dedicated control, items can be arranged to minimize space usage. If dragging and dropping is not preferred, hovering over an item and pressing a button serves to move it quickly.
The magazine has two modes, Stock and Dissect. Switching between them is possible with the respective keys or by selecting the option in the top left corner of the screen.
Dissecting displays the item description and lists the resources returned upon dismantling. The game supports experimentation, so resources resume to what was spent, encouraging varied playstyles. Disassembling consumables, cartridges, or other components yields resources equal to those spent on their production. Weapons can also be dismantled, returning not only crafting materials but also upgrade components.
The main caution is to avoid dismantling items that players still need. For example, Kalash schematics might appear earlier than expected, making chests the initial safe sources of ammunition. As a result, early disassembly should be avoided for these items.
Otherwise, extra capsules with essential items, cartridges from unused weapons, and amplifiers that are not desired can be safely dismantled to recover resources.
If resources are insufficient to craft an item or install an upgrade, the resource menu shows the sources and the enemies associated with them, guiding future exploration.
Using cassettes and capsules with essential
Capsules with essentials act as first aid kits restoring health. Their healing range depends on size and typically restores fifty to one hundred fifty health points. They can be found in the open world, dropped by enemies, or crafted in a repair cabinet.
For quick treatment, pressing the X button triggers the capsule currently selected in the lower left corner of the screen. To change capsule size, switch between small and medium using the Z and C keys.
To attach a cassette to a weapon, first equip the appropriate upgrade on that weapon. The energy indicator appears as a diamond near the weapon. Press the middle mouse button to open the cassette menu, choose the desired elemental damage type with the wheel, and confirm with the right mouse button to install it.
Cassettes and their recipes are found in the open world or dropped by enemies. Each cassette has a capacity or number of hits before the effect fades. This capacity increases as the Volumetric Cassettes talent levels up, costing 27 neuropolymer units.
Other guides
This guide remains a practical companion for players seeking efficiency in inventory management and equipment optimization, with insights drawn from in game experience and community-tested strategies. The content reflects common play patterns observed by players and reviewers during ongoing exploration of Atomic Heart.
Note: This compilation is designed to help players adapt to inventory constraints while maintaining readiness across diverse encounters.