Grab your backpack and set off on an adventure with Dr. Kate Ward as she investigates alien artifacts in the game Scars Above. The experience blends multiple genres, drawing on the investigative mood of Detroit: Become Human and the combat system found in Remnants: from the Ashes. A helpful guide here aims to ease beginners into the rhythm of exploration and combat, helping players feel confident from the first steps.
Difficulty selection
The game offers three levels of challenge:
- trainee.
- Specialist.
- Commander.
This choice can be adjusted at any time, but beginning on the medium setting, Specialist, is recommended. The combat system can be punishing, so starting with a simpler pace helps; players can raise the difficulty later if more challenge is desired.
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Pay attention to endurance
The player character is a scientist who is quick-witted but experiences stamina limits. Melee strikes, sprinting, and dodges drain the stamina bar quickly, leaving the character vulnerable. Enemies tend to chain 1 to 3 attacks, giving players a handful of dodges to respond. It’s wise not to sprint through combat and to avoid taking more than three consecutive hits, since a string of hits may force a checkpoint reload.
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How to survive in the above scars
Health does not regenerate passively, so players must use available tools to endure. Several recovery options exist:
- Approach an alien pylon and activate it. This fully restores health, replenishes healing charges, and tops up some ammo and batteries. Enemies return to their posts afterward.
- Activate the health stimulator (default button Q). Its uses are limited, and ampoules scattered on the map increase the supply.
- Utilize consumables called Healing Injections. They cost 20 fiber at first, a price that can be reduced by learning the related skill. Each injection restores about 30% health. There is abundant fiber in the area, so hoarding is discouraged.
To avoid damage, players can perform rolls that render them invulnerable during the maneuver. Some foes cast area-of-effect attacks, and jumping into the line of fire will still cause damage, so timing and positioning matter.
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Do I have to kill all enemies in the location?
Each enemy type should be defeated at least once to gain knowledge and new skills. In a new area, clearing the space can facilitate calm exploration and the search for experience cubes. It isn’t always necessary to defeat every foe on every return; snaring the most mobile enemies and slipping past to the next checkpoint is sometimes the smarter choice. Resources occasionally drop from adversaries, but the time and ammunition spent may not be worth it. Cubes are collected once and do not reset on death.
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Explore locations carefully
To level up or upgrade weapons, players should explore widely. Purple blocks fill the knowledge bar and unlock new skills, while weapon upgrades are hidden in small containers scattered throughout the game world. Jumping between story markers can make progression feel blocked, so thorough exploration pays off.
At character level 4, a skill called Intelligence Service becomes available, revealing nearby items of interest through the scanner. This can slightly dampen the sense of discovery, but it expedites locating important loot. Each cube grants a different amount of experience depending on the location.
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Which skills to choose
Skills form a compact pyramid, with higher-tier abilities requiring more points and stricter conditions. Skills can be reset anytime, allowing experimentation with different builds and strategies.
- Early on, choosing Xenotronics can help with gadget usage.
- Confluence of Biomass reduces consumable costs, enabling more frequent use.
- Level 4 prerequisite Intelligence Service remains a key pick for broader utility.
Next, evaluate weaknesses and consider boosting health, stamina, or taking Second Wind to endure longer battles. Melee Kill is a strong option that restores 25% health after defeating a monster with melee weapons. Even when misses occur in rough fights, health can recover fairly quickly, as smaller enemies appear between heavier clashes.
How to study organisms
Occasionally players must study certain objects or living organisms. Use the cursor to scan the entire area and interact with points of interest. It may not be possible to uncover every detail on a single pass, so use a quick scanning technique: move the cursor side to side while listening for a distinctive beep to pinpoint the right exploration spots.
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What is elemental damage
The game features four elements:
- Electricity.
- Firework.
- To freeze.
- Pickles.
Enemies display weaknesses and strengths against these elements, so studying and adapting is crucial. Crystals of a matching color often appear on enemy bodies near weak points; striking these spots yields significant damage or a quick kill.
Elemental effects can combine—for instance, wet enemies take more electric damage and the attack affects a wider area around the target. Weather also influences outcomes: rain dampens fire-based damage from thermal weapons, while freezing remains effective on large foes. Repeating an attack typically requires about three blows for reliable results.
Arson damage endures across the game, dealing prolonged harm at the cost of time. Hitting weak spots accelerates the bar fill and, in some cases, a single shot to a vulnerable spot can finish a foe. Players can use environmental opportunities to gain advantages, such as luring enemies onto thin ice or into water to maximize electric damage, all while keeping a safe distance due to personal vulnerability to weapon strikes.
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Gadgets you can use
TThe game includes nine devices that aid survival, divided into two categories:
- Devices requiring a battery.
- Fibrous consumables.
Devices have a limited number of charges, but batteries are replenished during the alien mast activation for continued use.
Here are some gadgets worth knowing:
- Resistance booster – removes negative effects such as toxicity and helps conserve healing flasks.
- Therapeutic injection – restores health. Not dramatic, but useful in tight spots.
- Ammunition box – fully replenishes ammo, though it is rarely needed.
- Charge battery – recharges device batteries. Not often necessary thanks to skill advantages.
- Protective barrier – absorbs five attacks within 60 seconds, valuable in boss encounters and reducing restarts.
- Flammable liquid – unleashes a wide spray to disperse clusters of enemies or provide a quick breath from combat; some foes stop attacking when burning.
- Hologram bait – distracts enemies, handy when a fight isn’t desirable or when numbers are overwhelming.
- Gravity fall – slows time in a small area, mainly used for puzzles; its battle utility is limited.
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Attribution: VG Times