Shadowrun Returns: every core implant and the Essence tradeoff

Shadowrun Returns: every core implant and the Essence tradeoff Seattle campaign guide for the PlayStation trilogy and original PC release. Prices and effects come from the unmodded Returns game data and equipment listings; confirm the live clinic price if your edition differs. The first cyberware question is what your runner will use every turn. Chrome can improve accuracy, armor, HP or speed, but it spends Essence permanently. A pure gunfighter gets much more out of several implants than a Mage who needs short spell cooldowns and spell slots. Returns has a small implant list: no Hong Kong Cyberware Affinity tree, no Hong Kong cyberweapons, and none of Dragonfall's broad bioware menu. Returns game data: https://t.co/u4O1bMn3zp, Returns equipment index: https://t.co/tT5vfnmMWE. Essence: the permanent cost Characters start with 6 Essence and cannot install below 1. Base spell slots equal Essence divided by two, rounded down; Spellcasting, Conjuring and Chi Casting can add slots at skill milestones. Lost Essence also lengthens spell cooldowns. Spirit Summoning, Spirit Control and totems are not spells for this calculation, so a cybered Shaman focused on spirits has a different tradeoff from a Mage who casts each turn. Essence mechanics: https://t.co/UgwHsDT6md. For example, a 0.5 Essence datajack moves a fresh caster from 6 to 5.5; that lowers base spell slots from 3 to 2. It is a big price for a Decker/Mage hybrid. A pure Decker needs the jack regardless. An early full cost implant also consumes Essence you cannot restore just by swapping it for a cheaper model. Save before installation if you are experimenting. Essence mechanics: https://t.co/UgwHsDT6md, datajack game data: https://t.co/u4O1bMn3zp. There are head/jack, eye, body, arm and leg slot types in the Returns equipment list. Built for the Streets requires an enhancement in every cyberware slot type; inspect the clinic screen for the exact remaining slots rather than assuming one implant somewhere on the body completes it. Equipment index: https://t.co/tT5vfnmMWE, trophy condition: https://t.co/92spunQdHX. Head: Datajack - Datajack: ¥500, 0.5 Essence in the game data. Required to jack into the Matrix with a cyberdeck and for Rigger/smartlink functionality. It has no raw combat bonus by itself. Buy it early for a Decker or Rigger. For a street samurai, buy it if you genuinely plan to use Smartlink guns; the accuracy benefit must justify an Essence and slot cost. For a Mage with no deck, drone or smartlinked gun, leave it alone. Game data: https://t.co/u4O1bMn3zp, weapon Smartlink notes: https://t.co/MeCSLNE7LD. Eyes: accuracy per shot - Vision Magnification Eyes (Basic): ¥750, 1 Essence, +3 accuracy in the data list. - Vision Magnification Eyes (Alpha): ¥1,000, 0.5 Essence, +6 accuracy. This is a clear upgrade on both the bonus and Essence cost if the Alpha model is available and you can spare the extra ¥250. Do not install Basic just to fill a slot when the better version is already in the clinic. A gunfighter benefits from accuracy on every attack; a caster should weigh the loss of spell capacity. Game data: https://t.co/u4O1bMn3zp, eye listings: https://t.co/tT5vfnmMWE. Arms: HP or Strength - Silver Tech Cyberarm (Basic): ¥1,000, 1.5 Essence, +6 HP. It is cheap in money but expensive in Essence for a small gain. Body already adds ten HP per point; this arm is mainly a way to fill a slot or survive when Karma is unavailable. - Yamatetsu Cyberarm (Alphaware): ¥2,500, 1 Essence, +5 HP and +1 Strength. It gives slightly less HP but costs less Essence and adds the Strength an Unarmed, melee or throwing runner uses. On a gun specialist with low Strength demand, the benefit is narrower. Game data: https://t.co/u4O1bMn3zp, arm listings: https://t.co/tT5vfnmMWE. These numbers describe a single installed piece. Check whether the clinic permits two arm positions in your edition before budgeting the Built for the Streets trophy; the requirement is every slot type, not necessarily the highest priced piece in every position. Legs: movement stats without a movement power - Aztechnology Cyberleg (Basic): ¥2,000, 2 Essence, +8 HP, +1 Quickness. Quickness helps a shooter land shots and avoid physical attacks, but two Essence is a steep price. - Universal Omnitech Cyberleg (Alpha): game data lists ¥3,500, 2 Essence, +8 HP, +1 Quickness, +1 Dodge. It costs the same Essence as Basic for an added defensive bonus, so it is the better late choice if you can afford it. A melee build may prefer staying in cover and buying Body before spending two Essence just for a little mobility or defense. Game data: https://t.co/u4O1bMn3zp, leg listings: https://t.co/tT5vfnmMWE. Neither listed leg grants a teleport or guaranteed extra action. The visible gain is HP, Quickness and, on the Alpha model, Dodge. Wired Reflexes is the separate body-slot speed option; check its exact effect in your edition's clinic. Body: armor, HP or speed Only one body implant can occupy a given body slot. The clinic and game data list these options; choose the one that supports your actual role. - Ares Dermal Plating (Basic): game data lists ¥2,500, 1.5 Essence, +2 Armor. Armor helps against repeated physical attacks, but it does not improve your own attack. - Ares Dermal Plating (Alpha): ¥5,000, 1 Essence, +2 Armor and +1 Body. It beats Basic in both Essence efficiency and survival, for twice the nuyen. Buy Alpha when money permits; Basic is an early affordability compromise. - Shiawase Bone Lacing (Plastic): ¥3,000, 2 Essence, +1 Body. Body is useful, but that is a lot of Essence for one point. - Shiawase Bone Lacing (Kevlar): ¥7,500, 1.5 Essence, +1 Body and +1 Strength. This suits a close fighter more than a rifle specialist, though it is expensive. - Wired Reflexes with Reflex Trigger: ¥5,000, 2 Essence and a speed benefit in the game data. Check the implant's active ability and cooldown in your live version; the data dump abbreviates the effect as “speed +1,” so a precise AP or timing promise would be speculative. Game data: https://t.co/u4O1bMn3zp, body listings: https://t.co/tT5vfnmMWE. Dermal Plating versus Wired Reflexes is a real decision: passive armor and Body, or the listed speed benefit. Check the live Reflex Trigger ability before paying ¥5,000; the Returns data source does not establish that it grants an extra AP. A Mage pays a severe spell cost for either implant. What to install for each build Two complete shopping ledgers make the Essence limit concrete. Returns gives you one body choice; Dermal Plating, Bone Lacing and Wired Reflexes cannot all occupy that slot. These are eventual builds using the Returns game-data prices: https://t.co/u4O1bMn3zp, and clinic availability may change when you can assemble them. - Smartlink shooter: head Datajack (¥500, 0.5 Essence); eyes Vision Magnification Alpha (¥1,000, 0.5); body Dermal Plating Alpha (¥5,000, 1); arms empty; legs empty. ¥6,500 and 2 Essence spent, leaving 4. Buy the smartlink gun separately. If you would rather use Wired Reflexes, replace Dermal Plating in the body slot and recalculate the bill. - Every slot type for Built for the Streets: head Datajack (¥500, 0.5); eyes Vision Magnification Alpha (¥1,000, 0.5); body Dermal Plating Alpha (¥5,000, 1); arms Yamatetsu Cyberarm Alpha (¥2,500, 1); legs Universal Omnitech Cyberleg Alpha (¥3,500, 2). ¥12,500 and exactly 5 Essence spent, leaving the minimum 1. Save before surgery. If the clinic exposes more than one arm or leg position, verify the trophy's slot interpretation in the console UI before buying duplicates. - Rifle, pistol or SMG Street Samurai: Alpha eyes are an efficient accuracy purchase. Add a datajack if buying Smartlink weapons. Choose Alpha Dermal Plating when survival is the problem, or Wired Reflexes when extra speed will change your turns. Basic legs cost a lot of Essence relative to their bonus; postpone them unless you need Quickness and have room. - Shotgun runner: Alpha eyes help each close shot, but positioning and Body are still the foundation. Dermal Plating is more attractive when you are repeatedly near the front line. - Unarmed or melee Adept: Yamatetsu arm and Kevlar bone lacing support Strength, but remember that Chi Casting is magic and Essence loss damages its active power use. Decide whether this is primarily a cybered brawler or a magical Adept before installing several pieces. - Decker or Rigger: Datajack is essential. Alpha eyes help physical combat if you carry a gun, but spend on the cyberdeck or drone tier you can actually control before filling your skin and legs. - Mage: usually keep Essence at 6. The 0.5 datajack alone costs a base spell slot, and larger implants add cooldown. An occasional implant can be a deliberate hybrid choice; it is not a free stat point. - Spirit focused Shaman: the Essence penalty does not directly affect summoning, Spirit Control or a totem, but it does affect Conjuring spells. A Shaman who mostly summons can tolerate more cyberware than one who casts barriers constantly. Essence mechanics: https://t.co/UgwHsDT6md. The trophy detour and the bad buys For Built for the Streets, save before surgery, make a list of empty slot types, check the combined Essence bill stays at or above 1, fill them, and wait for the trophy before reloading if you want your original build. Do not spend scarce Essence early on the Basic eye or Basic arm solely because the nuyen price looks friendly; Alpha eyes and the Yamatetsu arm give stronger or more efficient bonuses in their slots. Likewise, do not accidentally use a Dragonfall implant list: bioware, induction jacks and broader slot choices belong to the later game, while Cyberware Affinity belongs to Hong Kong. Returns item data: https://t.co/u4O1bMn3zp, Dragonfall cyberware differences: https://t.co/CMHX1KLNY2. The Steam game file dump is a strong source for names, price, Essence and passive effects. It is not a PlayStation patch comparison. Where clinic price, slot arrangement or Wired Reflexes' active timing matters to a particular plan, use the in-game equipment screen as the final authority.