Batman Arkham Knight is set as the final chapter of the Arkham series and lets you take on the role of a much more experienced Batman. To this end, many features that used to be upgrades in previous games are unlocked by default. But who says an old dog can’t learn new tricks?
Batman Arkham Knight gives you a plethora of new upgrades to choose from. There are six trees to choose from – Combat, Batsuit, Gadget Tech, Gadget Skill, Batmobile, and Batmobile Weapons. Each upgrade will cost a certain number of upgrade points. Some are a lot more expensive than others but there are certain strategies that you can employ to get upgrade points in Batman: Arkham Knight.
These upgrades can be personalized based on your playstyle and eventually, you will be able to unlock most of the available upgrades but here are a few essential ones that will make your early game experience much more enjoyable.
Disruptor – Sabotage Medic
| WayneTech Points Cost | 4 |
| Requirement | None |
| Upgrade Tree | Gadget Tech |
The new enemy variety in Batman: Arkham Knight is nothing short of amazing but at the same time, certain enemy types can be a hassle. The medics perfectly fit into this category, especially during the long-drawn predator sequences.
Nothing hurts as much as meticulously taking down an enemy only for a medic to revive him back up. You can avoid this by getting this upgrade for your Disruptor and sabotaging the medics. Now when they try to revive their companions, they will be knocked out as well.
We highly recommend getting this upgrade first as it only costs 4 WayneTech points and will significantly help you in the predator sequences.
Disruptor – Increase Sabotage Ammo
| WayneTech Points Cost | 8 |
| Requirement | Disruptor Sabotage Medic |
| Upgrade Tree | Gadget Tech |
While on the topic, the Disruptor is one of the best gadgets to upgrade in Batman: Arkham Knight. You can use the Disruptor to jam an enemy’s gun or even better cause it to explode when they try to use it.
This will cost 2 charges instead of 1 but you can increase the Sabotage Ammo by getting this upgrade. It will cost you 8 points in addition to 4 points for the Medic Sabotage, which is the prerequisite for this upgrade but it is well worth it.
Critical Strikes
| WayneTech Points Cost | 1 |
| Requirement | None |
| Upgrade Tree | Combat |
It goes without saying that Critical Strikes is not only the best but also one of the essential upgrades you need to have in Batman: Arkham Knight. You get to deal twice the damage with the same strike as long as you time it right. This takes a bit of getting used to and unlike the previous Arkham games, you cannot button-mash enemies.
FreeFlow Focus Mk II
| WayneTech Points Cost | 8 |
| Requirement | Critical Strikes |
| Upgrade Tree | Combat |
A rather expensive upgrade requiring 8 points but one that you will not regret getting early on in the game. You need to have unlocked Critical Strikes before this as these two upgrades go hand-in-hand while dealing with hordes of enemies like those in Penguin side missions. This increases your damage output when the combo meter is full so make sure to get those precise hits without taking any damage to utilize the full potential of the FreeFlow Focus Mk II upgrade.
Special Combo Boost
| WayneTech Points Cost | 4 |
| Requirement | Special Combo Batarang |
| Upgrade Tree | Combat |
This upgrade functions the same way as in the previous Arkham games. Getting Special Combo Boost reduces your combo meter requirements from x8 to x5. This allows you to perform special combos and moves faster, which is particularly useful when facing hordes of enemies.
Fear Multi-Takedown x4 and x5
| WayneTech Points Cost | 6 and 8 respectively |
| Requirement | None |
| Upgrade Tree | Batsuit |
With the new triple-weave titanium liquid armor suit, comes the incredible ability to eliminate 3 targets in quick succession using the Fear Takedowns. You can upgrade this ability by investing 6 points to add an additional target for Fear Multi-Takedown x4.
Later down the line we also recommend getting the next upgrade for Fear Multi-Takedown x5 which costs 8 WayneTech points. This will allow you to clear several combat situations in mere seconds.
Grapnel Boost Mk III
| WayneTech Points Cost: | 6 |
| Requirement: | n/a |
| Upgrade Tree | Batsuit |
Grapnel Boost, first introduced in Batman: Arkham City, is a default feature in Arkham Knight. As amazing as it is, it can be upgraded to Mk II to propel yourself even higher into the sky making traversal that much more fun. Even though it costs 6 points, it more than makes up for it by enhancing your gameplay experience.
Ballistic and Melee Armor
| WayneTech Points Cost | 1, 2, 3, and 4 |
| Requirement | None |
| Upgrade Tree | Batsuit |
You can upgrade your Ballistic and Melee Armor for added precaution. Ballistic Armor reduces the damage you take from guns and Melee Armor will let you tank some heavy hits. We recommend going for the former in the early game. This is because it is fairly easy to get overwhelmed by the number of armed enemies in the game and you can do without the Melee Armor upgrades if you are good at countering attacks.
It boils down to whether you are better at the melee combat or predator sequences. Otherwise, you can always get both armor upgrades if you keep dying.
Batmobile 60mm Canon reload speed
| WayneTech Points Cost | 2 |
| Requirement | None |
| Upgrade Tree | Batmobile Weapons |
Batmobile is almost a character of its own in Batman: Arkham Knight. This is true to this end that almost most of the boss battles in the game are fought with the Batmobile. Some players might not like relying too much on the Batmobile but it is an essential part of the gameplay.
So, to make the most of Batmobile battles, it is highly recommended that you unlock the 60mm Canon Reload Speed since the default reload speed is way too sluggish and will make it hard to survive as the game progresses.
Batmobile – Energy Absorption Efficiency
| WayneTech Points Cost | 4 |
| Requirement | None |
| Upgrade Tree | Batmobile Weapons |
This upgrade will fill your special energy meter faster for every drone you destroy. This lets you unleash the missile barrage and the EMP blasts much faster and make short work of early-game tank battles.
We recommend you unlock this as early as possible as it is a relatively cheap upgrade with no prerequisite and also proves useful in the late-game when the going gets tough.
