For a game with so much gunplay, in the end, The Ascent is all about Augmentation choices. Gun selection is important, to be sure, and players can certainly pick the wrong weaponry for the build they are going for, but this is a weakness that can be overcome. This is not true of augmentations. With poor selections, much of this game is downright unbeatable.
Of course, "best" will always be a matter of opinion and this is true in The Ascent more than in other games. Augmentations gain power based on skills elections, so some selections will work out for some players more than others. With due respect to all of these opinions, some are just a cut above the rest. Maybe an augmentation or two not on this list can work out alright, but this list is reserved for those enhancements that will work despite player mistakes and imperfect skill allotment.
Updated on May 1st, 2022 by Hodey Johns: Few games allow for creative destruction like The Ascent does. Watching two different high-level players fight through the campaign can feel like watching two different games with the same enemies and environments. While some builds might work better than others, they all work. Sometimes the best move isn't the coolest move and players will need to decide whether they want to have an optimized build or one that fits them. A bit of advice? Do the one that's more fun. This list has been expanded to include more augmentations for players who are looking to do something their way. Style matters.
13 Hydraulic Slam
The first augmentation acquired will end up being the best for many players. Gamers get an array of weapons that function at long and medium ranges. Unfortunately, not all enemies like to stay comfortably far away from the Indent.
Hydraulic Slam is the perfect complement to the gunplay, allowing players to bash any swarm that manages to get close. Its three-second cooldown is the lowest of any augmentation. With enough energy and regeneration, players will actually look forward to enemies that get in tight as they'll always have a punch waiting for them.
12 I/O Converter
Generally speaking, players will use their two gun slots to have one weapon that excels against mechanical targets and another that is meant to take out organic foes. But changing weapons takes time and it can be hard to put down the best weapon in the game just because a robot showed up.
The I/O Converter deals digital damage and ruins inorganic enemies, often killing them in one or two hits depending on the weapon. Using half of the weapon slots for machines is a steep sacrifice, the I/O Converter allows players to avoid that cost.
11 Homing MIM
With only ten seconds of cooldown, the Homing MIM is can become a regular part of any encounter, as trusty as any gun or gadget. Area of effect explosions briefly enter the sky and then slam to the ground with enough force to kill any standard minion.
Where the skill really shines is that it tackles more than just low-level goons. If only one big, bad opponent remains, these missiles will all target the single unit. Useful in all situations, it's not an augmentation that gets replaced when it finds itself in regular usage.
10 Overclock
Everybody knows the feeling of finding the perfect weapon except that it takes an eternity to reload. Overclock speeds up reload times so that they occur in a blink, sometimes even less.
Seriously, on some weapons, the reload is instantaneous and the clock never even pops up for a single frame. Overclock also increases tactical and energy regeneration, so it's a great augmentation for any build.
9 Neutron Beam
It's a lot to ask players to hold still, so any channeled ability had better be worth it. Neutron Beam respects that it forces players to stand still by making sure that nobody else on the screen gets to be standing afterward.
This is a fantastic move for those times when cover is hard to come by and enemies are swarming. The lack of cover usually punishes the Indent, but with Neutron beam, without cover, enemies will quite literally melt.
8 Joyrun Dragon
One of the greatest parts about the game is all the different successful builds to try out. Players can win on their own terms and every style has matching skills, armor, and modifications.
For those who love the stuns and ensuing explosions that come with stasis, there is no augmentation better than the Joyrun Dragon. It will target virtually everything on the map, stun them, and set them up for a huge burst of damage.
7 Rat Bite
This augmentation isn't for everybody. Without the right skills, players might not even have the 150 energy it costs to activate the ability. But those who do will love what it can do in a tight spot.
After figuring out how augmentations work and the energy they need, making room for the Rat Bite will pay off nicely. Converting enemies and making them kill each other is a deadlier cover than any decoy in the game.
6 Homing Mim
Need a little space? Homing Mim is here to help! For only 75 energy and a 10-second cooldown, this fits into virtually any build and works out nicely for fights that keep spewing out enemies without any relief.
With a click of a button, the Indent launches several missiles up in the air, each with a stunning amount of damage, certain to clear out any surrounding enemy aside from high-level bounties and bosses.
5 Propulsion Leap
Cover, bullet time, and attack levels all stress the importance of movement in The Ascent. Many augmentations slow down players to pull off a move. The moves are mostly net benefits, but slowing down can be fatal.
Propulsion Leap speeds up the Indent and moves them up in the air, behind cover, or right on top of enemies, with just a 10-second cooldown. The splash damage on the landing isn't negligible either.
4 Tentakill
If players and developers continue to fix the bugs in the game, gamers that use Tentakill can only hope that a damage nerf to this augmentation isn't on the "fix" list.
Any hit over one hundred is pretty high, even from a rocket launcher or tactical grenade. The Tentakill is expensive, costing 100 energy, but the damage is worth it, routinely hitting four digits and outright killing almost everything it touches. And it doesn't even need to be aimed!
3 Spiderbots
The Ascent has a few bugs to iron out, but hopefully it never irons out the actual bugs. Players learn to hate the Spider Bots before they love them; this is the move that the Megarachnoid uses that has so many players throwing in the towel.
Yes, it's way too strong for an enemy and it's no less strong when they are converted to the Indent's side. With only a 30-second cooldown, a 65 energy cost, and a huge area of effect impact, this is as good as augments have to offer in terms of efficient damage.
2 Lockon Fire
For players that poured everything into gunplay, it might be difficult to find an augmentation meant for this kind of Indent build since most behave like spells or interrupt vital time shooting with some kind of channeling.
For these players, this is when Lockon Fire shines the most. It empties the rest of the gun's clip with 100% perfect accuracy and speed. With a high-clip rifle or rocket launcher, one round of this can even kill some of the game's bosses.
1 Life Transfer
It's easy to argue that the entire game is balanced based on the player running out of life just as battles are drawing to a close. There is a lot of love and hate for the way the game works and fans about split about this design. Life Transfer throws off this equation at its very core.
The 70-second cooldown is a little long, but it has to be in order to not be completely broken. Despite this, it is still quite overpowered. With nothing but a sliver of life, use this move for 75 energy, shoot one rocket at a group, and the Indent's life gets topped off in heartbeat. This is the best augmentation in the game, one need only use it in a boss fight to find how this is the closest the game gets to having an easy mode.
The Ascent was released on July 29th, 2021, and is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.