Loadouts in Hyper Light Breaker: Building A Better, More Optimal You

Before you jump into the Overgrowth, in this blog and in our next blog we’re sharing a couple of important systems you need to know! First up is Loadouts.

Quick update from us before you dive in... we’re close getting Hyper Light Breaker ready for launch in Steam Early Access. Stay tuned.

In Hyper Light Breaker, your loadout isn’t just about picking the right gear—it’s about optimizing your playstyle for each Cycle. As you progress, you'll collect new weapons, equipment, and abilities that allow you to adapt and evolve your combat strategy. Whether you elect to charge into the fray with powerful melee attacks or pick off enemies at range, Breaker’s loadout system allows you to experiment, find synergies, and tailor your approach to try and survive your journey into the Overgrowth.

What Does It Mean to Build Your Loadout?

Each Cycle offers fresh opportunities to experiment with new combinations of gear. In one Cycle, you might build a close-range powerhouse focused on regenerating health while dealing massive melee damage. In the next, you could shift to a more tactical, ranged approach, slowing enemies down with a hack-infused rail and picking them off from a distance. The possibilities are nearly endless. As you explore and conquer new areas, you’ll pick up weapons and equipment, becoming more powerful with every upgrade. Plan to adapt and evolve your loadout meet each new challenge.

Equipment Types

Your loadout is made up of several key gear types, each offering different ways to enhance your character’s abilities and playstyle. From your primary melee weapons to powerful support systems, each piece of equipment can influence your combat strategy in significant ways.

The loop of acquiring, upgrading, and experimenting with gear is one of the key aspects of the loadout system. The gear you equip will directly influence how you play, so choosing the right gear based on your desired playstyle is crucial.

SyComs: Buffs and Stat Customization
SyComs are unique to each Breaker and serve as the foundation of your build. These provide specific buffs and stat modifications. As you progress through the game, you can upgrade SyComs and unlock new ones at The Outpost, aided by PB. SyCom upgrades give you more control over your character’s strengths and weaknesses, and set the overall tone for how you approach combat.

Blades
Blades are your primary melee weapons in Hyper Light Breaker. Each Blade comes with unique passive and active abilities that allow you to approach battles in different ways. Higher-tier Blades come with additional modifiers, increasing their damage or utility. Choosing the right Blade is crucial depending on your combat strategy, and below are just some of the Blades you can have.

Force Hammer: Ideal for dealing heavy damage to tough enemies, thanks to its inherent damage boost against heavy targets.

Dual Claws: Perfect for clearing out swarms of enemies, offering fast and wide attacks that let you control swarms.

Heavy Axe: Charge up a powerful wave of energy and unleash it across the battlefield to cut down groups of enemies from a distance.

The variety of Blades means that you can adapt your melee combat style to fit any situation, whether you’re taking on massive bosses or mowing down groups of smaller enemies.

Rails
Rails serve as your secondary weapons, allowing you to engage enemies at range. These weapons rely on ammo drops from fallen enemies, so managing your resources is key to making the most of them. By equipping Rail-themed Holobytes, you can further enhance their effectiveness.

These are some Rails that will come in-handy:

Diamond Shot: This weapon rewards precision. To maximize its damage, maintain the perfect distance from your enemies and ensure the spread of bullets converges into a diamond-shaped pattern for optimal damage.

Grind 42R: A powerful charged shot that lets you attack from a distance, keeping enemies at bay while you control the flow of combat.

Rails add another layer of tactical flexibility, allowing you to focus on ranged combat while you manage the battlefield from a distance.

Amps
Amps are your tertiary weapons, charged up as you defeat enemies, and they offer powerful activated abilities that can change the way you approach combat. Each Amp has a short window of activation, so timing is everything. Amps add a layer of depth to the game by giving you potent abilities that can either heal, deal massive damage, or offer tactical advantages when used correctly.

Here are just a couple of examples of Amps:

• Berserker Exoskeleton: Activate this Amp when you’re surrounded and need to stay alive. For a short period, every hit you land replenishes lost health, letting you power through tough situations.
• Crush Block: A devastating Amp that allows you to drop a massive amount of damage on a single enemy, such as a Rifle Elite, all while staying safely behind cover.

Choosing the right Amp for the moment can turn the tide of a battle, whether you need to heal or unleash a devastating counterattack.

Blade Specials
Blade Specials are another form of activated abilities that allow you to make special powerful melee attacks to help turn the tide of battle.

Armor
Armor provides you with protection to help you resist more damage. However, heavier armor comes with the trade-off of reduced mobility, making you less nimble and slowing down your dashes and dodges. Finding the right balance between offense and defense is key here, as you’ll need to tailor your armor to the specific challenge at hand.

Holobytes + Affixes
Holobytes are modifiers that can be slotted into your loadout to change your stats or grant new abilities. These powerful tools are essential for crafting a truly unique build, and they come with a permanent effect — once a Holobyte is swapped out, it’s destroyed. You’ll have five slots for Holobytes, so every choice counts.

Holobytes can synergize with your other gear, enhancing your damage, defense, or even offering new special abilities. Whether you’re stacking damage modifiers or improving your survivability, Holobytes provide a crucial layer of customization that lets you fine-tune your loadout.
Affixes are modifiers that can be added to every piece of equipment that provide further nuance and let you go even deeper on build customization.

Acquiring Gear

As you explore the world of Hyper Light Breaker, you’ll encounter a variety of ways to acquire new gear and upgrade your loadout.

• The Overgrowth: As you explore this world, you’ll find fallen enemies, chests, and the corpses of past warriors, all of which can provide new gear and upgrades. Looting these items is essential for building your loadout.
• The Outpost: Here, you can spend Bright Blood and other materials to purchase new gear from various vendors. As your affinity with these vendors grows, you’ll unlock new items and upgrades. Eventually, they’ll be able to help you upgrade your existing equipment, making it even more powerful

Stats and Rarity

Gear in Hyper Light Breaker is color-coded by rarity, with higher-level items offering better stats and additional modifiers. As you progress through the game, you’ll encounter a range of rarities, from basic common items to ultra-rare Hyper Light Red gear.

• Rarity: Items are color-coded from white (common) to Hyper Light Red (legendary). The rarer the item, the more powerful it will be, and the more modifiers it will offer.
• Stats: Each piece of equipment has specific stats, like damage, health boosts, or passive abilities. These stats will play a big role in determining how effective a piece of gear is, and you’ll want to look for gear that complements your overall build.

The Evolution of the Loadout System

The loadout system in Hyper Light Breaker has evolved significantly over time. What started as a basic system with Blades and Rails has grown into a full-fledged customization experience, with the introduction of Holobytes, Amps, and Affixes adding more layers of nuance.

With each new addition, the Loadout System became more robust, providing more avenues for player expression and unique builds.

Can You Equip Any Gear with Any Breaker?

Absolutely! Our team felt it was important for players to have full agency to craft the exact build you feel best represents your preferred playstyle, so there are no restrictions on which gear you can equip with each Breaker. Each player character has unique stats that affect how different gear performs, but the flexibility of the loadout system means you can mix and match gear however you like. You’re free to build anything from an indomitable god to something a sub-optimized goof.

Your loadout is more than just a collection of gear — it’s a chance to express yourself through the tools and abilities you choose. With so many options for customization, the possibilities are endless, and the choice is yours. How will you build your perfect loadout?