Rage 2 Ark Locations, Nanotrites To Upgrade, Combat Tips, And More

Rage 2 isn't a complicated game; you rip and tear through bandits, mutants, and all sorts of other bad dudes using your beefy weapons and a handful of superpowers called nanotrites in a post-apocalyptic world. But there are some things that you'll want to know before jumping in, which will also help you get the most out of the game. Although plenty of basic mechanics are explained to you via pop-up notifications, you may miss out on some important aspects like the best abilities to upgrade, the best way to take down tougher enemies, or the fact that you have to go out of your way to find the good stuff.

For those who aren't aware, Rage 2 is an open world first-person shooter and the sequel to the original game that came out in 2011. Rage 2 is made by Avalanche Studios, known for Just Cause series and Mad Max, in conjunction with the renowned team at id Software responsible for Doom. You can watch a gameplay compilation where we smash our way through enemy hordes to get a feel for the game or check out our Rage 2 review to see if it's in your wheelhouse. But if you're looking through our tips to get you started, you're probably already eager to start this brutal journey.

Arks are pods scattered across Rage 2's wasteland and they grant you new nanotrite abilities and weapons, both of which are key to the best part of the game: combat. You'll get four Arks marked on your map at the outset, but you'll have to uncover the locations of the rest on your own. You can see all the Ark locations on the map above (click to enlarge).

Below are all the Ark location names and what you get from them.

• Junkers Pass: Shatter ability
• Great Crack: Grav-Jump ability
• Canyon Cove: Defibrillation ability
• Earthscar: Slam ability
• Strongbox: Smart Rocket Launcher
• Gunbarrel Town: Combat Shotgun
• Spikewind: Barrier ability
• Dealypipe: Rush ability
• Shrouded Vault: Charged Pulse Cannon
  • Must clear out Substation A and Substation B nearby to unlock this Ark
• Quake Hill: Vortex ability
• Dank Catacomb: Firestorm Revolver
• Needle Falls: Grav-Dart Launcher
• Greenhaven: Hypercannon

Slam is the most effective (and satisfying) nanotrite in the game. At first, it works as a simple ground pound that does area of effect damage and splatters enemies you land a direct hit on. But as you upgrade it, Slam can pull enemies toward the center of your target area and do even more damage--this is one of the best ways to eliminate crowds.

Straight up, Rage 2 has one of the best shotguns in video games. It's impactful feel is matched by the amount of havoc it wreaks on your enemies, and although it's not the most flashy gun in your arsenal, it's certainly the most functional. Upgrading your shotgun will help it tear through armored foes more efficiently and reload much, much faster.

Vehicle controls aren't that great in Rage 2 and the twisty roads of the wasteland make getting around a bit of a pain. So, once you're able to spawn an Icarus gyrocopter in the vehicles menu, there's no looking back. It's the most efficient way to get places, especially when you're trying to knock out side quests or want to get across the map fast. Plus you get nice scenic views of the larger landscape, which is nice.

Remembering to dash will save you in many situations, especially in fights against huge mutants that can rush you quickly and sentries with devastating laser beams. You only start with a single dash on a short cooldown, but you can upgrade it to have a faster recovery time and be able to dash twice at a time.

Cyber Crushers are one of the few boss-type enemies in Rage 2 and takes a bit more than just a bunch of bullets to take them down. The best approach is to launch a well placed rocket to their chest to get them to expose their neon-blue feltrite tanks, then use your assault rifle to destroy the tanks. After all the tanks are destroyed, a few more rockets or a barrage of shotgun shells will finish them off easily.

Using focus doesn't just enable you to use nanotrite abilities, holding the focus button lets you see enemies through walls which helps you plan your initial attack. This is handy for trying to find the last few pesky bandits to clear out a camp or gas tanks you may have missed at a Pit Stop side mission.

Say you're trying to do a side quest, but can't find the switch reveal the last explosive barrels at a Pit Stop or the valves to lift the gates at a Roadblock; just keep your eyes peeled for objects splattered in neon pink paint since it usually indicates important objects in the world.

This one's for the completionists out there; there are Project upgrades in the "Search and Recover" section that will help you find ark chests, storage containers, and data pads by giving you a UI element that indicates how close you are to them. Since each side quest isn't truly "complete" until you've found all of these in the corresponding area, this Project perk will help ease the tedium of searching for them.

This might be a cheap trick, but tougher Authority Sentries can be knocked out easily once you unlock the Xerxes III heavy tank. Sentries retract to defensive mode when you're in the tank, but since it takes them a few seconds to do it, you have a window to hit them with a few shots. Simply pop in and out of the tank to catch them when they're vulnerable while also avoiding their attacks altogether.

Bounties are short activities that ask you to kill certain targets in the open world. In return, you get a bit of cash and a little loyalty from the corresponding leader. These aren't worth pursuing since it takes more time to get to their locations than it is to actually eliminate the targets, and the rewards hardly justify doing them.