Atomic Heart

Atomic Heart

87 ratings
How to Prevent Enemy Respawn
By Tamaster
This guide explains how to deactivate enemies (using an in-game mechanic, this isn't a cheat or exploit) and prevent their repairs, so that you can explore the open world areas freely for a limited time.

If you found this Guide helpful, remember to Rate and Favorite it, so it can be in the Top Voted and people will find it more easily in the future.

I made this guide because I think the game doesn't explain this mechanic well at all.
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Intro: How Enemy Deactivation Works
The process to deactivate all enemies in one of the Areas of Atomic Heart is not particularly complex, however the game never explains it properly at any point, thus causing frustration because you'll never have a moment of peace while exploring, unless you know how to do it.

Basically what you have to do is locate a series of interactable structures that we will call The Controller and The Antenna Relay from now on. Finding and using these structures, present in each of the Areas of the open world, is the key to deactivate all mechanical (not organic!) enemies within that area's radius (indicated by a white circle on the map, if you're wondering what that means) for approximately 15 minutes, allowing you to explore freely.

In time, the system will be repaired automatically and get back to work (there is no countdown or anything to determine precisely when), but it can be deactivated again if you wish.

Important Note:
You CANNOT do this process in the first open-world area (the one you encounter the first time you reach the surface). You will only be able to do what is described in thsi guide after you take the "train ride" to the main open world area of the game.

Step 1: Find & Use The "Controller"
The first thing you want to do is to find the Controller in an area. To do so, activate your Scan Mode (Default Key: Left ALT) while nearby an active camera: you will see red lines coming out of the camera and trace back in a certain direction. That direction is where The Controller is located - always. So simply follow the red line and keep scanning all the time, soon you will see a green highlight with a lot of red lines converging there - that is your Controller.

Here is an image of the Controller:
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When you reach the Controller, interact with it using F. You will now see a top-down map of the area, showing all Cameras as yellow dots, destroyed ones as red dots, and unreachable ones as grey dots. Click on a yellow dot to take control of that camera, allowing you to see through it and also use Scan Mode (L ALT) with it. If a camera is unreachable, it means that it's controlled by another Controller, and not the one you're currently using.

Here is an image of the top-down interface:
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Continues in Step 2.
Step 2: Use Cameras to Find the Antenna Relay
Once you have control of the cameras, you need to find the Antenna Relay. This structure is a small cylindrical grey hut with several rotating antennas on top of it.

Here is a picture of the Antenna Relay, it always looks the same:
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You'll have to scroll through all the cameras until you're able to see the Antenna Relay through one. Once you have it in your screen, put it in the center until you see a Use (Default: F) prompt:

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Press Use (F) and the door will open:

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When the door is open, you can leave the Controller and continue to Step 3.
Step 3: Enter & Overload the Antenna Relay
You now need to phisically enter the Antenna Relay. Remember where it's located, and head there rushing past all enemies / stealth - if possible do not pick a fight and destroy any pursuers before entering the Relay. If you have an Alarm Level (top right) of 1 or 2 wait until it goes away, you don't want to be interrupted while doing this.

Enter the Antenna Relay hut and interact with the panel inside. After a brief cutscene, an interface will show:

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Select "OVERLOAD" - after about 10-15 seconds, you will hear an explosion in the distance and all robots, turrets and security cameras will turn off and stay immobile on the spot, within the white circle area of the map.

What you just did has destroyed the Turbine, which powers the robots:

Before:
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After:
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The turbine will be repaired in about 15 minutes or so - you can check the repair state by looking at it: when you see that the turbine looks "solid" and not made of blue energy, with most of the blades looking fine, it means it's close to being fixed.

During this grace period all repairs and mechanical enemies will be suspended: you can explore with impunity, but watch out for Organic enemies, as they will be unaffected.

You can repeat the whole process unlimited times.
10 Comments
医师皮索357 19 Apr @ 11:03pm 
You can use a railgun to disintegrate a robot so that they will not be revived anymore.
Torok 4 Apr @ 2:38pm 
back like i never left
Bon3tyNormy 6 Jan, 2024 @ 1:11pm 
Befor theater i used the crafter and everything was instandly fixed. :ppg_knife:
The_Squarecrow 29 Nov, 2023 @ 3:31pm 
Frozen enemies that are shattered are not going to be repaired. Same with desintegrated ones. Use this when fighting outside.
madadam12 30 Jun, 2023 @ 7:36pm 
If you sneak up behind an enemy robot and take them out using stealth they will not be repaired. This can be done to all of the robots while the turbine is being repaired. While the robot is out of power walk up behind them, hit them with melee or shoot them. You will see the prompt for take down. Perform the takedown. When power is finally restored those robots that you did the takedown on will not be repaired. I have cleared every area around the test sites this way. All you need to do now is stay clear of the daisys to keep it that way.
MrMeadors 13 Mar, 2023 @ 6:10pm 
Yea, I have to agree that your way mentioned in the above guide is better. It would actually be easier and faster to do it that way too.
Tamaster  [author] 13 Mar, 2023 @ 6:08pm 
I actually did that on armageddon in the first open world area where you cant use the overload thing. It took a while but there bots are kinda weak so. Still, it's not the proper way and there is a better way.
MrMeadors 13 Mar, 2023 @ 6:06pm 
In reference to Hugh Egg

I wouldn't call that an exploit. On Armageddon for instance, this would be rather difficult to accomplish. It would be an achievement honestly, you could strategically lure robots into a building with the idea that the repair bots can't effectively reach them.
Tamaster  [author] 13 Mar, 2023 @ 5:53pm 
I know, but that is an exploit.
Hugh Egg 13 Mar, 2023 @ 5:39pm 
you can also just lure enemies into houses or under roof structures like barns and destroy them. the bots wont be able to fix them.