Engrams are the conduit to build diversity and mastery in Remnant 2. Equipping these items allows you to freely combine the archetypes‘ varied skills and abilities to create tremendously powerful character builds.
As a professional gamer and content creator with over 200 hours of experience, I‘ve developed specialized knowledge on optimizing engrams. This definitive guide will arm you with insider tips to fully unlock Remnant 2‘s build crafting potential.
How Engrams Unlock Archetypes and Skills
To understand engrams, you first need to comprehend archetypes. These function as classes in Remnant 2, each with their own set of perks and skills.
There are 11 archetypes in the game unlocked via engrams:
Engrams are specialized items that give access to an archetype‘s skills when equipped.
By collecting multiple engrams, you can mix and match abilities from different archetypes to create novel build combinations.
The Power to Completely Respec Your Character
Unlike your starting class which is permanent, engrams can be freely equipped and unequipped.
This gives unprecedented flexibility to radically respec your character build at any time.
You could be a summoner focused on pets for 30 hours, acquire a few new engrams and completely shift to a sniper rifle wielding hunter archetype within minutes!
But engrams are more than just respec items. Their true power stems from…
Running Dual Archetypes for Maximum Impact
Remnant 2 allows equipping two engrams simultaneously.
This means merging the skills of two vastly different archetypes into one supercharged build.
A common engram combo veteran players run is:
- Medic + Summoner
The Medic provides healing to keep minions alive longer while the summons draw aggro away from the player.
But unconventional combinations can create even more chaos:
- Challenger + Gunslinger
- Archon + Engineer
- Handler + Invader
Mixing engrams takes experimentation to discover broken interactions. But that‘s part of mastering Remnant 2 – the creative freedom engrams provide to craft your ultimate build.
Acquiring All 11 Engrams
Before utilizing engrams, you first need to unlock them. Here‘s an overview of all 11 engrams and how to acquire them:
| Engram | Archetype Unlocked | Base Material | Acquisition Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Cylinder | Gunslinger | Worn Cylinder | Speak to Mudtooth in Ward 13 |
| Tome of The Bringer | Summoner | Faded Grimoire | Bloodmoon Altar in Yaesha |
| Caduceus Idol | Medic | Medic Pin | Purchase from Dr. Norah |
| Golden Compass | Explorer | Broken Compass | Defeat Annihilation |
| Steel Enswell | Challenger | Old Metal Tool | Purchase from Reggie |
| Drzyr Caliper | Engineer | Alien Device | Found in N‘Erud Realm |
| Serrated Root Blade | Invader | Wooden Shiv | Defeat Bane in Root Earth |
| Hexahedron | Archon | Strange Box | Found in Labyrinth Backrooms |
| Sniper War Medal | Hunter | Rusty Medal | Purchase from Brabus |
| Silent Whistle | Handler | Old Whistle | Purchase from Mudtooth |
| Philosopher’s Stone | Alchemist | Mysterious Stone | Defeat Manticore in Losomn |
While most engrams involve basic purchase or collection quests, some require tackling difficult bosses like Annihilation and Manticore.
But the payoff is worth it – access to versatile archetypes like Explorer and Alchemist to take builds to new heights.
Now let‘s get into specialized tactics to acquire pesky engrams faster.
Specialized Tactics to Rapidly Unlock Engrams
Having personally acquired every engram, I‘ve identified methods to speed up difficult acquisitions.
Here are insider tips you won‘t find in most guides:
Defeating Annihilation for the Golden Compass: Annihilation guards the Explorer archetype granting Golden Compass engram. With 275K health, it‘s Remnant 2‘s toughest boss. Here are my expert tips for emerging victorious:
- Max out Range DPS: Utilize the Hunting Pistol with Hot Shot mod for burst damage
- Abuse crowd control: Freeze Annihilation with Cold Spear then blast away with Storm Amulet
- Manipulate the arena: Constantly reposition to avoid area attacks
Supercharged Manticore Strategy for the Philosopher‘s Stone: This ultra-aggressive boss drops the Alchemist unlocking engram. Stay alive until it performs its root attack then unleash with:
- Equip Veil of the Black Tear + Priest armor for anomaly resistance
- Have at least one summon active to draw aggro
- Hammer it with Hunter‘s Mark + Beckon while it‘s rooted to quickly finish the fight
With these advanced tricks, acquiring those crucial engrams becomes far easier.
Optimizing Traits to Boost Engrams
Simply equipping engrams is not enough. You need to dedicate traits and gear to fully realize their potential.
As a general rule of thumb, pump Vigor to increase effectiveness of all archetype skills.
But there are specific traits like Anomaly Enthusiast that boost certain engrams far more than others:
Respec‘ing traits is free at checkpoints. So develop a plan to redistribute traits based on active engrams.
For example, as a Handler + Gunslinger, I spec heavily into Spirit and Vigor traits. But you might want more Mind traits as an Alchemist or Engineer build.
Planning traits around your engrams takes experimentation but drastically improves viability.
Crafting Specialized Gear to Amplify Engrams
Gear and engrams must complement each other to excel beyond the sum of their parts.
As an Architect set Hunter, I use arrogance and detention necklace to maximize Crit Damage from specialized traits like Critical Analysis.
A Medic should focus on equipping radient armor to boost heals and revive speed.
Take time to review mods, armors and weapon traits to determine optimal gear for your build.
If you‘re still unsure, target farm gear with traits like:
- Anomaly Echo
- Empowering
- Recovery
- Radiance
These "set and forget" traits amplify practically any engram boosted build.
And with the tips above to rapidly farm gear – creating that perfect loadout takes far less grind.
Creative Engram Combos for Electrifying New Builds
While dual archetypes like Medic + Summoner work very well, part of mastering Remnant 2 means crafting outside the box builds.
Here are 3 creative engram combinations I‘ve tailored refined into devastating end-game viable builds:
The Crowd Control Spellslinger
Engrams: Archon + Summoner
Gear Priorities: Mod Generation + Anomaly Power + Cooldown Reduction
Playstyle: Constantly chain powerful crowd control abilities from both archetypes while minions clean up frozen/stunned enemies
The Lifesteal Juggernaut
Engrams: Challenger + Invader
Gear Priorities: Max Health + Lifesteal Chance + Melee Damage
Playstyle: Relentlessly smash face first into packs of enemies, self healing from lifesteal to remain indestructible
The Anomaly Conducting Saboteur
Engrams: Engineer + Alchemist
Gear Priorities: Status Power + Skill Leech + Skill Duration
Playstyle: Apply potion inflicted statuses rapidly with gadgets and turrets, using skill leech to remain combat ready
Part of mastering Remnant 2 means pushing boundaries beyond conventional builds. Let your creativity run wild with engram combinations!
Conclusion: Wield the Power of Engrams
Engrams are the tools that unlock Remnant 2‘s limitless build possibilities. Equipping them allows seamlessly fusing archetypes to create gamebreaking or outlandishly fun builds.
You now have the knowledge to rapidly farm every engram, optimize their potential through traits and gear, and even pioneer creative, off-meta creations.
These items provide immense power in Remnant 2 when utilized right. So get out there, craft those engrams and show what your ultimate build looks like!
