Prey may have just rolled out but Arkane's newest sci-fi adventure has its share of mysteries and challenges, one of which revolves around finding the necessary schematic so that you can build your own Neuromods via the game's crafting machines.

Sure you can find lots of Neuromods as you explore, but the skills in Prey get expensive extremely fast. So if you want to be the very best, you're going to need to track down the blueprint as early as possible.

Fortunately, getting your hands on the plans isn't actually that hard. With a bit of prep work, all you need is the right code, the right place, and the right strategy to bring down a fairly beefy early game Typhon. If you survive, the Neuromod plans are all yours.

Finding the Code

prey-neuromods-map-1.jpg

Our first stop on our road to Neuromod paradise is located in the Executive Office portion of the lobby, which is on the third floor in the southwestern corner of the map.

The doorways are well labeled so hopefully you shouldn't have too much trouble finding your way there, just watch out for the odd Typhon if you haven't already cleared the area.

If you've completed the first few quests in the main storyline then you've probably walked through here on your way to Morgan's office. In this case, we're going to take a slight detour into Bianca Goodwin's workspace, just across from the main entrance to the offices, and access the emails on her computer.

The email we're looking for should be on the top, titled, “Volunteer Attitude” from John Haskins. In our case the code was 7028, but Arkane has previously made it a point to use randomized passwords tied to individual playthroughs to keep people from skipping steps to access certain gameplay features early. So just in case, we wanted to make sure you knew where to find the code on your own because it's entirely possible that it can and will change.

Once you see the code your journal should update with a message that you've found a key code for the Volunteer Quarters back in the Neuromod Division, which is our next stop. To make your way back, simply head down the stairs to the first floor and sprint up the stair in the northeast corner of the map. Follow the hallway at the top and return to the starting area of the game.

Volunteer Quarters

prey-neuromods-climbing-wall.jpg

Our next target is making it to the second floor balcony. There are quite a few ways, to pull this off, including repairing the elevator control panel that may have been too expensive to handle last time you were here. I found the cheapest method is a bit of careful application of the GLOO gun on the northernmost wall in the main hall.

Fire a single ball of glue at about head height above the sofa, then sprint and climb on top of your newly minted platform. Then turn around and jump to the lamp behind you, followed by one last spin and another flying leap to the 2nd floor balcony.

Now turn left and follow the balcony around the corner to the entrance of the Volunteer Quarters.

Insert the code you picked up from Bianca's email earlier, and flick on your flashlight, because things are about to get just a little bit dark and scary. Normally our first priority would be to flick on the lights in this area before proceeding, but we're only going to be in this area for a few seconds so turning the lights on isn't exactly a high priority.

Ignore the darkness and the undeniably creepy vibes in the area and move just past the desk across from the entrance, and through the door on the left marked “Authorized Personnel Only.”

Inside, make sure to loot the three Recycler charges on the desk to the right. If you're still getting the hang of the combat in Prey these will make the upcoming fight a heck of a lot easier.

With charges in hand, check behind the desk with the computer to your left, you should find a small maintenance hatch just waiting to be explored.

On the other side you'll find a decent sized storage area. Climb on the boxes to your left and fire a bit of gloo at the bottom of the vents to your right. Jump across the gap and mantle onto the cooling units, duck under the pipes, and then jump to the access tunnel just above your head.

Follow the tunnel and enter the room beyond. Welcome to Fabrication, this is where things get interesting.

Fabrication

This area can be a bit of challenging. On the one hand, we're basically sitting right on top of the schematic we're looking for. On the other, it's guarded by a pretty beefy early game Typhon that can really tear through your health with a vicious lightning attack, and if you're making an early rush for these crafting plans you probably aren't very powerful yet.

As if that wasn't already enough hassle, there are various turrets spread around the area that you would think would be a major asset. Except this Typhon has the ability to magnetize them to its body and then cause each one to target Morgan. If you're out in the open, these can bring you down quickly.

Stealth and run-and-gun are both viable options here. Personally, I found it easiest to use the Recycler charges Arkane has generously spread throughout the last few areas. It's definitely the safest option, and the lowest overall cost in terms of resources, especially considering you'll find several more Recycler charges in the next couple rooms.

From the access tunnel, loot the room of anything that looks useful then drop down through the large hole in the wall to the right of the windows. You should find a few more Recycler charges on a shelf at the bottom. You'll probably need at least four charges to take out our friend in the other room, so these are important if you're low on supplies.

Now that you've got your explosive solution primed and ready, open the door directly in front of you. The Typhon should be searching the area for you at this point, so he'll probably be just outside the door. Once he's in sight just start tossing grenades underneath his floaty bits. Be sure to dodge out of the way of his lightning attack, which acts like a small area of effect circle that fires arcs of electricity at Morgan if he's too close.

With any luck you should finish him off after four or five good throws, leaving behind nothing but a pile of resources to loot. If you burn through your grenades and he still isn't down, it's best to use the pistol to fire a few shots at a time from a safe distance, or burn through some medkits to get up close and personal with the shotgun.

Winner, Winner, Neuron Dinner

With the Typhon mini boss taken care of, hop over to the body on the broken section of flooring and snag the key to Halden Grave's office.

Head back toward the supply room you dropped into before and take the space magic lift up to the second floor. You should see a locked door directly in front of you. Use the keycard to gain access and head inside.

At the computer on the desk across from the door you should see a prompt referring to revoking the license to create Neuromods. Canceling it will open up the option to make your own once you have the schematic.

While you're at it, disable the locks to all the doors in the area by toggling the option under the utility tab. Doing so will give you access to the loaded supply closet on the first floor.\

Your last stop is in the adjoining room, where Grave's body, story, and the schematics you're looking for await. You'll find the plans on the table in the center of the room, but be sure to scour the area for supplies and take a moment to absorb the lore you just uncovered concerning how the Neuromods work.

Once you're done, head back downstairs and snatch the loot from the supply room. Make sure to grab the pounds of exotic material spread all over the cabinets, as you'll need that resource for Neuromod crafting.

Then swing over to any fabricator (the one in your office will work) and start churning out Neuromods like crazy.