The original version of this guide was written by PlasticHeart. It can be found here. All credit for writing this guide should go to them.

Cogmind is not a game where you gain experience from killing enemies. Your parts take damage, your core loses durability, and your matter reserves dwindle. If you defeat enemies they can drop some of their parts, but this is not even guaranteed. If you fight repeatedly the alert level also increases, causing enemy after enemy to appear. This can easily cause the situation to spiral out of control.

Of course, there is the option of creating a powerful combat build that crushes any enemies it encounters. This guide, however, chooses to focus on explaining how to flee from enemies, how to avoid combat, and what items are useful for a build relying on stealth.

For a stealth build trying to avoid combat, wheels(90), legs(120) or treads(160) are too slow (the numbers within brackets are indications of the typical amount of time units per move). Mass support and firepower are not needed as much, which is why hover(60) and flight(40) are often used. Hover and flight share a special characteristic; the time units per move is reduced by a flat amount for each additional propulsion item of that type. For example: when you use 4 Imp. Flight Units, their average movement cost is 35. The actual time per move is 26, because each one beyond the first reduces the cost by 3 time units.

The number one method for avoiding enemy encounters is knowing their position. Sensor Arrays tell you the position of an enemy, while Signal Interpreters will give you their type. Every stealth build requires these two to help you move around carefully. Losing them can be catastrophical, particularly if aren't building any combat items.

A terrain scanner is also handy, though it does require a complementary terrain scan processor. When you have a better grasp of your surroundings, you can move around more efficiently. You'll also begin to recognize certain static layouts when you get more experienced at the game.

Another important tool in reaching the surface is hacking. It's a good idea to increase the effectiveness of your hacks using Hacking Suites or System Shields. Useful examples of hacks are [Locate Traps] to find trap arrays or [Level Access Points] to find the exits. Be aware that a single piece of hackware will not make a large difference in you hacking capability. Rather, try equipping several of them to produce a noticeable effect.

In the end it's only one example, but the picture below shows you what your build should more or less look like upon reaching -7/Factory.


When ascending from -8/Materials to -7/Factory you should evolve an engine slot, raising the number to two. Your engines must be low-mass engines with a high energy/mass ratio, such as Lgt. Nuclear Core or Lgt. Deuterium Engines, or you won't have enough energy to power your proulsion and utility items.

If you're using a flight build you will need Imp. Flight Units, Imp. VTOL Modules, or Cesium-Ion thrusters. If you’re using a hover build, you will need Imp. Hover Units, or Airjets. Imp. Hover Units are dropped by the W-25 Informer robots in -8/Materials, and the other items named are often dropped by A-02 Transporters.

If you prefer speed, go for flight. You can move astonishingly fast with flight, but until the end of the mid-game you have a very strict weight limit, meaning you are unable to develop any combat potential whatsoever (If you choose to not use any storage units it might a different story). If you spotted by an enemy while sneaking about, please refrain from fighting, and instead prioritize running away as quickly as possible. One more thing to take note of is lack of energy. Sometimes your production may not be able to keep up with your consumption. Since flight allows you to move about with relative ease, you can just wait for a few turns while recharging.

If you want to leave your support and firepower intact, hover is the way to go. You can equip heavier utilities and weapons (a few, at least), allowing you to deal with the fights you are unable to avoid. If you are discovered by enemies that also have hover propulsion, you will not be able to outrun them, no matter what you try. In such cases, take cover and start a counterattack.

Hover is slower than flight, so you have a bit more freedom in how much engine power you want to include in the build. Also, the parts you need tend to be easier to find.

It is essential to have the largest Storage Unit you can support, in addition to a Sensor Array and a Signal Interpreter of the highest tier you can find. In the best-case scenario you will be able to get an Adv. Sensor Array and an Adv. Signal Interpreter by -8/Materials. To obtain these two, you should try to explore every nook and cranny in -8 and -7.

The W-25 Informer robots in -8/Materials have Imp. Sensor Arrays and Imp. Signal Interpreters, which they sometimes drop if you kill them. However, please try your best to find the Adv. versions. If you have an Imp. Sensor Array it can get jammed by W-25 Informers, and if you have an Imp. Signal Interpreter, you won’t be able to tell the difference between enemies and allies.

Whether you use Terrain Scanners and Terrain Scan Processors is a question of preference. If you can find either a scanner or processor of the Adv. variety there can be value in using them; however, if you are able to find neither, it is likely more effective to use the slots for Hacking Suites dropped by O-16 technicians.

Leave your number of weapons slots at two, at least until entering -7/Factory. Especially on flight builds you shouldn’t evolve any weapon slots, since you don't want to be fighting. If you somehow feel that two weapon slots is not enough to make it through the floors up to -8/Materials, then this should be taken as a sign that you'll have to rethink the parts you equip and the way you maneuver through the floors.

In -7/Factory you will often want to dig through walls in order to avoid enemies. Though this can be done with high-power cannons, these cost energy and matter. It is preferable to take melee weapons, which can reliably break through walls without cost. Katana’s, Axes, Scythes, and other such Slashing weapons can reliably deal high damage, making them ideal. Low rating Impact or Piercing weapons may not always break through walls in a single attempt.

Please also take a look at:

A quick guide to the early game

[Note: in the original guide, two Japanese guides were linked here. Only one of them currently has an English counterpart, which I have linked above.]

There is nothing special to be mentioned about this floor. Just equip the weapons and propulsion you like.

Your objective on this floor is to find a Lrg. Storage Unit and/or Med. Storage Unit, in addition to parts that will allow you to survive -9 and -8. In order to switch to a stealth build in -7 you need to carry a lot of parts, so take the largest storage you can find. There are several penalties for being overweight, but especially in the early-game it is often still more efficient to be able to store more parts.

Please don’t hoard useless parts trying to fill all your Storage Units. Storage is not useful for anything else than the inventory slots it gives (it doesn’t get hit often so it’s not useful as armor). Having more storage means being less effective in a fight, so try to adjust your number of storage units to exactly fit all the parts in your inventory. If you are using Thermal or Electromagnetic weapons, make sure to take a Heat Sink. If you want to protect your parts from enemies, it can be valuable to have some armor, starting with Lgt. Armor Plating.

From this floor onward, the main items needed for the stealth build start appearing. If you find parts for the stealth build, please don’t simply equip them right away. While in materials you should prioritize your ability to fight, so keep such parts in your inventory to preserve them. If you have the chance to do so, scan some of the important ones using a Scanalyzer to get their schematics. That way you can make replacements at a Fabricator if anything breaks in the mid-game.

G-47 Troopers drop a single Lgt. Nuclear Core, which you should pick up. As explained in the manual, enemies drop more parts, and with higher integrity, when you attack them using weapons with a high salvage modifier. Attacking with Electromagnetic weapons tends to keep enemy drops intact, while robots attacked with Explosives tend to drop only matter.

L-31 Rogues drop Katana’s, but they can be very dangerous when fought in close quarters. Sometimes they quickly slash off several of your parts before you can do anything. It's best to fight them from as far away as possible.

When you find an A-02 Transporter, destroy it to get at the juicy prototypes inside. If you can resist the urge to attach them right on the spot, you can identify them later by scanning them at a Scanalyzer. Often the parts you get are slightly higher rated weapons. If you are lucky enough to find prototype thrusters, these are Imp. Flight Units or Imp. VTOL Modules. There is no use in carrying faulty parts, so please identify them before putting them into your storage.

W-25 Informers start spawning on this floor. You can expect many useful drops from them including such items as Lgt. Deuterium Engine, Imp. Sensor Array, Imp Signal Interpreter and Imp. Hover unit.

You can stay on these floors as long as your core health allows, to pick up any other items you want.