How to heal in System Shock

Wondering how to heal in System Shock? The Nightdive Studios resurrection of the 1994 classic has a focus on combat. So if you want a chance at bringing down the maniacal SHODAN, you’re going to need to know how to replenish a lot of health. You’ll be fighting through hordes of robots, cyborgs, and mutants, after all.

We’ll cover how to heal in System Shock using a variety of tools and systems, and bring you up to speed on this crucial mechanic. If you’re looking for help with other vital mechanics, like how to get credits in System Shock, we’ve got you covered there too.

There are four ways to heal in System Shock: Med patches, the Surgery Machine, food and First Aid Kits.

Medipatches

Medipatches are the most abundant of all the healing items you’ll come across. There are plenty of patches for different uses throughout the game, and medipatches are denoted by a red drop of blood with a cross on it when in your inventory. Using a medi patch will gradually heal a modest portion of your health over time, making them good for quick healing in combat when you have cover, and providing a small continuous boost to aid recovery during firefights without having to constantly stow your weapons.

First Aid kits

First Aid kits are a more advanced form of healing. They’re significantly rarer than med patches, only becoming more abundant in the endgame. Using a first aid kit is a bit slower than a med patch, but it’ll heal instantly, and boost you back to full health. These are valuable consumables, so be sure to use them wisely.

Food

Food is perhaps the most abundant form of healing in the game. You’ll find it all around, and also be able to get it from vending machines in exchange for credits. These chocolate, crisp, and soft drink snacks heal a small amount of health back upon consumption, but at least they’re not too hard to come across.

Surgery Machine

The Surgery Machine is a machine found inside medical bays. When you interact with the button on the side, you’ll climb in, and the machine will heal you back to full health, for free. It can do this an unlimited number of times. However, Surgery Machines are by far the rarest form of healing, with only a handful of them in the entire game. Don’t expect to find them on every floor – we only found three during our playthrough.

Note that this doesn’t cover healing in cyberspace levels, which is fairly more straightforward. To heal in cyberspace segments, just pick up one of the green crosses dotted throughout the expansive areas and corridors, and this will heal a set portion of your hacker’s virtual healthbar.

That’s everything you’ll need to know about how to heal in System Shock. This is a pretty full game for such a small package and getting an edge early can be crucial. If you want to know how to get guns early in System Shock, or want the inside scoop on how to solve Junction Box puzzles in System Shock we’ve got you covered.