One of the best things about Saros is its flexibility; you can make it easier for yourself or, if you want to, much more difficult.

The main way you can do this is using Carcosan Modifiers, a series of game-altering effects that you can toggle on and off before you go on a run. As part of our Saros guide, we're going to explain all you need to know about Carcosan Modifiers.

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What Are Carcosan Modifiers in Saros?

Saros: Best Carcosan Modifiers for All Playstyles 1
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Carcosan Modifiers are unlocked after defeating the second boss in Saros, and are accessed by visiting Primary in the Passage.

They apply various effects to the game that fundamentally change certain aspects, alleviating some parts or making others much tougher to deal with.

How Do Carcosan Modifiers Work in Saros?

Open Primary, then tab to Carcosan Modifiers in the menu.

Here, you will see a gauge at the top middle of the screen, and below it are the modifiers themselves.

Every time you select a Protection, the pointer of the gauge veers to the left. Meanwhile, Trials pull it to the right.

The idea is to keep the game fairly balanced by ensuring the pointer remains within the central orange segment of the gauge.

Each Protection and Trial takes away and adds points to the gauge respectively. The middle value is 0, and you can go down to -3.

Any further left than that and you cannot lock in your choice of Carcosan Modifiers. This prevents you from making the game too easy. However, you can increase the value of the gauge with no upper limit, meaning you can make it as difficult as you like.

Note: Some Carcosan Modifiers have up to three levels, with each successive level requiring more points on the gauge.

Which Carcosan Modifiers Should I Use in Saros?

The Carcosan Modifiers you use in Saros depend on how you want to play and engage with the game. Let's go through a few ideas for how to use them.

Note: While we recommend experimenting with Carcosan Modifiers to find a loadout that works for you, remember that Protections must be counterbalanced by Trials before they can be applied.

Maximise Chances of Survival

The following Carcosan Modifiers are all about staying alive. If you want to survive as long as possible, we recommend using some of the following:

Deal as Much Damage as Possible

These Carcosan Modifiers are concerned with enhancing your firepower, helping you build up Arjun in a few different ways. If you want a boost in power, try some of these:

Make Battles Easier to Handle

Below are some Carcosan Modifiers that can reduce the level of challenge you'll face while in combat. If you're struggling to navigate fights, give some of these a go:

All Carcosan Modifiers in Saros

Here's a list of every Carcosan Modifier in Saros, explaining what they do and how much they impact the balance.

Protections

Protections are Carcosan Modifiers that make Saros more forgiving. They're located beneath the gauge to the left.

Lucenite Magnetism

Description
Increases Lucenite collection radius.
Balance Change
-1

Damage Enhancement

  • Description: Increases damage dealt to hostiles.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    -2
    Level 2
    -4
    Level 3
    -7

Perfect Reload

Description
Easier to achieve a Perfect Reload.
Balance Change
-2

Shield Power Enhancement

Description
Shield does not consume Power while active.
Balance Change
-2

Corruption Reduction

  • Description: Reduce Corruption accumulation from Corrupted projectiles.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    -2
    Level 2
    -4
    Level 3
    -7

Second Chance Overlord

Description
Dispatching an Overlord restores a Second Chance.
Balance Change
-10

Power Accelerator

  • Description: Increases Power accumulation when absorbing projectiles with the Shield.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    -3
    Level 2
    -7

Armour Enhancement

  • Description: Decrease all incoming damage to Integrity.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    -2
    Level 2
    -4
    Level 3
    -7

Nova Dash

Description
Nova projectiles and beams can be Dashed through.
Balance Change
-4

Lucenite Enrichment

  • Description: Proficiency increases require less Lucenite.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    -1
    Level 2
    -3
    Level 3
    -5

Weapon Symmetry

Description
Found weapons more likely to be similar to current weapon.
Balance Change
-2

Artefact Immunity

Description
Negates Corruption Effects on Artefacts.
Balance Change
-4

Corruption Cleanse Enhancement

  • Description: Corruption is removed more quickly.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    -2
    Level 2
    -6

Overlord Restoration

Description
Integrity is fully restored upon reaching an Overlord.
Balance Change
-1

Artefact Enhancement

Description
Increases the tier of all Artefacts.
Balance Change
-6

Trials

Trials are Carcosan Modifiers that make Saros more difficult. They're located beneath the gauge to the right.

Corruption Enhancement

  • Description: Increase Corruption accumulation from Corrupted projectiles.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    +2
    Level 2
    +4
    Level 3
    +7

Growth Incapacitator

  • Description (Level 1): Second Chance deactivated.
  • Description (Level 2): All permanent Armour Matrix enhancements removed.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    +1
    Level 2
    +10

Lucenite Devaluation

  • Description: Reduces Lucenite retained upon returning to Passage.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    +3
    Level 2
    +5

Damage Degradation

  • Description: Decreases damage dealt to hostiles.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    +2
    Level 2
    +4
    Level 3
    +7

Halcyon Removal

Description
While active, no Halcyon pickups will appear.
Balance Change
+6

Proficiency Inflation

  • Description: Proficiency increases require more Lucenite.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    +1
    Level 2
    +3
    Level 3
    +5

Hostile Death Projectiles

Description
Hostiles spawn projectiles upon death.
Balance Change
+3

Armour Impairment

  • Description: Increase all incoming damage to Integrity.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    +2
    Level 2
    +4
    Level 3
    +7

Power Decelerator

  • Description: Decrease Power accumulation when absorbing projectiles with the Shield.
  • Balance Change
    Level 1
    +3
    Level 2
    +7

Total Corruption

Description
All damage causes Corruption.
Balance Change
+5

Artefact Destruction

Description
Upon reaching a new biome, a random Artefact is destroyed.
Balance Change
+2

Weapon Decay

Description
Main Weapon attributes decay through usage.
Balance Change
+3

Shield Reduction

Description
Nova projectiles and beams break Shield instantly.
Balance Change
+2

Hostile Aggression Enhancement

Description
Hostiles become more aggressive.
Balance Change
+4

Alpha Hostile Enhancement

Description
Alpha hostiles are more dangerous.
Balance Change
+1

That's all you need to know about Carcosan Modifiers in Saros. Which ones will you use? Tell us in the comments section below, and check out our Saros guide for more.