Bastion beginner guide: Hammer and Repeater upgrades and challenges
Edition: PC (Steam) version, first normal playthrough. Weapon locations are distinguished from the iPad version; ending choices are not covered. English names are included. Sources checked: October 14, 2026. These details have not been reproduced through hands-on play.
Use your initial Cael Hammer and Fang Repeater to handle nearby and distant enemies separately. The Repeater cannot fire while you move, so decide where to shoot before doing so. Once upgrades become available at the Forge, keep the Hammer and Repeater materials separate and invest in whichever upgrade addresses your current mistakes.
Your first two weapons: separate movement, attacks, and reloading
| Weapon | Best use | What to stop doing |
|---|---|---|
| Cael Hammer | A melee weapon obtained early at the Rippling Walls. Switch between attacks while moving and heavy attacks while standing still | Trying to finish a stationary combo while an enemy attack is incoming |
| Fang Repeater | A rapid-fire weapon obtained early on. Shoot distant enemies and reposition while reloading | Trying to fire while continuing to hold a movement input. Stop moving when you shoot |
| Combination | Use the Hammer at close range and the Repeater against enemies you can aim at from a distance | Approaching every enemy at the same range. If an enemy closes in while you are firing, stop shooting and move |
| Arsenal | Choose your two equipped weapons and Secret Skill before setting out | Heading into the next area after picking up a weapon while assuming your loadout is unchanged |
- The initial location of the Fang Repeater differs in the iPad version. Do not apply this page's progression directly to the mobile version's weapon acquisition order.
Build the Forge and apply your first upgrades
- Try the Cael Hammer and Fang Repeater early on. Learn to switch between brief melee attacks against approaching enemies and stationary fire against distant ones.
- When you return to the Bastion, check your current weapons at the Arsenal. Equip the two weapons and Secret Skill you want before setting off again.
- Progress through the Workmen Ward, then build the Forge at your base when it becomes available. Identify the Something Heavy received when it is built as a Hammer upgrade material.
- Select a weapon at the Forge and check which materials and Fragments you lack. Each weapon initially has three upgrade tiers; upgrading the Forge itself adds two more. Do not assume all five tiers are available immediately.
- Compare the two effects at each tier. See whether the Repeater's magazine runs dry too quickly or whether you get hit while waiting to reload, then choose between more capacity and faster reloading.
- After upgrading, test the controls in a regular room or a Proving Ground. Alongside adding upgrades, adjust when you stop firing to move.
Match material names to the first two upgrade choices
| Weapon and material | First choices | When to use them |
|---|---|---|
| Cael Hammer：Something Heavy | Sledge Head: +50% damage / Battle Head: +10% critical chance | Consider Sledge Head for a dependable boost to early normal attacks. Treat it separately from combinations built around critical hits |
| Fang Repeater：Something Nasty | Double Clip: +8 ammo / Speed Clip: faster reloading | Adding only Double Clip to the initial 8 rounds gives 16. Compare sustained fire with reducing the opening left by reloading |
| The Cael Hammer's next tier | Extended Grip: a Focus Attack charged while shielding / Reverse Grip: Uppercut knockback | Choose according to whether you can make time to charge safely or want to push approaching enemies back |
| Missed materials | Check exploration, Proving Ground rewards, and items sold at the Lost-and-Found | If you lack a material, do not assume a different material with the same name can replace it. |
Trapper Shingle: aim for the Repeater material first
- Before the challenge, review magazine capacity, reloading, and damage at the Forge. If you keep falling with the starting setup, upgrade first and return.
- The platforms collapse along this course. Stop where you can see a cluster of targets, shoot, then move to the next area when you reload. Do not combine inputs assuming you can fire while walking.
- Do not fixate on a single target in front of you; check the route to the next cluster. Clear the targets on your current side before falling off the platform sends you onward.
- Start by aiming to collect Something Nasty. Second place requires at least 48 targets, while first place requires all 64. Do not treat all 64 as mandatory from the outset.
- For a higher rank, check how often you stop to reload and how many shots each target takes. Improve damage or reloading before trying again instead of persisting with the same starting equipment every time.
The Scrap Yard: separate material collection from the fastest time
| Goal | Requirement and reward | How to adjust your controls |
|---|---|---|
| Get the Hammer material first | A challenge to destroy 100 objects. Third-place reward: Something Heavy | Use heavy attacks on large objects and destroy clusters of small objects together while moving |
| Aim for second place | 40-second benchmark; reward: Something Wrong | Position yourself so the Hammer reaches several objects instead of chasing them one at a time |
| Aim for first place | 27 seconds or less; reward: Stunning Wallop | Upgrade the weapon before trying again. Repeating the same swings without upgrades is not necessarily the quickest route |
| Small objects nearby are left behind | Review your turning and movement route | Break small objects that an Evasive Roll can destroy while moving toward the next cluster |
Use each failure to choose your next adjustment
| Problem | What to check | Next adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| The Repeater will not fire | Whether you are moving or the magazine is empty | Stop to shoot, then move while reloading |
| You cannot upgrade | The weapon's material name, Fragments, and Forge tier | Check Heavy for the Hammer and Nasty for the Repeater, then look at the relevant challenges or shop stock |
| You keep taking hits in melee | Whether you are trying to finish a stationary combo | Land a short moving attack and retreat; use heavy attacks during safe openings |
| You fall just short at the end of a challenge | Magazine capacity, reloading, hits required, and reward tiers | Collect the materials you can obtain first and upgrade, then aim for the higher requirements |
Frequently asked questions
Which weapons use the first upgrade materials?
Something Heavy is for the Cael Hammer, and Something Nasty is for the Fang Repeater. Check the weapon and material names at the Forge before buying an upgrade.
Do I need first place at a Proving Ground immediately?
You can collect material rewards first, upgrade, and return for a higher rank later. Do not treat the Scrap Yard's 27-second target or Trapper Shingle's 64 targets as requirements for every material reward.