Strength

Strength or STR is one of the basic statistics in System Shock 2.

Overview

The maximum level of each statistic is 8. A player can only permanently upgrade Strength to level 6. The last two levels require a combination of the following items/Psionic Power:

• A BrawnBoost™ Implant (+1)
• A Strength Booster (+1)
• Psychogenic Strength (+2)

Note that exceeding level 8 does not yield extra benefits.

Strength increases the inventory size and the melee damage bonus of a player:

Strength Level	Total Inventory Slots	Melee Damage Bonus
1	30	0
2	33	1
3	36	2
4	39	3
5	42	4
6	45	6
7	45	10
8	45	15

• The bonus melee damage is added only after each weapon's damage have been multiplied by any factors that need to be taken in (like the type of enemy attacked, bonuses from researching organs, any particular weapon upgrades, any upgrades of weapon category, O/S upgrades). In other words, the bonus melee damage value itself is not multiplied.

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Strength is also the requirement of certain weapons and armors:

Strength Level	Items
2	Light Combat Armor, M-22 Assault Rifle, WormSkin Armor
3	Powered Armor, Stasis Field Generator, Annelid Launcher
4	Medium Combat Armor, TC-5 Fusion Cannon
6	Heavy Combat Armor

Strategies

• All character builds need a certain level of Strength, as it allows the player to carry more items and increases the power of the Wrench and other melee weapons. The sooner one upgrades the Strength level, the easier the early levels will be.
• The only question is that how high Strength level a player needs:
  • Strength level 2 is mostly required to use the M-22 Assault Rifle and the Light Combat Armor.
  • Strength level 3 meets the majority of the requirements. This includes Powered Armor, which is the most protective armor in the game. Higher level of STR could be redundant, especially on higher difficulties.
  • Strength level 4 is needed for the Medium Combat Armor and the TC-5 Fusion Cannon. STR 4 is generally recommended for Heavy Weapons users, as it covers all requirements in this weapon class.
  • Strength level 6 is required to wear Heavy Combat Armor. Players who focus on melee combat should obviously prioritize obtaining STR 6, choose Lethal Weapon and Smasher as their O/S Upgrades and additionally use at least two Psi Powers, Psychogenic Strength and especially Adrenaline Overproduction (for best results both cast with very high PSI stat).

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