Alcohol
There are several varieties of alcohol in the game, but all of them have a similar effect. These consumables restore health to your character, but leave your vision distorted for a moderate period. Use them when you’re escaping from enemies and don’t need to aim for the next 30 seconds or so.
Because you can also boost for maximum health with Alcohol, it’s sometimes useful to drink heavily before a big fight starts. That way, you get the benefits of increased max health, but you can wait to start the fight when the negative effects wear off. The positive effects take longer to dissipate, so you end up with clear vision long before you lose your bonus health.
Biocell
Biocells instantly restore a large amount of maximum energy. They’re a lifesaver when you need to use your abilities and can’t wait for natural regeneration to get you what you need. Save these for major challenges so that you always have a few to spare.
Datascan Software
Use this during hacking to reveal hidden datastores. These locations get you free XP or money, so they’re useful to grab before you finish your hack.
Hypostim
Hypostims instantly restore a major portion of lost health. Save them for big battles when the risk of death is substantial, and let your natural regeneration, Alcohol, and Painkillers do the work for less serious confrontations.
Multitool
Multitools let you break into anything (once). Each Multitool is destroyed when used, so save them for high-end hacks that are above your character’s skill level. In general, level 5 security systems warrant this the most, but even many of them have codes that can be discovered if you hack lesser systems close by and discover the numbers you need. Wait to use a Multitool until you’re really stumped on an important door or safe.
Nuke Software
Nukes instantly overrun a node during the hacking minigame. They set off a trace, so you really shouldn’t use them unless you’ve already had a trace begin and need to hit a high level node very quickly. If there isn’t a trace running, just try to take the node normally. Until the clock is ticking, the extra time doesn’t cost you anything.
Overclock Software
Overclock makes your capture and fortify actions go much faster during the hacking minigame. Wait until a trace begins, and then use this as a way to rip through the rest of the system as quickly as you can.
Painkillers
Painkillers, like Alcohol, either restore lost health or give you a temporary boost to your maximum health if you’re already healed. These items don’t have any downsides, so they’re really powerful when you’re preparing for a major confrontation.
Praxis Kit
Praxis Kits give you a free Praxis point, just as if you’d gained a level. They’re worth a huge amount of money and are found in only a few areas. Some merchants sell them, but you need to stock up on your money before it’s possible to buy even one.
Reveal Software
Some computer networks have fog that limits your ability to see the nodes farther into the system. Use Reveal to lift the fog so that you can plan a good course between yourself and the nodes you really want to capture.
Stealth Software
This software makes it impossible for a system to detect your capture operations (even if a Firewall is in place). Use this on extremely high end nodes to ensure your stealthy success.
Stop Worm
Tap this software to buy yourself several precious seconds once a trace begins. Save these for a last-ditch moment to prevent an alarm from being triggered; using them prematurely is a waste because you might make it to the end of the hack with time to spare.
Valuables
Several of the items in the game have no use except as goodies to sell to merchants. They’re worth a fair amount of money, so keep an eye out for these items as you search through the levels: Gyroscopic Regulator, Steam Processor Chip, Hydraulic Micropump, Neuropozyne.
Neuropozyne occasionally has special value when trading with certain NPCs (for information). That’s the only one in this group that is sometimes worth saving.