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Note: This guide was created using the 1.0.0.0 version of the game and was last updated on 2023-04-04. If you are playing on a later version, the contents of this guide may be incorrect.
Charms are accessories that can be attached to your attaché case that apply different bonuses to your gameplay experience. Charms can be acquired by inserting Gold and Silver Tokens into a vending machine that is found near the entrance of the shooting range. These tokens can be earned by completing the Merchant’s shooting range challenges or by finding them in the game world. There are also two charms which are automatically added to your inventory if you bought the Deluxe Edition of the game.
Since charms affect different aspects of gameplay, I have decided to categorize them like this:
- Combat
- Crafting
- Economic
- Healing
As far as in-game categorization goes, each charm has a “rarity” level, though this doesn’t appear to mean anything besides how valuable the charm is when sold to the Merchant. It certainly doesn’t affect how the vending machine distributes charms – I’ll go into more detail about this below.
A total of three charms can be attached to your attaché case and you can swap out which ones are attached by visiting a typewriter. Any duplicate charms that you acquire can be safely sold to the Merchant since you are not allowed to attach duplicates to your case to stack their bonuses. However, many charms provide similar effects and these may be stacked to boost their related bonus.
Charms
This table contains all of the charms which can be acquired in the game. I have noted their Type, Rarity, and the Effect that they provide. I’ve also labeled which ones are acquired via DLC in the Effect column. I’ll go into more detail for each charm in the sections below.
| Type | Rarity | Name | Effect |
| Economic | Rare | Ada Wong | 30% off Body Armor Repairs |
| Healing | Epic | Ashley Graham | +50% Health Recovery for Green Herbs |
| Crafting | Common | Bella Sisters | +20% Magnum Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Healing | Rare | Black Bass | +100% Health Recovery Rate for Black Bass |
| Healing | Rare | Chicken | +100% Health Recovery Rate for All Egg Types |
| Crafting | Legendary | Cute Bear | -1 Gunpowder used when Crafting |
| Crafting | Common | Don Diego | +15% Rifle Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Crafting | Common | Don Esteban | +15% Shotgun Shells Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Crafting | Common | Don Jose | +15% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Crafting | Common | Don Manuel | +15% Submachine Gun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Healing | Common | Don Pedro | +40% Health Recovery for Vipers |
| Crafting | Common | Dr. Salvador | +20% Rifle Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Healing | Rare | Green Herb | *DLC* +15% Health Recovery for Green Herbs |
| Crafting | Rare | Handgun Ammo | *DLC* +30% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Combat | Epic | Iluminados Emblem | +20% Melee Critical Hit Rate |
| Healing | Common | Isabel | +30% Health Recovery for Vipers |
| Economic | Rare | J.J. | 40% off Resources |
| Healing | Common | Leader Zealot | +10% Health Recovery for Green Herbs |
| Economic | Rare | Leon w/ handgun | 30% off Knife Repairs |
| Economic | Rare | Leon w/ rocket launcher | 20% off the Rocket Launcher |
| Economic | Rare | Leon w/ shotgun | +40% Ammo Resale Value |
| Economic | Rare | Luis Sera | +20% Weapon Resale Value |
| Crafting | Common | Maria | +15% Magnum Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Economic | Epic | Merchant | 5% Off All Weapon Upgrades |
| Economic | Epic | Rhinoceros Beetle | +100% Health Recovery Item Resale Value |
| Crafting | Common | Soldier w/ dynamite | +30% Attachable Mines Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Crafting | Common | Soldier w/ hammer | +20% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Crafting | Common | Soldier w/ stun rod | +15% Bolt Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Combat | Legendary | Striker | Increases run speed by 8% |
| Crafting | Common | Zealot w/ shield | +20% Shotgun Shells Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Crafting | Common | Zealot w/ bowgun | +20% Bolt Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Crafting | Common | Zealot w/ scythe | +20% Submachine Gun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
Combat Charms
These charms affect combat-related gameplay and should be your go-to charms for most of your playthrough.
| Name | Effect |
| Iluminados Emblem | +20% Melee Critical Hit Rate |
| Striker | Increases run speed by 8% |
At the moment, I’m not exactly sure what a “Melee Critical Hit” is. I haven’t been able to find a definitive answer anywhere. However, I assume it works by randomly increasing the damage you do to an enemy when stabbing or slicing. It may also affect when an enemy is staggered by a knife attack and it may also automatically apply when doing a prompted knife attack on specific enemies (for example, when staggering Dr. Salvador and using the knife on him when prompted to rather than kicking him). If I learn the specifics on how this mechanic works, I’ll update this guide in the future. Regardless, if you find yourself using the knife a lot, attaching the Iluminados Emblem is probably a good idea.
As for the Striker, the extra 8% run speed bonus seems like it would be minor at first glance, but it actually feels pretty significant in practice (you’ll especially notice this if you start a new save game without it). Besides being a boon for speedrunners, it can also help you run past enemies before they’re able to grab or hit you. That 8% boost helps more than you’d think it would when you’ve got to increase the space between you and a pack of enemies so that you can safely unload on them from a distance.
Crafting Charms
These charms enhance your crafting abilities.
| Name | Effect |
| Bella Sisters | +20% Magnum Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Cute Bear | -1 Gunpowder used when Crafting |
| Don Diego | +15% Rifle Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Don Esteban | +15% Shotgun Shells Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Don Jose | +15% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Don Manuel | +15% Submachine Gun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Dr. Salvador | +20% Rifle Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Handgun Ammo | *DLC* +30% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Maria | +15% Magnum Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Soldier w/ dynamite | +30% Attachable Mines Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Soldier w/ hammer | +20% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Soldier w/ stun rod | +15% Bolt Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Zealot w/ shield | +20% Shotgun Shells Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Zealot w/ bowgun | +20% Bolt Craft Bonus Frequency |
| Zealot w/ scythe | +20% Submachine Gun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency |
“Craft Bonus Frequency” increases the chance of creating extra ammunition when crafting. Since most Crafting Charms have two similar ammo charms (for example, Bella Sisters and Maria both increase Magnum Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency), these can be paired with the Cute Bear (-1 Gunpowder used when Crafting) to maximize your crafting output.
Here is the maximum Craft Bonus Frequency for each ammo type when combining similar charms. Note that this table also includes the DLC exclusive Handgun Ammo charm (+30% Handgun Ammo Craft Bonus Frequency):
| Ammo Type | Bonus |
| Attachable Mines | 30% |
| Bolts | 35% |
| Handgun Ammo | 65% |
| Magnum Ammo | 35% |
| Rifle Ammo | 35% |
| Shotgun Shells | 35% |
| Submachine Gun Ammo | 35% |
Economic Charms
These charms modify the values of various things when dealing with the Merchant.
| Name | Effect |
| Ada Wong | 30% off Body Armor Repairs |
| J.J. | 40% off Resources |
| Leon w/ handgun | 30% off Knife Repairs |
| Leon w/ rocket launcher | 20% off the Rocket Launcher |
| Leon w/ shotgun | +40% Ammo Resale Value |
| Luis Sera | +20% Weapon Resale Value |
| Merchant | 5% off all Weapon Upgrades |
| Rhinoceros Beetle | +100% Health Recovery Item Resale Value |
The only tip I can really give you here is to only attach these charms when the situation demands it. There is always a typewriter near the Merchant so it doesn’t make sense to be running around the game world with these charms equipped.
Healing Charms
These charms affect how much health you recover when using certain items.ㅤ
| Name | Effect |
| Ashley Graham | +50% Health Recovery for Green Herbs |
| Black Bass | +100% Health Recovery Rate for Black Bass |
| Chicken | +100% Health Recovery Rate for All Egg Types |
| Don Pedro | +40% Health Recovery for Vipers |
| Green Herb | *DLC* +15% Health Recovery for Green Herbs |
| Isabel | +30% Health Recovery for Vipers |
| Leader Zealot | +10% Health Recovery for Green Herbs |
Like with the Crafting Charms, some of these charms have similar effects and can be stacked. Here is the maximum bonus for each healing item type. Note that this table also includes the DLC exclusive Green Herb charm (+15% Health Recovery for Green Herbs):
| Healing Type | Bonus |
| Black Bass | 100% |
| Eggs | 100% |
| Green Herbs | 75% |
| Vipers | 70% |
Vending Machine Mechanics
You may think that the vending machine dispenses charms randomly but this isn’t true. In fact, the game has already decided which charms will be dispensed the moment you started the game.
The vending machine accepts Gold and Silver Tokens which are primarily obtained from completing the challenges at the shooting range (you can also find some in the game world, though not many). These tokens can be placed into the vending machine in the following ways (note that the order doesn’t matter):
- 3 Gold Tokens
- 2 Gold Tokens, 1 Silver Token
- 1 Gold Token, 2 Silver Tokens
- 3 Silver Tokens
The game attempts to trick you into believing that using more Gold Tokens will increase your chances of obtaining a rare charm. This has led to much wailing and gnashing of teeth by gamers who have received four Don Pedro‘s in a row using 12 Gold Tokens and then find themselves getting the rare Merchant charm after inserting 3 Silver Tokens. As stated previously, the game has already decided which charms you will receive for each possible token combination. If you insert 2 Gold Tokens and 1 Silver token three times and receive Don Diego, Don Esteban, and Don Jose, reloading the game and doing the same thing will lead to you receiving the same exact charms.
With that in mind, here is a method that you can use to game the vending machine. You can’t force it to give you a charm that you want, but you can see all of the charms that it will dispense for every given combination. You can then figure out which path you’d like to take to focus on getting the charms that you want from the ones available to you in the most efficient way possible.
To demonstrate this method, I will show you a real example of me trying to get the charms that I wanted when I had 17 Gold Tokens and 35 Silver Tokens. Here are the steps you should follow to attempt it yourself:
- Open a Notepad file and make some headers for each possible token combination.
- Go to the vending machine and do a specific combination as many times as you can.
- As you’re receiving the charms, write down in the Notepad file which ones have been dispensed in the order you received them.
- When you’ve done that specific combination as many times as you can, reload the game and do the same for the next combination.
Here is the data I gathered from performing this method with my 17 Gold Tokens and 35 Silver Tokens. I noted with asterisks the charms that I wanted:
=3 Gold= Soldier w/ dynamite Rhino Beetle Don Diego *Ada Wong Isabel =2 Gold, 1 Silver= Soldier w/ hammer Bella sisters Leon w/ rocket launcher Leon w/ rocket launcher *Black Bass *Zealot w/ shield Don Estaban Illuminados Emblem =1 Gold, 2 Silver= Leader Zealot Rhino Beetle Don Esteban Chicken Maria *Black Bass Illuminados Emblem Zealot w/ scythe *Cute Bear Leon w/ handgun Leon w/ handgun Leon w/ shotgun Luis Sera Leon w/ shotgun Rhino Beetle Zealot w/ bowgun Cute Bear =3 Silver= Illuminados Emblem Isabel Don Pedro Isabel Soldier w/ stun-rod Chicken Don Esteban Don Esteban Leon w/ shotgun Rhino Beetle Isabel
As you can see, the 3 Silver path would have been a complete waste of tokens if I didn’t know how the system worked. I really wanted the Ada Wong charm but didn’t think that spending 12 Gold Tokens was worth the cost of getting it. As for the “2 Gold, 1 Silver” path, it had two charms that I wanted back-to-back, but again, it would have been pretty expensive to get them. I also wanted the Cute Bear charm more than I wanted the Zealot w/ shield. Therefore, I chose to go down the “1 Gold, 2 Silver” path and spent 9 Gold Tokens and 18 Silver Tokens to obtain the Black Bass and Cute Bear charms, leaving me with 8 Gold Tokens and 17 Silver Tokens to use during a future playthrough.
Tips and Tricks
In this section, I’ll give you my opinion on the best way to use the charms that you collect, along with some other tips that you may find helpful.
Standard Loadout
Since many charms are best used when you're near the Merchant or a typewriter, I recommend that you have these charms equipped for most of the time:
| Name | Effect |
| Chicken | +100% Health Recovery Rate for All Egg Types |
| Iluminados Emblem | +20% Melee Critical Hit Rate |
| Striker | Increases run speed by 8% |
Since eggs only take up one slot in your inventory, hoarding them and attaching the Chicken charm can be an efficient way to stay at full health while also saving on space. When you’re at the Merchant, you can then attach the Rhinoceros Beetle (+100% Health Recovery Item Resale Value) to sell your herbs for a lot of pesetas (don’t forget to combine the herbs first!).
However, there are a lot more Green Herbs than there are Chicken Eggs, so if you’d rather sell your eggs or are past the Village area where they are mostly found, swapping out the Chicken charm for Ashley Graham (+50% Health Recovery for Green Herbs) is probably your next best option.
Only Use Crafting and Economic Charms When Near the Merchant or a Typewriter
Personally, I rarely found myself in situations where I needed to make ammo when I was out in the game world – I always seemed to have enough to carry me over until my next encounter with the Merchant or a typewriter. The Merchant typically acts as a hub for the various sections of the map you’re on, so he’s usually never too far away. You can also find random typewriters in many locations as well which allow you to swap over to Crafting Charms when you really need them. Therefore, I recommend only attaching Crafting and Economic Charms when you’re near either the Merchant or a typewriter and the situation calls for it. Otherwise, stick to the Standard Loadout.
Maximizing Pesetas
You can make money hand over fist by combining various charms before you interact with the Merchant. If you hoard eggs and use them as your primary healing item in conjunction with the Chicken charm, you can sell combined herbs at prices that are comparable to some treasures. You can also combine Crafting Charms together to make a bunch of ammo and sell that as well (Handgun Ammo and Submachine Gun Ammo is the most cost effective way to make money based off of the resources they use when crafting).
Here is a table of the base value of various items and the maximum value that you can sell them for when using certain charms:
| Type | Name | Base Value | Bonus Value |
| Ammo | Attachable Mines | 420 | 588 |
| Ammo | Bolts | 380 | 532 |
| Ammo | Handgun Ammo | 120 | 168 |
| Ammo | Magnum Ammo | 560 | 784 |
| Ammo | Rifle Ammo | 210 | 294 |
| Ammo | Shotgun Shells | 250 | 350 |
| Ammo | Submachine Gun Ammo | 50 | 70 |
| Healing | Black Bass | 800 | 1,600 |
| Healing | Black Bass (L) | 1,400 | 2,800 |
| Healing | Brown Chicken Egg | 600 | 1,200 |
| Healing | Chicken Egg | 500 | 1,000 |
| Healing | First Aid Spray | 2,500 | 5,000 |
| Healing | Gold Chicken Egg | 9,000 | 18,000 |
| Healing | Green Herb | 500 | 1,000 |
| Healing | Mixed Herb (G+G) | 1,200 | 2,400 |
| Healing | Mixed Herb (G+G+G) | 2,000 | 4,000 |
| Healing | Mixed Herb (G+G+Y) | 5,000 | 10,000 |
| Healing | Mixed Herb (G+R) | 2,000 | 4,000 |
| Healing | Mixed Herb (G+R+Y) | 10,000 | 20,000 |
| Healing | Mixed Herb (G+Y) | 4,000 | 8,000 |
| Healing | Red Herb | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Healing | Viper | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Healing | Yellow Herb | 3,000 | 6,000 |
Check Your Charms Before Heading Out
Since maximizing charm usage requires going in and out of the typewriter screen a lot, don’t forget to check your charms before you head off on your next adventure. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run off to fight hordes of enemies not realizing that I forgot to switch back to my Standard Loadout after robbing the Merchant blind. Always remember to quickly check your charms before heading out.
Tokens Are Forever
Gold and Silver Tokens are just like Treasures and Gems – if you don’t like the charms that are available to you after using my vending machine method above, you can carry over your tokens to a new playthrough and try again there. Don’t feel like you need to spend them all when you’re near the end of the game.