Sirian Artefacts of Might, abbreviated as S.A.M, are alien artifacts of unknown purpose that were designed by the Sirians. They can grant the player new abilities and skills that may prove useful to them as they progress through the game and unlock additional ones along the way.[1][2]
Skills are unlocked on a tree, with more advanced and specialized skills becoming available as they are unlocked further down. The S.A.M. mechanic itself is a unique feature introduced in Serious Sam 4 and its standlone expansion pack, Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem.
The Sirian Artefacts of Might are mysterious and enigmatic devices of Sirian origin. The exact purpose of these devices and what they were designed for are not fully understood.[1] They appear as egg-shaped or spherical objects made from a pink crystalline material encased within a gold frame of metal. These objects are very unstable, especially when held in someone's hand. For that reason, they are kept preserved and safely contained within wooden crates.[1][2]
Powers and abilities[]
Sam reacting to the effects of a Sirian Artefact of Might after it releases a cloud of nanoparticles.
Little information is known about these artifacts or what their original purpose were intended for. From what can be derived from them, the Sirian Artefacts of Might are capsules that contain a large amount of nanoparticles, which can grant the user powerful superhuman abilties and/or skills.[3][4] The correct procedure for using the artifact is unknown, but in the cutscene when Sam first obtains a S.A.M egg, the artifact undergoes an unstable reaction, shaking in his hand violently until it shatters, releasing a pink cloud of particles which he soon inhales, thus granting him new abilities.[1] Based on Professor Kiesel's reaction, inhalation of the particles may not be the correct procedure for using a Sirian Artefact of Might.[3]
As shown on the player's screen upon obtaining a S.A.M egg, inhaling the cloud of nanoparticles produces a strong hallucinogenic effect on humans, similar to that of a psychoactive drug.[1][2] It would appear that this is the only known way of gaining new abilities, even if this is more of an unorthodox method in comparison to how these objects are meant to be used.[3] Some of these abilities include being able to dual-wield weapons, reload weapons faster, use certain objects (such as sign posts) as melee weapons, and even being able to ride large creatures in Mental's Horde, such as the Khnums or Sirian Werebull.
Each time the player obtains a Sirian Artefact of Might, the player will gain one skill point, which can be used to unlock a skill on the S.A.M tree. In Serious Sam 4, Sam will crush it in his hand and inhale the pink fumes, while in Siberian Mayhem, there is no crushing animation. The skill tree window can be accessed anytime by invoking NETRICSA.
A S.A.M egg kept preserved in a wooden crate.
There are 17 skills to choose from on the tree, but only 10 S.A.M eggs appear throughout the Serious Sam 4 campaign, and 11 in Siberian Mayhem. In Siberian Mayhem, though, the player can obtain a large amount of S.A.M eggs with the New Game+ mode. As there a limited number of eggs in both campaigns, the player should pick wisely with what skills they want to unlock. To unlock a skill, the player needs to press and hold down the primary fire key on the skill they wish to unlock. The skill can be unlearnt by pressing and holding the key down on it again. As the player gains more skill points, they can unlock more skills further down the tree. In Siberian Mayhem, the skill tree becomes somewhat easier to obtain new skills, as more paths are connected to the middle row, which allows easier access to skills that are further down the tree.
In New Game+ mode, S.A.M eggs are used for upgrading the player's weapons to increase their damage output, the player's movement speed, and the weapon's rate of fire. S.A.M eggs can also be used for accessing a Christmas Area. The upgrade menu is accessed with the C key by default. Each of the player's weapons can be upgraded up to five times.[2]
Appearances[]
S.A.Ms are very rare objects. They are usually found in Earth Defense Force outposts contained within small wooden crates, and can sometimes appear at the location of a side objective. Most of the time, only one S.A.M egg appears per level.
A maximum of 11 S.A.M eggs appear in a normal playthrough, but the player can obtain more eggs through New Game+.
While most eggs appear normally, a few are hidden as secrets. One egg is found in an underground bunker in the level The Song Of The Stormbringer, and two secret eggs appear in Siberiade. The eggs in Siberiade are found in a locked case and can only be unlocked by collecting Octanian keycards. The first egg requires the player to solve three pipe puzzles to acquire the keycards, and the second set of keycards are obtained by destroying Octanian Sentry Towers.
Skills[]
Looter Shooter
Killed enemies will occasionally drop items.
Healing Punch
Performing melee attacks heals you.
Unflinching
Gain 50% resistance to splash damage.
The Quick and the Dead
Reload weapons faster.
Dual Wield
Dual wield pistols and single-handed weapons.
Long Distance Relationship
Increases the distance at which you can initiate a melee attack.
Objection, Your Honor
Use objects as melee weapons. Objects can be swung (primary) or thrown (secondary).
Berserker
Deal more damage when low on health.
Full Speed Ahead
Gain increased shooting speed after reloading.
Dual Wield Harder
Dual wield two-handed weapons.
Born to Run
Fire and reload even while sprinting.
The Bigger They Are
Perform melee attacks on medium enemies.
Rodeo Time
Ride enemies such as Werebulls and Khnum.
Mix It Up
Dual wield different types of weapons at the same time.
Dual Wield With a Vengeance
Dual wield heavy weapons.
Footsure
Move at normal speed even while aiming.
The Harder They Fall
Perform melee attacks on large enemies.
Tactics[]
Find as many S.A.M eggs as possible to maximize the chances of unlocking skills and weapon upgrades.
The Looter Shooter skill can be useful if the player is low on health, armor, or ammo. However, as the amount of health and armor the player receives is miniscule, it shouldn't be seen as helpful if the player needs to recover any lost health or armor after a big fight.
The Unflinching skill affects explosive damage from both enemies and the player's weapons. For instance, if a Beheaded Kamikaze explodes on the player, they will only inflict 15 points of damage to them on Normal difficulty instead of the usual 30.
The Berserker skill can be a bit of a gamble, depending on the situation the player is in. It can useful in small to medium skirmishes, but the player risks being killed if they have this upgrade unlocked and are low on health when facing a big horde of enemies. This is especially true when playing on higher difficulties.
The Rodeo Time skill can be a useful asset to the player if they want to mount enemies like Khnums or Werebulls to run down hordes of weak enemies such as Octanian Commanders, Octanian Gamma Troopers and Processed Anthropolyps. However, in order for the player to mount large enemies, they need to be stunned first, which is achieved by dealing a rapid amount of damage to the nemy.
Additionally, the player should avoid riding into enemies like Beheaded Kamikazes, Major Bio-mechanoids, or Scrapjacks, though, as this can quickly deplete the health of the creature they are riding or even kill it if runs directly into Kamikaze explosions or rockets fired by the Major or Scrapjack.
The player can unlearn skills for a different skill needed depending on what combat situation they're in. This is especially useful on Serious difficulty and in New Game+.
In Siberian Mayhem, the Healing Punch skill has been significantly buffed, as certain enemies heal more health than in Serious Sam 4.
This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!
