Mouse PI For Hire B.A.N.G. Machine Unlock and Best Upgrades

The B.A.N.G. machine unlocks after Bandel’s Laboratory through the office-side introduction to the upgrade system. From there, the real bottleneck is not finding the machine, but deciding where your schematics should go first.

When the B.A.N.G. machine unlocks

Current guide coverage places the unlock right after Bandel’s Laboratory. Once that story beat is done, the P.I. Office loop opens the weapon-upgrade path and the machine becomes part of your progression.

What you spend there

The upgrade currency is schematics. Current collectible routing treats them as field pickups rather than shop items, which is why schematic discipline matters more than usual.

The two numbers players care about most are:

83 total schematics in current collectible coverage
63 needed for the achievement threshold tied to B.A.N.G. progression

Best early upgrade priorities

Boomstick

If you want one safe priority, start here. Launch-week weapon coverage consistently treats the Boomstick as one of the strongest general-purpose damage tools in the game.

Micer

The Micer stays relevant longer than a normal starter weapon because it keeps your mid-range cleanup stable without demanding rare ammo logic.

James Gun

This is the crowd-control pick. If you are getting overwhelmed by pressure fights, this is usually the next weapon worth feeding.

Devarnisher

This is the sustained-damage option and the better pick once you already have a comfortable core setup.

Simple schematic spend plan

Stabilize one main damage weapon.
Stabilize one safe general-use fallback.
Spend into crowd control only after your default combat loop feels reliable.

That prevents the common mistake of spreading schematics across too many weapons too early.

What not to assume

Do not treat every weapon as equally urgent. The whole point of early upgrades is to make the next few missions easier, not to create a perfectly balanced armory on paper.

Also, do not treat missed schematics as harmless if you are chasing completion. The achievement threshold gives some leeway, but not enough to turn sloppy routing into a free pass.