Questions

[VoidVictorious]

Is it normal to be overwhelmed in the beginning and not know what you are supposed to do?

[Ashande]

I don’t know if it’s normal, since I’ve been told I am most assuredly not normal, but I can tell you that’s how I felt at first. The game throws a lot of concepts at you quickly without a lot of explanations, and frequently feels too frantic and sometimes unfair, so you spend your first several hours mostly panicking and being unsure.

 

Basics: Clear every room, if you can. Approach cautiously whenever possible and try to burn down enemies one at a time. If you find something in the environment that looks weird but doesn’t react to you, ignore it; it’s probably something that requires an upgrade you’ll find later.

 

Don’t pick up anything that is corrupted if you can at all avoid it. Don’t risk corruption if you can at all avoid it.

 

If you run into a dead end - or what seems to be one - try shooting it, try walking into the wall, and check above and below for paths or triggers. Treasure will frequently be hiding nearby. If anything is lit up in a color other than the dominant one (for example, you see a red light in the first biome, which tends to green and blue), shoot it or smack it with your sword; it probably does something.

 

Don’t stand near enemies you’ve just killed. Lots of them have revenge mechanics or exploding corpses, frequently without warning.

 

The layout may change, but the rooms stay the same. For example, while it might be anywhere on the map, the chamber that leads to the boss is always going to look the same. A room that has a treasure chest or secret may be on the opposite side of where you saw it last time, but the layout (and triggers to get the loot) will always be the same. Do your best to memorize room designs when you can.

 

Once you know what the boss room looks like, stay out of it until you’re sure you’re ready. That means as close to full health as possible, the biggest multiplier possible, and as much loot/powerups/firepower as you can carry. Once per run, you’re allowed to return to the ship and use the bed to regen your health; doing this will not respawn enemies, so clear the level out first, then head back to heal, then go for the boss.

 

Hope at least some of that helps, and good luck. Once you get the hang of it and the game “clicks,” it gets a lot easier.

[VoidVictorious]

12 minutes ago, Ashande said:

I don’t know if it’s normal, since I’ve been told I am most assuredly not normal, but I can tell you that’s how I felt at first. The game throws a lot of concepts at you quickly without a lot of explanations, and frequently feels too frantic and sometimes unfair, so you spend your first several hours mostly panicking and being unsure.

 

Basics: Clear every room, if you can. Approach cautiously whenever possible and try to burn down enemies one at a time. If you find something in the environment that looks weird but doesn’t react to you, ignore it; it’s probably something that requires an upgrade you’ll find later.

 

Don’t pick up anything that is corrupted if you can at all avoid it. Don’t risk corruption if you can at all avoid it.

 

If you run into a dead end - or what seems to be one - try shooting it, try walking into the wall, and check above and below for paths or triggers. Treasure will frequently be hiding nearby. If anything is lit up in a color other than the dominant one (for example, you see a red light in the first biome, which tends to green and blue), shoot it or smack it with your sword; it probably does something.

 

Don’t stand near enemies you’ve just killed. Lots of them have revenge mechanics or exploding corpses, frequently without warning.

 

The layout may change, but the rooms stay the same. For example, while it might be anywhere on the map, the chamber that leads to the boss is always going to look the same. A room that has a treasure chest or secret may be on the opposite side of where you saw it last time, but the layout (and triggers to get the loot) will always be the same. Do your best to memorize room designs when you can.

 

Once you know what the boss room looks like, stay out of it until you’re sure you’re ready. That means as close to full health as possible, the biggest multiplier possible, and as much loot/powerups/firepower as you can carry. Once per run, you’re allowed to return to the ship and use the bed to regen your health; doing this will not respawn enemies, so clear the level out first, then head back to heal, then go for the boss.

 

Hope at least some of that helps, and good luck. Once you get the hang of it and the game “clicks,” it gets a lot easier.

Thanks so much for the thoughtful response! Where should I generally save and backup? 

[Redgrave]

Essentially yeah since you're supposed to die and go through the levels again. This can be alleviated if you have a co-op partner though since you can revive each other if one goes down although if both of you die you have to restart from the beginning until the halfway point of the story which becomes the new checkpoint.

 

As for when to save and backup, ideally at the start of every new area and then before a boss. If you're playing in co-op then definitely at the start of a level but if you die then the co-op partner would have to start back with the regular pistol so it's ideal to just save at a boss and then if you die, just reload and beat the boss solo and then for the next area bring the partner back.

 

Whether or not you are playing co-op, the downside is backing up can only get you so far when it comes to collectibles since you will need to reload areas as some collectibles only show up in certain seeds. Once you beat the game you can travel to the other areas quicker since you have all the upgrades but that's about as generous as it gets.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Redgrave

[VoidVictorious]

41 minutes ago, Redgrave said:

Essentially yeah since you're supposed to die and go through the levels again. This can be alleviated if you have a co-op partner though since you can revive each other if one goes down although if both of you die you have to restart from the beginning until the halfway point of the story which becomes the new checkpoint.

 

As for when to save and backup, ideally at the start of every new area and then before a boss. If you're playing in co-op then definitely at the start of a level but if you die then the co-op partner would have to start back with the regular pistol so it's ideal to just save at a boss and then if you die, just reload and beat the boss solo and then for the next area bring the partner back.

 

Whether or not you are playing co-op, the downside is backing up can only get you so far when it comes to collectibles since you will need to reload areas as some collectibles only show up in certain seeds. Once you beat the game you can travel to the other areas quicker since you have all the upgrades but that's about as generous as it gets.

It looks like they nerfed things pretty hard with all of that. This doesn’t look as bad as I first thought it did. Anything I should watch out for especially missable collectibles?

[Redgrave]

15 minutes ago, VoidVictorious said:

It looks like they nerfed things pretty hard with all of that. This doesn’t look as bad as I first thought it did. Anything I should watch out for especially missable collectibles?

 

Yeah once you go through the levels a couple times it gets more bearable especially once you get the upgraded weapons. Probably the best weapons are the Tachyomatic Carbine and the Hollowseeker. If you see a Hollowseeker with the Portal function then definitely go for that since it opens a portal that shoots a laser at enemies and it helps a lot in boss fights or other sticky situations.

 

As for the collectibles it's a bit difficult to say since some you can track but the rest rely on RNG since they spawn on specific world seeds. I guess just try and get what you can but save them for last since having all the upgrades can help. Optinooby has a guide with pictures that helps you know what to look for which will help you find what you need for a specific seed but otherwise yeah there isn't much advice to give other than to just hope you eventually load a map with the collectible you need.

[Ashande]

3 hours ago, VoidVictorious said:

Thanks so much for the thoughtful response! Where should I generally save and backup? 

 

Personally, I wouldn’t do any save/backup shenanigans just because I’ve heard the game is kind of “touchy” when it comes to the quit/restore functions, and because if you’re going for the Platinum you’re going to be running each area dozens of times picking up the Ciphers, but if you want to just bully through the story, such as it is, then @Redgraveis correct; start of an area and before tackling the boss are as good of spots as any.

 

If you’re planning on doing the Tower of Sisyphus DLC, though, that won’t fly… gotta do it in one go, so far as I recall. If you save/quit, it boots you back to the base of the tower.

[DrBloodmoney]

6 hours ago, VoidVictorious said:

Is it normal to be overwhelmed in the beginning and not know what you are supposed to do?

That’s normal for me in every game I touch 🤣…

 

…but yeah, in rogue-likes like this one, I can at least take comfort in the fact that it’s deliberate!

 

Stick at it, try different weapons, and it’ll click eventually - don’t get discouraged.

 

I could actually show you a literal timeline of my own status updates, where I started out genuinely kinda disliking Returnal… then over the course of a week, came to really love it as it started to click!

Edited October 15, 2023 by DrBloodmoney

[VoidVictorious]

6 hours ago, Ashande said:

If you’re planning on doing the Tower of Sisyphus DLC, though, that won’t fly… gotta do it in one go, so far as I recall. If you save/quit, it boots you back to the base of the tower.

I’ve heard the dlc is easier than the base game. Is that accurate? Also do you guys have any suggestions regarding the daily challenge? I am having a good time with it so far after these tips! Thanks to @Ashande @Redgrave and of course @DrBloodmoney!

[DrBloodmoney]

2 minutes ago, VoidVictorious said:

I’ve heard the dlc is easier than the base game. Is that accurate?

I found the dlc a bit easier than the main game, though I was coming to it having finished the main game already, so obviously the learning curve was already passed - and I do know the main game has been patched since then, opening the door for save-scumming, which probably makes it a bit easier…

…(though actually, save-scumming might be a bit counterintuitive with a game like Returnal, since you need to find all the collectibles anyways, and actually, bashing over and over against a harder seed run might be more frustrating than simply playing new ones, and maybe getting an easier run with more preferred weapons coming up!)

 

For the daily challenge, I wouldn’t sweat it - some are easier than others, so just have a crack at each one, and eventually ones will come along that plays into your own preferred play-style, and you’ll smash it - don’t get too down if one that doesn’t suit you ends up destroying you!

[Optinooby]

10 minutes ago, VoidVictorious said:

I’ve heard the dlc is easier than the base game. Is that accurate? Also do you guys have any suggestions regarding the daily challenge? I am having a good time with it so far after these tips! Thanks to @Ashande @Redgrave and of course @DrBloodmoney!

 

The daily challenge is easier the less the you are into the game. Once at end game, the daily challenge will always be at its hardest.

 

Don't think its widely known, but as the enemies kinda level up and get stronger depending on your progress through the game, the Daily Challenge works exactly the same. I guess its not widely known because you cant revert progress so players cant really check, I just have after a lot of trial and error from like 7+ platinums of this game, yes im dumb btw

 

If you do the Daily Challenge trophy as soon as the feature becomes available, its very easy. But endgame, its kinda on a whole other level

Edited October 15, 2023 by Optinooby

[VoidVictorious]

11 minutes ago, Optinooby said:

 

The daily challenge is easier the less the you are into the game. Once at end game, the daily challenge will always be at its hardest.

 

Don't think its widely known, but as the enemies kinda level up and get stronger depending on your progress through the game, the Daily Challenge works exactly the same. I guess its not widely known because you cant revert progress so players cant really check, I just have after a lot of trial and error from like 7+ platinums of this game, yes im dumb btw

 

If you do the Daily Challenge trophy as soon as the feature becomes available, its very easy. But endgame, its kinda on a whole other level

If I just entered Biome 2, am I in good shape?

[Optinooby]

7 minutes ago, VoidVictorious said:

If I just entered Biome 2, am I in good shape?

 

I think thats when it first becomes available anyway. Yea, do it now, sure you want have all your upgrades, but the enemies will be at their weakest

[VoidVictorious]

1 hour ago, Optinooby said:

 

I think thats when it first becomes available anyway. Yea, do it now, sure you want have all your upgrades, but the enemies will be at their weakest

You were right! Very easy!

[VoidVictorious]

Does the offline method still work for Cyphers? I’m stuck on one in Biome 2.

[VoidVictorious]

I saved a trophy, so the 100% will be mine! Thanks to all that helped!