I’ve only got a couple ciphers left for platinum so I’ve been rushing to the gateways for biomes 2 and 3 (at the entrance to both there’s a proficiency boosting item that takes you to proficiency 5 or 9, respectively. Anyway, I always snag the first chest I come across after getting the proficiency boost and got a coilspine shredder and actually had a pretty good experience with it. This caused me to look up how it’s supposed to be used and I felt like a tard for not realizing it’s a sniper rifle. Later traits make it much stronger and I just watched a video where someone cleared the final boss in 30 seconds and that’s only because of animations and delays between phases.I finished Act 3 last night. I'm not sure how many hours I've put in, probably 30ish. The ending of Act 2 didn't sit well with me, and the ending of Act 3 (true ending) didn't help much, but I enjoy the gameplay so much that I'm going for the last couple trophies I need for the platinum.
Don't get me wrong, the story is fine and really works for the game. My disappointment is rooted in my expectations of this being a potentially expansive universe/IP and more installments. Given the endings of Acts 2 and 3, I don't foresee that happening, at least not in the form of a "Returnal 2".
I'm not saying this to flex, but Act 1 was pretty easy for me after the first few deaths and figuring out the game's systems and enemies. I actually only saw biomes 2 and 3 once before moving on to Act 2/Biome 4. I saw biome 4... a lot more lol. The difficulty really ramps up, especially since you still start out with a pistol but the first room can be full of a dozen trash mobs and a few bigger enemies. Stack Protection through augmentations, parasites, and artifacts. It almost trivializes the boss fights.
Similar to my experience finishing Act 1, I only saw biome 5 a couple times and biome 6 once before beating Act 2. The only boss I didn't defeat the first time was the boss of biome 4. It took me 3 times and I think it was due to having the wrong kind of weapon (for my playstyle/preference).
For me, EASILY the best weapon was the carbine with High Caliber trait. Any other traits are just gravy. High Caliber chunks hp HARD. Some notable mentions -
I wanted to give every weapon a fair shot (pun unintended) but:
- Dreadbound is awesome if you're good at twitchy dodge as you need to be up close (of course, the majority of bosses actively discourage you or make it impossible to be close).
- Spitmaw (shotgun) with Narrow Maw trait
- Hollowseeker (gatling gun) with Portal/Waves traits
- Pyroshell (grenade launcher) with Seeking Flares trait for flying enemies
Overall, great game that I enjoyed more and more as I continued playing and mastering it. There's definitely a shelf life and it sours around the time you're looking for the last item you need in biome 6 to complete Act 3, but right up until that point, I heartily recommend this game to anyone that enjoys action games.
- Sidearm almost always had this annoying Charged Shot trait that adds a significant delay between trigger squeeze and the round ejecting.
- Rotgland Lobber was -ok- but again, delay between trigger and release means an additional layer of thinking that means I'm gonna catch some of those bullethell christmas fireworks.
- Electropylon Driver is cool for strategic play in the smaller levels but it really suffers in open arenas where you can't make death funnels.
- Coilspine Shredder is one I never really gave a chance. I picked it up a half dozen times or so to level up traits to see if it improved, but I don't foresee picking it up any more unless someone tells me otherwise.
That seems pretty unnecessary for this game, it really isn’t that hard. The first couple of biomes are probably the hardest, and you get to a mid game “checkpoint” after the third so that you start at the 4th. The last three biomes are super easy, the weapon traits you unlock far outpace the increase in enemy difficulty.Looks like there's a suspend feature now. Which likely means you can back up your save outside a boss room and reload it if you lose, a bit of a game changer that should make this way easier.
Now I just need to actually get to the boss in good shape and with the right powerups. I got to Phrike in great condition a couple times before, lost both times, and couldn't be arsed to keep playing.
Looks like I got a ton of powerups the first time around though so that's cool.
That seems pretty unnecessary for this game, it really isn’t that hard. The first couple of biomes are probably the hardest, and you get to a mid game “checkpoint” after the third so that you start at the 4th. The last three biomes are super easy, the weapon traits you unlock far outpace the increase in enemy difficulty.
Most of those type of upgrades you find naturally, though there are a couple optional ones later. Don’t think there are any optional ones early onOh good. Yeah I'll probably only use the save scum thing right before Phreke. Any permanent upgrades I should be looking out for? I've got the red sword and the air dash and some other stuff, like a missile addition to pistol shots.
It’s been a long time since I’ve played, but yes, the best way to not run out of health is to not get hit. Don’t trade health for items. It’s almost never worth it unless you have an unused heal nearby. There are a couple different ways you can be resurrected (once per biome and then an item that is consumed). Those are helpful for extending runs.Couple things:
My main issue with this is running out of health. Is there a reliable way to stay healed rather than slowly being whittled down? Is the only alternative just "don't get hit"?
I think you can sleep in the ship to heal, but you can only do that once per cycle IIRC so that doesn't help too much.
Also, does this game have the most incredible controller vibration or what? It's astoundingly immersive on PS5.
Afaik you can't opt out. If you have Returnal installed and patched, you have Ascension.How do you get the Returnal Ascension DLC? Not seeing anything in the PS store, wondering if it's an automatic update. I didn't see any co-op options the last time I played the game, but it might have been before the DLC dropped.
I'm thinking the new co-op might be worth a run since I got thrashed by the game solo.
I fired up Returnal to check out the tower. Looks like you first access it in act 4, but that may have been coincidence as I only poked my head out after swapping from the inside of the ship to act 4.How do you get the Returnal Ascension DLC? Not seeing anything in the PS store, wondering if it's an automatic update. I didn't see any co-op options the last time I played the game, but it might have been before the DLC dropped.
I'm thinking the new co-op might be worth a run since I got thrashed by the game solo.