Topic: Returnal

@adrianthealchemist I’m not sure your use of ether has made a difference to what’s happened.

I think I got mega lucky as I got through biome 3 in one run and I’m so glad I did as it is a horror. The drones can ruin a run so easily and the giant mechs can do the same. I think you need to clear biome 1 and as much as 2 as you dare to prep yourself well with integrity and artefacts.

Got to Nemesis earlier. Didn't last too long as I didn't have much health left. The run to it can be brutal! 😭

@JohnnyShoulder Welcome to my world!

@Voltan You were right, I just needed a bit of luck. After two passes through the Crimson Wastes I finally found another cypher. Now I need either 3 or 4 depending on if my counter is correct.

@JohnnyShoulder It’s definitely one of the hardest parts of the game. You did well to get there.

@velio84 It's a totally different experience when you haven't got that pressure of having to make sure you don't do anything stupid so you can make progress. I've been really enjoying having some good weapon traits unlocked and just going for it on my hunts for the collectables. I've enjoyed both experiences that the game puts you through, the sheer joy of beating something you couldn't before and the opposite when you get beaten. I reckon you'll be back before too long 😉

@adrianthealchemist I can honestly say that the experience will be worth it if you stick with it. Take a look at some videos on YouTube to see if you can find any tips for those sections you are struggling with. My wife is currently playing through and no matter what help I give her she's got her own playing style and is making it work. Watching other people might give you some tips to fit in with yours and might help you to progress. There's also other people on here that are way better at the game than me that might be able to give you some better tips. Don't give up yet!!

@render Honestly I don't even remember there being acts so I guess 1? I was into the third area. I beat the first two bosses and then went to Mass Effect land.

@johncalmc The game doesn't really tell you it has acts until you get a trophy for beating Act 1 (which you are in)

I was just reading some tips for the Citadel and thought these might come in handy.
Maximize Selene's Integrity Bar
Find A Reconstructor - So you don't have to start from the first biome when you die.
Bring An Astronaut Figurine

Obviously the last two you are left in the hands of the RNG Gods, but you should find enough resin from the first two biomes to max out your integrity. Which is what I'm gonna try tonight.

Been taking my time with Returnal currently in Biome 2 and found a Hollowseeker with a void beam, this gun is insane! The sound design married with the vfx and haptic feedback makes this one of the best guns I used in a game in a long time.

@TraCuz- It's awesome feedback on the hollowseeker, totally agree, it makes it feel probably more powerful than it actually is but it's still a great weapon. Good for firing a lot of shots at lots of enemies to stagger them when they are coming at you, and as I've mentioned before the void beam is my go to alt-fire when dealing with drones. You can just cut through a pack of them if you hold your nerve.

I think I generally struggle with weapons that don't have many shots in this game though as I only manage to hit the overload about 50% of the time if I'm lucky. The best sound in the world is when you hit that overload just right, otherwise when you miss it you get the worst sound in the world 😀

For those on the platinum grind - the cipher and log guides showing all locations are now back on YouTube.

I don’t think you can unlock the pylon driver until biome 4. That’s definitely where I found it and it seemed scripted.
I know the deluxe edition had some weapons unlocked early so maybe this was one of them.

@render You're not kidding hitting that overload on time is extremely satisfying. I know I'm late to the discussion but I'm really digging the immersion Returnal brings to the table. Super solid game and proud of Housemarque for smashing into the AAA market like this. Been a fan of theirs since Super Stardust.

@adrianthealchemist I found the Hollowseeker with serrated blades to be one of the best weapons against the drones too. Waves works well too but you need better aim to make sure it hits!

I always thought the pylon driver was pretty useless. The pylon web upgrade makes it just about worthwhile. Similarly, the rocket launcher is not normally worth the effort unless you have the full auto ability.

@Thrillho I hated the web trait exactly because it made hitting small airborne opponents much harder (since they go around the direction you're aiming but never exactly there). Otherwise the gun's pretty good with its damage over time but you can also setup traps on the ground, which is kinda cool against some hostile types.

Hollowseeker is probs my favourite weapon with the trait Waves. I quite like the Carbine with Rising Pitch too, the sound it makes is almost like it's gonna explode. The rocket launcher is probably my go to weapon in the Citadel, as the Hollowseeker seems to take an age to take down the enemies there. Don't like the Spitmaw much, you have to get so close most of the time you might as well use the blade. Useless against flying enemies too.

I had a good run earlier, went through biomes 1 and 2, and got my Integrity upto 195 by the time I was at the boss room at the Citadel. I did use my grapple to bypass most of the enemies, but they do follow you up there! The Broken Automatons kinda glitched out a bit, and they didn't track me properly which made for some easy kills. The Automaton was fine, however. I used the teleporter to get some more health, but the explorer in me got the better of me, I found a room with 3 Severed enemies! They destroyed me and I'm kicking myself for not going to the boss earlier.

@Voltan Cheers for the heads up in the videos being back, I’ll check those out. Had the night off tonight but be back on the hunt again tomorrow.

@TraCuz- Think I’ll have a look at Super Stardust as several people have mentioned that now. I’ve only played a bit of Resogun about a month before Returnal came out but I found that to be quite addictive. It seems like they just have a knack for making great playing games 😁.

When I got back tonight my wife had managed to beat Ixiom and get onto the Citadel. Turns out she’s better off without my advice 😂.

@adrianthealchemist Congrats!

I only had time for a couple of goes yesterday. One of them was a pretty good run that was going well, and then for some reason I got tempted to take on all the enemies in the room just before the boss in Biome 3, rather than running past them. Oops.

@render I loved Super Stardust back in the PS3 days, but the PS4 version never felt quite the same somehow to me (still a good game though). If you've got a Vita, Super Stardust Delta is excellent.

Popped the Citadel survey trophy just now. 3 down, 3 to go. I still absolutely love playing this game, it's freaking brilliant.

My newest discovery is how ridiculously fun stacking a few ..% chances to keep the consumable after use is. Especially with the parasite one, and then the tech that increases the power of positive parasite traits.

I basically just beat Nemesis with infinite Portable Portal Beams. Amazing.

I finally got the Platinum last night after needing just one glyph for about a week in Biome 6, doing a run per day! It simply wouldn't spawn, ever, and I must have completed the game at least 4 more times or quit just before the final boss. But yesterday, there it was up on a ledge! That gave me the Abyssal Scar Survey Trophy and with it, the Platinum.
What an amazing game! Even right up to yesterday, it was still giving me room configurations I had never seen before, and that's with around 60 hours of playtime! I've always been a fan of Housemarque, and consider Resogun and Nex Machina to be the finest twin-stick shooters ever made. But Returnal has changed the way I look at third person shooters and rogue-lites. I'm not sure anything will ever compare to it.