Topic: Returnal

@Tatarimokke how many deaths and how long you been playing now? You seem to be getting through it no problem

@Tatarimokke Well done on your progress with Ixion, great job dispatching it on your second try.

Regarding weapons, you will definitely find that your favourite changes depending on where you are in the game and also what traits you’ve got on it. It’s interesting that a month after the game was out the hollowseeker was the favourite weapon where as the last stats from housemarque now say it’s the carbine. I bounced from one to the other but generally have those that I just don’t bother with at all. Still can’t beat the Hollowseeker for controller feedback though.

@nessisonett Drones are d***s.

@Tatarimokke Yeah, if you get a room full of drones, run.
@nessisonett the drones are crazy in how much damage they do, and I think a part of it is the auto-lock has a hard time with them

Returnal has been sat in my backlog for about 4-5 months, but this thread has finally convinced me to kick it off!

After completing Sekiro (just one run, no plat) I needed a bit of a break from 'punishing' gaming - and have since completed FF7R/INTERmission and also Hades, both of which I loved.

Now I'm finally ready to take on something with more bite/challenge and this game is really fitting the bill for me.

Absolutely incredible from the start, and a great showcase for PS5 capabilities. The atmosphere is unlike anything I've played before... very 'Prometheus' with a twist of Souls-like. The controls are very tight, and it doesn't take long to understand the loop/concepts needed to prevail.

IMO the RNG isn't too unfair, with most of my runs seeming to be very 'middle-ground' as opposed to the extremes of good/bad.

I've been taking my time, soaking up the mechanics and having fun, now finally at the first boss (Phrike?). I've only tried once, with about half-integrity, but managed to get nearly to the end of phase 2... before getting smoked ha

Some questions I have -

• What weapons do people generally favor? I am leaning most towards the machine gun (Carbine?) but conscious this may not be the best choice for Phrike?
• How long before my consumables capacity can increase? Currently just have 1 slot... which of course I'm reserving for the Astronaut ha (when RNG permits...)
• Any general tips for strong runs and survival? I'm still on the fence about utilisation of anything that comes accompanied with malfunctions... many cases seem that the concession far outweighs the benefit?

(I'm a dirty casual gamer btw, but feel that if I can overcome Sekiro then this game should be doable?)

@CJD87 Welcome to the Returnal fandom! It’s a spectacular game. Glad you’re enjoying it so far. The fact you’ve made it to Phrike means you’re well in your way toward “gettin’ gud” but a few pointers that I’ve been giving have been — try to max your integrity as your main focus. It is the most valuable commodity in the game. I found success in clearing most Biomes by focusing on building that integrity bar, which means trying not to get hit because if you can stay at max integrity then the silphium pick-ups turn into resins and work toward adding more health. Then stop by the fabricator shop and get a large silphium vial and also the 20% (or whatever the percentage is, I forget) boost in integrity before going to the boss. And yes, definitely pick up the astronaut if it’s there. It’ll be tough to have enough obolites to afford those three things, but if you can save up for those I think that’s the best investment to get past Phrike. (And a similar strategy would apply to most of the bosses. The more health you have the better your chances)
And so, to clarify, the astronaut doesn’t take up a consumable slot. It’s actually an artifact.
I don’t remember when your consumable slots are upgraded. Seems like maybe you gain your first extra one after Biome 2, but I can’t remember. Your consumable capacity grows gradually through the game. Honestly, I never found consumables to be of much use, except of course for silphium vials. There are a few of the offensive ones that are nice in a pinch, but I never depended on any of them much.
At the stage you’re at now, the carbine is probably your best weapon against Phrike. The Spitmaw was one of my least favorite weapons in the game. As you progress, there are quite a few other weapons that are really great, but I used the Carbine off and on throughout the game.
And yes - you’re right about malfunctions. For the most part I found it was too risky to pick up malignant items. A bad malfunction can just ruin a run. If you’re desperate then sure, pick one up and just deal with the consequences as some of the clear criteria is pretty simple. But the closer you get to the boss, be less and less risky with picking those things up because it could ruin the chance at the boss if it’s something you don’t have time to clear off of.

@Th3solution Thanks for the response man, and appreciate the tips!

"And so, to clarify, the astronaut doesn’t take up a consumable slot. It’s actually an artifact." - This is most helpful, as in a previous run I actually skipped the shop completely due to mistakenly believing that the astronaut I'd collected would have taken my 1 consumable spot...

Its comforting to see you agree on my take regarding malfunction risk... Part of what I love about the game is that element of risk associated with the cost/benefit of any decision. As you rightly point out, obolites are a very important commodity - but do you risk taking on extra 'unnecessary' rooms to farm, at the potential expense of integrity?! Ha its a great game for sure.

I would assume Returnal to get a GOTY nomination, and honestly would be great to see it win. Whilst I appreciate that the currency of said award seems to depreciate with each ceremony, I do think that Returnal is deserving of the accolade and perhaps in with a fair chance. I believe Sekiro won in 2019 (?) and surely that was more divisive upon release, and caused greater uproar regarding no "easy mode"?

But in short, I'm loving it - very punishing/challenging - but seems wholly achievable.

@CJD87 you can see what's in your consumable slot in the bottom left of the hud - there's a little box. And you can swap them out like you do with weapons so don't worry about picking up a consumable even if it's not something particularly great - you can always change it (or quickly use it) when you find something better.

@CJD87 Welcome aboard. Sounds like you are already loving the game so don’t need to sell you too much on that but it is awesome and only gets better.

Definitely at this stage the carbine will be your friend and can be a great weapon. If you read back a bit we talk about traits but generally the traits make or break a weapon. They have different levels and you will need to unlock those levels by using the weapon. When you unlock one it’s available for the rest of the time you hang on to that particular weapon and if the same weapon comes up on another run with that trait on it will already be unlocked.

Your proficiency level plays into how many points you get on a weapon against the bonus stats. So generally the higher proficiency level you are the better the weapons you find will be. Although I will say that just because you find a weapon with a higher proficiency level than the one you’ve got it doesn’t necessarily mean you should take it as the traits might actually not be to your liking. You’ll definitely realise this more as you go.

You will also find that you’ve got your favourites depending on your play style so it’s good to experiment. I would usually take a weapon that needed a trait unlocking in the early biomes so as to make subsequent runs easier and to see if I liked them or not.

Malignant items are another thing I was happy to gamble on earlier in the game. If I was in the first biome say then I’d just open any malignant items as the malfunctions weren’t always that bad and you had time to fix them. After that I’d pretty much leave them alone as they can be a curse if you are on a good run. We talked briefly about it on the last few pages as well but the parasites can work really well and if you find one where the con is higher change or malignant items or malfunctions will be worse then they work well with that strategy.

Hope that helps and good luck out there.

@CJD87 looks like everyone’s else has welcomed you while I’ve been asleep, but welcome to the club! The Carbine is a really good weapon, and will dish out lots of damage is given the right traits / used properly. I will generally not go for a malignant items, However if you find an artifact called Resinous Shield, it gives you an extra hit for a resin you pick up. If you get a malignant resin, it will cancel out the damage you could take from it.

@MatthewJP @render @Just_2_milky Thanks all for the warm welcome and solid tips! Hoping to beat Phrike in coming days.... will keep you guys posted on progress, wish me luck ha

@render Thank you a really appreciate it! @MatthewJP Well I don't know exactly. About 20 maybe? Is it possible to check it somewhere? I'm playing rather defensively if possible trying to separate enemies also since the sword is available I'm using it a lot. I'm pretty sure I will have a lot of problem going forward:)
Strange things happened. I saw an astronaut figurine hologram for a few second on a ledge then it disappeared. I went there but found nothing. did I miss the chance to pick it up?

@Tatarimokke no, astronauts in the wild aren’t the artifact, they are just there to mess with you/Selene. The only place artifact astronaut is in locked/malignant/regular chests, and in fabricators.

@Tatarimokke you can check your stats on one of the computers on the ship at the start of a run.
You can also return to the ship and sleep once per run in biome 1 if you are desperate for a little health.
You may also now have unlocked the daily challenge on another computer in the ship - a good way of getting 5 ether per day if needed

@MatthewJP @Just_2_milky Thanks I didn't know that. I have a look on daily challenge too.
Also best tactics againts drones in biome 3? They are causing me a real problem there. They are quick and coming in groups

@Tatarimokke I've met my match with the drones too, we're pretty much at the same point in the game now

@MatthewJP Oh cool! Good luck on them and let me know if you pass them through somehow!

@Tatarimokke @MatthewJP Easier said than done but try to get rid of them as quickly as possible. They will kamikaze-dive when damaged but not if you destroy them before they can do it. Their missiles are harder to avoid than most projectiles - if you can’t get behind something, you’ll have to dodge just as they’re about to hit you.

@Tatarimokke I try to get one fully down at a time, it works way better than taking them down as a group. The farther away you are from them the better.

@Tatarimokke @MatthewJP Yeah, not much to add on those drones. Most of us struggle against them, but yes, hitting them from a distance helps, although they come at you quickly once you get their attention. Try it use cover. And just timing your dash is about all the advice I can muster. Also, a good Lobber actually works well in Biome 3. Where you can shoot and dodge while it does continual damage. The splash damage from the weapon will also get a group as a whole sometimes. I didn’t like the Lobber at first, but grew to really appreciate it for Biome 3 and sections of future Biomes too.

Damn biome 3! Well that was a good run, over 3 hrs. Completely did biome 1 and ended up in 3 with 180% integrity, an astronaut, 2 small silphium and 2 large by the end of it. Still haven't seen the boss in biome 3.
I don't know what he's called but that 'iron man' thing - 3 times I faced him and he tore through my integrity....