Topic: Returnal

I'm pretty sure I needed most attempts for biome 6. On the other hand, I beat the first 3 biomes in one run - not the 1st run but once I got Phrike for the first time, I went all the way to kill Nemesis and the drones couldn't stop me. Luck has a part in this for sure.

@Kidfried That is the complete opposite of my experience! Genuinely 80% of my deaths resulted from Biome 5...! Well played

Went through Biome 4 on my first go and beat the boss. That was an anomaly as every other biome I spent a load of hours in. I probably spent the most in Biomes 2 and 3 looking for those pesky glyphs

I've just managed to get the 3 keys for biome 5 and am having to take a break for the night as my nerves have had it! I actually can't sleep if I play it too late as the adrenaline keeps me buzzing 🙈

@R1spam @Kidfried taking a week long break was the only way I was able to get past the next biome!

@R1spam ha, it’s definitely a game that can get the adrenaline going, more for me when you get into a room with the enhanced big enemies. Palpitations galore at times!

Personally, I’d probably say B3 was my hardest. Most of that came from the fact that it took so much time to get through the build up to get there and have any chance against the drones and that deadly climb up the tower. Outside of that, my biggest stumbling block was B1. Those opening hours are tough and Phrike seems insurmountable at first. Then when I fought her later she’s a pushover.

@velio84 @Th3solution - Man, hearing you two talk about how hard Phrike was really hammers home how lucky I was to win on my first try*. Goes to show how different everyone’s experience is.
*after being saved by my free astronaut doll that is.

So far my hardest Biome is the third, but that makes sense, given it’s the one I’m currently up to (Though if the second Biome had me fight multiple Severed at once on a more regular basis it would prob rival it).

On a related note, out of curiosity, what’s everyone’s weapon of choice? (So far I’m currently leaning toward the assault rifle for its reliability, but I’m guessing that’ll change once I get further in).

@FullMetalWesker My favorite was always the Hollowseeker but I also had good experiences with the carbine and the Rotgland Lobber

@FullMetalWesker Just jumping in on this thread (again!) due to my overall love of Returnal...

For what its worth, my favorite weapon by a long-shot was the Hollowseeker... particularly towards end-game, where you can level up amazing traits like Portal Beam. The weapon itself just seems to melt through enemies, and the traits/amenities serve nicely as auto-damage... v helpful in the last few biomes!

A close second for me though would be the Electropylon Driver. This is especially true on the occasions where I was playing 'cautious' runs, in that I could set up the pylons and then seek cover whilst they did the hard work for me..!

There were many runs I would give up on if I hadnt found a decently levelled Hollowseeker or Driver early.

I think that most of us can agree that the worst weapon by far is the shotgun? I would honestly rather take my chances with the default pistol!

@CJD87 Same here! I would only swap out them out with the Rotland Gobber in Biome 3. I found the Pylon essential in biomes 4 to 6, but no use against the final boss, which I always used the Hollowseeker seeker.

I've just beat the last boss and finished act 2, wow! My heart is pounding out my chest. That last biome was brutal The last boss not so much once I figured out where I was meant to shooting. I've seen credits roll and then looked up what it takes to get the final ending. I've been compelled to play this game every spare second I can but I need a break lol . I just wanted to give everyone a huge shout out for your tips and advice @CJD87, @Kidfried, @Thrilho, @render, @Th3solution without a bit of help at the start I would have completely bounced off this game.

P.s. for what it's worth I though hollowseeker with the portal unlock and the assault rifle with leach rounds unlocked where my favourite weapons.

@R1spam congrats, it feels really good when you beat the last boss! Will you go for act 3 and the platinum?

@Kidfried @Just2Milky I'm not a trophy hunter so I'm definitely not interested in the platinum but maybe act 3. I suspect not though, I've enjoyed my time with the game but given only really ether and weapons unlocks persist between runs, I think its probably a boss/biome too far.

@R1spam Huzzah, good work on beating Act 2!

I went for Act 3 but not the platinum and am glad I did. It's not anywhere near as hard as what you've done but there can be a little bit of randomness as to whether the areas you need to find turn up when you're in the biome. I'm glad I did it though and I'm sure you'll have the itch to play the game again if you move onto something else for a bit

@R1spam nice job! Congrats! What a great game, eh? You might consider doing Act 3 just for the additional story points. It does add a little to be able to see the end. It’s also actually not that long. It’s much quicker to do than to get through acts 1 and 2. I won’t spoil exactly how and what you do to complete it, but if you need help, holler.

@FullMetalWesker Yeah, it is interesting how everyone struggles with a different boss or biome. I beat Ixion on my first attempt, but Phrike took me several tries and I even watched several YouTube videos breaking down the boss’s moves and strategies.

And I’ll echo @velio84 who expressed my exact feelings on which weapon is favorite. Dreadbound just feels so good to shoot and is so effective in the right scenarios. Unfortunately it’s fairly useless in most boss fights and in Biome 6. So next favorite is probably Electropylon Driver and then Hollowseeker.

@R1spam Well done, it’s a big effort to get to the end of Returnal so a big congrats. I was still loving the game by that stage so was happy to carry on but I can also see the other side so can’t blame you for wanting a break. I hope you carry on playing to at least do Act 3 as the game should feel a lot easier now and you can go out there feeling like a god 💪😀

So, the general consensus seems to be the Hollowseeker, Electro Driver, Rotgland, and Dreadbound. That’s interesting. I’m not surprised the driver is up there; I tried one as part of a daily challenge and that thing just tore through everything, while allowing me to stay safe behind cover to boot.
Don’t know about the Dreadbound, haven’t seen that yet. A little surprised to read so many saying the Hollowseeker, but a couple mentioned Portal Rounds which I haven’t unlocked yet, so might have to keep that in mind.

On a side note, is it worth trying to re-beat bosses when going through old biomes (e.g. beating Phrike and Ixion again while building up my arsenal for Biome 3)? I’ve been mostly avoiding them so far (partly because the one time I did try, I ended up dying), but I’ve been curious as to whether I’m missing out on something useful?

@FullMetalWesker beating a boss again will give you 5 ether and a random item but I don’t think it’s worth it unless you feel very confident about it. However, it might be a good idea to challenge Phrike if you find a datacube in biome 1 (as the cube processor in that biome can only be accessed after that fight).

@FullMetalWesker All the guns live and die on their traits so they can be made massively better with some good ones. Portal beam, serrated and phased rounds I think are some of the best for the hollowseeker and really change how useful it can be. The dreadbound can be really good but needs things like forth shard, and expanding shard to make it really useful. As it relies on the shards coming back to you before you can fire them again I found that it's awesome for things really close to you but if something is further away you occasionally get that brown trouser moment waiting for them to return.

Both the pylon and lobber are great for doing damage to hostiles even after they've taken that initial hit but the lobber is my favourite out of the two. Exploding, trailing, durable and caustic rot are all great and it can obliterate some things in an instant.