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Returnal |OT| Live. Die. Repeat.

engstra

Member
As much I'm loving this game, I'm definitely starting to feel the RNG fatigue. Been replaying Biome 4 and 6 for like a week now as I'm missing one cipher and it's beginning to feel like a chore even if it's still fun to level up the weapons. Seen the end credits too many times now.
 

edbrat

Member
Really dumb NG+ question, at the end of Biomes 1 and 2 there is a portal so I can skip the bossfight and go to the next biome, is there one of these in 3 I don't think I've found one? Or do you have to beat the boss each time?
 

engstra

Member
Really dumb NG+ question, at the end of Biomes 1 and 2 there is a portal so I can skip the bossfight and go to the next biome, is there one of these in 3 I don't think I've found one? Or do you have to beat the boss each time?
You can either beat the boss and look through the portal or you can access the portal in the spaceship directly when spawning
 

edbrat

Member
You can either beat the boss and look through the portal or you can access the portal in the spaceship directly when spawning

Thanks, so I could clear biome 3 up to the boss, chip back to the spaceship and portal to 4 there I guess...but can I backtrack to the spaceship from there?
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Really dumb NG+ question, at the end of Biomes 1 and 2 there is a portal so I can skip the bossfight and go to the next biome, is there one of these in 3 I don't think I've found one? Or do you have to beat the boss each time?
You always have to beat the boss of biome 3 to end biome 3.

When you finished the whole game you can decide if you want to play the biomes 1-3 or 4-6.
This can be done in your ship. There should be a new room upon completion.
 
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2AdEPT

Member
As much I'm loving this game, I'm definitely starting to feel the RNG fatigue. Been replaying Biome 4 and 6 for like a week now as I'm missing one cipher and it's beginning to feel like a chore even if it's still fun to level up the weapons. Seen the end credits too many times now.
I now have over 12 days in game and still no final cipher on biome 3, also still missing the #12 consumable, I know its the green disappearing walls room precended by lasers buit the one time I got it I chose the wrong way ;( I know I dont need it for play but I just wnat to clear the game and not have ansy missing shtuff
Really dumb NG+ question, at the end of Biomes 1 and 2 there is a portal so I can skip the bossfight and go to the next biome, is there one of these in 3 I don't think I've found one? Or do you have to beat the boss each time?
Only logical choices are to figth nemesis for the 30th time like I do and melee his ass and then proximity mine FTW as you float by, or simply press "restart cycle"
 
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engstra

Member
I now have over 12 days in game and still no final cipher on biome 3, also still missing the #12 consumable, I know its the green disappearing walls room precended by lasers buit the one time I got it I chose the wrong way ;( I know I dont need it for play but I just wnat to clear the game and not have ansy missing shtuff
Yea that's what I have left for Biome 6, it's a timed event room. I need the one that has disappearing stairs to spawn but I keep getting the tower with moving platforms....

Have you tried playing the level with different amounts of ether? I read somewhere that what rooms spawn can depend on the amounts of ether you're carrying. Now that I'm replaying the same level over and over I basically carry 30 ethers all the time. I'm gonna try getting rid of them all and see if the number carried has any effect on the rooms generated.
 
Oh my brothers and sisters how in awe am I !

I had one of the greatest gaming moments in a while.

Returnal is awesome.

The tower climb to the Hyperion boss and the boss fight just got under my skin and the music was just god (souls) tier.
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Oh my brothers and sisters how in awe am I !

I had one of the greatest gaming moments in a while.

Returnal is awesome.

The tower climb to the Hyperion boss and the boss fight just got under my skin and the music was just god (souls) tier.
It is indeed very well staged!
 

engstra

Member
I got the cipher room of Biome 6 to spawn last night and finally have the platinum trophy after roughly 50 hours of gametime after beating the game. I'm gonna take a break from this game for a bit now :messenger_grinning_sweat: but definitely still feeling compelled to return and play a cycle here and there and just enjoy myself while leveling up my weapons.
This game ranks up there as one of best and most compelling games I've played. I've always been more of a narrative-driven game type of person but the gameplay of this game is so fucking satisfying and addictive.
It's been a blast to have followed this thread while discovering this brilliant game.
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
The quest for platinum trophy begins. Let's see how long I'll hunt for it.

After finishing the game the first Biome feels surprisingly hard actually!
May the RNG gods be with you!

Felt the same after i spent countless hours in the later biomes and came back to the first one.
 

2AdEPT

Member
The quest for platinum trophy begins. Let's see how long I'll hunt for it.

After finishing the game the first Biome feels surprisingly hard actually!
Biome 1 = statless weapons after having powerful ones :( Ive got one cipher left for plat...taken weeks to get to this point after secret ending playing almost every day. LOL
 
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Biome 1 = statless weapons after having powerful ones :( Ive got one cipher left for plat...taken weeks to get to this point after secret ending playing almost every day. LOL
I'm not a huge fan of randomness in regards of trophies.

Let's see how long I'm willing to go. I did take a quite a long time for me to get the platinum in Resogun.
 

2AdEPT

Member
Buddy had three ciphers left yesterday...got the first in act one then restarted a run in act 2 and got BOTH he needed on ONE run through biome 6...literally five minutes apart ......unbelieveable. He was also getting nothign for weeks, then BOOM. I told him to clip it and you tube it. LOL
 

Grechy34

Member
I just bought the game. I am really enjoying it but it kind of sucks that some runs I literally cannot get anything outside of a pistol.
 
I wasn't going to buy this game because I don't like roguelikes. But a friend gave me his copy.
And man, I'm in love with this game. The combat is so good. And the narrative is intriguing.
For a while when I was trying to beat biome 3 I was wondering that maybe this game was too hard for me. But I finally managed to do it. The boss fight is epic.

This game is a gem.
 

kyoji

Member
Any noob tips?
Play it safe, you dont need to attach parasites to have a sucessful build ive finished entire runs without picking up any parasites as artifacts are more than enough for positive effects. parasites potentially add syngery with the artifacts depending on the build but usually come with a handicap.

That being said try not to pickup parasites unless the negative effects arent persistant and are more or less controlled, for example one parasite specifically has a negative effect of ‘obolites disappear 1 second faster’ another parasite has one that is ‘suffer damage from long falls’ (you can negate the negative effects of these pretty easily imo as you can dash out of long falls before hitting the ground to negate the damage or in the other case simply play more aggressively which is actually quite beneficial) so in my case i would always pickup these two parasites if i came across them; pending the positive effect was something useful to me (sometimes it isnt).

And unless you are some god like player stay away from malignant items or chest unless you choose to cleanse them with ether, opening or picking up chests/items like this is the number one reason why people dont progress early on, dont take on extra handicaps when you dont have to, the enemys will challenge you as is so you don’t want to be running around with nuisance malfunctions that you have to fix. Also stay away from fallen scout corpses until you get comfortable with your play style and abilities, they arent mandatory for progression or story but are useful if you avenge the deceased scout as the reward is free ether which stacks all the way up to 30. Just beware that the enemy that spawns from the corpse will put up a fight so dont spawn it if you arent prepared for a cage match.

last but not least prioritize saving money for dmg up upgrades at the fabricators that carry it OR repair efficiency (repair efficiency is super undderated) if you can boost that stat, a small med pack will heal like a large normally would, but damage is always your best defense if you can fry enemys before they can even blink.
My suggestion DMG UP > Repair efficiency up > Protection up. When you unlock astronaut and childs watch those two items should supercede everything else if low on cash, but if you sweep the entire biome before fighting the boss or continuing to the next area fresh off a death, then you will always have money to buy things at the fabricators, save up and dont waste the money until uve located most of them so you know what kinda upgrades u will be working with to choose from in whatever biome youre in but i would purchase the ones i mentioned earlier before some of the others. Parasites you deem ‘bad’ can still be useful for collecting extra money if youre strapped for cash. If you locate the device that removes parasites in exchange for obolities you can load up on all the bad parasites and use the machine to take them off for money in exchange! This is best done after you have swept the entire biome for enemys (then you can make your way around and load up on bugs since you wont be fighting with handicaps on since everything in theory should be dead already and you plan to remove the parasites at the device before advancing to the next biome.) BE WARNED though this is not a useful strategy if you have a parasite(s) attached on you already that you want to keep as the machine will pick one to remove at random (you dont get to choose).

Theres really no wrong or right way and theres multiple ways to go about it, but that should help some if youre brand new. The main thing is read all item descriptions/buffs/negative effects and learn the game mechanics. RNG doesnt play as big a factor as you might think it does, the player really does control his or her own fate you just need to weigh the risk vs the payoff when buffing up and looting.
 
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Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Any noob tips?
Have fun playing!

Overall i think the biggest improvement you can make is to get used to enemy behaviour and room layout. Once you have that memorized the game gets significantly easier. You have to be always on the move and unless you don't just run around like a headless chicken this should save you mostly from the damage you could take.

Dash through the bullets and not away from them! Some enemy attacks are kinda delayed so be careful with the timing of your dashes. Try to upgrade most of your weapons at least one level.

Melee attacks with the sword are very powerful especially when you upgrade the sword. The sword can also stagger enemies giving you time to shoot them. Underneath the health bar of an enemy is another one that shows when you can stagger him again. So the combination of a melee attack to stagger and a point blank alt fire is incredibly powerful!

The adrenaline is super useful! Not to easy to keep at first but you should try to maintain it.

  • Level 1 — Enhanced Overload
  • Level 2 — Enhanced Vision
  • Level 3 — Enhanced Melee Attack
  • Level 4 — Proficiency Rate +50%
  • Level 5 — Obolites +50%

Every weapon or consumable in the game is useful when you know how to properly use it. Don't dismiss something after your first try.
Otherwise try to play a bit let us know when you need more specific tips for whatever is bothering you.
 
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Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
I just bought the game. I am really enjoying it but it kind of sucks that some runs I literally cannot get anything outside of a pistol.
I played through the whole game more than once with a pistol. It is as good of a weapon as all the others.
Since all of them can inherent every alt fire mode it is just a matter of slightly upgrading the pistol and finding a powerful one.
 

engstra

Member
Any noob tips?
For Biome 1 all weapons are as effective as the other. From Biome 2 and onwards the electron pylon driver was the weapon I found to be most user friendly and effective as enemies become more robotic and vulnerable to electricity. If you're looking to just make it as far as possible on your runs in the beginning I would suggest finding a weapon type you like and sticking to that rather than doing a bunch of experimenting where you might end up in a tough situation with a gun you don't like the playstyle of
 

Grechy34

Member
Play it safe, you dont need to attach parasites to have a sucessful build ive finished entire runs without picking up any parasites as artifacts are more than enough for positive effects. parasites potentially add syngery with the artifacts depending on the build but usually come with a handicap.

That being said try not to pickup parasites unless the negative effects arent persistant and are more or less controlled, for example one parasite specifically has a negative effect of ‘obolites disappear 1 second faster’ another parasite has one that is ‘suffer damage from long falls’ (you can negate the negative effects of these pretty easily imo as you can dash out of long falls before hitting the ground to negate the damage or in the other case simply play more aggressively which is actually quite beneficial) so in my case i would always pickup these two parasites if i came across them; pending the positive effect was something useful to me (sometimes it isnt).

And unless you are some god like player stay away from malignant items or chest unless you choose to cleanse them with ether, opening or picking up chests/items like this is the number one reason why people dont progress early on, dont take on extra handicaps when you dont have to, the enemys will challenge you as is so you don’t want to be running around with nuisance malfunctions that you have to fix. Also stay away from fallen scout corpses until you get comfortable with your play style and abilities, they arent mandatory for progression or story but are useful if you avenge the deceased scout as the reward is free ether which stacks all the way up to 30. Just beware that the enemy that spawns from the corpse will put up a fight so dont spawn it if you arent prepared for a cage match.

last but not least prioritize saving money for dmg up upgrades at the fabricators that carry it OR repair efficiency (repair efficiency is super undderated) if you can boost that stat, a small med pack will heal like a large normally would, but damage is always your best defense if you can fry enemys before they can even blink.
My suggestion DMG UP > Repair efficiency up > Protection up. When you unlock astronaut and childs watch those two items should supercede everything else if low on cash, but if you sweep the entire biome before fighting the boss or continuing to the next area fresh off a death, then you will always have money to buy things at the fabricators, save up and dont waste the money until uve located most of them so you know what kinda upgrades u will be working with to choose from in whatever biome youre in but i would purchase the ones i mentioned earlier before some of the others. Parasites you deem ‘bad’ can still be useful for collecting extra money if youre strapped for cash. If you locate the device that removes parasites in exchange for obolities you can load up on all the bad parasites and use the machine to take them off for money in exchange! This is best done after you have swept the entire biome for enemys (then you can make your way around and load up on bugs since you wont be fighting with handicaps on since everything in theory should be dead already and you plan to remove the parasites at the device before advancing to the next biome.) BE WARNED though this is not a useful strategy if you have a parasite(s) attached on you already that you want to keep as the machine will pick one to remove at random (you dont get to choose).

Theres really no wrong or right way and theres multiple ways to go about it, but that should help some if youre brand new. The main thing is read all item descriptions/buffs/negative effects and learn the game mechanics. RNG doesnt play as big a factor as you might think it does, the player really does control his or her own fate you just need to weigh the risk vs the payoff when buffing up and looting.

That's an awesome summary. At what point do you suggest starting to use the ethers?
 

kyoji

Member
That's an awesome summary. At what point do you suggest starting to use the ethers?
I would use them to unlock new items at the relic stone right outside your ship in the beginning until you exhaust the stone's use so that you gain access to new items that will begin to spawn in game. Then IMO i would save them up for a short while because even in death they carry over when you respawn (max is 30 you can carry at a time) so unless you just really need to use them to cleanse something i would save them just so you have them in your back pocket for when you really think u need to use some. Its not like they are a rarity either, so you can always find some on the map if you are picking up items and you are guaranteed to obtain 4 for every fallen scout you avenge.
 
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I finished act 3 last night and the story has gotten under my skin.
I gotta say Returnal is my goty so far and the gameplay makes it so addictive like Resogun.
It's just so great to pick up and play. But I do hope that Housemarque adds some kind of save system so continues would be possible after playing other games.

Four more trophies away from the platinum! Let's see how long until I find everything from the remaining levels.
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
I finished act 3 last night and the story has gotten under my skin.
I gotta say Returnal is my goty so far and the gameplay makes it so addictive like Resogun.
It's just so great to pick up and play. But I do hope that Housemarque adds some kind of save system so continues would be possible after playing other games.

Four more trophies away from the platinum! Let's see how long until I find everything from the remaining levels.
Don't forget the photo mode! More and more people are getting vocal about it on twitter so i hope Housemarque acknowledge this. :messenger_sunglasses:
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Just as I was playing it today I swear I thought there to be a photo mode!
I searched it for a while 😅

Pretty astonishing that there isn't.
I really hope they add one. Would make me play it for another 100 hours. :messenger_beaming:

As for the trophies i hope you keep going!

You can do it!
 

[Sigma]

Member
Deleted the game and reinstalled to start playing again without the 1.4 updates. Game lost some of it's edge with that update.
 
I assume I'm in the last biome. What a ride.

I love the weapons in this game. They still more or less follow the basic archetypes: pistol, machine gun, shotgun, grenade launcher. But the added effects give it a strong futuristic flair.
The eletric pylondriver is essentially anarchy from Destiny 2. And it's just as good.
 

I’m in the platinum fam, took me about 65 hours or so in total according to game and 79 deaths.

Do restart cycle count as death or not?
Also finished act 3 at around the 30-35 hour mark so finding the last couple of logs and ciphers took almost as long as the main game lol. Luckily the gameplay is really great.
 

Used-ID

Member
Down to 1 glyph in biome 6.

If there is a glyph at the top of a column in the challenge room where platforms move up the sides of a central column.... I just need to get to the right platform quick enough....
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Down to 1 glyph in biome 6.

If there is a glyph at the top of a column in the challenge room where platforms move up the sides of a central column.... I just need to get to the right platform quick enough....
Really annoying. Got it the second time i had the room but it was pure luck.
 

engstra

Member
Down to 1 glyph in biome 6.

If there is a glyph at the top of a column in the challenge room where platforms move up the sides of a central column.... I just need to get to the right platform quick enough....
I believe there are 3 or 4 timed rooms on Biome 6. The only one with a cipher is the one with a long walkway with descending stairs on either side. You want to take the first stairs to the left.
This one took me ages to get, just couldn't get that one room to spawn!
 
The cipher room rng is the worst with hunting the platinum. They should’ve just had the ciphers in the rooms that always spawn each run, imo. Same with the scout logs.
 

Used-ID

Member
I believe there are 3 or 4 timed rooms on Biome 6. The only one with a cipher is the one with a long walkway with descending stairs on either side. You want to take the first stairs to the left.
This one took me ages to get, just couldn't get that one room to spawn!
I've had that one for awhile.
But while going through biome 6 I was gifted with a Hollowseeker with phase rounds, portal turret and portal beam. Talk about easy mode....
 
I've had that one for awhile.
But while going through biome 6 I was gifted with a Hollowseeker with phase rounds, portal turret and portal beam. Talk about easy mode....

Was never a fan of Hollowseeker even with portal beam. It spawns so infrequently.

Electrodriver and Rotgland with explosive rot carried me through the game basically.
 
Blyat!

I really don't like the randomness in recards of trophies.
Been trying to get the last four by collecting everything but don't seem to get them.
 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
Blyat!

I really don't like the randomness in recards of trophies.
Been trying to get the last four by collecting everything but don't seem to get them.
Try to check some Youtube videos in case you are not sure where to look.

I was missing a scout log for at least 15 hours and you could make it spawn instantly as i found out by watching a short clip on YT.
 

WoodyStare

Member
Going back and forth between this and Demons Souls has been a hell of an experience. I’m still on the first biome and died quite a few times, but I’m loving the gameplay so much that I don’t really mind, and I’ve definitely gotten better with each try. Lots of great advice in this thread.

Also, the way the DuelSense feels with rain in this game is something else.
 

Used-ID

Member
Got that last glyph in biome 6, and the platinum.

I used the "trick" of being offline until biome 6. The room I needed was 3 rooms from the start of the level. Don't know if I just got lucky or what.
 

Captain Hero

The Spoiler Soldier
Finished Returnal days ago and it was a great journey but fuck that was sad experiencing all of this because the guilt of the child's death... I had fun with every boss fight specially Hyperion and Ophion.

I liked the story alot it's so deep
 
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