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Topic: Returnal

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render

@MaulTsir Great to hear you are enjoying the game so far. Lots of people really struggle with the first boss, I know I did, but it gets easier once you get your head around a few things. There are loads of tips further back in this thread so I'd urge you to check those out if you want some help. I've included a few below...

https://www.pushsquare.com/forums/ps5/returnal?start=2020#rep...
https://www.pushsquare.com/forums/ps5/returnal?start=2040#rep...

Returnal can be really brutal, especially when you are on one of the later biomes and have to go back to the start. I remember feeling pretty low a few times but the gaming being so addictive it makes you want to go for another run. All in all it's an amazing game.

render

CJD87

@MaulTsir I urge you to stick with this one... my personal GOTY 2021!

The first boss is a huge stumbling block for most, myself included. You're still getting to grip with the game mechanics, and the game itself is genuinely challenging.... but also incredibly rewarding!

For B1, really take your time to clear as many rooms as possible before the boss so you can get maximum health and increase weapon proficiency/upgrades.
Not getting hit is a key tip, as collecting health vials will always increase your max health bar if you are to collect them when your health bar is full.

Find a weapon that clicks, and stick with it for a while. Hollowseeker is pretty solid, but stay away from the shotgun which seems to be worst of the bunch!

If things get really rough, I'd be more than happy to co-op... any excuse to bring me back to this game!

Good luck, and soon enough you'll be pushing for the platinum

CJD87

MaulTsir

@render thanks for the tips, I'll definitely make use of them! It's so strangely addictive almost as every time I mess up I wanna jump straight back in and correct it.

@CJD87 so I managed to beat the first boss on try 6, there's a bit of a learning curve with the whole game but it's different to the Soul's type games, where in I feel like if I make a mistake I can potentially naff something up permanently but with this it's like each run just gets you closer/more prepared, you find new secrets, new weapons ect. I'm loving it so far, even more now that I managed to defeat Boss 1 on my own, I literally had a perfect run got the weapon I wanted, some good upgrades, an astronaut artefact and a health consumable and just went to town on him, once you realise his patterns and can utilise the jump and dodge it's not as bad as it first seems any way Biome 2 now and well I got my back-side handed to me so learning curve starts all over again 🤣

Co-op sounds fun actually and I can see it bringing a new dimension to the game but I'm gonna try my best to get as much done as I can solo but I'll be sure to give you a shout when I'm inevitably pulling my hair out 🤣

MaulTsir

Th3solution

@MaulTsir Congratulations! Getting past Hyperion is probably one of the earliest frustrations, like others have said. In similar fashion to Soulslikes, different gamers struggle with different bosses and biomes. For me I really struggled getting past that first boss but made it through the second biome quite a bit easier. Especially the first half of the biome where it’s outdoors I found to be quite easy by comparison. When you get inside the temple it can get pretty hairy. But the first part is some of my favorite in the game because it’s so wide open and there’s tons of space to dodge and keep the enemies all at a distance.

I’m so excited for you that you do really like it! It is super addictive and just as you say — when you die you feel the urge to jump right back in, even if it’s a couple hours later after taking a break.

And thanks to @render for the shout out of some of the tips that @Voltan and I had posted way back. I forgot that I had written all that, so hopefully it was somewhat helpful. I do think the button remapping was truly key for me. This game is so kinetic and reactionary you have to be able to move in the most optimized way that works for you. Looking forward to hearing how you progress. Say goodbye to all your free time for the next couple weeks! 😅

[Edited by Th3solution]

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

CJD87

@MaulTsir Yes mate! Congratulations, and ultimately if you are able to nail the first boss then I can confidently say you now have all the needed skills to beat this game.

As you rightly point out, the 'Astronaut' is an absolute must-have consumable... especially for those runs where you suspect some wiggle-room might be needed vs a boss.

Once you beat a biome, you can then usually shortcut straight into the subsequent. So upon restarting in B1, there should be a shortcut to B2 that is available after a few rooms.... although honestly it might be worth grinding out B1 first for a bit of extra profficiency/health and THEN moving on to B2.

Early playthroughs had me thinking that each run was hugely RNG-driven... when in fact I think a lot of this game is choice-driven eg. knowing when a parasite is 'worth it' or knowing when to change out a weapon and/or trait.

Since I returned to gaming a few years back, nothing has grabbed me like Returnal. I remember going away on work trips, and being so excited to boot it up upon return home!

Enjoy mate, and enjoy getting sucked in.

Such an awesome graphical showcase for the PS5 too.

CJD87

JohnnyShoulder

@MaulTsir Well done mate, the first boss is defo when you earn your first stripes with this game.

What weapon buffs you ge5 can make or break a good run, along with what can be purchased in the shop.

I properly loved this game and the the way the Dual Sense and 3D audio makes it feel like a next gen experience.

Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

PSN: JohnnyShoulder

Thrillho

@MaulTsir Welcome to the Returnal fan club

The first boss is tough because the weapons you have at the time kind of suck. Going back later on with better weapons it seems like a breeze!

Good luck with biome 2 though. The change from the claustrophobic, dark B1 to the open, light B2 was quite a surprise and the new enemies pack a punch. A great boss at the end though.

Thrillho

render

@MaulTsir Well done on getting onto B2. I loved the fact that all the biomes felt really different and bought new hostiles into the mix. You've still got plenty more amazing biomes and bosses to come and I envy you for being able to play through this from scratch without knowing what's coming.

Be interesting to know what ends up being your favourite weapon as I know that it's quite a divisive subject.

render

JohnnyShoulder

@render The lobber became one of my favourite after initially hating it. Any weapon the finally got me through Biome 3 was always gone be high up my list. 😂 But I think Hollowseeker was probably my top one and one I used the most. Just the sound of it and how it felt use was so satisfying. And the description was kinda cool, if memory serves me right.

Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

PSN: JohnnyShoulder

CJD87

Hollowseeker was my weapon of choice, becomes absolutely savage after you get the unlocks for things like 'Portal Beam'

Although early game I played a lot of Electropylon Driver and also Tachocarbine on occasion (the 'leech rounds' for the latter are really nice, essentially heal you everytime you hit an enemy)

CJD87

render

@JohnnyShoulder Same. The hollow seeker with the haptics just felt like a really awesome weapon and when you get the portal beam trait unlocked there's not much better for crowd control. The lobber though was my goto weapon and became the one that I'd look out for and usually take. I can't think of a single biome where it wasn't useful. Since playing the Tower Of Sisyphus mode I actually got more into using the dreadbound, which was something I really hated in the actual game as it would usually end up with me dying. In the tower though it really decimates hostiles quickly so is great for racking up the multiplier.

render

JohnnyShoulder

@render Almost makes me wanna download the game again!

Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

PSN: JohnnyShoulder

render

@JohnnyShoulder We've still got it installed as my wife is just mad on the game. In the past few months she's deleted her save several times and has now got the game beat in just 3 deaths. She plays ultra conservatively so I doubt I'd ever be able to achieve the same thing with my aggressive approach to the game 😅

render

R03KY

CJD87 wrote:

@MaulTsir I urge you to stick with this one... my personal GOTY 2021!
The first boss is a huge stumbling block for most, myself included. You're still getting to grip with the game mechanics, and the game itself is genuinely challenging.... but also incredibly rewarding!

For B1, really take your time to clear as many rooms as possible before the boss so you can get maximum health and increase weapon proficiency/upgrades.
Not getting hit is a key tip, as collecting health vials will always increase your max health bar if you are to collect them when your health bar is full.

Find a weapon that clicks, and stick with it for a while. Hollowseeker is pretty solid, but stay away from the shotgun which seems to be worst of the bunch!

If things get really rough, I'd be more than happy to co-op... any excuse to bring me back to this game!

Good luck, and soon enough you'll be pushing for the platinum

I could really do with some help mate. The 3rd boss is wiping me out with ease. I do a good job building my health throughout the run, collecting the Astronaut, holding Large healths but when it comes to the fight I just get wiped out. I've got him down to his last health but the last 2 fights have destroyed me with relative ease.

[Edited by R03KY]

R03KY

Th3solution

@R03KY The third boss is a tough one. In my opinion the third Biome is the hardest, and the issue with boss is the trek to get there is so brutal.

For me it was all about getting through the last climb to the boss with a good amount of left over health. Which it sounds like you’re doing well at that part. The other thing for this boss in particular is the choice of weapon is quite important.
I probably died 4 or 5 attempts trying to defeat it and finally found a weapon that serviced me. I think it was the carbine or the Hollowseeker, but can’t remember. I’ve also seen it defeated with the Lobber.
There’s a lot of hopping around in the fight, so it might help to watch a YouTube video if you’re into that, and get a feeling of the cadence of the fight. I believe you’re immune to damage while you’re grappling, so it’s important to take advantage of that.
Hang in there! If you’ve made it this far you can definitely beat it!

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

R03KY

Th3solution wrote:

@R03KY The third boss is a tough one. In my opinion the third Biome is the hardest, and the issue with boss is the trek to get there is so brutal.
For me it was all about getting through the last climb to the boss with a good amount of left over health. Which it sounds like you’re doing well at that part. The other thing for this boss in particular is the choice of weapon is quite important.
I probably died 4 or 5 attempts trying to defeat it and finally found a weapon that serviced me. I think it was the carbine or the Hollowseeker, but can’t remember. I’ve also seen it defeated with the Lobber.
There’s a lot of hopping around in the fight, so it might help to watch a YouTube video if you’re into that, and get a feeling of the cadence of the fight. I believe you’re immune to damage while you’re grappling, so it’s important to take advantage of that.
Hang in there! If you’ve made it this far you can definitely beat it!

Thanks man, means a lot. Sometimes having someone to tell you that you're closer than you think really helps, I'll go on another run tonight, it always felt like I was being dealt a bad hand in some way, the weapon just before the boss is nearly always a sidearm. I'm not touching the health in the first Biome until I've killed all enemies and visited all rooms, waiting to use the integrity machine last so that I max out the 25% boost but you're right, the run to the third boss is so long that when you die it's a switch off console job immediately.

I needed to read your post, thank you.

R03KY

CJD87

@R03KY It would be my pleasure mate.... I've added you on PSN!

I've actually been jumping on some co-op recently, just to see how it all works, and forgot just how much I love this game.
DM me via PSN and we can work out a time! Shouldn't take long to have a decent cruise through B1 and B2, then hammer the B3 boss

CJD87

Th3solution

@R03KY You’re quite welcome! I struggled too with the game at times and it was this thread that helped me. I tried to look back and find the posts where I got advice on Biome 3 and couldn’t find them, but know that we were all there ready to snap our DualSense in two at various points while playing the game. 😅

More advice that comes to mind on B3, is that it does help to use a weapon that does ongoing damage during the run through the level. The enemies B3 are tough and you spend a lot of time running away, dashing, and hiding behind the limited cover when available. So it’s nice to be able to shoot those guys then dash and run away while they continue to take damage. So the Lobber is the main one there and the Pylon driver (but I can’t remember if the Pylon driver is available yet for you. Sorry; it’s been a while since I played).

I also saved a key for the end of the level because there always seems to be a locked room in that tower toward the end of the level that has some health and useful items that are so critical right before the boss. So if you get a key you might hang onto it until that last section where you’ll come across that room.

And you’re doing great with the strategy — I did the same with really using Biome 1 to build the character, avoid taking damage as much as possible to get those boosts in the base health, and then right at the end buy the 25% extension before leaving the Biome. I’d usually then go to B2 and run the first section which I found to be easy and build the health a little more and get some weapon upgrades, then right before the temple there is a warp point to Biome 3 and that’s when I’d go there, rather than try to survive the second half of B2, which is much harder, imo. If you do that, you’re in pretty good shape at the beginning of B3, and then it’s all about crossing fingers for some good drops and avoiding damage.

I remember the run that I finally killed the boss I had stockpiled so much health that I actually had plenty to spare. So it’s really important to try to arrive at the boss as buffed as possible.

And I learned from my Bloodborne experience that it’s better to look up a boss strategy on YouTube rather than give up on an otherwise excellent experience. Sometimes just knowing and seeing other people can do it makes you feel more confident and at ease with failure.

I look forward to hearing about your eventual victory! And if it’s any motivation, once you get past this boss, there’s a soft reset and your respawns will be after Biome 3 going forward. 😄

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

R03KY

CJD87 wrote:

@R03KY It would be my pleasure mate.... I've added you on PSN!
I've actually been jumping on some co-op recently, just to see how it all works, and forgot just how much I love this game.
DM me via PSN and we can work out a time! Shouldn't take long to have a decent cruise through B1 and B2, then hammer the B3 boss

Aww mate this place is great, really appreciate it, thank you. My PSN is R03KY_ by the way, I couldn't get the underscore-less username unfortunately.

R03KY

R03KY

Th3solution wrote:

@R03KY You’re quite welcome! I struggled too with the game at times and it was this thread that helped me. I tried to look back and find the posts where I got advice on Biome 3 and couldn’t find them, but know that we were all there ready to snap our DualSense in two at various points while playing the game. 😅
More advice that comes to mind on B3, is that it does help to use a weapon that does ongoing damage during the run through the level. The enemies B3 are tough and you spend a lot of time running away, dashing, and hiding behind the limited cover when available. So it’s nice to be able to shoot those guys then dash and run away while they continue to take damage. So the Lobber is the main one there and the Pylon driver (but I can’t remember if the Pylon driver is available yet for you. Sorry; it’s been a while since I played).

I also saved a key for the end of the level because there always seems to be a locked room in that tower toward the end of the level that has some health and useful items that are so critical right before the boss. So if you get a key you might hang onto it until that last section where you’ll come across that room.

And you’re doing great with the strategy — I did the same with really using Biome 1 to build the character, avoid taking damage as much as possible to get those boosts in the base health, and then right at the end buy the 25% extension before leaving the Biome. I’d usually then go to B2 and run the first section which I found to be easy and build the health a little more and get some weapon upgrades, then right before the temple there is a warp point to Biome 3 and that’s when I’d go there, rather than try to survive the second half of B2, which is much harder, imo. If you do that, you’re in pretty good shape at the beginning of B3, and then it’s all about crossing fingers for some good drops and avoiding damage.

I remember the run that I finally killed the boss I had stockpiled so much health that I actually had plenty to spare. So it’s really important to try to arrive at the boss as buffed as possible.

And I learned from my Bloodborne experience that it’s better to look up a boss strategy on YouTube rather than give up on an otherwise excellent experience. Sometimes just knowing and seeing other people can do it makes you feel more confident and at ease with failure.

I look forward to hearing about your eventual victory! And if it’s any motivation, once you get past this boss, there’s a soft reset and your respawns will be after Biome 3 going forward. 😄

These posts just inspire me to get keep going, thank you. I've always avoided Biome 2 and gone straight to 3 but I like that strategy, go to 2 and then warp when you get the chance, I didn't realise it was possible, I thought once you were committed to the biome you had to see it through. I think it will also mean by the time I get to the Biome 3 boss my weapon should be higher than I have been getting to on previous runs by 1 or 2 more.

R03KY

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