Topic: Returnal

@R03KY No worries mate! I'm online sporadically during the week, so ping me an invite if we're on at the same time... and we can roast that boss (otherwise we can set up a more formal timeslot at the weekend if you still want some support)

Definitely heed the words of @Th3solution - he is 100% right in that it really does pay off to grind as much of B1 as possible, and then do a mini-grind of B2 (or longer if you're on a 'nice streak'!)

I was very fortunate with the B3 boss, and beat first time..... but this was after significant struggles with B2 boss. B2 Boss took me about 20-30 tries in total... so I spent ages clearing all of B1 and B2 in prep, and finally beat him. By this point I was quite OP, and managed to storm B3 quite successfully. There is definitely something to be said for scooping up as much health as possible.

No spoilers here - but you'll be pleased to know when (not "if"!) you beat B3 you will then reach a sort of permanent checkpoint within the game before starting B4/5/6. So basically you can start straight in B4 once you beat B3, B4 is almost like a reset.

And trust me on this - if you can come this far you have all the needed tools to beat the game. Remember also, some runs are better/worse than others... no harm in a quick suicide if you fancy a quick do-over!

@render @Thrillho @JohnnyShoulder Thanks everyone for the kind words of encouragement I certainly need them 🤣.

@Th3solution I made past Boss number 2 on the 3rd attempt and got him pretty close on the other 2 tries, I felt like this was a much easier experience than the first boss because it was similar and your already now use to the type of move set. The actual run to the boss was harder some of the enemies pack punch. So onto boss 3 now, haven't reached him yet so I'm expecting a butt kicking 🤣.

Btw thanks for all the advice everyone there was some really good stuff on there, changing the setting to always run is a game changer, I've fell of the edge a few times like 🤦‍♂️🙈 but once you get used to it it's well Worth it.

@R03KY I'm on to Biome 3 my self mate, and while I'm no where near the level of others on here I don't mind jumping on and helping out if your stuck.

@R03KY It’s worth noting with the B3 boss that you’re immune when doing the “grapple” mechanic so you can use that to your advantage.

And to you and @MaulTsir I’d say that B3 is a well known roadblock to people in the game. There are some horrible bosses and some brutal areas.. but don’t forget you can just sprint straight through some areas rather than clear them!

Part of the problem is weighing up spending loads of time (again) in B1 and B2 to “level up” but then trying not to get too frustrated if you mess up when doing it and “wasting” a run.

It’s definitely a game to step away from if you’re getting frustrated but when it clicks and you get a perfect load out, it’s an amazing feeling! I had such a run the first time I hit B3 and actually got through it first time!

Good luck folks 👊🏻

@MaulTsir You’re making really good progress, buddy! B3 is the biggest hurdle, imo. Not so much for the boss, necessarily, but the actual pathway getting there. The boss is tough too, mind you, but it’s mostly because you’re beat down and barely alive when you get to it. 😛

@MaulTsir You're making awesome progress man!

Such an interesting game in terms of difficulty hurdles. I remember a few of us playing this around the same time, and discussing our various difficulty curves etc.... Some of the guys here would easily walk certain areas/bosses whilst others would struggle massively (and vice versa).

Keep having fun, and remember each run always offers the opportunity to unlock permanent upgrades/traits for your weapons - which will really enhance your future rungs.

B3 boss is tough, but probably not much worse than anything you've faced previously. If you play smart and clear most of B1, plus spend some time upgrading in B2, you should be fully prepp'd for B3.

And good news that once you clear B3 you reach a 'permanent' mid-game checkpoint of sorts.... which is certainly a relief in a game of this nature!

Good luck man you've got this

Downloaded this last night and fired it up again earlier. Started The Tower and beat the first boss. It felt straight forward enough, but I was at a bit of a disadvantage with having the Dreadbound equipped. Really good against the regular enemies, but a bit rubbish against a boss who can put a bit of distance between you. Thought I would be well more rusty after all this time though lol.

@JohnnyShoulder Is this your first go at rumbling with the DLC? I think I had around a 6 month break between getting the Plat, and then returning for the DLC.... it is actually surprising though how quickly the muscle-memory kicks back in.
After a few tower runs it felt like I'd never been away!

Agree on Dreadbound, this was well down the food chain for me... probably my least favorite/used weapon alongside the shotgun.

Hollowseeker for the win!

@CJD87 Yeah first time with the DLC as I've not played the game since getting the Platinum almost 18 months ago.

Ah, the Hollowseeker. I had a massive grin on me when I first got that in the Tower!

So after a couple of days of not playing Returnal I returned to take on Biome 3, 2 very unsuccessful attempts at the boss and about 7 more attempts just trying to get to the boss. Well biome 3 is definitely a step up from the other 2, the run to the boss is gruelling some times I'd grind biome 1 and 2 for a good hour and then bang die to them bloody jumping robot gorilla guys, when 2 spawn together it's like some one at housemarque just wanted to torcher me!

Anyway @CJD87 popped by and I got my first taste of co-op! Thanks for that mate was good playing with you! Hopefully we can get a few more rums in. We had similar rotten luck and didn't manage to make it, but co-op is definitely fun. In our defense I think co op actually made enemies harder, they hit harder and where harder to kill.

Anyway today I thought I'm doing this so after 2 failed attempts reaching the boss and one super run where I had all the gear but no idea managed to get cocky and try a gold door in biome 1 and well I died so I thought quick run through biome 1 and 2 to get astronaut and health and some upgrades but no messing about get to the boss and beat Nemisis on my 3rd try, I actually celebrated like I only ever did that once before ans it was Bloodborne but my heart was literally beating out my chest I was over the moon.

Decided to go as far as I could and beat boss 4 first try felt like a super hero 🤣.

This game is something else!

@MaulTsir Yes mate! Massive congratulations!!

Really enjoyed our Co-Op session yesterday evening.... irrespective of our lacklustre result ha! I definitely agree with you though that Co-Op is far from 'easy mode' - and the game still pushes you to make tough decisions. Having to decide who to give weapons to and/or upgrades is interesting, as I'd initially thought each item/weapon would be available for both players (sadly not the case!)

I don't know how people even stand a chance without communication via voice chat...

Boss 4 is an absolutely epic fight, probably my favorite in the whole game. The build up, the music, the organ playing... just awesome. Get ready for B5, as this was my largest sticking point in the entire game. I won't spoil it, but it is the most 'unique' biome out of all 6 in how it chooses to throw challenges at you

But for sure, you are well equipped to beat this game 100%. Many of us here started out exactly the same, hitting numerous stumbling blocks... but then overcoming them and feeling amazing - before pushing on for the Platinum!

I'll be home again at the weekend, will shout you a co-op invite if I see you online man... good luck!

@JohnnyShoulder I found the dreadbound awesome in the tower with the right traits on it, but you really need to get up close and personal to make it work so like you say it's less useful against the boss. With the boss there's so much time in between firing and waiting for the return of the projectiles that you really need to be good at your timing to just keep going through the various waves. The best trait combination is expanding shards, exploding shards and fourth shard. With those any standard hostiles just get ripped to shreds, faster than any other weapon in the game. I really wish I could convert that into a good score but I still find I get overwhelmed at some point but it's good fun up until my death.

@MaulTsir Nice work on beating B3. That was a sticking point for me for a while and I felt exactly the same on beating it. I wish I could say that I went on to beat the B4 boss first time but while I didn't it only took me 2 attempts and I was happy to do that as it was easily my favourite biome in the game.

I finally had to quit the game and delete it. Was hard to do. Totally fell for it but the fact of doing aa two hour run to die AGAIN to some bad rng was too much. Yeah, please don't say "you know what kind of game this is?" Because we've heard it said a hundred times.
What bothers me is that the games central mechanic didn't need to exist. I spent 20 hours playing it and couldn't get pst B2. That's way too long and devs need to start having a little respect for players time.
If they removed the repeat/death mechanic I think this game would have a stellar reputation and way more replayability.

@Jammsbro It's a real shame you weren't enjoying it mate but I can understand how it can be frustrating, but I think that the mechanic of having to start over is what actually makes the game stand out, if it was respawn on death at the same point or from a checkpoint then I think it would take the magic away from it, it would feel like any other action game and wouldn't probably have the same success, then again that's my opinion and I can see why others would think otherwise. Honestly though I have never really been into the rouge like games and thought I wouldn't like it either but I've enjoyed this immensely.

I've managed some decent progress since my last update, I'm now on to biome 6, I've probably spent my longest time in here, there's a lot of new enemies to get used to and it's the first point of the game I've felt overwhelmed, sometimes there is so many enemies and it took me a few goes to realise those nest ones the constantly respawn them annoying flying bomb fish!.

Kept getting to the malformed monster and that guy has been my biggest stumbling block so far but after 6 attempts I downed him last night but l had no health and 2 malfunctions he put on me so when I dived the depths I was pretty much fish food anyway! So tonight I'm gonna have a good go at the boss, see how long it's takes me to make it through lol.

@MaulTsir The respawning “flying bomb fish” enemies can be a god send in B6 if you have an ability to regain health when you deal damage though!

The worst enemies are the ones that cause malfunctions as one bad moment can absolutely scupper your run.

Also, the boss in B6 does often drop health at the end of phase 2 so be sure to keep an eye out for it as it might be behind you (and might be the thing that gets you through).

After breezing through phase 1 in the tower, I have since struggled to make much progress in phase 2. Oh how very Returnal of you. However, I did make a bit more just now and obtained one of the new weapons. Then died in the next room before I got to use it. 😆

I can only do 1 or 2 runs a day seeing as you start from the very beginning, so no shortcuts to the other phases as far as I can tell.

@MaulTsir Great work, boss! You’ve really made short work of the game overall. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it. It’s a special game.

As a possible tactic — don’t forget that sometimes you can run through a room and past an enemy. I know that a few of my runs on B6 I just sprinted past that really hard brute guy to the next room and depending on how your run is going it may not be worth the pickups. There’s a couple really intense rooms there and fortunately (unlike earlier biomes) you aren’t always locked into sticking around. 😄

Edit: oh, and also the B6 suicide bomber fish guys that constantly respawn is an awesome place to camp out and just quickly spam them to level up your weapons to acquire new traits. You can do it really quickly there.

Also, I’m sure you’ve learned - trying to use the dreadbound in B6 is like having a death wish 😂. It’s one of my favorite weapons but it’s useless there.

How are you liking the narrative so far? It’s pretty wild, huh?

@Thrillho @MaulTsir The boss doesn’t actually drop health pickups. The health is hidden in some of those breakable plant-like thingies towards the back of the arena. Pretty sure it’s always there.

@Kidfried oh definitely each Biome brought more challenges that made me feel it was worse than the next, but by worse I ultimately mean better! Like in B6 that Gorilla Octopus guy who has more moves than an 80's disco dancer with a perm and a tash was an absolute nightmare, he was actually worse than most bosses for me!

@Thrillho @Voltan I managed to beat the Biome 6 boss on my 2nd attempt and on my first attempt a health resin appeared on the 2nd phase but on my second attempt I stayed to to side as much as possible and one never dropped and I will say when it did appear it was where @Voltan said but I'm honestly unsure if it's there all the time or if it's an actual boss drop.

@Th3solution I defeated Biome 6 and honestly thought for a quick second that was it! My disappointment at such am abrupt ending was quickly washed away when I realised there was more lol. So after a bit of quick research and now I'm back on the hunt!.

I actually did just run past alot of stuff on my way to the boss in B6 because I died a few times attempting to clear out all of them I just thought I'd make a temple run attempt and luckily it worked! I just farmed out until I had enough upgrades and a weapon that I felt would get me through the boss fight and ran through the last 4 or so rooms! Although one of those bloody Octopus guys that sprays Malfunctions at you chased me until I got to the boss door, my heart was racing 🤣

Yeah I've tried to experiment with all the weapons I've found and atleast give them a room or 2 before I dropped them again but the carbine and the hollowseeker just seemed to work so well overall I mainly have kept to them.

It's a crazy game and to be honest it's not massively story driven but at the same time it gives you just enough of the puzzle each time to make you want to keep solving the mystery.

I've enjoyed it way more than I thought I would and I love it when a game does that because I think it actually adds to the enjoyment.

We'll have to try squeeze a co-op session in!

@MaulTsir Glad to hear it! Great job!

Yeah, definitely finish Act 3. First of all, because you are enjoying the game so much, but secondly, because you do get a little more story that way and it’s a more satisfying ending that Act 2. It’s never exactly what you’d call a traditional storyline though. You’ll see. And thirdly, Act 3 is surprisingly a shorter time commitment than you’d think. I won’t go into detail for risk of spoilers but at this stage with your skill you can really plow through it fairly quickly if you want to.

I do get the itch to get back into it and so I’d be really interested to do co-op. Life is still unpredictable on my end so we’ll have to see.

Reckon you’ll go for the plat?

@MaulTsir Massive congratulations, and I'd highly recommend you carry on to complete Act 3.... make sure you drink in all that this game has to offer (!)

As @Th3solution says, the conclusion to 'Act 3' offers some far more satisfying closure the narrative - and gives you more insight as to what is actually going on with Selene.

Quite funny that your story with this game is basically nearly the same as everyone else on this forum:

• Stage 1: Frustration beyond belief.
• Stage 2: Road-block on Boss 'X', can't believe you'll ever beat it.
• Stage 3: Finally beat Boss 'X', confidence grows and enjoyment kicks in.
• Stage 4: End up loving the game, pushing through Act 3.
• Stage 5: Platinum ambition...!

The Tower DLC, and trophy roadmap, is pretty decent also