Topic: Returnal

@render Nightmare Grimm is definitely, well, a nightmare! I need to go back and finish that game before Silksong comes out.

@Scratchy_Seal @render Yeah, the (admittedly missable) bridge is there, the problem is that the path from the bridge up that tower is filled with traps and almost zero loot. So either you have to explore the other section of the biome and then inevitably take too much damage going up the final section, or you run to the boss with basically nothing on you, only to die on the way up anyway. I’m beginning to think that it’s better to just go to biome 2 first to build myself up.

@nessisonett ahhh, I did a run earlier and you’re so right! Sorry, no avoiding the tower!

I like to build up in 1, do the first half of 2 bypassing going inside and then heading straight to 3. Should be well equipped by then if the RnG Gods have blessed you!

Good luck!

@Scratchy_Seal @nessisonett That's exactly what I did as I'm not good enough to take 3 on without having done 1 and 2 first. Every time I tried to skip 2 I'd end up regretting it. I'm sure there are lots of people out there that can happily do that but not me.

Doing that bit of biome 3 though just from the bridge to the boss I'm sure I got killed 5 times. Once on the bridge on the way over (drones), twice on the way up to the boss, and twice by the actual boss. I'm definitely a slow learner but once I'd sussed out that stairs section with using the grapples then it made it a lot more bearable. I lost way more lives on 3 before even getting to that point through those drone things and whatnot so actually I think that bit ended up being one of the better sections for me.

@JigsawPieces Yeah, I'm just on a run with a Hollowseeker that has the waves and shrapnel upgrades which has made quite the difference. The wave ability does hefty damage so most enemies haven't been a problem; I ever beat the sentinel on that run in next to no time having died there previously.

@velio84 That is good. I went back for a second go at one point and managed to beat it but not anywhere near as well as I should have done considering. I'm going to really have to give the pistol a go on some of the bosses when I get the chance.

Finally beat Act 1 there. Played the whole way through the first two biomes instead of a shortcut and ended up with a build that reduced alt-fire cooldowns by a whole lot while using the rocket launcher. Didn’t take a hit the first two phases of Nemesis but ended up using 2 of my 3 vials on the third phase.

The trophy for beating Nemesis didn’t pop. Fantastic.

@nessisonett Ah that's annoying. Guess you will have to come back and give it another go when you've finished the game? That's if you get there and fancy doing the platinum. I know that works from having a look on their discord as a lot of people have managed to get the boss trophies that way.

It's great when you get a good build though, it's just getting lucky with the items. I like that aspect of the game as sometimes you get nothing and other times get everything.

My hot take:

Returnal is a good third person shooter but a bad roguelike.

@nessisonett I don't know much about rougelikes but this seems to be a pretty common take among those who do

@Voltan It just lacks freedom. Which is fine for what it is after all.

I couldn't beat Nemesis on my first attempt, despite a marathon run that saw me with a boatload of extra health and useful parasites and artifacts etc. I even had an astronaut ready to help me but I lost it just a few rooms before the end smh

Really fun boss fight but man it is frustrating when you put 2 to 3 hours into a cycle and I'd cleared absolutely everything from the first 2 biomes.

I guess that's the nature of the game though, it gives you lows but it makes the highs pay off more

@nessisonett About your trophy - I found some posts claiming that if you go offline (via the option in the game menu), close the game and start it back again, it might just pop (some also mention restarting the cycle after starting the game).
This was about a different trophy mostly but one for finishing an act was also mentioned.
Doesn't sound like a lot of work so might be worth a try.

I made it to Ixion today. Had a decent first attempt but died and had the Reconstructor throw me almost straight back in. Second time I just got overwhelmed by the start of the third wave.

I had a couple of rubbish runs in biome 1 afterwards but have just made it to the shortcut back to the base.

A question for others though; how much are other people running around early biomes to get gear for their runs? Is there much point or am I better just heading straight back to where I was?

@Thrillho I think there are benefits to both methods tbh. Getting good upgrades is obviously helpful but if you don't know the boss patterns and aren't particularly good at the flow of the fights you won't make it through anyway.

I'd say mix it up and see what suits you best. If you can make it back to the boss quite quick then give it a go and see how far you can get. Even without any health upgrades you can still win if you know what you're doing

Found the 4th sun face fragment, then went into a secret room with a malformed big guy with it and died. Still a good run even if it lasted 10 minutes

Finally took down the second boss. He was giving me fits. I was in a zone this time tho lol. He didn't even hit me till he was almost dead.

@Thrillho Similar here - I just got to the second boss for the first time, too, and I also had the reconstructor primed to throw me back in. I only made it to the second wave though, the bit where he starts swooping about threw me completely .. never knew where he was coming from!

@Voltan nice. I picked up the 4th today and had a couple of attempts at the 5th but did not make a dent in the 5th biome this time round. Chipping away at the traits is a positive though I guess.

I also take back what I said about the shredder now!

Also feel that the Returnal ending article is a little premature since the majority here are still cracking through. Give us another week guys!

@Scratchy_Seal I got the 5th too. It's in a very specific place (marking as spoiler in case you don't want to know)
When you enter the center room, go straight through the red door to a room with a sarcofago. Shoot the orb and the fragment will be on a platform. You literally don't need to do biome 5 at all (unless the placement is random, idk).
Didn't find the 6th though, so instead I killed the final boss again, this time ending with full health despite not starting with full health lol.

Also: Rocket launcher with Full Auto is not the same weapon it is without it, but Hollowseeker is still king in the Abyss.

Oh, and I'm NOT reading the article until I get the other ending