Walkthrough Returnal (PS5, PC). Bosses, artifacts, secrets, etc..

Returnal Walkthrough: Overgrown Ruins, Crimson Wastes, Abandoned Citadel and more!

In our Returnal walkthrough guide, I will do my best to share with you useful tips and strategies to help you get through the entire Returnal. Obviously, Returnal is a random game, which means that the level layouts change with each new playthrough, but there are a lot of things that stay the same no matter what attempt you make. In this guide, you will learn all the knowledge acquired during the game.

Returnal Walkthrough Guide

The first area of ​​the game that you'll spend quite a bit of time in is called Overgrown Ruins, and this is where you'll learn all the basics of the game. 

Act 1. Overgrown ruins

The game begins with a cut-scene in which Selena, our main character, flies to an unexplored planet shrouded in a strange fog. Lightning strikes the ship and the explorer crashes.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. Where to find keys to locked doors

You find yourself in the jungle. Despite the fact that each level in the game is quite large, it is divided into separate "rooms", clearly defined by gates of various shapes on the map. You can easily find the first of them near the crash site.

The game has a very convenient map, which immediately shows all the ways to enter and exit the "room", as well as first-aid kits and useful items.

Please note that some doors will require special "Atropos Keys". You can find them in various places on the level, so you will definitely have to inspect each "room" very carefully and return to the passed zones. The same keys can be used for locked chests. Sometimes the keys will be corrupted and when they are raised, Selena will receive negative effects. On the map, locked doors will be different from open ones. Considering regular replays and sweeps, this will save you exploration time.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. How to upgrade weapons

At the beginning, you will find a small tutorial where they teach the basic mechanics of the game.

The first thing you will find is a pistol. This is the main weapon, but not the only one. The heroine can carry only one gun, so changing weapons must be approached responsibly. However, it is quite difficult to understand in advance what and how it shoots - you have to try. In addition to the pistol, in the first location you can find a machine gun and a shotgun, but they will appear much later.

You cannot upgrade weapons, but the game has the concept of qualification. Qualification is a measure of your combat skills. It increases after each kill, in addition to it, or its filling rate can be increased by various items (most often calibrators). Qualification determines the minimum level of weapons you find. Like everything else, it is completely reset with the start of a new cycle.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. Why you need to scan and jerk

Since you are still on an unfamiliar planet, everything you find is alien. Therefore, each object of Selenium, first of all, will be scanned by a special device. The computer on her hand will remember the properties of this or that artifact and will automatically prompt you with useful information in the future. All found items, records and enemies can be re-examined in the data vault. Moreover, over time, the amount of information on already studied objects increases.

Next, you will be told how to do a snatch. Dash is similar to dodge from other games, but much more functional. Thanks to the dash, you will not only be able to jump to hard-to-reach places, but also avoid damage. If you use the skill towards the energy balls that monsters usually hit, you will slip through them, which is very convenient. It is also the main survival tactic in combat.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. What does death affect?

At the end of the prologue, you have to face an aggressive alien creature that will kill you very quickly. This is where they will tell you about the mechanics of death.

After each respawn, you lose almost everything. There is no pumping in the game, only special minerals - oboliths, which can be found on the level or picked up after killing enemies. They must be exchanged for artifacts or consumable items. All this is also canceled after death.

The only currency that remains is ether, but it is not so easy to find it, and it is issued only 2-3 units at a time. Ether is used to buy one artifact at the beginning of the cycle, or buy a "second attempt" upon death, as well as to cleanse items from damage.

There are only a few items that stay with you throughout the game. While the full list is not known, however, we have already found some: a pistol, a sword, a teleporter and a grappling hook.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. How to defeat ordinary monsters

Your main goal is to trace the "White Shadow" signal. What it is, of course, is not explained to us.

Moving around the map, you will quickly explore the entire bestiary of the location. Monsters, unlike levels, remain unchanged and are tied to a specific room.

Conventionally, all enemies are divided into three large groups:

• ground;
• flying;
• turrets.

Regardless of the level, one way or another, you will fight with one of these types of enemies. If in each room there are always the same opponents, then at different levels they can differ significantly. That is why it is quite difficult to develop some kind of unified winning tactics, except for constant jerks.

Often you will be able to use the environment - enemies' energy balls do not go through walls. In addition, in the overgrown ruins, monsters almost never move from "room" to "room". If you feel that you are not coping, try to retreat to an already cleared location, of course, if the gates are not blocked.

Some monsters are protected by red shields. They can only be broken with a sword.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. Why you need a first-person view

Sometimes at the beginning of the cycle you will play in the first person. It does not provide any special features. If you wake up inside the ship, you can view your statistics or start a practice challenge. As a result, the road is still one - out.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. Why you need an alternative fire

As you explore, you'll find an "Atropos Charger" that adds an alternate fire mode. Every weapon has alt fire and can deal significant damage even with a pistol. There are many types of alternative fire. Before you decide on the right one for you, you have to experiment. But even after you decide, you won’t be able to choose on your own. The only option is for the right weapon to drop the right alt fire.

Moving further, you will find yourself in a tomb with a sarcophagus. It will contain your first alien weapon. This moment is scripted, so you will find an assault rifle or a shotgun regardless of your map build.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. Intelligence journal and alien finds

Sometimes you will find the corpses of your previous versions. You can pick up intelligence magazines on them. Selena writes down her thoughts in them - this helps to better reveal the heroine, who, by coincidence, has no one to talk to in a hostile world. The more often you die, the more copies of yourself you will find. The game provides an online component, but so far it does not work and its exact purpose is unknown.

As you progress, you will also find various alien devices and archives, the essence of which is not always obvious. The most useful and at the same time accessible of their devices is the fabricator, which creates random or pre-known items in exchange for oboliths. You are sure to stumble upon these in every cycle. From the archives you will learn a bit of the history of the aliens. What happened to them is one of the intrigues of the plot.

Along the way, you will also learn the language of aliens - cognits. In some rooms there are obelisks with inscriptions. By scanning them, you will gradually be able to translate the text. Also, hieroglyphs on the walls will help in this process. They flicker red and are marked on the minimap as a useful item.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. How to enable fast travel

At some point, you will find a bluish alien sphere. It will become clear that you cannot manage it yet. This is not a problem, just move on to the main goal.

The main goal will be conveniently displayed on the map with an orange marker. Moving towards the mark, you will find an upgrade for the suit - the "Hermes transmitter". It will be possible to teleport through special translocators and move to previously inaccessible areas through the already known bluish spheres. Fast travel points are automatically activated when you pass by.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. Environment

In some rooms there will be not only laser traps, but also a dangerous surface. At the beginning of the game, you cannot swim and step on the ground covered with a red unknown substance.

As a rule, the environment does not harm you, except for the examples already mentioned. The exception is living creepers hanging from the ceilings, which can grab the heroine. You can’t destroy them, so the only way is to break out and bypass them.

You may also encounter ominous purple eggs. Despite the dangerous appearance, they are easy to smash with a shot or just kicking - there will be no harm. Inside you can find something useful - a first aid kit or a parasite.

As the story progresses, you will come across a red energy wall preventing you from passing. The main task is to solve this problem. Moving towards the main goal, you will get to the exit from the location. This is a portal, and you need to find the "crimson key" to activate it. There you will receive a sword. This is another item, along with a pistol and a teleporter, that will stay with you regardless of the cycle.

Now you have fully unlocked all the important items on the first level and will be able to explore it almost entirely. It will still be impossible to get into some zones, but it will not be possible to solve this problem at the first location.

In one of the rooms you will see an ordinary residential building. You won't be able to enter right away - you need a key. The key is obtained as you progress. You won't have to look for it again.

In the house you will again play in the first person. You can interact with some items from Selena's earthly life. At some point, the heroine will see through the window an astronaut watching her. The woman will become ill, and she will wake up already outside the walls of the house. The mysterious astronaut is directly related to Selena, but how exactly is not yet clear.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. Why are parasites needed? What is a crash

Somewhere in this point in the level, you will find the first parasite. These creatures do not attack, they provide a permanent buff and debuff at the same time. Each negative effect is called a glitch, and if there are too many of them, critical errors will begin to occur in the suit, which will even lead to the destruction of the items found or a significant decrease in health. On the contrary, positive effects can increase the damage dealt or enable automatic repair of the suit at a low level of durability. There are a lot of effects, and they significantly change the gameplay, especially when there are enough of them. From a complex game, Returnal can become almost impassable, and vice versa, it can become drastically simplified. Unfortunately, this cannot be calculated in advance. You either get lucky or you don't.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. What is spoilage

The resources you find may be corrupted. Corruption also leads to failures, but not always. Unlike parasites, sometimes a corrupted item can be picked up without penalty. To remove negative effects, you must fulfill certain conditions - kill the required number of enemies, or use keys - the conditions are always different.

Act 1. Overgrown ruins. How to beat Frika

After obtaining the sword and visiting the house, your only task will be to find the crimson key. He is at the boss - Freaky. Frika is cognit, like the rest of the dead aliens. Why she is alive and attacks the heroine is not explained.

There are no special tactics for dealing with the boss. Just like ordinary monsters, she launches energy balls at Selena, which must be dodged by all means. To make it easier for yourself, keep a good distance from her and use the machine gun.

Sometimes Frika will shoot homing projectiles or a laser beam, but dash will also help you from them. The most dangerous attack of the boss is a dash followed by a punch. She uses it immediately after the laser beam or the launch of the laser wave over the area.

Do not forget that the boss has three stages, in each of which he begins to attack more and more actively. The optimal tactic is to stay away and move in a circle, keeping the boss in the approximate center.

After the victory, you will receive a key and the opportunity to get to the second level.

Act 1. Crimson wastelands

Immediately after spawning in the desert, you will receive an artifact that expands the number of consumables to two.

Before you is a huge open map, very different from the chamber jungle of the first level. Do not forget that in case of death, you will appear at the very beginning - that is, you will have to get to the second location through the jungle again, although you can no longer kill Frick.

Act 1. Crimson wastelands. How to defeat enemies

Don't be fooled by open spaces. The second zone is again divided into "rooms", although without explicit gates. The Bestiary will also change - there will be significantly more flying opponents, each of which poses a serious threat. The strength of the attacks increased, but the speed of the opponents slowed down slightly. Remember that hiding behind the gates, as in the first location, will no longer work - enemies can chase you, since there are no obstacles in the air for them. Try to use the environment. As in the jungle, monster projectiles do not pass through walls. Keep in mind that even familiar turrets will fire differently, so be very careful.

As before, your main target is the White Shadow signal. The path leads to a large building ahead.

Once inside, you will encounter another aggressive cognit. Now they will be ordinary opponents.

There are no new permanent items at the location. Collect hieroglyphs to learn the language, artifacts and other consumables to your liking.

If you do die, which is likely to happen, you will have a house available again in the jungle.

Once inside, you will be able to examine several records. Then you will hear a knock on the door - this is already a familiar astronaut. When Selena opens up to him, there will be no one on the threshold. Return to the room, the situation there will change a little. Learn all the new items, after which there will be a small cut-scene and the heroine will wake up outside the house again.

Act 1. Crimson wastelands. How to defeat Ixion

At the top of the building in the Crimson Wastes, the second boss, Ixion, will be waiting for you. This is a flying enemy, so when attacking, he will constantly move around the map. Just like Freaky, he has three stages.

The main attack is volleys of energy balls, but their trajectory will constantly change. After each salvo, Ixion moves. If you hold out long enough, you can memorize the sequence of his attacks. Sometimes the boss will still attack from the ground, releasing energy waves across the area. The only way to survive is to dodge in time. When changing stages, the number of energy balls increases. To win, it is desirable to find a revitalizing artifact. This will help to continue the fight if you suddenly make a mistake in the third stage.

Upon victory, you will receive a grappling hook, which will open up a lot of new places in both the Overgrown Ruins and the Crimson Wastes.

Act 1. Ancient citadel

The third biome consists entirely of a huge building - the citadel. Locations will change significantly. Now you have a grappling hook, which means that there will be more cliffs and jumps. Fortunately, the Icarus hook is almost unlimited in distance, the main thing is to aim at the capture point burning with an orange glow. This mechanic will become the main one in the battle with the third boss.

Act 1. Ancient citadel. How to defeat enemies

If you've made it to the third biome, you've probably already mastered the basic mechanics of the game. In the citadel you will fight only with robots, there are no organic enemies there. Try not to let opponents get too close. As before, we recommend taking on an assault rifle or a new weapon - a Void that can shoot at great speed. Beware of robots that explode - they try to quickly close the distance, and a dangerous zone is outlined around them.

Act 1. Ancient citadel. How to defeat Nemesis

At the end of the journey through the citadel, you will reach the source of the White Shadow signal. It will turn out to be a living cognit connected to alien equipment. The alien will do something with Selena, after which she will find herself in another world opposite a huge creature - Nemesis.

As before, the boss has three stages. However, in this battle, not only attacks will change, but also the conditions of the battle. The fact is that Selena is on a platform suspended in the air, which will gradually collapse into many smaller platforms. You can move around with the help of Icarus's hook, but you still may not have time and fall into the void.

Nemesis is immune to damage, except for a single red spot in her chest. She will also have alien assistants who from time to time attack Selena with beams from their eyes. These creatures can be shot at, and although you won't kill them, they will be out of combat for a short time.

We recommend not wasting time on helpers and focusing fire on Nemesis. With a high rate of fire, you will quickly get to the third stage, where you will have to actively move between platforms.

In the first stage, the boss will shoot a lot of balls around the area. You can dodge them even without using the dash, but be careful not to get hit by the beams of helpers and balls at the same time.

In the second stage, Nemesis will move a considerable distance from the heroine, and the platform will be shattered for the first time. The attacks of the boss will become more concentrated, a beam will appear, similar to the attacks of assistants. Get close to the enemy. So you will miss less and there will be room for maneuver, without the threat of flying off the platform.

In the third stage, Nemesis will become even further away. The number of platforms will increase dramatically, while they will collapse over time. The main tactic is to constantly move forward and attack. If you have a powerful weapon, you will kill the boss halfway through. When there is no time to dodge an attack, just jump off the platform - there will definitely be another nearby.

After the victory, you will see a full-fledged splash screen. Selena sends out a signal for help and returns to Earth. There she lives a normal life, grows old and dies. You see the failure of the grave from the inside. The screen goes blank, suddenly Selena wakes up again on a familiar planet. The cycle continues.

Continuation of the guide read here!