Monday, 17 May 2021 15:00

Returnal: 9 Tips For Surviving The Fractured Wastes Biome

Written by Rhett Roxl
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The Fractured Wastes is one of Returnal's most difficult levels to get through. To help you survive, follow these pro tips.

Returnal is a rogue-like game filled with difficult levels, including the Fractured Wastes biome. At first glance, it will immediately seem familiar to the player. In fact, the Fractured Wastes is just the mountain area of the Crimson Wastes biome, but frozen over. The player's main objective here is to obtain the three Hadal Keyes inside the Hadal Vault.

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The Fractured Wastes biome is one of the hardest levels in Returnal. It's filled with long stretches and insanely difficult enemies. This is where the player will really have to make use of everything they've learned about the game, and utilize every skill they've gained thus far. Here's how to survive.

9 Know That There's No Boss In This Level

The first thing the player needs to realize as soon as they step foot in this biome that this one has no boss fight at the end of it. However, that doesn't mean that this biome is easier than the rest. In fact, many will argue that it's the opposite.

Knowing immediately that this biome has no boss will at least ease the player's mind as they go through this area. After all, every challenges that they'll face here is extreme.

8 The Enemies

There are no enemies in this biome  that the player has not faced before. However, all of them are much stronger than their counterparts in the previous biomes.

The player can expect to face frost variations of enemies such as droids, kerberonyxes, turrets, severeds, and machinas. In many areas, these enemies attack in massive numbers. Not only do the players have to worry about them being stronger than prior versions, but they also have to deal with a lot at once..

7 Avoid Iced Up Areas

The turrets in the Fractured Wastes biome are much like the ones that came before. These frost turrets, however, have one new attack variation. They will occasionally fire ice projectiles at or near the player, which will ice up the ground once hit.

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Once this happens, the player should dash away immediately from the circle of ice. It should only take a dash or two to move away from the area. Not only will ice slow the player's movements, but they'll also eventually start taking damage.

6 Take Out The Turrets First

It's a very healthy practice to always take out the turrets first when the enemies start spawning. By doing this, the player can turn their attention to mobile opponents without having to worry about the turret's attacks and ice orbs.

Of course, if the player is faced with a closer opponent and has an opening, they should take advantage of that first. This is just a tip the player should always keep in mind and get used to practicing in battle.

5 Get The Promethean Insulators

The Promethean Insulators are a permanent upgrade the player can get in the Fractured Wastes biome. Permanent upgrades persist in subsequent cycles instead of disappearing after the player dies. This upgrade won't only be useful for this biome, but also for the rest of the game.

The Promethean Insulators allow the player to walk on lava, which appears quite frequently. The upgrade will also be very useful considering that in a lot of these areas, the player's ability to dash will be disabled. Players can find this upgrade stashed behind a locked door in the central hub room. The door will require an Atropian Key to open.

4 Take Advantage Of The Central Hub

At the beginning of this biome, the players will arrive at the level's central hub, where they will find fabricators and a reconstructor. The player should take advantage of this momentary haven.

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If they have enough Obolites and Ethers, players should purchase an Astronaut Figurine and use the reconstructor before they proceed. This will ensure that, if ever a player dies during their run, they're given one more chance to fight. Afterwards, they'll simply be resurrected in the central hub.

3 Mind The Purple Lasers And Projectiles

Dashing in Returnal will allow the player to get through enemy projectiles and laser traps without a scratch. However, the invincibility frames from the dash move won't work when it comes to purple lasers and projectiles.

There are enemies and areas in this area that make use of this attack. Be sure to keep these in mind when going through the Fractured Wastes biome. Specifically, machinas and kerberonyxes constantly employ purple-colored attacks.

2 Silphiums And Resins

One thing the player should be used to at this point is sweeping an area for Silphiums and Silphium Resins after they've rid it of enemies. The players should do their best to maintain full health every single time, as the next area could be swarmed with multiple powerful enemies.

Hoarding Silphiums and Resins will also allow the player's Integrity Bar to increase, giving players a longer health bar and increasing their chances of survival.

1 Weapon Of Choice

Being comfortable with a weapon is an absolute essential in Returnal. Of course, everyone has their preferences. Once the player reaches the Fractured Wastes biome, they should use the weapon that they're most comfortable with.

This is not the biome for players to try out new weapons to start getting a feel for them. The enemies in this area can be very unforgiving. Players should also make sure that their weapons come with traits that can easily manage the swarms of enemies.

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