How To Beat Phrike, Ixion, And Nemesis In Returnal

Screenshot: Housemarque / Sony

Return, the PS5-exclusive action game about pretending to be in the Tom Cruise movie Edge of Tomorrow, isn’t child’s play. Basic enemies are one thing, with their sprawling laser beams and relentless volleys of neon basketballs. But it’s the boss fights that will really give you the best bang for your buck.

Lily: Kotaku’s opinion on Returnal.

Bosses appear at the end of each biome in Returnal. After defeating a boss once, you’ll never have to fight it again. (You’ll get some good loot if you choose to do so, however. Your choice.) Each boss has three turns; each turn has more to dodge than the last. You know how it goes.

Generally speaking, you’ll do better if you focus more on dodging attacks than trying to deal damage. If you find an astronaut minifigure – an item that automatically resurrects you upon death – while exploring, buy it, even if that means wiping out all of your obolites. Parasites that restore your health when you are weak are also extremely helpful; if you are at the threshold, you will usually survive a hit. Then it’s just a matter of dodging and surviving for a few seconds until you’re back at the Threshold.

Between rounds, the bosses are invincible. Unless you see a health bar, don’t bother shooting. Oh, and be sure to bring a vial of silphium. You will definitely need to heal at some point. (A good rule of thumb is, if you have to use it before round three, things probably aren’t going very well.)

Of course, every boss fight is different and some strategies are specific to engagement. Here are some tips for tackling the top three bosses. After that … well, you’ll see.

Screenshot: Housemarque / Kotaku

Phrike (overgrown forest)

Initially, Phrike actually only has two attacks: a narrow, level volley and a move that rains projectiles from above. Did not put. Instead, pick one direction – clockwise or counterclockwise – and stick to it. You’ll find it easier to make a consistent path through the raining orbs, and you’ll find it easier to dodge volleys without accidentally dodging in a tracking blast. You can pass through most projectiles except purple ones. Jump or get away from them.

During the second turn, Phrike will add an extremely painful melee attack to the mix, so try to keep your distance. (A long-range weapon, like the Tachy Rifle, helps.) You can usually predict these melee attacks when Phrike finds himself like a snowboarder preparing for a 1080º. The third round is much the same as the second, except at the faster pace. If you can skip the second round, you can skip the third. I believe in you.

Lily: How not to die (so much) in return.

Screenshot: Housemarque / Kotaku

Ixion (Crimson Trash)

Ixion largely respects the margins and squeezes from point to point. The best way to combat this is to do the same. Stick to the edges. Dash constantly. The arena you fight Ixion in is smaller than it looks, so a close range pistol like the spitmaw blaster won’t be as inhibited by the limited range, especially if you find one with the advantage. of “narrow distribution”.

Between the waves, Ixion will move towards the center of the stage and detonate a ton of blue orbs outward while sending out sporadic waves of energy. Don’t even try to deal damage during this section. You can technically do it, but trying to avoid two distinct types of attacks at once is overwhelming enough. It is better to focus only on survival. (If you have an automatic weapon, like the hollowseeker, you can hold the right trigger to mistakenly fire from the hip. Don’t focus on that.)

Screenshot: Housemarque / Kotaku

Nemesis (Abandoned Citadel)

Nemesis is flanked by two scary monsters resembling AF space cyclops. When they are floating to your level stop shooting and start dodging because they are about to rain lasers down your way. A pistol or rifle with the Trackerswarm ability will be your best friend here. Really, just point your gun in the general direction of Nemesis and release your alternate fire as soon as it’s ready. (If you are lucky enough to find any parasites or artifacts that reduce the cooldown of alternate shots beforehand, be sure to catch them.) Auto targeting will do your job for you.

The second wave is similar; the only major difference is that Nemesis moves between several different platforms, so you might have to use your grappling hook to get to a different arena if you don’t beat her quickly enough.

It’s the third wave that really derails this fight. The ground will give way and you will be thrown into a free fall. During this time, the platforms will increase, so you will have to switch between platforms to make your way into Nemesis’ effective range. But if you get too close you’ll be sent back to your starting point, well out of range for most weapons.

This is where Trackerswarm stops being just useful and starts to be invaluable. At times, Nemesis will send a vertical barrage of blue orbs in your path. It doesn’t matter which direction you choose: just hold right or left until the barrage is over and you should be okay. Other than that, play it safe. Use your grappling hook to glide between platforms as Trackerswarm recharges. Fire when it does. When not, focus on dodging.