Forspoken beginners guide: 9 things to know before starting on PS5, PC

Abandoned, Square Enix’s particle effects showcase features aspects of a high-fantasy RPG that may be unlike any game you’ve ever played. Use “Magic Parkour” to sprint through realms from another dimension where the laws of physics do not apply. Forget loadouts — juggle literally dozens of spells at once. Also, your companion is a Talking Cuff named Cuff.

But despite its strangeness, Abandoned It has an undeniable appeal — one of those quirky action RPGs that seems destined for cult classic status within five years. If you take the train early (Abandoned is currently out for PlayStation 5 and PC), here are 9 things you should know before you start.

Cuffs automatically block enemy attacks

Defying decades of game design trends takes some getting used to. Also, the protective power of the cuff is not perfect. That said, once you run out of stamina (indicated by the diamond-shaped node above your health bar), you’ll need to run or hide for a few seconds.

Yes, there is fall damage — sort of

Likewise, the cuff protects you from certain falls. Stamina If he has a full bar, falling from a height will drain his stamina, but will not affect his health. However, if you’re out of stamina, you’ll take damage when you hit the ground. In other words, be careful when fighting on bridges!

Visit all Pilgrim’s Refuges

Pilgrim’s refuge AbandonedVia Station, a small chapel that serves as a place where you can fast travel and heal yourself. There you can also craft items and upgrade existing equipment. Interacting with the pulpit (located at the threshold of each shelter) also reveals undiscovered locations in other parts of the map. But most importantly, about a quarter of the games will be accessible. witchcraft In the library, you can choose challenges that can improve your abilities.

Make sure you always have 3 active spellcrafting challenges

Spellcrafting challenges are relatively easy, requiring you to complete a certain number of actions (i.e. “Kill 3 flying enemies”) with a specific spell. Each challenge you complete permanently increases your magic stats and increases the power of any associated spells. He can juggle three at any time. He only takes 1.68 seconds to fast travel to the shelter, so there’s no reason not to do three all the time.

Image: Luminous Productions/Square Enix via Polygon

Disable the spellcraft menu (and other settings)

While you’re at it, go to Accessibility settings turn off magic challenge displayIf you have an active Spellcrafting Challenge, each time you advance towards one, Abandoned A pop-up will appear detailing your progress against all three issues. This visual clutter has no visible advantage. You’ll be notified anyway when you complete a magic challenge, and you can always check your progress against your current challenge in the magic menu.

more than that Abandoned It features an impressive array of settings, allowing you to tweak everything from visual modes to challenge factors to even the frequency of Cuff’s jarring dialogue. Here’s a list of all the settings I recommend tweaking from the start.

Release support magic first

Earn as you play mana,fundamentally Abandonedskill point acquisition. While it’s tempting to spend mana to upgrade your existing basic combat spells, it’s better to unlock new support spells (skills to the left of his tree).All Support Spells — from Health Steal tendril To Spread Mini Turret — Very useful in early game combat. The sooner you unlock it, the easier your life will be.

Support magic is also limited by cooldowns. Unlocking all eight spells means you always have at least one ready.

A little map tip…

You can view the list of unlocked fast travel locations by clicking the left thumbstick. You can also mark various points to show them as waypoints in the view. Press and hold the triangle if you want to remove all markers at once. Frustratingly, the default view doesn’t let you rotate the map. But when I zoom in fully (with the correct trigger) I can rotate the current area.

Image: Luminous Productions/Square Enix via Polygon

Not everything in the open world is worth your time

Abandoned It’s post-apocalyptic, and its open world is mostly conveniently devoid of characters (i.e., things that are actually interesting and worth interacting with). Even if he gets 100% of a particular region, he doesn’t get anything special, so unless you’re a true completionist, it’s not worth checking all the boxes. Still, some general concerns should be on your radar:

• Monument: These structures provide permanent boosts to single stats and are usually easy to reach.
• Labyrinth Locked: A new necklace or cloak can be obtained at the end of these dungeons, which culminate in a boss fight.throughout Abandoned, it’s worth acquiring as much equipment as possible, even if you don’t plan to use it. All cloaks and necklaces come with their own perks. Once unlocked, the perk can be applied to other cloaks and necklaces at the crafting station. All gear comes with 3 perk slots, so you can end up creating ridiculously powerful combos.
• Rosewood Fountain: Each spring grants new spells that cannot be unlocked by normal leveling up.
• Specific caves, towns and forts: Some are worth checking out, some are not. You can tell by the associated symbol on the map. Anything with a plus sign gives experience points. Key if you find yourself getting your butt kicked in the current region. Up arrows reward stat boosts — equally useful, but getting the same bonuses from monuments for half the effort The most important symbols to look for are the cloak, necklace, or claw icons. If you clear any area, you will get equipment.

Image: Luminous Productions/Square Enix via Polygon

If you see clouds, walk carefully

As you explore Asia, you’ll come across a cloudy region. Within these zones, visibility is greatly reduced and everything is covered in blue miasma. Enemies that can be found by pinpointing purple dots floating in the fog are also much more powerful. Don’t forget to save before entering!