Remnant: From The Ashes Beginner’s Tips: Combat, Mods, Upgrades & More

Remnant: From the Ashes is a game which can and will pose quite a challenge for you, especially if you decide to go about doing things on your own instead of with friends. Players who are familiar with the Soulsborne games will feel familiar with the overall difficulty and the structure of the game. However, those who come to Remnant expecting an ordinary co-op shooter might be in for a bit of a shock.

Much like in FromSoftware games, the world and the gameplay can be a bit obtuse in the beginning and the game doesn’t really hold your hand or even explain just how important certain elements of the mechanics actually are. The World in Remnant is a mysterious place, and the game is relying on the players to explore both the narrative and the mechanics to get the most of it. If you find yourself beating your head against the wall over and over again, this guide is here to help.

 

1. Dodge and Roll

In any Soulsborne game, dodging is of utmost importance. Players who can’t master it will almost certainly face a brick wall once things get more heated. While normal enemies might not seem that tough at first, they can (and will) overwhelm you with sheer numbers. Dodging away from incoming attacks is key to surviving such onslaughts. You can even reload your gun while dodging, so when things are dire, fire-dodge-fire is a really good tactic to stay alive. Take a few minutes while fighting ordinary enemies to get the timing of the dodge right.

 

2. Upgrade Yourself

As you level up you will gain points to upgrade your traits. At the start of the game, you will have access to the three basic traits, health, endurance and magic. Upping your Health and Endurance stats is the best thing to do as you set out. Health lets you take more damage while Endurance increases your ability to run and dodge. Later on, you will have other useful traits to improve but these are the important ones for the first few hours.

 

3. Seek Elder Knowledge

One of the best traits you can find in the world of Remnant is Elder Knowledge. Elder knowledge boosts your experience gain and is therefore very good to have early on. To gain access to it you need a keycard which is found early on after you gain access to the city. Take this key to the basement of Ward 13 and you can open a locked door. Behind this door, there are a bunch of lore text and items to pick up. One of the things you find is a tape recorder with some very eerie voices on, and listening to this unlocks Elder Knowledge.

 

4. Go Back To Ward 13

The checkpoints you encounter through the world grants you the ability to travel back to Ward 13. While there, you can visit vendor and other NPCs to upgrade your gear or stock up on items. This is especially important if you are stuck somewhere. Going back and stocking up on some consumables will make your day a whole lot easier. The most useful items for me were bandages and oilcloths to remove status effects, ammo boxes, and the health vials.

 

5. Conserve Ammo

The shooting in Remnant feels so good that it is tempting to keep blasting away at enemies. However, doing this will quickly drain your ammo and leave you very exposed very quickly. Enemies do drop ammo but it is far from something to rely on. Keep your sidearm for the smaller mob enemies and save the Long Gun ammo for the bigger baddies that come trudging towards you. Additionally, it is a good idea to bring a couple of ammo boxes with you just in case you find yourself cornered somewhere without any ammo at all.

 

6. Don’t Underestimate A Good Axe

While the primary way of dealing death in Remnant is with firearms, it doesn’t mean that the swords and axes you find are without use. Attacking smaller enemies with them is not only a good way to conserve ammo, but it can also be the best way to get out of certain situations. Melee attacks tend to stagger enemies and hit multiple targets in one go. Use them on smaller critters who like to rush you for best effect.

 

7. Mod Your Weapons

Mods in Remnant are very powerful and can often make the difference between victory and death, so when going back to Ward 13 to stock up on consumables or turn in a quest, always take a look at the new mods you can buy or craft. Some of these mods will simply change your damage output, while others might summon creatures to help you or create healing auras. Mods are powered up by firing your weapons, therefore it might behoove you to put especially important mods on the weapons that have the highest fire rate.

 

8. Bring a Friend

A good friend is a great thing to have in most situations in life. In Remnant, it can sometimes be an absolute necessity. In all earnestness, Remnant might best be played as a co-op game altogether. The large number of monsters tend to be a tad too much when alone. Without a buddy, the early game can be a real slog before you can upgrade yourself a bit. Alternatively, you could have randos join your game. Naturally, it is not as fun as with someone you know but since it is co-op it works well enough.

 

9. Explore The World

Remnant is a game with many mysteries and secrets to uncover and it is always a good idea to make sure you have been to every nook and cranny of the map before moving on. Throughout the world, you can find everything from new weapons, mods and even abilities lying around. So don’t rush through new areas, slow down and make sure you get it all before moving on.

 

10. Study the Bosses

Just like in Dark Souls or Sekiro, the boss battles in Remnant will truly put your skills to the test. They hammer home the fact that this is not just an ordinary shooter. Positioning and knowing when and where to strike at a boss is one of the fundamentally important things to learn. Remnant differs from other Soulsborne games here since many bosses have weak points or special ways of beating them.

For instance, one of the earliest bosses I fought in my game (bosses and paths are randomized)was the Ent. After dying several times, I discovered that I could shoot its legs off- changing the battle completely. Take some time to study the bosses and the arenas you fight them in. It will almost always pay off to do so.