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Deathloop takes players to the island of Blackreef, seemingly stuck in a loop of a single day, from which main character Colt must break. The premise is both fascinating yet simple, and the gameplay mechanics resemble a familiar first-person shooter. That said, there is a lot more to Arkane Studios' new title.
Deathloop is a unique game, specifically because it's made by Arkane Studios, who also made Prey and Dishonored, both of which are titles known for challenging the creativity and curiosity of players when it comes to problem-solving. This isn't a typical first-person shooter mindset, which results in these common mistakes most players make in Deathloop.
10 Forgetting To Update Drivers And Optimize Graphics Settings
While this was already said by Arkane on release day, with new releases it's always extremely important to make sure graphics drivers are up to date. This is the case with Deathloop as well, as not having the latest drivers will be a major issue in terms of gameplay experience.
On top of that, jumping straight in is also a bad idea. Take some time to play around with the graphics settings and FPS cap. Deathloop has fairly high graphics requirements, so low-end PCs will struggle on higher graphics quality settings. For an in-depth look at some settings that can be tuned, take a look at this guide.
9 Rushing The Main Story
Deathloop hooks players in almost instantly with its unique and captivating premise. Main character Colt has no memory of how he got to Blackreef, but he does know he needs to stop the loop by killing the Visionaries. It's one heck of a plot, but should be advanced with caution.
Rather than running after the main story quests, side leads are important as well. These can earn Colt important loot like rare trinkets, more Residuum to Infuse his gear with, weapons, clues, and most importantly those sweet, powerful Slabs that make him absolutely unstoppable.
8 Running In Guns Blazing
Deathloop's combat gets very fun once Colt unlocks a few Slabs and manages to get his hands on some cool weapons, but violence still isn't the most ideal way to handle matters in the game due to how much damage enemies output, especially in groups. And the Eternalists always seem to come in flocks.
No matter how tempting the run and shoot approach might be, the slow and steady method wins the race. It will result in way fewer deaths, and less loot lost during a mission due to Colt not being able to make it back with his Residuum and use it to Infuse his gear. Learn to be stealthy, and the game will reward Colt's patience.
7 Infusing Useless Gear
The annoying part about Deathloop is that the game forces the player to infuse their starting gun, which isn't all that great. Most of the starter gear can be picked up over and over again during the game, so there's no reason to use precious Residuum on any of it.
Instead, wait for the good items to pop up. Rare trinkets, better weapons, and most importantly, Slabs. Residuum should be spent first and foremost on the latter since Slabs are exclusively looted off of Visionaries.
6 Taking The Most Obvious Route
Blackreef's four areas are not just what the eye meets. Despite Updaam and Karl's Bay having nice paved streets and pathways, these aren't ideal routes for Colt to take. Colt's path is usually in the shadows or through the rooftops.
Take a moment to look around for alternate paths whenever approaching a quest location. There's typically more than one way of getting to where Colt needs to go, and each path has its pros and cons, some requiring a code or a double jump trinket, or hardcore parkour. The front door method, however, is usually extremely poor and will result in untimely death.
5 Not Tracking And Observing Enemies
The Eternalists might not seem like a very bright brunch, and they certainly don't have the most impressive AI. That said, when an area is absolutely swarming with them, timing and tracking them is key. Colt should try to keep tabs on the most important enemies as he approaches an area.
Most enemies, when approached, will also engage in conversation before eventually scattering to their regular patrol routes. As such, it's important to wait first before moving in, and the conversation usually gives Colt a bit of time to track each Eternalist quickly.
4 Fighting Julianna Head On
Julianna is one big killjoy, especially when Colt has managed to surgically execute a plan up until her invasion. It can really throw a wrench into the player's gameplay when she decides to make an appearance, and it can also be very tempting to take out any frustration over ruined plans on her.
Julianna is strong, however, and she does a ton of damage. The Eternalists won't hesitate to help her either. Sometimes it's better to be stealthy and try and get the jump on her, or even bypass her by using the Hackamajig on the radio antenna to unlock the tunnels once again to escape. Bottom line is, there's no need to fight her, especially early on when Colt doesn't have the best gear yet.
3 Skipping A Time Of The Day
After the tutorial phase of the game is over, Colt is pretty much free to run around Blackreef doing whatever he wants. The day is separated into four different times: morning, noon, afternoon, and evening. It's possible to skip to the next phase in-between missions, but it's actually not the best idea.
Rather than skipping time, the player can load out an area they haven't visited during that time of the day to gather resources like Residuum and follow up on leads. Chances are they'll come across some secrets or additional loot. If not, it's just a nice way to get more Residuum, even if it doesn't send Colt to hunt down a Visionary. Always make the most of the time Colt has, unless it's towards the end of the game.
2 Not Taking Advantage Of The Environment
The environment in Deathloop offers a lot of opportunities for the player. Colt doesn't just have to rely on his arsenal to take down enemies. All it takes is just a bit of imagination and exploration to find the best spots.
Hacking turrets is one of the greatest ways to distract and input more damage on enemies. Various distractions like tapping into radio signals or glass bottles are great, too, when the player needs a pesky Eternalist to get out of their way or stray from their patrol route.
1 Forgetting To Explore
Despite all the quests and leads in Deathloop, Colt is still free to go around any area he's in and explore as much as he wants. In essence, it's a bunch of small open-world areas that have tons of detail and secrets ready for players to find.
Many of these secret areas and stashes contain valuable resources for Colt later on, and even more lore and information about the world. Most importantly, it's the best way to find codes for doors and containers that are found littering Blackreef and blocking the player's path, so go wild and be free, explore as much as possible, and don't feel restricted to only follow the quests and side leads.
Deathloop was released on September 14, 2021, and is available on PC and PlayStation 5.