Chapter 2 of Forspoken is called Stuck and introduces players to some of the more magical elements of the game. It's here that players will get their first taste of combat, as well as their first few glimpses of the wonderous world of Athia: the beautiful and cruel land in which most of the game's main story chapters take place.
When it comes to length, players can expect to spend around 40 minutes or so on Chapter 2 of Forspoken, though this may vary a little depending on the difficulty setting that they're using and how much time they dedicate to exploring. However, as there are once again no side activities in this chapter, there's not really that much room for exploration here.
The Ruined Castle
When chapter 2 begins, players will find themselves in a ruined castle, which is located deep in the heart of a strange land. Almost immediately after her arrival the cuff that Frey put on at the end of the previous chapter will begin talking to her, after which, players will be tasked with exploring the castle. There's not much to do here right now, so players should follow the path around to the right and then climb down the ladder.
Eventually, players will find themselves in a decrepit hall and should follow the staircase down to its center. Doing so will trigger a cutscene in which a giant dragon appears. It doesn't hang around for too long, but Cuff still suggests that they leave the castle just in case it returns. To do so, players should head outside and then follow the path toward the castle gate. If they're having trouble finding it they can activate the Cuff Compass by pressing Up on the D-Pad.
Junoon
After leaving the castle grounds, players will find themselves in an area called Junoon, where they'll soon encounter their first enemy: a mutated fox-like creature known as a Limnocyon. As per the combat tutorial, players can take this out fairly easily by hitting it with spells. This is done by tapping either the R2 button (PlayStation) or the Right Trigger (Xbox), with players able to change which spell they're using by holding the R1 (PlayStation) or RB (Xbox) button to bring up the spell wheel.
Upon defeating the Limnocyon, players will be able to explore the area ahead of them a little. There are a few more enemies here that players can defeat for some easy EXP, as well as a bunch of crafting items. If they haven't already done so, players may want to turn on Automatic Item Gathering, which can be found under the "Accessibility Settings" tab of the Settings menu. There are a few abandoned buildings for players to explore here too, some of which contain chests.
Whenever they're ready, players should make their way to the quest marker, which will lead them to a stone bridge. They'll then be introduced to Cuff Scans, which work a little bit like Aloy's focus in the Horizon games, highlighting key points of interest whenever it is activated. Cuff Scans can be performed by pressing Up on the D-Pad, with players able to use the technique as often and as many times as they like.
After opening up the chests in this area, players should continue forward, which will lead them to a new type of enemy known as a Canis Dirus. These wolf-like creatures are a lot like the last enemies that players faced and can be taken down relatively easily using basic spells. If they're having trouble targeting them, players can lock on to a single enemy by pushing the right analog stick in once. Pressing it in again will deactivate the technique, allowing players to rotate the camera freely as they see fit.
How To Defeat The Chapalania
Once the pack of Canis Dirus has been defeated, players will run into a mini-boss: a mutated bear-like creature known as a Chapalania. As one might expect from an enemy of this size and appearance, the Chapalania can dish out quite a bit of damage, though players shouldn't have too much trouble dodging its attacks. They'll learn about Surge Magic here, as well as Killer Blows, the latter of which can be used to finish off staggered enemies by pressing either the Triangle (PlayStation) or Y (Xbox) button.
Escaping the Arctodus
Upon finishing off the Chapalania, players will unlock the Flow magic technique, which enables Frey to use special magic parkour to climb up walls and other structures. This proves to be fairly timely, as Frey will be approached by a trio of angry Arctodus almost immediately after unlocking it. Players can stay and defeat them if they like, for which they'll receive a healthy amount of EXP, but it's arguably better to flee rather than fight.
In order to escape the Arctodus, players will need to hold either the Circle (PlayStation) or B (Xbox) button as they approach walls. They should follow the quest markers whenever they're ready, which will eventually lead them to a locked door set into a large stone wall. Thankfully, there's some debris to the right of the door, which players can use to scale the wall and enter the abandoned village that lies just behind it.
The Abandoned Village
There are a few treasure chests scattered around the village, but none of them contain anything all that useful. With this in mind, players should head straight for the destination that they marked on the map, where they'll be able to stock up on healing items and pick up a few pieces of Forspoken lore. After grabbing everything, players should rest up. They'll soon be awoken by an ominous sound though, at which point they'll need to follow the quest marker to safety. Or not.
How to Defeat the Dragon
Upon dropping down into the courtyard, players will find themselves face-to-face with the dragon from earlier on. It's easily the toughest enemy that players have faced so far, though can be beaten fairly easily providing players are able to dodge its attacks effectively. If they targetthe fiery patch on the Dragon's chest, players should be able to stagger the dragon, at which point, they can move in closer and finish it off.
Once the dragon's health falls below a certain level a cutscene will play out and players will be transported to a new area. Unfortunately, the game doesn't allow players to explore this new location all that much, so players should just follow the quest markers, being sure to use Cuff Scans every now and again to grab the various chests along the way. Eventually, players will find themselves battling the dragon a second time, though, on this occasion, they'll simply need to take a bit of damage in order to end the fight.
The City of Cipal
After yet another cutscene, players will regain control of Frey on a rocky cliffside. Attempting to go left here will lead to players being teleported back to the main path against their will, so they should instead follow the path around to the right. Doing so will lead to Frey being taken prisoner by some mysterious knights, after which, players will simply need to take a few steps forward to have Frey enter the courthouse. There'll then be a few more cutscenes before the chapter comes to an end, at which point, Chapter 3 of Forspoken, The Interloper, will begin.
Forspoken is available now on PS5 and PC.