The Second Biome found in Returnal is the sand-painted desert known as The Crimson Wastes. Selene will be introduced to a wave of new enemies and need to ascend the mountain in order to defeat a second powerful creature and collect a new tool.
This area on Atropos is home to a variety of new enemies and areas to explore - some that can't be accessed until progressing through more of the planet's Biomes. This third-person roguelike title developed by Housemarque can be incredibly difficult at times, but these strategies can help the player and the stranded pilot get one step closer to figuring out the truth.
8 Keep Moving
Movement is one of the core mechanics when it comes to survival in Returnal, not just in the second Biome but all six of the alien-infested areas. From jumping side to side, to dashing towards an enemy to get a better shot or away from its attack.
The enemies are quick and will force Selene to be consistently flying through the air, avoiding dozens of glowing orbs and tentacles closing in on her. The player should familiarize themselves with the gameplay and controls so that she can safely make her way to the next Biome.
7 Upgrade Integrity Bar
Maxing out the player's Integrity bar is quite simple. Fill the three slots next to the Integrity bar and Selene's health level will receive a slight increase. In order to do this, the player will need to find Resin. These small, green containers will reward the player one slot towards enhancing their Integrity.
When at full health, the various Silphium Vials scattered throughout the area used to heal will instead also be directed to filling a slot towards upgrading the player's Integrity.
6 Hunt For Stronger Weapons
After defeating Phrike in the game's opening Biome - the Overgrown Ruins, entering the second Biome will see a change in scenery and in enemy types both visually and ability-wise. Finding a weapon with a higher weapon level early on should be one of the player's first objectives as their weapon collected from the Overgrown Ruins won't be powerful enough to take on some of the new, stronger enemy types.
5 Collect Astronaut Figure
If the player finds themselves with an extra 250 Obolites, the mysterious Astronaut Figure is a great investment into the pilot's future. It can be purchased at a nearby Fabricator or randomly picked up throughout the deserted area.
With just the brief description of "It will not let you go.", this artifact will give the player a second chance at survival by reviving them the next time their run is cut short.
4 Resinous Shield
This artifact can be picked up randomly in any Biome and essentially guarantees a shielded Selene in the near future. The Resinous Shield will gift the player a protective shield from the next enemy hit the next time that they collect Resin. This will give the player a chance to return fire or make their escape.
3 Protection
In Returnal, the stranded space pilot is going to get hit - a lot. This is why focusing on the player's Protection stat is rather important. The stat will reduce the amount of damage taken by each enemy's attack points.
To boost this stat, the player will need to find one of the various Fabricators containing a Protection Augment. Purchasing the Augments will enhance the player's Protection level by 10% and can be stacked with other Fabricators found in other Biomes.
2 Use The Reconstructor
The Reconstructor doesn't give the player a lot of information on what exactly its purpose is. It costs six Ether and seemingly nothing happens once activated while the player might be confused as to the purpose of the machine. However, all questions are answered once Selene's corpse falls to the floor and she returns to the Reconstructor's location rather than back to her ship.
1 Defeating Ixion
The final boss found hiding at the end of the Crimson Wastes Biome is a winged creature named Ixion. While they're not the toughest final enemy in the game, they do offer a somewhat challenging battle if not prepared. Dodging is the number one thing to remember when taking them on to avoid their multiple attacks.
They come with a variety of damaging attacks and sticking to the edges of the area while dashing side to side is the best chance at survival. The Electropylon Driver weapon is also a good option when it comes to taking the boss on since it consistently reduces the creature's health even while Selene dances around the area.