After a long wait, the hotly anticipated, Redfall from Arkane Studios is finally here. The jury is still out on whether the wait was worth it, but that’s another story entirely. Redfall is a big game with a lot to see, do, fight, and find. Getting to grips with it all – especially if you are new to the genre – can be quite the challenge.
That’s where we come in. This guide will cover everything you need to know when it comes to starting Redfall. Redfall is an Immersive Sim at its core, and whilst it’s taken some step-backs compared to other games in the genre to accommodate multiplayer, there is still a lot to sink your teeth into.
More Redfall content:
Redfall Previews | Redfall PC Requirements | Remi De La Rosa Character Trailer | Combat Guide
Search Everything
First things first, you have to scour everywhere you go. Redfall is littered with all kinds of goodies to fill your pack. Some of these will be highlighted, but this effect has a limited range. Keep your nose to the ground and poke everything you see. This might seem excessive, but trust us, the more you prod around, the better.
You can find everything from guns to ammo, and even money. This trifecta of discoverable loot makes the world go round, with the latter being incredibly important. You want as much money as you can carry because vendors are expensive, and you are going to be using them a lot.
Use Medkits As A Last Resort
Redfall isn’t a difficult game per se. We will go out on a limb and say it’s a reasonable challenge on its default difficulty, however, enemies can do a lot of damage and getting shot hurts. You won’t be able to tank too many hits early on, so healing becomes pretty darn important. Here’s the catch though, healing is rather limited.
As standard, you can only hold 5 medkits. They also take time to use and don’t heal all that much. Unless you are on Death’s door in the direst of circumstances, we recommend holding onto them. This is because they are also fairly uncommon. Instead, you want to look around for food and drink. This will instantly heal you for a small amount, so break into a house, raid their kitchen, and move on.
Look For Alternate Routes
One of the defining features of an Immersive Sim is choice. This is often more mechanical than narrative, and Redfall has this in droves. You are free to go where you want, and largely how you want. In many cases, you want to avoid the direct route – especially later on. Enemies are numerous and you are squishy.
Many locations have multiple entry points, and scouting them out will help you get the jump on your enemies. Something as simple as finding the backdoor can drastically increase your survival, whilst finding a way to scale the side of the building can trivialise even the most difficult of fights.
Stealth Is Your Friend
Continuing from that, remember you have access to Stealth. Now, not all characters can turn invisible like Jacob, but all of them can skulk around in the shadows. This lets you move around undetected providing you aren’t standing in the open, and this can help you get the jump on enemies. Heck, you can avoid them entirely if you want.
Redfall has a very basic stealth takedown system whereby hitting an enemy from behind with a melee attack will deal massive damage. This will kill your standard grunt. It’s not flashy as you just punch them in the bottom, but it gets the job done. Handy for clearing a path or picking off stragglers before a big fight.
Historical Locations
Two things are guaranteed in life, death and taxes. Thankfully our new vampire overlords don’t care for dollar-doos, so all you have to worry about is getting riddled with bullets and bites. Death is a certainty, and preparing for it can make retrying that bit that much easier.
Redfall has a respawn system, and as standard, you are going to respawn back at the Fire Station. Historical Locations allow you to respawn much closer to the action. Not only that, they let you Fast Travel. Redfall is a big place, and being able to circumvent the on-foot slog makes it much easier to get around.
Don’t Get Attached
Redfall has a lot of weapons, and you don’t want to get attached to any of them. This is because weapons in Redfall are just an amalgamation of stats and traits. That starter shotgun is fine, but why keep it when there is an identical shotgun that packs a handful of powerful modifiers?
Not only that, there are multiple weapons within each category. Flare guns for example are exactly what you’d expect. You can find a double-barrelled flare gun pretty early on. You want to swap weapons in and out of your loadout constantly. Don’t stick to old guns, there’s always something better just around the corner.
Vampires Are Dangerous
Redfall is all about Vampires. Unsurprisingly, Vampires are very dangerous. They have more HP than your standard enemy, they don’t die like your regular grunt, and they deal a lot of damage. We are talking about killing you in about 3 hits. Heck, this is just your bog-standard bloodsucker. The further you get into the game, the more creatively deadly they become.
So how do you deal with them? Bring your biggest guns, keep your distance, and look at your watch. Vampires can’t go out in the sun. This means they will exclusively be found indoors during the day. At night, all bets are off, however. Once you’ve done enough damage to a Vampire, stake it right through the heart, and you put it down for good.
Fear The Red Mist
Redfall is very open, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. You will frequently bump into the mysterious and deadly Red Mist. Emphasis on deadly. You want to avoid this stuff as you will die very quickly if you venture into it. There are ways to deal with it, but early on, keep your distance.
That’s all we have on Redfall for now. Be sure to check out our other lists, guides, and walkthroughs for more Redfall content.
