Here are a few tips you should know before playing Redfall
/Redfall is now out on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Game Pass, and before you delve in to save the town of Redfall from vampires, here are a few tips I wish I had known before I started my first playthrough.
Redfall Combat Tips
Human Enemies are one hit with melee if they haven’t seen you
Redfall isn’t a stealth game, but if you plan to reduce their numbers before you go in guns blazing, you can sneak up on a guy and melee them. There’s no cool takedown animation as your punch will just make them crumple to the ground, but at least it didn’t alert anybody else in the area.
This is just for human enemies though and only if they are unaware that you are there (alerted enemies need a few melee hits to go down). Don’t try sneaking up with an unexpected vampire as melee won’t do much with them.
You can eliminate the red mist briefly with a UV gun
When exploring Redfall you’ll encounter these statues that emit a red mist that hurts any human that goes through it. To disable the statue from generating the red mist you can use your UV gun to turn it to stone for just a few seconds, ample time for you or your team to cross safely.
This makes having a UV gun (despite the level) in your inventory quite handy when there’s red mist blocking your way.
Normal Vampire charging at you? Strafe
If you’re struggling to go against the normal vampire enemies in the game, especially in groups, I noticed that they mostly tend to go for a lunge attack, and this move can be easily dodged by simply strafing either to the left or the right. Don’t backpedal, just strafe as vampires charge at you and you’ll notice how easy it is to dodge them.
There’s damage falloff in all guns
Range matters and you’ll have to take note as the distance will affect your gun’s damage. It’s still unclear if some guns have different ranges but don’t be too alarmed if you’re pistol shot to the head did little damage.
Don't shoot petrified vampires, just melee them!
With enough UV light exposure, vampires will be petrified, leaving them exposed to be shattered to bits. Naturally, you can shoot them until they are shattered, but the most effective way is to simply melee them! Normal Vampires die instantly with a single hit, while strong ones just take a massive hit and get freed from the petrification.
For the sake of saving ammo, just go for the punch.
Redfall Exploration Tips
Don’t use your lockpicks on doors right away, look around first
This is an Arkane game after all, and they are known for giving players multiple paths to approach an area. If you see a locked door that can be opened with a lockpick, stop and look around the area first. Maybe there’s an open window or a glass you can break to enter the building.
Players can only carry a handful of lockpicks, so best to use them wisely.
Safehouses always have at least one med-kit to pick up
If you’re low on med-kits, drop by a safehouse nearby as there’s always at least one med-kit you can pick up for free, or you can spend some Support (the game’s currency) to buy some from the Lost and Found vendor.
Speaking of Lost and Found vendors, see what they have for sale
Mainly, the Lost and Found vendor serves as a way to restock on Lockpicks and Rewire Kits, but they also randomly sell one weapon at a time. Some are junk, but there are times when you might find Unrivaled weapons, the highest tier of weapons in the game as it’s equivalent to Legendaries from other games.
The Armory has yet to spawn any weapon worth picking up as the best we saw being available in this vendor are purple weapons.
You can use Rewire Kits to dismantle tripwires
Some areas are booby-trapped by the cultists that serve their Vampire Gods, but if you want to disarm them safely or not alert enemies nearby of your presence you can actually use a Rewire Kit to dismantle them.
You can also shoot them, but do it in a safe place as the blast radius on these are large for some reason.
Not all lock storages are worth it
You can carry Lockpicks that can either open locked doors or storage. Most of the time locked car trunks and normal chests usually contain junk weapons that I mostly regret using a Lockpick on, so avoid those. The ones I find fruitful are locked safes, so it can be a hit or miss, so choose wisely.
It’s worth escaping vampire nests before they collapse
Vampire Nests are a good source of finding better gear as once you’ve destroyed the heart that keeps the nest intact, the small pocket world starts to crumble and you have just seconds to loot as many containers as you can before the nest collapses on you.
If you fail to escape the nest when it collapses, don’t worry, all that you’ve looted are safe and you didn’t die so your Support should also be intact. The only thing you miss out on when not extracting properly is the experience you get, which is worth it.
Each successful extraction earns you 1,000 experience, which is more fruitful than any side quest or activity in the game.
That’s about it for now. We’ll add more tips as we play more of the game but so far this should be enough to get you started as you delve into the world of Redfall.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is now my favorite title from the Persona team by far. It’s one of those rare games where its main pillars work harmoniously, and you get lost in its charm. It’s a pristine JRPG, with enough style and substance to satisfy hardcore JRPG fans, Persona fans, and even those who rarely touch JRPGs.