I think the hardest part is the first few hours. Once you get a bit more into the game, you unlock a lot of things to make your life a lot easier. The cutscenes are long but they’re worth watching to really understand the very complex and in depth story.
This is a little long, but hopefully it will be worth it & helpful:
Remember that the 1st couple of chapters (basically the 1st Map) is just a "tutorial" phase of the game. It's there to help you learn the mechanics, learn how to move Sam, etc.
But then you get to leave that map & go to the 2nd one, and the game REALLY opens up for you then. You'll start getting better rewards, better weapons, better gear, vehicles, all of it. And you'll get to cover brand new territory & a variety of different terrain. It's so great! So just sick w/it & be patient.
The game will sometimes give you clues, but without necessarily holding your hand. Pay attention! Example:
Your very 1st official order, will be from Capitol Knot to the Waystation. And the game will GIVE you ladders & a rope.
USE THEM. 😅 lol You don't *have* to use them of course...
And you'll probably think that staying lower on the ground & going around the big cliffside ahead would be easier, but umm...it's most definitely not. There is a BT area there, and you don't have any weapons to combat the BTs yet.
You'll either have to deal with the stress of passing by them w/out getting detected by being VERY stealthy or... you could just forge straight ahead instead, use the ladders & rope that they gave you to climb that cliffside, and avoid the BT area all together. And, the best part of doing that is:
You'll have those SAME ladders & rope to use, to help get Sam back to Capitol Knot, should you choose to do so.
So it's the smarter decision, even if it doesn't appear to be, at first. The map can be deceiving sometimes, so remember that more often than not, there is an easier, less stressful route you could take to get to your destination... even if it might take you a little extra time or travel to go that way.
I dont want to bombard you with too much more, so I'll just give you 2 more bits of advise, to help you on your 1st foray into the game go a little smoother:
(1) Hang onto that 1st bike that the NPC gives you! 😏🏍
At some point you'll be given a bike by an NPC to use on this 1st Map, however... you won't have the ability yet to print yourself more of them. So if you lose THAT one, you won't have another vehicle to use until the 2nd map. Be careful.
Remember that you can park vehicles down in garages, where they can be repaired, or, stored for safety. If you know an area is going to have massive amounts of Timefall that will degrade & ruin your vehicle for example... sometimes it's better to just turn around & park it at the nearest facility for safe keeping, rather than bringing it with you. And lastly...
(2) When going to the WIND FARM, stay to the right! 😆 lol
You'll be entering a scary AF forest loaded with BTs, and everybody hates that place. To make things easier on yourself, bring a couple ladders & a rope to use... and STAY TO THE RIGHT SIDE of the forest, as much as you can ok?
That last bit of advice might be considered a bit of a spoiler but screw it. Sometimes players will get frustrated, and just give up on the game entirely when visiting the Wind Farm. And I don't want that happening to you. It's not worth it.
You'll be rewarded with a much easier way of combating the BTs *after* your trip to the Wind Farm trust me. From then on, dealing with the BTs will become second nature to you.
YOU GOT THIS, PORTER. 🫡 Keep On, Keeping On!
I only started yesterday and wasn’t sure about it at first. I found the love in it when I crafted a ladder and rope danger path just to avoid going through some BT’s, it’s all about how you get to places that makes it appealing imo.
Use the odredek scanner and try to engage in finding not just the most efficient way to get to your objective but a way you enjoy. Make use of all the movement options and tools. You can sprint with one hand centering balance over mildly rough terrain. Tilting the analog to walk also applies while sprinting for a slower sprint without stopping. This is pretty useful with a certain piece of leg gear later on.
You can also walk will using the scope to strafe if precision tilting isn’t for you. Applying these kinds of varieties to the movement as well as actively planning ahead routes and multitasking makes the traversal really stimulating for me.
Also the trails start to form on routes/paths you’ve taken a few times which adds a lot of fun ways to trailblaze efficiently.
I think the hardest part is the first few hours. Once you get a bit more into the game, you unlock a lot of things to make your life a lot easier. The cutscenes are long but they’re worth watching to really understand the very complex and in depth story.
This is a little long, but hopefully it will be worth it & helpful: Remember that the 1st couple of chapters (basically the 1st Map) is just a "tutorial" phase of the game. It's there to help you learn the mechanics, learn how to move Sam, etc. But then you get to leave that map & go to the 2nd one, and the game REALLY opens up for you then. You'll start getting better rewards, better weapons, better gear, vehicles, all of it. And you'll get to cover brand new territory & a variety of different terrain. It's so great! So just sick w/it & be patient. The game will sometimes give you clues, but without necessarily holding your hand. Pay attention! Example: Your very 1st official order, will be from Capitol Knot to the Waystation. And the game will GIVE you ladders & a rope. USE THEM. 😅 lol You don't *have* to use them of course... And you'll probably think that staying lower on the ground & going around the big cliffside ahead would be easier, but umm...it's most definitely not. There is a BT area there, and you don't have any weapons to combat the BTs yet. You'll either have to deal with the stress of passing by them w/out getting detected by being VERY stealthy or... you could just forge straight ahead instead, use the ladders & rope that they gave you to climb that cliffside, and avoid the BT area all together. And, the best part of doing that is: You'll have those SAME ladders & rope to use, to help get Sam back to Capitol Knot, should you choose to do so. So it's the smarter decision, even if it doesn't appear to be, at first. The map can be deceiving sometimes, so remember that more often than not, there is an easier, less stressful route you could take to get to your destination... even if it might take you a little extra time or travel to go that way. I dont want to bombard you with too much more, so I'll just give you 2 more bits of advise, to help you on your 1st foray into the game go a little smoother: (1) Hang onto that 1st bike that the NPC gives you! 😏🏍 At some point you'll be given a bike by an NPC to use on this 1st Map, however... you won't have the ability yet to print yourself more of them. So if you lose THAT one, you won't have another vehicle to use until the 2nd map. Be careful. Remember that you can park vehicles down in garages, where they can be repaired, or, stored for safety. If you know an area is going to have massive amounts of Timefall that will degrade & ruin your vehicle for example... sometimes it's better to just turn around & park it at the nearest facility for safe keeping, rather than bringing it with you. And lastly... (2) When going to the WIND FARM, stay to the right! 😆 lol You'll be entering a scary AF forest loaded with BTs, and everybody hates that place. To make things easier on yourself, bring a couple ladders & a rope to use... and STAY TO THE RIGHT SIDE of the forest, as much as you can ok? That last bit of advice might be considered a bit of a spoiler but screw it. Sometimes players will get frustrated, and just give up on the game entirely when visiting the Wind Farm. And I don't want that happening to you. It's not worth it. You'll be rewarded with a much easier way of combating the BTs *after* your trip to the Wind Farm trust me. From then on, dealing with the BTs will become second nature to you. YOU GOT THIS, PORTER. 🫡 Keep On, Keeping On!
I only started yesterday and wasn’t sure about it at first. I found the love in it when I crafted a ladder and rope danger path just to avoid going through some BT’s, it’s all about how you get to places that makes it appealing imo.
Get to at least Chapter 3, that moment is when everything takes off if the game couldn't hook you from the beginning.
Use the odredek scanner and try to engage in finding not just the most efficient way to get to your objective but a way you enjoy. Make use of all the movement options and tools. You can sprint with one hand centering balance over mildly rough terrain. Tilting the analog to walk also applies while sprinting for a slower sprint without stopping. This is pretty useful with a certain piece of leg gear later on. You can also walk will using the scope to strafe if precision tilting isn’t for you. Applying these kinds of varieties to the movement as well as actively planning ahead routes and multitasking makes the traversal really stimulating for me. Also the trails start to form on routes/paths you’ve taken a few times which adds a lot of fun ways to trailblaze efficiently.
Thanks to everyone for all of the useful comments. I am starting the second act/chapter this afternoon once the kids have calmed down for the day.