walkthrough

How to survive your first run in Returnal

Your first run is a tutorial in disguise. Here is what the game does not tell you — and what gets people killed in the first 20 minutes.

How to survive your first run

Your first run is not meant to be won. The game is teaching you while pretending it isn't. Here's what nobody tells you on attempt one.

  1. Adrenaline is the only thing that matters. Every kill without taking damage stacks an Adrenaline level (max 5). Levels grant invisible buffs — extra melee damage, free reloads, shield pings. Losing all your Adrenaline is worse than losing health. Do not eat free hits.
  2. Reload Active is huge. When you reload, a small white bar fills. Press R2 the moment it crosses the highlighted band — your gun finishes reloading instantly. Master this in run 1; it doubles your DPS by run 5.
  3. Don't grab every parasite. Parasites give a buff and a debuff. The trade is rarely worth it on run 1. Skip them until you know what each one does.
  4. Use the Astronaut Figurine. It's a one-time auto-revive. Buy it in the shop the moment you can — it costs Obolites (the orange currency). It pays for itself.
  5. Sprint is L3. The game never explicitly says this. Hold L3 to sprint — outrun half the bullet patterns.

If stuck: if you die in 10 minutes and feel like you learned nothing, the game is working as intended. Press X on the death screen and try again.