When I first began my journey through Saros, I knew that my love for Housemarque’s previous title, Returnal, would be a huge benefit, but I also knew that it would not carry me through on its own. Saros is indeed a spiritual successor to Returnal, and players with a strong foundation in that game will likely pick up Saros much quicker. However, Saros features enough new systems and mechanics that even the most experienced Returnal players will likely benefit from some early-game help. With that in mind, this guide will focus on providing a list of beginner tips that will give all players a leg up in Saros.
Saros: All Biomes
Curious to know how many biomes Saros has? Here’s everything you need to know.
Saros: Beginner Tips Overview
I will be covering multiple areas in significant depth throughout this guide, but this first section will begin by sharing a brief overview of the most important topics. Saros throws a lot of information at you fairly quickly upon starting the game, but try not to let yourself get overwhelmed. Focus on these areas first, and as you begin to understand how Carcosa works, the broader list of tips will make much more sense.
- Collect All Lucenite: Collecting Lucenite should be your primary focus on your first runs.
- Always Move Forward: Do not concern yourself with backtracking.
- Proficiency over Preference: Always take the more powerful weapons (this can change later, but this holds true early on)
- Always Take Halcyon: Halcyon is a very important upgrade material. Always take it when it is offered early on.
These three tips should be your focus throughout your early-game experience. Below, I will expand on these ideas, and provide more context for specific items and areas.
Saros Important Beginner Tip 1: Lucenite Above All
Always Collect Lucenite:
Lucenite is both a resource and a currency in Saros. During much of the game, there is nothing more important than maximizing your ability to collect it. Lucenite is not only used for purchasing upgrades from Primary, but collecting it also increases your Proficiency, allowing you to find more powerful weapons.
If you are just beginning Saros, collecting Lucenite should be your primary focus. You should be trying to collect every piece sitting loose in the world, and every piece dropped by enemies.
This may seem obvious, but it is very easy to get overwhelmed during combat and forget that Lucenite is falling from every enemy. It was my first instinct to be overprotective, and not charge into the enemy ranks to collect Lucenite, but I quickly learned that this is not the smart way to play Saros.
You should absolutely dash headlong into the enemy to collect as much Lucenite as possible. This will not only help you collect as much Lucenite as possible, it will also allow you to form the habit of playing aggressively, which will pay dividends as combat becomes more and more hectic over the course of the game.
Focus on the Drive Attribute:
The Drive attribute increases Lucenite gain. As mentioned above, this has two primary functions: first, it increases the amount of Lucenite you return to Passage with, ultimately allowing you to unlock upgrades at Primary faster. Second, the more Lucenite you collect, the faster your Proficiency level increases in-run, which is what determines the level of weapons you find.
You can permanently increase your Drive attribute through Primary, and temporarily increase it during a run through Artifacts.
Unlock Lucenite Saver:
Lucenite Saver is found in the third rung of upgrades at Primary. It will cost you 1 Halcyon. You will lose less Lucenite upon dying with this upgrade. You don’t have to unlock all upgrades on the lower rungs to reach it. You’ll simply need to form a continuous path through Shield Amplifier (1 Halcyon to unlock) to Second Chance (2 Halcyon to unlock). Lucenite Saver is directly connected to Second Chance.
Saros: Attribute Volatility Explained
Confused about how Attribute Volatility works in Saros? Here’s whether or not you should go over the cap.
Saros Important Beginner Tip 2: Always Move Forward
Keep Moving Forward Mentality:
When I say that you should always move forward, that does not mean that you should not take the time to thoroughly explore each biome on every run. What I mean is that you should play Saros with the mentality that you are not going to be backtracking for items you left behind, or resources you strategically chose not to pick up in case you need them later.
Play Saros with the mentality that whatever you find, you are going to decide what to do with it then and there. Often, you won’t even have the ability to return to a location once you progress too far in the biome, so you should always plan on not returning. If you do not need an Aether, pick it up and exchange it for Lucenite. Once you start to learn how the biomes work, there may be exceptions to this rule, but when you are first starting, this is the way to go.
Don’t Return to Defeated Biomes Until Later in Saros:
Keeping in line with the main thrust of the rule, once you complete the first and second biome, don’t return to them to explore. Wait until you’ve completed at least the third biome and have a good grasp of how the game works. This will allow you to collect many of the abilities you’ll need before returning as well.
There is literally no point in returning to these areas early in the game, as you can get more Lucenite by moving forward.
Saros Important Beginner Tip 3: Focus on Power over Preference
Don’t be Too Picky about Early Weapons:
I know from experience that using a weapon you truly like always feels like the best choice, but in Saros, you should always take the more powerful option when it is presented to you, even if it’s not your favorite weapon. This is especially true when we are talking about large differences in Proficiency. If it’s only one tier, you may be able to justify sticking with a Smart Rifle over a Ricochet Pistol if you prefer, but once you start getting into two or three levels of difference, there is simply no scenario where you shouldn’t take the more powerful weapon.
Saros: All Main & Power Weapons
Saros has quite a few weapons with different variants that players can get their hands on. Here’s how players can use them and when they unlock.
Saros General Beginner Tips
While I feel that those three tips are the most important, there are still more areas that are worth discussing. Below, I’ll include some general tips that should help make your life easier while exploring Carcosa.
Always Take Halcyon:
- This is one of the most important tips for the early game, but it doesn’t require much explanation. You will need a decent amount of Halcyon early on, and it is both rare and finite. Take it when presented the option.
Unlock Second Chance:
- Second Chance is found on the third rung of upgrades in Primary. Unlocking it with Halcyon will allow you to return once from death before needing to start a run. It may take several runs to gain enough Lucenite and Halcyon to unlock this upgrade, but doing so will extend all further runs, making it a priority.
Remember Shield Amplifier/Corrupted Projectiles:
- Early in the game, Corrupted Projectiles can be extremely dangerous. They not only do damage, but they also lower your Max Armor Integrity for the remainder of the run if they hit you. Initially, your Shield cannot absorb Corrupted Projectiles, making them all the more dangerous.
- The Shield Amplifier is available at the top of the second rung of upgrades at Primary. It will require 1 Halcyon to unlock. Once you have it, keep in mind that you will be able to absorb power from Corrupted Projectiles, which can make a massive difference in the fight against Prophet, the Shattered Rise’s boss.
Do Not Hoard Carcosan Keys:
- You move through each chamber and area so quickly, there is no point in holding onto Keys. You may think that you will find something later in the run that will make them worth holding on to, but more often than not, you will end up wasting extras when you reach the end of a biome without using them.
Do Not Forget Acolyte’s Wager:
- After collecting several Artifacts in a single run, you’ll eventually reach a point when your armor can no longer hold more. I know when I first started, I would get incredibly frustrated when I found an Artifact I really wanted to use, only to discover my armor was full.
- Luckily, I discovered Acolyte’s Wager, which allows you to remove an artifact from your armor. You’ll find the icon in the bottom left corner of the Equipment menu. Hold Square while highlighting the Artifact you want removed.
Always Check Negative Effects on Corrupted Artifacts:
- Once you enter the Eclipse stage of a biome, the Artifacts will become corrupted. Make sure to check the negative effects, which are located beneath the main effects. You should weigh the pros and cons carefully, as certain negative effects can deeply affect your play style.
Check for Logs and Conversations After Every Run:
- Those players interested in getting the most out of the story, and/or in reaching 100% completion, should make sure to check the Passage for Audio and Text Longs after every run. Also, check the mini-map to see if any NPCs are available for conversations. You will see a text bubble instead of a simple NPC icon.
