Part S.T.A.L.K.E.R., part Fallout, part something unique entirely, Atomfall delivers a wonderfully bizarre world where there is, to put it mildly, a lot going on, whether in a narrative sense or from a gameplay perspective. To help you get to grips with its abundant deliberate weirdness and its many interwoven systems, here, we have compiled a few handy tips and tricks that should help you find your post-nuclear sea legs in your first few hours in the Cumbria quarantine zone.
HEAD TO WYNDHAM
Atomfall builds up mystery on top of mystery from the very first second, which, combined with how little guidance it tends to offer in most things, means you may not have a very clear idea of what to do as your adventure begins. Of course, in the first few minutes alone, you’ll have picked up a couple of leads that you can follow, but our recommendation would be to head to Wyndham village. Found close to the northern edges of the first map that you find yourself in, the village is a hub of activity where you’ll find a number of key characters, locations of interest, leads to track down, and more.
THERE ARE NO UNIMPORTANT LEADS (KIND OF)
Atomfall blurs the line between quests and side quests in convincing fashion, to the extent that there is effectively no distinction. You’ll be picking up leads constantly, and you never quite know which one will end up being how important. What might seem like a disconnected fetch quest early on could turn into something much more involved and elaborate than expected, while leads also often have a way of converging and diverging, which means you’ll often find your way back to the main thread in unexpected ways. Our advice, then, is to give equal importance to all leads, and instead make your decisions on what to prioritize based on your curiosity (or your ability to accomplish specific tasks).
EXPLORE EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY
Atomfall rewards exploration in a variety of ways. When you’re not finding valuable loot, ammo, or crafting resources, you’re getting your hands on weapons, recipes, and more. Beyond that, there’s collectibles to find (such as comics or breakable statuettes), quirky NPCs or traders to encounter, secrets and backstory to uncover, and locations and points of interest to discover. Following your curiosity and exploring Atomfall’s world as thoroughly as possible is always recommended.
SAVE YOUR BULLETS
Atomfall sprinkles in survival elements in its core design, which means spraying and praying in firefight is never a good idea. In fact, to the extent possible, you should be avoiding combat. Ammo isn’t exactly plentiful in Atomfall’s world, so make sure you’re prioritizing other methods of dealing with foes whenever you can, whether that’s stealth, making use of melee weapons, or avoiding enemies entirely.
PLAN YOUR LOADOUT
Yes, avoiding combat is usually the way to go in Atomfall, but you might find yourself in situations where it’s the best way out, which is why having your loadout ready to go is so important. Atomfall limits your inventory space so that you’re only allowed to carry a certain amount of weapons – melee and ranged – at a time. That means you need to know what your preferred combat play style is, and plan your kit accordingly, especially if you know you’re heading into a situation that could potentially get hairy.
SET YOUR SHORTCUTS
This is also crucial, even if it is extremely straightforward. Opening your inventory doesn’t pause the action – yes, this is one of those games – which means swapping between weapons and items in the middle of combat is easier said than done. Each button on the d-pad serves as a shortcut, however, so make sure you always have the most useful weapons and items assigned- like a bow for stealth situations, or a shotgun for up-close brutality, or even a flashlight for the abundant dark and dimly lit environments and locations you’ll find yourself in.
KEEP EATING FOOD
Atomfall’s aforementioned survival elements are pretty basic and straightforward, all things considered, but the game will punish you if you get too reckless- so pay attention to the basics. You’ll lose health pretty easily (especially on higher difficulties), which means it’s best to keep an eye on your health bar at all times. There’s a lot of food and health consumables scattered throughout the world, so if you’re not hoarding them (which you can only do so much, given the inventory restrictions), you should be consuming them right there and then, if you’re running even slightly low on health.
KEEP AN EYE ON STATUS EFFECTS
This should be an obvious one, but it bears mentioning nonetheless. Atomfall will often hit you with status conditions, each bringing different pitfalls and disadvantages. Those disadvantages are usually severe, however, so it’s always best to deal with status conditions on priority. For instance, when you begin bleeding, you’ll lose your health with surprising speed, which means it’s imperative that you apply bandages as quickly as possible to stem the flow (and restore some health, of course).
MANAGE YOUR HEARTBEAT
Managing your heartbeat – which, yes, is basically stamina in a different skin – is crucial in Atomfall. Actions such as sprinting or pretty much all melee attacks raise your heartbeat, and the higher that goes, the less physically capable you become. With your heartbeat at its peak, your vision will start dimming rapidly, your movement will be impeded, and your actions will be much more sluggish and much less effective. Don’t spam melee attacks, don’t sprint endlessly, and use items that help you keep your heart rate low (like tea).
MAKE SMART USE OF YOUR KICKS
Speaking of melee attacks, make sure that you’re not forgetting about your ability to kick enemies whenever you want. Not only is it a lot of fun to give an oncoming foe a swift kick in the knee, it can also be a pretty effective tactic to create space for yourself, in case you want to reload, swap weapons, use an item, or simply manage a rushing crowd.
DON’T IGNORE TRADERS
There are several traders to be found across Atomfall’s multiple maps, and each is worth paying regular and consistent attention to. For starters, traders are often a great way to get your hands on food, crafting material, ammo, or even weapons and recipes. On top of that, each trader also has unique stock, and their also have different things to sell at different times, which means it’s a good idea to keep checking in with traders every time you run into one. Usually, they’ll have something useful in store that you can barter for. Make sure you’re not bartering away anything too useful, however, because figuring out a trade that makes both parties happy is also a skill of its own.
DON’T IMMEDIATELY SPEND YOUR SKILL POINTS
Progression mechanics in Atomfall are pretty simple and straightforward – an RPG this is not, nor does it claim to be one – but that doesn’t mean they require no thought either. Skill points aren’t abundantly found, and the skills that you can unlock are often quite expensive. As tempting as it might be to spend your skill points as quickly as you get them, then, our recommendation would be to hold on to them until you can unlock something that you know will be useful to you and your play style.
