Summary
Eternal Strandsis a new action RPG from a relatively new studio, Yellow Brick Games. The game wears its influences on its sleeve, from the giant boss battles reminiscent ofShadow of the Colossusto the stamina bar and ability to climb anything likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Eternal Strandsborrows from the best, but does it have anything of its own to add to the conversation? Centered on a band of travelers trying to make it in a magically ruined world, players assume the role of Brynn who scouts out locations to help rebuild her caravan of travelers one rock at a time, almost literally. It can be a challenging go at first glance, so here are somebeginner tips to make the early hours ofEternal Strandseasier.
6Playing With Difficulty
What Kind Of Experience Do You Want
Unsurprising formost modern games,Eternal Strandshas difficulty options. The game is not overall brutally difficult, but it can be painstakingly slow on anything higher than Easy. Also, the type of experience players want will be reflected in the challenge rating, mostly through combat.
If players want to experienceEternal Strandslike a true survival game where anything from a wolf to a soldier could kill them, crank that difficulty up. For everyone else, Easy may be a more balanced experience, which feels odd to say when typically “Medium” is the most balanced experience. Players may also want to turn off the helmet option in the menu if they care about seeing Brynn’s face at all times.
5Follow The Story Until Dredger’s Mire
Unlock More To Fret Less
To make the game feel less plodding, players may want tostick to the story until they get to Dredger’s Mire.It’s the second area in the game, which is also when things get interesting from multiple angles. Also, going through the entire first area will unlock a lot of useful mechanics likea fast travel system inEternal Strands.
Unfortunately, players can’t simply open up the map and warp around. Fast travel is tied to Gates, but it’s better than nothing at all. It shouldn’t take too long to reach Dredger’s Mire, as the opening couple of hours are basically just a bunch of fetch quests—or more like observation quest—which can add to the tedium before fast travel opens up.
4How To Level Up
Gathering Materials To Upgrade The Caravan
Eternal Strandsis more of an action-adventure game akin toThe Legend of Zeldathan a traditional action RPG. That’s because all leveling up will be done through gear progression and upgrading the camp. Players won’t fight monsters, gain EXP, and then level up stats as they would in something likeThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Instead, they will gather materials dropped from monsters, looted from chests, or from smashing objects in the world. Inventory space isverylimited, so players can’t just pick up everything like inMinecraft. These materials can be used to craft gear at the home base, but more importantly, they can be used to upgrade the camp overall. Upgrading Casmyn, for example, will unlockmore inventory space inEternal Strands, and that’s the first upgrade players should go for.
3Wear Headphones
Pay Attention To Your Caravan Crew
Typically, the tip for wearing headphones in a game is reserved for horror experiences.Wearing headphones in something likeSilent Hill 2’s2024 remakecan enhance the experience and also alert players when something dangerous is drawing near. Players don’t have to worry about anything sneaking up on them inEternal Strands, but headphones will make it easier for them to hear their comrades.
Brynn’s crew will chime in if they have something relevant to say about the current quest. The game’s quest markers aren’t the best in the world, nor are the text prompts. That’s why listening to comrades can help guide players to their destinations quicker without having to resort to looking up video guides every two seconds.
2Gear Progression
Learn When To Use The Best Materials
Players won’t have a cascade of gear just waiting to be crafted once enough materials are found. Instead, they have to search for recipes themselves in the world. It’s a weird system overall, from the crafting to the map marking to the leveling up, butEternal Strandsis not without its charm.It just takes timeto get into the flow of it all, so players need to be patient.
When players do find a recipe in the world and craft it, they are going to feel that change. For example, players will start with a sword and shield combo, and then they’ll get a bow. Players will eventually find schematics to craft a Mundane Two-Hander right around when they are on their way to Dredger’s Mire. This will significantly increase Brynn’s attack power, and even though it is a slower weapon, as most two-handed weapons are in games, the Mundane Two-Hander is well worth crafting and equipping if only to deal with multiple monsters at once.
1Use The Physics Advantage
Or Avoid Enemies
Players will unlockspells inEternal Strands, and two of the most useful ones will be given to them straight away. Players can use telepathy like a Jedi, manipulating The Force to pick up enemies or objects. It will void the rewards for defeating them, but difficult enemies can always be chucked off cliffs. The only thing missing from these moments is the Wilhelm Scream.
The other useful spell will freeze enemies in place or build a wall around them.The physics systeminEternal Strandsis wild, and toying with it is half the fun. Seeing a wolf run around with a giant football field’s worth of ice trailing behind it never gets old. Of course, since monsters only drop materials and not EXP, it’s also okay to run away from them. Eventually, players will need to find monsters for rarer crafting materials, but for the opening hours, it doesn’t really matter. Smash some objects instead.
