It’s September, and with the arrival of the fall also comes a slew of new RPGs, includingThe Surge 2. In this article, I’m going to tell youTen Things Every Player Should Know, to help make things a bit easier as you find your Rig. It makes no difference if you are a new player to The Surge series, or a veteran, these tips are designed for you!
The Surge 2: Ten Things Every Player Should Know
There are many things that will set players on the path to success in The Surge 2, but none is quite as important asDirectional Blocking. This one mechanic can drastically improve your chance of survival, and can make some of the most difficult enemies trivial. Let’s begin there.
1. Directional Blocking
You first learn about Directional Blocking very early on inThe Surge 2, but you won’t usually become proficient in it until much later on in the game. TheDirectional Block Analyzer Implantallows you to see the direction of incoming attacks, so you know which direction to Block. It just might be the most valuable Implant in The Surge 2, because without it, timing and direction are much harder to deduce. NEVER UNSLOT IT!
SinceWeapon Typesin The Surge 2 all use the same moveset, enemies included, you can quickly ascertain what attacks an enemy may do based on the weapon they are wielding (spoiler alert it’s the same as your weapons). Learn to spot the weapon, so that you can anticipate the attacks, and memorize the timing and direction.
Things get more challenging onBossesthat don’t use traditional weapons, and you must learn their timings from scratch. Bosses also don’t behave the same way, and it takes multiple perfectly timed Directional Blocks to stagger them. You can see the exact number it takes next to their health bar, and you can see there how many left you need to perform before the next stagger. Note that this number can change from phase to phase on a single Boss.
2. Weapon Swapping
One great feature that returns fromThe Surgeis the ability to swap Weapons without interrupting combat to go to the menu screen. In order to set this up, you need to set Weapons you want to use as “Favorite” in your inventory screen, and then while fighting simply press “Up” on the D-Pad in order to swap through them. You can set just a 1 or 2, or a lot as Favorite and you will only cycle through Weapons set this way. It can really help on Boss encounters where you need a little something different than what you are currently using. And, it’s even more useful because there is no longer Proficiency.
3. Quest Log
It can sometimes happen in The Surge 2 that there are so many ways to go, and you cannot recall where you’ve been and where you should go next. One really good way to help jog your memory is by taking a peek at your Quest Log and scrolling through theQueststhere. This is handled much more clearly in The Surge 2, compared with its predecessor, so this can really come in handy. Don’t be afraid to check now and then, and don’t forget to finish Side Quests!
4. Mix & Match Armor
One great addition to The Surge 2 is the incorporation of “Partial Bonuses” on Armor. This allows you to slot 3/6 pieces of aSetand still gain a bonus, which creates the opportunity to mix and match. Figure out what you can get from each Set and plan accordingly. Sometimes having two Sets is better than filling out a complete one, even if it doesn’t look as cool!
5. Use The Drone!
One new aspect to The Surge 2 is theDronethat can be used in combat, and outfitted with different modifications that do various things. You can use it to “pull” enemies to you one by one when there are a lot, or you can use it to take down one target quickly when you are out numbered. And don’t forget to use it during Boss Fights! It can make some Boss Fights much easier than they could be otherwise, and is great for hitting hard to reach places. Additionally, you can mark these as favorites and swap them on the fly by holding “Left” on the D-Pad and selecting the one you want!
6. Bank Tech Scrap
One of the great things about The Surge 2, is that it allows you to “bank” yourTech Scrapif you don’t have enough to reach your next Level and you don’t want to spend it on Crafting or Upgrades. This is a great way to prevent yourself from losing it, particularly if you have accumulated a large quantity, or if there is a tough fight coming up. Note that you get a modifier the more Tech Scrap you gain, so if you are farming Tech Scrap it is wise to hold off on “banking” it until you have what you need.
7. Diminishing Returns
Health, Stamina andBattery Efficiencyall have diminishing returns, so pay attention to how much benefit you get from each Point you spend. The soft caps for each of these Stats are not the same, so you’ll have to decide how deep into each you wish to go. And, because of this, you won’t see as much benefit when leveling up from a certain point onward, only really gaining Core Power in order to slot better Implants.
8. Loadouts
One really cool feature of the game is Loadouts. This allows you to setup your character with a different set ofWeapons,ArmorandImplantsthat you can swap on the fly! There are a total of 3 Loadout slots, so you can save up to 3 differentBuildsfor all different scenarios. Don’t be afraid to experiment and then swap back if you don’t like your new one!
9. Charged Attacks
Charged Attacks can come in extremely handy in The Surge 2, and are useful for breaking things like Shields on enemies that are hard to damage otherwise. They also tend to have much longer range than standard attacks, making them very versatile against specific enemies. Learn when to use these attacks, and what range they have for best results. Note that some Weapons have much betterCharged Attacksthan others!
10. Upgrade Your Injectables
Last on our list is upgrading yourInjectables. This is very very important, because it allows you to store more charges, which can make harder areas of the game much easier. It’s essentially the equivalent of increasing yourEstus Flaskcount inDark Souls, and you need to do this or you may have a difficult time. The best way to get parts to upgrade theseImplantsis by decapitating enemies, so aim for the head and have at it!
Whether you’re brand new toThe Surgeor a returning player, these tips should help you to become more efficient, and gain a little bit of knowledge that might otherwise go overlooked! Be sure to check out our Surge 2 Review to see what we think about the game, and our Boss videos if you’re having a tough time on a specific Boss!
