Prey came out last week, and we are loving it so far – well, those of us who aren’t too scared to play it are, at least.
It’s a very big game though, and when you’re first let loose in the imposing and somewhat daunting hallways of Talos I, you may feel a little overwhelmed. We’ve got a few basic tips to help you on your way.
Grab a shotgun as soon as you can
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Prey is pretty tough. Its enemies are unforgiving and they are going to give you a bad time – there’s no avoiding it. Get a good weapon as soon as you can to give yourself the best fighting chance. There’s a shotgun available fairly early on if you know where to look. You’ll find one in the security room, just off the main lobby of Talos I. Trouble is, you’ll reach a locked door – to get in there, you’ll have to shimmy up some yellow pipes, allowing you to climb into a vent and enter the room from above. It’s worth the effort though, as a shotgun will make your life much easier. And more fun.
Save, save, save
Prey autosaves at various points, but you can quicksave from the menu at any time. Chances are, you’re going to die. A lot. Minimise your chances of losing precious progress by manually saving often.
Some Operators can be helpful
You’ll likely encounter an Operator fairly early on into your Prey adventure – they’re robots that were originally programmed to carry out some kind of menial task on board Talos I. Unfortunately, some of them have since become hostile. Not all of them, mind – some of them still have their original, helpful programming, so will be able to heal you and repair your suit. Just approach them with caution… just in case.
Don’t waste weapon upgrades early on
Sure, it’s tempting to upgrade your weapons as soon as you can, but it may not be the best idea. You’re very likely to find better weapons sooner rather than later, so it’s a wise move to hold onto some upgrades for later weapons that are likely to last you longer.
Use Neuromods to unlock abilities whenever you can
Prey has a number of skill trees, but you don’t need to just choose one to stick to. Take a look through and see which skills you feel will benefit you more, and aim to unlock them as soon as you can. You’ll be rewarded with Neuromods for exploring and as you progress through the story. While you may have to save up for a while for abilities later on, to begin with most will only cost one or two units, so jump right in with the skills you like the sound of. The abilities you gain will be, quite literally, the difference between life and death!
Almost everything has an alternate route
Exploring pays off in Prey, and there’s so much to see. To get the most out of the game you want to poke your nose around every nook and cranny. The problem is, a lot of doors and entryways may be blocked off. Some of the time, they’ll become available as you progress through the story, but not always. Perhaps you’ll find a key card somewhere nearby, or maybe there’s an alternate route you can take – through a ventilation shaft, perhaps. Which brings me nicely onto the next point…
Remember to use your GLOO gun to reach high places
Your GLOO gun isn’t just for freezing enemies in place. Its most useful function is to create makeshift climbing frames to reach high places, so if it looks like you can climb up to an out-of-reach platform, make yourself a GLOO staircase.
Use items in the environment to heal
You’ll find plenty of medkits and random items of food and drink dotted around Talos I that’ll replenish your health, but you can also use certain features of the environment, too. Water fountains, coolers and sinks will let you drink out of them, restoring a bit of your health.
Pick up everything you can
You can interact with a hell of a lot of stuff in Prey, meaning there’s a lot of random junk lying around that you can pick up. Most everything has some kind of value – even if its just to recycle to create valuable materials – so it’s best to take as much as you can. The problem is that your inventory soon fills up, so you’ll want to upgrade your suit, which will give you extra inventory space, as soon as you can.
Be inventive in combat
Sometimes you may have to use a bit of ingenuity to get out of a sticky situation with enemies. Ammo isn’t unlimited, so preserve bullets if you can. Remember you can use items in the environment – pick up a chair and throw it, or employ some stealth tactics to sneak around obstacles. If all else fails, don’t feel bad if you just have to run the hell out of there.
However you decide to tackle Prey, we hope you’ll find these 10 tips handy. Got any hints of your own? Share them in the comments below!
