Ratchet and Clank are back at last, and in Rift Apart, they’ve brought new friends along with them. The series’ comeback is exactly as good as fans have been hoping for, and if you’re one of several people who’re going to be jumping into its galactic dimension-hopping journey soon, here, we’ve compiled a list of a few handy tips and tricks to keep in mind as you play the game.
EXPLORING
Like its predecessors, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a largely linear game, but oftentimes, it opens up more than you’d expect. Certain areas of the game are large open sandboxes that give you the freedom to explore however and wherever you want, and while some might be tempted to stick with the main story, our advice is to, well, not. The side content in these areas is excellent, so we’d definitely recommend exploring these open areas to see the sight, hunt down collectibles, obtain Raritarium, and take on a number of other optional activities.
COLLECTIBLES
Speaking of collectibles- there’s plenty of those to track down in Rift Apart. Over two dozen gold bolts, a large number of armor pieces, spybots that give you background details on the game’s many locations, recordings that provide backstory and lore, and, of course, Raritarium, which is required for upgrading weapons. Keep an eye out for all of these items- but spybots in particular. Collect all of these, and you’ll unlock a special, unique weapon that you’re not gonna want to miss.
POCKET DIMENSIONS
Often while exploring worlds and tearing through hordes of enemies, you’ll run into dimensional rifts that lead to pocket dimensions. These small challenge areas usually present platforming obstacle courses and reward you with armour pieces, so make sure you take them on every time you spot on. While most of these rifts are hard to miss, some are tucked away off the main path, so you’re gonna want to explore and survey your surroundings as thoroughly as possible.
ARMOUR
Armour works a little differently in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart than what you’d expect. When you’re deciding which armour pieces to equip, keep in mind that it is, for all practical purposes, a cosmetic thing only. While every armour piece obtained does give you certain buffs – like decreased damage from a particular kind of enemy – those buffs are applied regardless of whether or not you have that armour piece equipped. In short, you get the buffs from every single piece of armour in your collection, so if you want to swap pieces based only on how you want to look, go right ahead and do just that.
ARENA
A little ways into Rift Apart, once you get to Scrarstu, you’ll gain access to the gladiator arena there. Our advice? Makef full use of it. Not only are the challenges in this arena an absolute blast to play through, they also hand out great rewards, like bolts, gold bolts, spybots, Raritarium, and more. Different cups of the arena unlock at different points in the story, so make sure you don’t just finish the Bronze Cup and then forget the arena exists.
WEAPON LEVELLING
If you’ve played Ratchet and Clank before, Rift Apart’s progression mechanics will be familiar to you, but this is still crucial advice for newcomers. Basically, the more you use a weapon, the more it levels up, and the more it levels up, the more upgrades become available to purchase with Raritarium. So our plain and simple advice- if you like a weapon, keep using it! Upon hitting level 5, weapons also transform into more powerful versions of themselves, so it definitely pays off to keep using weapons that you already like and find useful.
SHARED PROGRESSION
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is no longer just about Ratchet- Rivet has also joined the show, and she basically owns half the game. But even though you’re often going to be switching between the two Lombaxes, you don’t have to worry about having to upgrade your weapons twice, once for each. Progression and upgrades are shared across both characters. Hell, even bolts, ammo, collectibles, and pretty much everything else that is gameplay-related is shared by Ratchet and Rivet.
TOPIARY SPRINKLER
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart has a vast and varied arsenal of weapons, and while each player will have different tastes, we do have some tips to share for specific weapons. For example, the Topiary Sprinkler is an excellent tool. Why? It turns your enemies into plants, and until they turn back, not only are they completely immobilized, they also take greater damage. You can also upgrade the weapon to increase the damage they take, the time it takes for them to turn back, or even the area the weapon’s sprinkler covers. As you’d imagine, the Topiary Sprinkler can be particularly useful when you’re taking on large groups of enemies or fighting bosses. Combining it with a grenade from the Shatterbomb or rocket from the Warmonger is also quite effective.
MR. FUNGI
Mr. Fungi is another bizarre, hilarious weapon in Rift Apart, in true Ratchet and Clank fashion. With this, you can throw out mushroom sentinels that go around the battlefield making quips and attacking enemies, and they work as great support units. Not only do they help deal damage, they can also draw aggro from enemies, which can be particularly useful in the more hectic encounters. Upgrade this weapons, and you can also make them more useful combatants, so we’d definitely recommend whipping out one of these mushrooms every chance you get.
SIDE QUESTS
We spoke earlier about side quests and optional activities, but these don’t always pop up right away. Oftentimes, side quests will become available in a particular planet after you’ve finished the main quest there, so there’s every chance that you don’t even notice them and just hop into your ship to go off to the next main quest. Our advice is to check your map before leaving the area to ensure that you haven’t missed any side quests, or alternatively, to check your list of planets any time you hope into your ship.
Share Your Thoughts Below (Always follow our comments policy!)