When Gunfire Games’ Remnant: From the Ashes launched in 2019, it didn’t have much buzz. However, many discovered it to be a well-tuned, mechanically solid shooter with fun co-op. It would sell over three million copies by December 2021, and years later, we’re finally getting a sequel. Remnant 2 launches on July 25th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. Let’s look at 14 things you should know before jumping in.
Story
Remnant 2 takes place roughly two decades after the first game’s events. Ward 13 has been relatively safe and expanding beyond its initial confines, and peace slowly returns. Unfortunately, the Root continues to invade other worlds through the Labyrinth, and the player must venture forth and stop it, hopefully once and for all. The task is easier said than done, though, for many reasons.
Worlds
While players will see some familiar worlds in the sequel, there have been sweeping changes. Yaesha, home to the Pan, has become overrun by the Root and warped almost beyond recognition. The Fae and Dran worlds of the first game have combined into one – Losomn.
While many of the Dran are now part of a hive-mind and frenzy-prone, the Fae occupies the directionless nobility and consumes the former’s life force. N’Erud, a massive spaceship which emerged from a black hole, is now a necropolis for the once-proud Drzyr. Each world has unique circumstances, and all look fairly stunning.
Random Generation
Remnant: From the Ashes was notable for random elements in its world layouts, with certain NPCs, items and so on appearing in subsequent playthroughs. However, Remnant 2 is going much further, this time randomizing entire biomes to present different enemies, bosses and stories with each playthrough. For example, in Yaesha, you can battle flying monsters across floating islands on the first visit and then enter a forest with killer lizards on the second. One run could see a musician asking for help, while another could have you undertake a mission for a Pan Empress.
As Gunfire Games’ CEO David Adams said, “If you go in and you fight a miniboss, and another player goes in and fights a miniboss in an area, they might have a completely different boss. You might have different events. Different random events occur in the game, and even the layouts of the dungeons change.”
The Labyrinth
Of course, the various worlds aren’t the only things that have changed. The Labyrinth, the main gateway for accessing other worlds, is crumbling. According to the developer, its degradation is causing “abnormal aberrations” in other worlds. Is this why players arrive in different biomes and experience different events? It’s unknown, but something is going on.
Enemies
The Root is a major threat, and you’ll encounter all kinds of creatures, from small ones to giant beasts with multiple arms and axe-wielding warriors. However, there are other enemies, like a hulking stone machine with numerous swords, flying enemies with spears and ordinary grunts with torches that can swarm you. There are even mounted warriors, sentient machines and autonomous robots with surprising agility. It’s a big step up from the original in terms of variety.
Combat
If you’ve played Remnant: From the Ashes, Remnant 2’s combat will look very familiar. It’s a third-person shooter but with melee combat and a stamina bar. Every time you sprint and dodge roll (which has invincibility frames), stamina is consumed. You can equip two guns and a melee weapon and use different armor sets (with higher weight classes leading to encumbrance, depending on the Archetype), Rings and weapon mods. If mods work the same as the first game, they can shoot alternate fire attacks like shocking projectiles and recharge by damaging enemies.
Archetypes
Instead of Classes like the first game, Remnant 2 uses a new Archetype system. There are four Archetypes, each with unique Skills: The Challenger is a tanky mid-range fighter who can equip heavier armor without getting encumbered and get back in the fight after taking fatal damage. The Handler gets a dog companion who can attack enemies, draw aggro and even automatically revive you.
The Gunslinger is the prime damage dealer, who can reload all weapons using a Skill and auto-target enemies to fire six shots. Finally, there’s the Medic, who can create a well to heal allies and even create shields around them that grant healing over time. Unlike Mods, Skills have cooldown timers.
Each Archetype has a Prime Perk, and by levelling it up, you can unlock other new Perks that can buff your team, increase damage, and so on. Traits are associated with each Archetype and leveled up alongside them, but you can only equip one. You get Trait Points to upgrade other Traits, but they’re limited, so you need to choose carefully.
Dual Archetypes
The biggest game-changer is Dual Archetypes, which allows using the Traits and Skills from a different Archetype. For instance, if you’re a Gunslinger, you can take a Trait and Skill from the Challenger for added toughness. You can only use one Skill and one Trait from the secondary Archetype, which starts at level 1, regardless of your Primary Archetype. You can’t equip Prime Perks from the secondary Archetype, but overall, this system grants much more freedom when creating a character.
You can also swap between unlocked Skills or change to a completely different Archetype out of combat. No more starting a new character to try a new class.
Bosses
Remnant: From the Ashes had some memorable boss fights, but the sequel ups the ante in scale and mechanics. The Mother Mind is one such example, attacking with its massive limbs and eventually destroying the platform that players stand on. After moving to a safer position, they must deal with acid projectiles, smaller enemies and newer attacks. Other potential bosses have been teased, though we’ve yet to see them in action.
Weapons
Lever action rifles, pistols, machine guns, shotguns and more are present, but it wouldn’t be a sequel without some new weapons, and there are plenty of enticing options. In the recent trailer, an assault rifle with an aesthetic akin to The Labyrinth, a throwing axe, a flail, and a bow have been spotted. New weapon mods are also seemingly teased, including a stasis field that slows enemies and a harpoon that can pull foes.
Co-op
Remnant: From the Ashes presented a good experience solo, and Remnant 2 looks no different. However, co-op is one of the highlights, as up to three players can venture into the various worlds together (presumably after finishing the tutorial). The first game had a Trait called Teamwork, which increased damage resistance if you were close to a teammate, but it’s unknown if that will return. Based on the gameplay showcased thus far, co-op looks to scale the difficulty up like its predecessor.
PC Requirements
Remnant 2’s PC requirements are a little hefty on the minimum end. You’ll need an Intel Core i5-7600 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600, 16 GB RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 590. On the recommended side, a Core i5-10600k or AMD R5 3600, 16 GB RAM and RTX 2060 or Radeon RX 5700 is required. Regardless of your configuration, you need 80 GB of installation space and Windows 10 at the very least.
Early Access
Continuing a popular trend in today’s games, purchasing the Ultimate Edition for $69.99 grants early access. You can play on July 22nd, three days before the worldwide release. Is this going to be another case of early access users “beta-testing” the game for everyone else? Time will tell, but if you want to play early, it’s an option.
Post-Launch DLC
Also included with the Ultimate Edition is the DLC Bundle, which has three post-launch DLC packs. They add “new creatures, and environments” and will release within one year of the base game.