The Surge 2 is a very complicated game when it comes to everything you can do in it, so it is important for a new player to know exactly how everything works. All the little ins and outs can be very confusing especially if you have not even played the first Surge. In all honesty, the Surge 2 is way better and more advanced than the first one. The Surge only had 5 bosses without DLC, but Surge 2 has 15 bosses without DLC which is way more than the first one. The Surge 2 just takes what the first one lacked and improved upon it in every way. Here are some beginner’s tips to understanding how Surge 2 works.
Here is a guide on Amazon on tips and tricks for The Surge 2.
Bank your Tech Scrap
One huge aspect of the Surge games is how you can actually bank your Tech Scrap when you reach a Medbay. Other Souls-like games don’t allow you to do that and in my opinion, it is its own game and people should not compare it to Dark Souls. Tech Scrap is used in many different ways in Surge 2, whether it is upgrading your health and stamina, or creating different pieces of armor for you to wear.
There is soo many different things to spend your Tech Scrap on and that is why the bank system is very helpful. Basically, if you are saving up for something, you can bank your Tech Scrap just in case you think you might lose it by dying somewhere in the game world. You don’t have to worry about losing any of your currency because it is safe at the Medbay. Also, if you are fighting a boss, try bringing Scrap with you because if you die, then picking up the scrap again when fighting helps regenerate your health. A well placed Tech Scrap drop can save your life many times over if you are having trouble staying alive.
Collect as many armor blueprints and weapons as possible
The Schematics portion of the game is what made the Surge games stand out. Basically, you get what you cut off the enemy you kill. When you lock onto an enemy, you can scroll through all the different body parts and focus your attack on that part. When you do enough damage to it, you can do a satisfying finishing move and cut that part off the enemy. Once you do so, if you have not unlocked that specific armor Schematic, then that piece will be unlocked for you to craft. You can do this for the head, body, arms, and legs, and it is how you unlock all sorts of different armor Schematics.
Also, the way you get weapons is if you cut off the arm in which the enemy is holding a weapon. Usually, the weapon is in the right arm. After you get a full set of Schematics and the weapon, you can still focus on the specific body parts. When you cut off a part that has already been unlocked, you then receive upgrade materials to use for upgrading the parts you have equipped. Remember that each upgrade material has a level and you must check to see if you have the right level for the upgrade.
Create a full gear set
It is really important to get a full set of gear because it gives you bonuses depending on what set you have equipped. If you equip all 6 parts to a set, then you will get a gear set bonus that is actually really helpful depending on what you are doing. I used a gear set for a long time that reduces the Nano damage that you take because there were a lot of Nano enemies around the areas.
Other gear sets have bonuses like performing a finishing sequence restores health and adds elemental defense of +200. Every set that you complete, just look at the set bonus and whichever one you like the best, use that one because it helps a lot in the long run.
Upgrade your weapons and armor as soon as possible
The best thing you can do is to upgrade your gear, I can’t stress it enough. As much as you can, upgrade your armor and weapons because you are going to need the extra defense later on in the story. The game does not get any easier and your armor is not going to upgrade itself. The best thing to do is to grind upgrade materials from the highest level enemies you can find and upgrade as many pieces as possible.
Also, always upgrade your weapon first because it will make it easier to grind as you progress through the game. If you think that upgrading every set you have will take too long, then try finding the best three sets for you and upgrade those as much as possible. It will benefit you later on.
Be aggressive in your playstyle
Playing aggressively is the only way to charge your batteries for your injectables. If you play very slowly, you might run out of healing very quickly. The healing system works a lot differently from the first game in that you must get successful hits on an enemy to slowly charge up your batteries. Once your batteries become fully charged, you can pre-charge your injectibles for use later on.
The only way to charge up your batteries quickly is to get a good weapon that can attack fast and has a great recharge speed. Just make sure you are not spamming the attack button because you do not want to be stupid in how you play. Play fast but with caution.
Make sure you parry enemy attacks
Parrying is an important mechanic to learn because you basically can stop most of your health from dropping. The way you parry is to hold down the block button and then push the right stick in the direction the attack from the enemy is coming from. You have to do it at the right time however because you will take the full damage you were trying to block.
It is about directional parrying and not just holding the block button, that is the mistake I made when I first started playing. It is hard to learn but definitely worth it when you know how to do it right. Make sure you use it as much as possible. Just watch your stamina bar and be very sparing with your deflects. Try to learn it early on because it will help a lot later in the game when you are going to need to use it.
Use your drone
The Drone is also another great way to take health off of enemies because you don’t have to be close to damage a specific body part. If you are having trouble cutting off a specific part, equip a gun Drone and take some health off of it so you can easily cut the part off with ease. Also, you can use the Drone to stun enemies so you can deal extra damage and it costs 0 consumables to use.
All I am saying is to take advantage of everything the game gives you and know how to adapt to wherever you seem to be. The enemies are not going to get easier so you need to be ready for anything that is thrown at you. Many of the Drones that you can get can be changed mid-fight so if you run out of ammo, switch to the Starfish upgrade so you can stun the enemies all you want to.
Don’t be afraid to die
Dying in one of these games does not mean you are a bad player, it means that you have something you need to improve on. Don’t look at it like it is a bad thing, try to look at how you died and how you can improve on what mistake you made before and improve your playstyle by that. If you can do that the whole time, then you will not have an issue with the game at all.
Also, if you do die, then you drop your Tech Scrap which you can pick up again for complete healing of your health so if you do die, try to die in a good place where you can easily collect your dropped Tech Scrap for some extra health in the heat of battle.
Kill revenge enemies
Revenge enemies are very special enemies that were added to the game and they are very important. Remember, if you have your game in offline mode, then you will not get Revenge enemies. These are enemies that killed another Surge 2 player somewhere in the game world. and you have a chance to go and take revenge for the death they have brought on another player.
If you see a skull above an enemy’s head, then don’t hesitate to go and take them out because you will receive 1 piece from each part of their body. It is a great way to start getting the upgrade material for your own armor and weapons. Make sure you take advantage of these enemies whenever you see them because they don’t come around often.
Open up as many shortcuts as you can
Shortcuts, one of the most satisfying things to find in this type of game because you just know that you don’t have to run all the way around the area again and through the same annoying enemies. Once you reach a shortcut, make sure you open it because it will make your like 1,000 times better in the long-run.
In that case, make sure you are being very cautious about where you go because you could run right past a shortcut if you are not careful. Don’t be afraid to try and take out all the enemies around an area because it will make your search much easier if there are no threats. If you see a shortcut, make sure you open it.
Level up as much as possible
Once you get Tech Scrap, make sure you go and bank it so you can save up for your Exo upgrades. When you have enough, and it gets progressively higher as you level up more and more, you can either put points into health, stamina, or battery size. Whenever you upgrade once, it gives you 2 points to put into the three sections so the best thing to do is even out all the areas and make all the points close to one another. This helps give you an all-around good build.
These three things are very important and it does not matter where you put each point because if you are trying to keep them all even, then you will have no trouble at all knowing where to put them. Just make sure you are using that upgrade system because that is how you upgrade a huge aspect of your survival and adds more slots for implants. It is very important.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Surge 2 is very similar to the first one in many ways, but it also is very different as well. The best part about it is the Schematic system in which you can basically choose whatever body part you want and you get to upgrade anything on you as well. The game is just done really well and it has improved the first one in many ways, so if you have or have not played the first game, then why not give Surge 2 a try. It is definitely worth your time. If you are playing it, then cheers to the long and fun playthrough that you must push through and overcome all obstacles.