Deathloop: Who to Eliminate First and Why It Matters
So, you’re stuck on Blackreef, reliving the same day over and over, and tasked with taking out eight Visionaries to break the loop. The question is, where do you even begin? While Deathloop offers a non-linear experience, prioritizing certain Visionaries early on can drastically improve your odds of success and make the game significantly more manageable. The short answer? Focus on acquiring powerful Slabs and Upgrades early, even if it means temporarily deviating from the “perfect loop” strategy.
Prioritizing Early Game Advantages
While the article snippet suggests Egor and Harriet, this is actually not a very good advice. A good starting plan would be:
- Charlie Montague: He is located in Updaam in the Afternoon.
- Harriet Morse: She is located in Karl’s Bay in the Morning.
- Egor Serling: He is located in The Complex in the Evening.
- Fia Zborowska: She is located in Frisdad Rock in the Afternoon.
- Wenjie Evans: Kill her twice to be able to infuse the Residium
- Aleksis Dorsey: He is located in Updaam in the Evening.
Charlie Montague
He is located in Updaam in the Afternoon. He will reward you with the Shift Slab which is Deathloop’s Blink – it will allow you to be mobile and traverse areas with ease.
Harriet Morse
She is located in Karl’s Bay in the Morning. Killing Harriet early gives you access to the Nexus Slab. As the article suggests, this slab lets you link enemies together, so killing one will kill the rest of the linked group. This is incredibly powerful for clearing out areas quickly and quietly. Even better, Harriet’s location is relatively easy to access early on, making her a prime target. Additionally, you can use this opportunity to familiarize yourself with Karl’s Bay, an area you’ll revisit frequently.
Egor Serling
He is located in The Complex in the Evening. Once you have acquired Nexus and Shift, you can now get the Aether Slab from Egor. This slab grants you invisibility, dramatically altering your approach to combat and exploration. Stealth becomes significantly easier, allowing you to bypass challenging encounters and set up ambushes. While The Complex can be a bit tricky to navigate, the reward of Aether is well worth the effort.
Fia Zborowska
She is located in Frisdad Rock in the Afternoon. Fia drops the Carnage Slab, which is a self-explanatory slab that makes Colt more durable. By this time, you should also get a better understanding of the game mechanics which will make Fia easier to deal with.
Wenjie Evans
The article states that Wenjie leaves behind a ghostly afterimage when killed. The first time you kill Wenjie, you will not receive the Residuum ability. You must kill her a second time to get the Residuum ability so you can start infusing weapons and slabs. It’s highly recommended you get this as early as possible to make all future loops easier.
Aleksis Dorsey
He is located in Updaam in the Evening. Although the Karnesis Slab is not considered by some to be extremely powerful, it does enable the player to catapult enemies into the air for quick kills. If you have acquired enough Residuum at this stage, you can also infuse some stronger weapons that are useful in later encounters.
Maximizing Your Early Loops
Remember, Deathloop encourages experimentation. Don’t be afraid to deviate from the “optimal” path if you see an opportunity to acquire a powerful weapon or trinket. The key is to use your early loops to gather information, upgrade your arsenal, and develop a strong understanding of the game’s mechanics and level layouts. Focus on learning the routines of the Visionaries, identifying weaknesses, and discovering shortcuts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about Deathloop to help you further understand the game.
1. Can you beat Deathloop on the first try?
No. As the provided text states, there’s no way to complete Deathloop in a single run. The game is designed around the concept of repeated loops, using each cycle to gather information, acquire upgrades, and manipulate events to achieve the perfect loop.
2. Are there multiple endings in Deathloop?
Yes, Deathloop has three endings. They are tied to a simple choice at the end of the game. The choices involve interacting or not interacting with Julianna.
3. What happens when you kill Wenjie?
When you kill Wenjie, she leaves behind a ghostly afterimage. You can return to the bottom of the main lab annex and grab the harvest cylinder from the table by the whiteboard drawing, and simply stand near the body to suck up its ghost. This is crucial for gaining Residium.
4. What is the “best” Deathloop ending?
The provided text suggests that shooting Julianna before she finishes counting is considered the “good” ending. However, the best ending is subjective and depends on your interpretation of the story and your relationship with the characters.
5. What happens if you don’t shoot Julianna at the end?
If you don’t kill Julianna or yourself, you re-enter the loop together, and she interprets this moment as a truce. The game ends with an exchange between Colt and Julianna.
6. Is Julianna Colt’s daughter?
Yes, Julianna is Colt Vahn’s daughter. She was born after Colt had a relationship with Lila Blake, a member of Project Horizon. This relationship is a key element of the game’s narrative.
7. What happens if you don’t pull the lever in the final confrontation?
If you choose not to pull the trigger (presumably in a scenario involving Colt and Julianna), Colt will awaken on the beach, seeing the same sunrise as always, with Julianna waiting to meet him.
8. Does Deathloop have a post-game?
Yes, even after reaching the end of the story, you can continue playing Deathloop. The core loop will remain intact, allowing you to kill all of the Visionaries with your entire arsenal and chase trophies. This provides ample opportunity for experimentation and mastery of the game’s mechanics.
9. Can I keep playing Deathloop after I beat it?
Yes, you can keep playing the game even after the credits roll.
10. How many times can Julianna invade Deathloop?
Once you defeat Julianna in a district, you can’t be invaded again until you move on to the next time period. This limits the frequency of her intrusions and allows you to focus on other objectives.
11. Who is 2-B.I.T. in Deathloop?
2-B.I.T. is a self-aware machine constructed by Charlie Montague containing a chunk of his own brain. 2-B.I.T. serves as Charlie Montague’s computational games master, running all systems within his castle base, and monitoring the players of Containment Detachment.
12. Is there going to be Deathloop DLC?
According to sources, Arkane Studios may be working on a Deathloop follow-up of some sort.
13. Can you beat Deathloop in one day?
No, not in the sense of a single, uninterrupted playthrough. However, the ultimate goal is to execute a “masterful single loop” where you eliminate all the Visionaries in a single day by manipulating their schedules and movements.
14. What is the best early-game weapon in Deathloop?
The Echolocation PT-6 Spiker is a great early-game weapon. It’s the quietest weapon in the game, using a pneumatic pump to fire high-velocity nails at enemies for silent, instant kills.
15. Why does Colt want to break the loop?
Colt created the “Loop Preservation Protocol” which is what ties the loop’s existence to the Visionaries. As time went on and Colt kept waking up on the same beach, he suddenly felt the desire to turn against the Visionaries and end the loop.
The Beauty of the Loop
Ultimately, the joy of Deathloop lies in its emergent gameplay and the freedom it provides. There’s no single “right” way to approach the game. Experiment, learn from your mistakes, and embrace the loop. Each cycle is an opportunity to refine your strategy and move closer to breaking free from Blackreef.
And if you are interested in learning more about games and education, be sure to visit the Games Learning Society website at GamesLearningSociety.org. They are at the forefront of research into how games can improve learning.
Good luck, and happy looping!