It's even better if your TV has HDR like Dolby Vision. The colors on this game are *extremely* bright and vibrant.

Happy to provide that! Just haven't been uploading lately as I'm finally catching up on some work for my docfilm project. Thanks for tuning in! ☺️

Prove it 😂

I use R3 for my melee… thinking about using it for dodge seems so strange to me. Then again, I do play claw so I never really have to remap any of the button functions. This game almost begs to be played with a claw grip.. even more so than a game like Elden Ring.

I was wondering do u get anything for beating the tower.....thx n also what does the speed bonus do

Any changes in sensitivity or controller /camera ?

@@wishlistdestoroyah8245 other than a high score on the online leaderboard? If you gained the trophies for the game and gained a platinum, there's not much else after that. The goal of the Tower is to see how high you can climb up before Selene is taken out.

@@ElderStatesman oh okie cool I tho it would unlock something if u beat it

Thanks! My best run is 49 million. Sometime when I get a break from my docfilm work, I can splice together the footage from my 49-mil run through the Tower.

Thanks, man. But my score is easily eclipsed 10-fold by other players. My current best is 49M+ in Phase 8, Room 9. Thank you for watching!

Thanks, man!

Thanks! Plenty of others who've made it farther and scored much higher than me, though. Perhaps I can make another attempt that surpasses my personal record of 49M.

Wouldn't mind seeing a sequel to Returnal even though the story is buttoned up if you finish the Tower and its chapters where Selene is taken to a hospital.

Thinking of posting footage of my attempts at defeating the main bosses of Returnal besides Ophion. Think I'll do Ixion so you can see how I did it. Wound up beating that sucker on my first try. But that's after it took me a good 5 tries with Phrike.

Are usually don’t like games that make you start over from scratch every time you die but this game does it right. It’s pure fun. It’s one of the best exclusives.

@@herohunter81 yeah, I had to GameStop it but yeah it’s a great game. Playing Horizon Forbidden West. Most time consuming game ever, but one of the best at the same time.

@@tnyeh Horizon was amazing. The first was the best to me based on simplicity. But all the dialogue is what kills it for me. Incredible game, though!

@@Fackletard There is a lot of dialogue, meaningful, but very time consuming

​@@tnyeh Agreed.

It's a matter of using melee whenever possible while having the highest multiplier you can attain without being hit. And making sure Selene is fully upgraded in the main game so you don't miss out on the higher-speced weapons. Hope those tips help!

​@@ElderStatesman I'm working on leveling up weapon attributes... tried to do it thru single player... but once I get a hollowseeker or pyroshell caster, I don't switch weapons. Lol

My personal favorites are the Hollowseeker and Pyroshell Caster (with Simmering Explosion) and Thermogenic Launcher. It all depends on traits! You might need to level up those traits on your weapons in the main game before attempting the Tower. Hope this helps!

Thanks! ☺️

Same here. I personally feel it is a little hard to use, or less effective than the rest at the initial phases (1-3?). The weapon with the right traits later on just hits different.

​@@slickr_392yeah, it hits hard. You just have to know how to use it

A good number of players have surpassed me. But they usually go through each room a bit quicker than I do. Still, going past Phase 8 is pretty badass. Thanks for the props! The Tower is easily one of the most difficult game modes I've ever played. Halo on Legendary, All-Skulls-On (LASO) feels clunky and slow compared to this.

I gain all the buffs to damage output at the start and then focus on using the Integrity & protection augments after that. Sometimes offense is your best defense. And making sure you don't get hit so you can gain silphium pickups as resin instead can help with the integrity increases until you can focus on the augments. If you're referring to artifacts, you can only buy and equip one of any given artifact. I'd have to know what artifact you're referring to. To the best of my knowledge, artifacts that aid with increasing your damage output like the Blown Nightlight which increases your damage when you're either at full or low integrity doesn't help with your protection level. So I'd make sure to increase your damage with augments and only purchase integrity augments if you have the Obolites to do it. Make sure you save enough Obolites to collect other artifacts after each victory against Algos. Hope this helps out! (You're more than welcome to focus on health first, but I find it more beneficial to dispatch the enemies quickly rather than waste time and run the risk of taking a hit on health while I wait for the enemies to fall.)

Yes. Until Selene flatlines and is returned back to the base of the tower where you get the final score of your completed run. There's no "top" of the Tower of Sisyphus. Just like the Greek character Sisyphus who served a sentence of rolling a boulder up a steep mountain.

It'll be because he's rocking a really powerful Dreadbound, top 4 Tower weapon and probably has damage artifacts/parasites as well.

One piece of advice I can offer is to make sure you unlock ALL weapon traits in the game. You can do this either through replaying the campaign or by using the Tower of Sisyphus. If that's not possible because of the RNG (Random Number Generator), focus on these weapons: Dreadbound, Hollowseeker, Pyroshell Caster & Thermogenic Launcher. For the Dreadbound, Explosive Shards, Expanding Shards, Damage Steal and Staggering will be beneficial. The Pyroshell Caster's Simmering Explosions in higher levels melts down enemies like nothing else. The Hollowseeker's Portal Turret and Portal Beam can help cut through enemies, but I'd opt to use a mid-air melee for the smaller ones instead to rack up a ton of points. And whatever you do, don't linger around for too long after you clear a room. If you don't make it to the translocator in less than 3 seconds, your multiplier will deplete over time. If you pay attention to my gameplay, I waste no time making it to the portal. And you don't need to stand directly on top of the portal to activate it. Just hovering over it (above the portal in the air, but not too high up) and pressing Triangle (or whatever button you have that action bound to) will simply work. Hope these tips help!

At 43:58, you'll see the Dreadbound I used to carry me through half of this run. I once dismissed it as almost useless unless I'm in CQB with the hostiles. But it really does wonders. A top-scoring player used the Dreadbound with similar traits to get them over 150M in score.

And thanks for the praise!

@@ElderStatesman i dont get into the dreadbound weapon 😅 i used it a few Times but it isnt my weapon at all dont like it somehow....maybe i have to use it more Times to get hang of it

@@lightningshade94 you have to have the right traits. When you first get it it's trash unless you're in the enemies face. If you're on top of them firing, the bullets don't have far to travel so they are back in a split second so you can melt enemies. But you need the best traits and get them to level 3 and then it's good in any situation. I watched a dude get over 150 million and phase 20 on KZfaq and that's what he was using. When you get to phase 20 it's nuts. Multiple huge enemies with smaller ones at the same time. It looks impossible to dodge their projectiles there's so many. No clue how someone gets that high.

Also why have I not seen these guns in thus playthrough like the Dreadbound and Electropylon Driver??

So, my Dash/boost is on R3, the same stick I use to look with. Just makes more sense to have Dash on R3. Very fluid once you get the hang of it. Almost like playing Control. As for the rest of my bindings: L - Move | L3 - Sprint R - Aim | R3 - Dash (Dash borrowed from "Control") Cross - Jump Square - Melee Triangle - Interact Circle - Not Used Left/Right D-Pad - Switch Consumables Down D-Pad - Use Consumable Up D-Pad - Photo Mode L2 - Focus Aim / Alt Mode (Adaptive Triggers On) R2 - Fire R1 - Area Scan (borrowed from "Death Stranding") L1 - Toggle Extended HUD

If you want to be as equipped as I am, yeah, you'll have to beat the game fully. There are at least two other bosses besides Nemesis. Then you need to find all the weapons (which you'll find through the story). The Tower of Sisyphus is more or less an end-of-game mode to complete once you finish the game. You're more than welcome to attempt the tower without completing the game, but you're gonna have a much more difficult time to get a high score if you don't unlock all the weapons and all their attributes. Hope this helps!

@@XeresKyle should mention that not unlocking all of Selene's equipment is essential for the Tower of Sisyphus. There's one item that will allow Selene to traverse through lava which can be extremely difficult to avoid in the heat of combat.

Hollowseeker with Portal Beam and Portal Turret is my go-to for Biomes 4-6 in the normal game. It's still useful in the Tower, but I find a lot more use from the Pyroshell Caster with Simmering Explosion and the Dreadbound with Damage Steal, Exploding Shards, Staggering and Expanding Shards. If the Rotgland Lobber works for you, that's awesome! I think Portal Rot would be a great trait to have to clear out a swarm of enemies.

I absolutely love how the Pyroshell trait Simmering Explosion just envelops the hostiles in a cloud of debris that melts them down like butter in a microwave.

I usually avoid the pyrocaster…hmm maybe I’ll give it a try

@@michelrussell2014 It’s definitely super OP look for Auxiliary projectiles, Seeking Flares, simmering explosion, secondary explosion and streamlined chamber. They will wipe the enemies off the map.

@@h-towncoasters9163 hmmm good to know! My favorite is full auto rocket launcher then around phase 4 I switch to a dreadnaught. But sometimes I feel like I get instakilled during phase 4. I’d have almost full then would die and I would be like “wait what??”

Usually you'd unlock your weapons in the main game before going to the tower. If you haven't unlocked the Dreadbound before you've been through the tower, I'd advise you play the main game first.

@@ElderStatesman thank you sir

You'd see this once you've gained a permanent upgrade for Selene. It allows you to shoot at the orbs to reveal a hidden plank or a path to unreachable places. You'll have everything once you complete Act III.

And these orbs are visible in more than just the fabricator rooms. There are bonus rooms where you activate this orb to make it higher and gain some decent items like Silphium Resin and Artifacts.

The permanent upgrade you'll need to see the orbs *must* be found in the main campaign.

The one where projectiles shoot out as soon as you hit an enemy? Stay on the move. The projectiles track you in whatever direction you're facing. Strafe and anticipate the projectiles. Standing still will decimate your integrity. Other than that, you can phase through the projectiles if things get overwhelming. That malfunction can be a royal pain in the ass for CQB. 🙁 You can use the Dreadbound from afar if need be. Hope this helps.

All weapons are given at random. I mainly used the Dreadbound. Can't remember off the top of my head which traits. Thanks for watching!

If you're seeking the Dreadbound with the same attributes, you have to work at finding the Dreadbound in the main game and hunt for the stats you want to increase. When you use the weapon enough, you'll be able to level up the attributes.

@@ElderStatesman I was under the impression that all weapons have the same weapon traits for all players? Or am I wrong and they are totally random? That starting auto rifle has a trait that slows fire rate but increase damage. I’ve almost levelled it up but I don’t like the trait. I hope it is set traits and not random, otherwise I have fucked up a great weapon because slow fire absolutely sucks🙄 I like the leech rounds and acceleration rounds or whatever it’s called. I’m levelling up the dread bound and I love it now. Forth shard exploding shards and another trait I can’t remember, works a treat. Just a shame that I can go many levels in tower , without seeing it. I also love the auto rocket launcher and the other Grenade launcher. I’ve played this game for so many hours and I still can’t remember what most of the weapons are called.

That'll only happen in phase 4 if you don't have any protection buffs.

@@jacobgraceffa4962 I only find shields, I swear I never find protection augments in the shops. Is there any other way to get a protection buff?

@spirothegamer there's certain artefacts that give a bonus to protection. But you should be seeing them in shops. I'll usually have found at least 3 or 4 in the shops by the end of phase 4.

Yes. It is endless. I've seen top-scorers going past Phase 25 or Phase 30 and making 300M+. This mode is designed to wear you down until you can't fight anymore. My personal best is Phase 8 Room 9.

Jeesum. That truly sucks. 🙁 Completing the main campaign can get you all the permanent equipment to wade through some acidic areas, and unlocking as many traits on your weapons as possible will help immensely. Weapon choice is totally dependent on one's unique play style, having said that, I'd recommend at the very least a Thermogenic Launcher with replicating hits, the Pyroshell Caster with simmering explosion or the Deadbound with Explosive Shards. The better the level on those traits, the better your weapon is. Hope this helps you get past the third phase. Algos can get pretty angry from Phase 3 onwards. Wishing you the best of luck.

Be mindful of the first Permanent Malfunction and be willing to change your play style accordingly. Like your weapon damage being cut down as long as you stand still. If you get that as your first permanent malfunction, don't stop moving. Conversely, if you get the weapon damage halved while in mid-air, keep your feet on the ground. If you need to pick up any Oblites from fallen hostiles while the "Hostiles Leave Pools of Acid Upon Death," dash through the pools instead of running near them. I admit I catch myself making that mistake more than I should. Hope this helps!

It doesn't stop. It's just a matter of how far you can get into the game compared to other people on the scoreboard. The whole point of it being called "Sisyphus" is because the mode is meant to be endless. The only way the mode ends is with Selene's death. And you get to try again.

Because you gain way more points that way. If you notice you get more points by using the Atropian Blade in daily challenges, it works the same way in the Tower of Sisyphus. I get as many melee attacks as I can early on to grab as much points as possible before the Malfunctions begin to rack up and make melee attacks in later Phases become next to impossible.

@@ElderStatesman thanks for the reply. I played the game at launch and finished it in the first week so havent been on it since... until this week when i got my ass gaped by the tower haha Last thing i want to be doing is not shooting enemies so was curious.

This is game footage I got from the PS5 using the capture feature in the console itself. I stitched my hour-long clips together in-post with Final Cut Pro.

I didn't do any post-processing or any color correction, or Look-up Tables. This is footage straight from my captures on the PS5 when you press the Create button and select the option to record an hour's worth of gameplay.

@@ElderStatesman ok gotcha cause with a lot of videos on Returnal I noticed the colors are more vibrant than usual and I wasn't sure if that was something done in game or not.

@@Blunterx420 yeah, the vibrancy of the colors is pretty pronounced when you play the game using a TV with HDR capabilities. Some projectiles and lasers are in-your-face vivid compared to the recorded versions. The vibrancy you see in gameplay clips on KZfaq don't do justice for Returnal.

@@ElderStatesman yeah I've noticed. I've been trying to make my colors like that but it doesn't seem to come out the way I want it. Either way, it's still a gorgeous pleasing game to look at. It's by far my favorite game of all time. I've never been so hooked on a game before like this one.

Mid air melee kills give the most points.

Made another attempt last night, 24M on Phase 5. My best now is 49M+ in Phase 8. The top scorers are insane. 😧

@@ElderStatesmanbro you're God!

@@Macoc-fg1id wish I was. Some players are pushing well over 400 million score. Takes dedication, I can say that much. Haha.

Or mid-air melees? Because they give you way more points than your average kill. Sometimes 10x the points from gunning a hostile down. A very good strategy to use early on when you can sacrifice some health and adrenaline to get the maximum points per kill.

If you notice in Daily Challenges on Returnal, you get way more points from mid-air melees than regular kills. The Tower of Sisyphus is more or less like an endless Daily Challenge, but it only becomes more difficult as you go further up the Tower.

@@ElderStatesman Didn't know about that, thanks for the feedback, great run btw :)

@@gauthiernurb1408 thanks! Been trying to improve my score lately and it's proven to be a difficult endeavor.

I went to 26M phase 8-20 with electropylon and traits: streamlined chamber, enlarged chamber, silphium extractor and protective pylons.

It can go on for dozens of phases if you can manage to get that far. Tower of Sisyphus is an endless mode, so it goes for as long as you can keep Selene alive.

@@ElderStatesman I see, how far do you need to go if you want to finish it story wise?

Um... That's the fate of every single player who attempts the Tower of Sisyphus. It's supposed to be a tower you NEVER reach the end of. An endless mode to see who can achieve the highest score.

@@ElderStatesman u died but this doesnt contradict with the fact that ur a genius

Yeah ok, bet u can’t even pass phase 2

@@AJ-mq5df my high score is 147M so sit down little andre