If you read our(my) review, you know that the Prima Games seal of approval is on Immortals: Fenyx Rising. We’ve had a ton of time with the game, and are really getting to know its ins and outs. And like any game, there’s room for dropping lists like these of basic hints folks might want to read before starting the game. After dozens of hours roaming the Golden Island, here are 15 observations I’ve made that could prove helpful before starting the game.
Enter the Hall of Heroes ASAP
As tempting as it is to wander around, digging for chests and collectibles on the Golden Island, we recommend holding it in for a bit at first. You’re woefully unequipped for any meaningful exploration at the jump, and booking it to the Hall of Heroes (the central hub-ish) will open up upgrades, and more importantly potions.
Chug Them Potions
Seriously, the importance of potions cannot be overstated. If you’re like me and tend to play with consumables conservatively, you’re doing it wrong. This is especially true with Stamina potions, as there are blue mushrooms everywhere. You’ll almost never run out, and chugging a few potions can make the difference between getting up a stubborn cliffside or tumbling down like a dummy.
A Parry Isn’t a Free Counter
A Perfect Dodge isn’t either. Your two main defensive options in Immortals are super important, and crucial if you want to get through the harder battles without wanting to smash your head into a wall. But that doesn’t mean they’re infallible. Getting a Perfect Parry (blue sparks) usually opens you right up for a counter attack, but not always. You need to be prepared to parry two or three times in quick succession, because the tougher enemies will shrug off the first one in multi-hit attacks.
Get Movement Skills First
Getting new skills is pretty expensive. You need a lot of coins, and while you earn more than one at a time that requires running around and solving puzzles. So while the skill tree and the Godly Powers can be tempting, you really want to start with the following movement-based skills:
- Air Dodge
- Enhanced Dodge
- Climb Leap
- Swim Dash
Enhanced Dodge is arguably the least needed, but being able to dodge in the air and use less Stamina for climbing/swimming are practically required. I can’t overstate how much of a difference these skills make early on.
Fast Travel Options
Immortals doesn’t skimp on the Fast Travel options. And some of them might not be as obvious as others. First, any completed Vault becomes a new Fast Travel point. Even if you don’t clear all the objectives, you can still zip to them if you solve the main puzzles. If you see a pillar-like icon on the map when you come across something notable, that is also a Fast Travel Point. Then, there are the obvious ones, like the Hall of Heroes and the colossal statues you do the panning camera gimmick on. It gets pretty easy to zip around the map despite its size.
Vault Colors
Vaults look different on the map depending on how much or how little you’ve done with them. A red icon means you haven’t solved it at all, but at least you know where it is! Yellow means you’ve solved the puzzle, but not every objective. The number of gems coming out of the Vault also indicates how many objectives are left. Once you get it all done, the vault icon basically just turns into a rock. If you hover over the icon on the map, you can also see which objectives you’ve fulfilled vs left open.
Horde Plants
Sometimes it can feel laborious to collect plants in open world games like this. But it’s a pretty good idea to grab every one you come across in Immortals. Especially since the purple and yellow plants are more sporadic, and those make the attack/defense potions respectively. You can unlock a Telekinetic Gathering skill, which will let you collect multiple plants at once in an area of effect. That’s especially helpful for getting Pomegranates out of trees.
Side Quest Objectives
Sometimes a Side Quest, when you stumble upon one, isn’t very clear. For example, there’s one where you come across a ruined town, and all you get is some banter between Zeus and Prometheus. Maybe I’m just oblivious, but in that case I didn’t realize what I had to do until I looked at the icon on the map. If that’s ever unclear, the map lays out your task in straightforward language.
Static Bonuses
When you find a new piece of gear, that piece of gear will have two different bonuses. The first bonus is inherent, and the second one won’t be available until you upgrade that equipment slot to level four. One of my gripes with Immortals is that a lot of these abilities aren’t very good. Bonuses to attack that require full health? No thanks. Instead, look for bonuses that are static and relevant, such as a permanent stun bump on arrows or a persistent critical hit chance on air attacks.
No Climbing in Vaults (Edges are Allowed)
Vaults are funky, because they want you to do specific things to win. That means if you mess something up there’s a good chance you’re falling and losing time (and health) to the uncaring abyss of Tartaros. But there are some pretty gnarly gliding spots sometimes, that need you to glide at the perfect time to reach the other side. Or do they? If you fumble a bit, try to button mash a little with the glide and jump buttons. Fenyx might gain just enough air to grab the edge. You can also keep your double jump stored while you glide, and use that and an air dodge to give you a little extra oomph. No climbing allowed, though.
Herakles is Versatile
You get the Herakles’ Strength ability early on, and it’s one of your primary methods of navigating puzzles and moving big things around. But there are some tips worth mentioning. For one, there’s a certain range this thing has, and sometimes you’ll need to grab boxes out of the water. But if you just kind of nudge Fenyx around and tap the left bumper, you can find grabbable items in range without fumbling blindly. The game doesn’t tell you this either, but if an enemy rips a rock out of the ground and throws it at you, you can snatch it out of the air if you’re fast enough and throw it back.
Typhon Gives Up
As you wander the open world, Typhon will decide you’re being a boring nerd and send one of his Wraiths your way. The world gets all red and stormy, and a miniboss pretty much appears out of nowhere. And if you try to run, it’ll hunt you down and the storm will continue. But you can keep running if you’re in a hurry, especially if you have a horse handy. It takes quite a while, but Typhon eventually gets the hint and goes away. You can also hide out in the Hall of Heroes and avoid the whole thing if you don’t mind standing around.
Air Vents Suck
There are a lot of air vents in Immortals, and they do exactly what you’d expect them to. But they’re a little on the janky side. It’s mostly your glider’s fault. If you’re moving forward when you hit the air vent, Fenyx will shoot up but forward, leaving the boost too early. And moving backwards while you’re gliding doesn’t work. So as soon as you touch the vent, let go of the stick and the vent will do what it’s supposed to regardless of your momentum. Physics!
Apollo’s Arrows are Crucial
The guided arrow thing from Assassin’s Creed is in Immortals too, but here it’s one of the most useful tools in your arsenal. For one, you can use it to cheese out weaker enemies without dealing with their crap, but you can also use it as a sort of probe to explore your surroundings. This is especially great in bigger Vaults, where you can use Apollo’s Arrow to look for tricky solutions or simply get a good grasp of the bigger picture. If you upgrade it to be able to control its speed, Apollo’s Arrow becomes more useful in timed target puzzles too.
Low on Stamina? Jump!
This tip only works on lower difficulties. If you’re on Normal or lower, there’s a get out of jail free card on fall damage. If you run out of stamina while you’re gliding, Fenyx will go to land but won’t just drop. So if you’re climbing and overestimated your reach, it can be a better idea to just jump off and pop your wings before you fall. If you go higher than Normal though, you’re just gonna have to accept your new life as a ragdoll.
Are you excited to give Immortals:Fenyx Rising a shot this holiday season? Or are you already digging into your day one purchase? What do you think of the game overall? Let us know your opinions over at the Prima Games Facebook and Twitter channels!
