Biomutant looks like a simple mascot adventure game on the surface. In truth, it’s a title with a deep emphasis on customization and progression. From its character creator, moral alignment system, and abundant loot and equipment, Biomutant is all about making your own experience.
There’s a lot to see and do in Biomutant’s opening hours. It can be overwhelming, but we’re here to help. Below, you’ll find some useful tips and tricks to ease you through this vast post-apocalyptic world.
Character creation is a beginning, not an end
Biomutant begins by asking you to create a character. There’s a lot to delve into, but in all honesty, you shouldn’t worry about building the “perfect” character from the jump. Why? Because you’ll have plenty of opportunities to fine-tune your critter’s stats as the game progresses. You’ll even be able to respec. With that said, let’s go over some of what you’ll find in the character creator.
There are five races and each comes with pre-determined stats. Some have more vitality while others have more strength. Genetic structure lets you focus on specific stats (vitality, intellect, strength, etc). Shifting your character’s stats alters their appearance. A character with high intellect will have a bigger head while strong characters have larger muscles. Genetic resilience gives you, well, resilience to specific environmental hazards like fire. You’ll be able to beef up specific resistances later on so pick whichever you desire at the start.
Choose a balanced character class
Like races, there are five distinct character classes. Choosing a character class doesn’t impede your ability to customize. What’s special about classes is their unique perks.
The best classes for beginners are Dead-Eye, Saboteur, and Commando. Dead-Eye is the most balanced class in the game, containing stats suited for both melee and long-range attacks. Its Perfect Reload perk grants a damage bonus to firearms when used. Saboteur’s Twin Silver Grip enables you to dual-wield melee weapons. This class is also naturally agile, making it easier for you to dodge attacks. Commando is Biomutant’s tank class, receiving and dealing a great deal of damage. The Fury perk is excellent for gun users.
The Psi-Freak and Sentinels classes are good too, but the three aforementioned classes make for the best to use overall.
Don’t worry about alignment
You’ll arrive at a literal fork in the road during the intro. The left represents “dark” while the right represents “light.” As with the character creator, you don’t have to fuss over which path to choose. Even if you go with “dark” you’re free to make “light” choices when conversing with NPCs. An ally named Out-of-Date recommends you side with one of two tribes (Myriad and Jagni) depending on your alignment. However, you’re free to go with whichever tribe seems most appealing. Even in its morality system, Biomutant is all about choice.
Master parrying and dodging
Biomutant’s combat system is as open-ended as anything else in the game. However, you’ll only have a limited amount of moves at your disposal in the beginning. But you aren’t helpless. So long as you keep the basics in mind, you’ll be able to overcome some of the initially tough challenges.
A good defense is as important as a solid offense. Enemies come at you fast and often in overwhelming numbers. As such, you’ll need to dodge and parry at a moment’s notice. You’re free to dodge in any direction, which is perfect for avoiding some of the nastier attacks. Dodging is also great for giving yourself breathing room.
Parrying is a great alternative to dodging since you can quickly follow with a counterattack. Like the Batman Arkham games, you’ll see lightning sparks over an enemy’s head when they’re about to strike. Pressing the parry button when this symbol appears automatically parries the blow. Later in the game, you’ll unlock abilities that let you follow parrying with some truly devastating combos. Parrying is an indispensable tool in your arsenal.
Craft and craft often
Crafting is a central component of the game. Through crafting, you’ll develop superior armor and weapons. You’ll need crafting materials to make items, and you can find plenty out in the wasteland. Dismantling undesired items is another excellent way of gaining crafting materials.
You can craft or upgrade items via the menu. If, for example, you’re crafting a gun, you can swap out its barrel, scope, and grip for better versions. Putting all of the pieces together creates a new weapon, so long as you have the required amount of crafting materials. You’ll eventually gain access to upgrade benches where you can upgrade whole items in your inventory. This is a good way to keep your favorite guns and armor pieces instead of altering them or swapping them for stronger variants.
One important thing to note is that you’ll often find high-level armor and weapons. This is all well and good, but if you’re at level 14 you won’t be able to rock a level 30 chest piece. It’s better to dismantle high-level items and use their materials to create items suited to your level. You’re going to come across a ton of equipment along your journey. Hoarding items is pointless. Also, don’t bother buying anything but health items from stores. It’s better to sell off low-level items for cash you can use to buy crafting materials.
Unlock fast travel stations
Biomutant is a full-on open-world game. As such, it can take a long time to get from place to place. That’s not a bad thing considering the beauty of the environment around you, but sometimes, you just want to get to your destination. This is where fast travel stations come in.
You’ll find fast travel stations all over the map. To unlock one, simply interact with it. The game does a good job of placing stations at strategic locations, usually near forts and NPCs. Most stations aren’t far from one another. One interesting thing about fast travel stations is that you can use one even when engaged in combat. If you’re about to die, you can go to a station and save your furry hide.
We should note that you can traverse the map by riding animals or robots. You’ll gain access to both a mech and a horse-like creature early on. Both mounts move at the same speed, so it’s only a matter of which you prefer riding on. As you’d expect, the more you play, the more mounts become available.
Don’t rush
Biomutant is at its best when you take your time with it. Sure, you can blast your way through the 10-12 hour long campaign, but half the fun is trekking across the land to see what secrets you’ll unearth. Like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Biomutant has a clever way of covertly directing you to interesting places. If a distant mountain range entices you, go ahead and visit it. It’ll be worth your efforts.
