As an avid Dead Space fan and seasoned veteran of the original games, I was eagerly awaiting the Dead Space remake. When it finally arrived, I dove in on impossible difficulty ready to rediscover every blood-soaked corridor and mangled monstrosity all over again.
My Quest for 100% Completion
Now I‘ll admit, I‘m a bit of completionist. I just can‘t put a game down until I‘ve unlocked every achievement, collected every collectible, and bested every challenge the developers threw my way. The Backbreaker bronze trophy caught my eye early since stomping necromorphs into mush unlocks fond memories of boldly caving in skulls during my first playthrough years ago.
Upon reviewing the trophy requirements – "Stomp 10 enemies" – I cracked my knuckles, strapped on my mining boots, and set forth to master the art of stomping Necromorphs on this classic Ishimura adventure.
Little did I know the actual challenge this would pose in Dead Space‘s new ultra-hardcore setting!
Understanding Your Prey
Before wading into tactics, let‘s briefly analyze the gruesome enemies you‘ll be facing:
Necromorphs – Undead Mutated Corpses
Necromorphs come in many variants, but they share common traits:
- Mutated from infected dead flesh
- Relentless violence aimed to spread contagion
- Multiple limbs and attacks
- Require strategic dismemberment
Here are some primary types and their combat styles:
| Necromorph | Description |
|---|---|
| Lurker | Crawling creature that launches spines |
| Slasher | Agile undead equipped with giant blades for arms |
| Leaper | Frog-like monstrosity that spews projectiles |
| Pregnant | Bloated sacks carrying volatile swarmers |
| Puker | Disgusting projectile vomiter that keeps its distance |
| Divider | The heavy brute that splits into smaller forms upon dismemberment |
And many more deadly abominations!
Stomp Attack Physics & Mechanics
Executing a stomp delivers a powerful smash with Isaac‘s equipped boot. Here are key traits to understand:
- Activates only when enemies are prone
- Short range – Requires close quarters
- Delivers 200 damage
- Stun duration lasts 2 seconds
- Does not penetrate obstacles
Now 200 damage may seem strong, but most necromorphs have outrageously inflated health in higher difficulty modes. This means preceding weapon attacks are vital for softening up more formidable enemies before going in for the kill.
That said, swarmers and pods have barely any health at all. You can spontaneously stomp these at will!
The Challenge of Backbreaker
So how hard is snagging the Backbreaker trophy? Let‘s crunch some numbers:
- 10 required stomp kills
- 15+ necromorph types
- Thousands appear across 12+ hours of gameplay
- Many evolve giant health pools in hard difficulty modes
- Stomp only delivers 200 damage without setup
As you can see, not just any garden-variety necromorph will do! You must craft a deliberate strategy based on attack analysis, environment traps, equipment choice, weak spot targeting, and merciless prioritization of the most vulnerable foes.
The trials you overcome shape your story…now let‘s make this battle one for the history books!
Gearing Up For Glory
Turning this spaceship into a stomping ground requires some thoughtful preparation:
Isaac‘s Mighty Boots
- Equip Advanced Miner Boots – Unlocked on the store after the first Brute fight, these activate a damaging ground smash upon jumping and do 50% more stomp damage for 300 total.
- Attach Boot Stasis Unit – This handy addon makes timed stomp combos more forgiving by slowing enemies after the first hit.
- Acquire the Urchin Circuit – Found in Chapter 10, this rig circuit grants a 5% damage boost per recent weapon hit. That‘s +100% for stomps after you shoot something!
Vital Support Modules
- Upgrade Stasis to Max – Duration and recharge rate upgrades allow you to lock down tricky necromorphs more frequently.
- Install Advanced Kinesis Module – The ability to hurl debris as weapons helps knock enemies off balance so you can move in for the stomp.
Ideal Weapons for Crippling Foes
Having the right tools to shred necromorph limbs or dissolve their health before going for stomps is crucial.
- The Line Gun – Fires a giant beam perfect for severing appendages
- The Force Gun – Blasts kinetic energy to knock enemies off their feet
- The Plasma Cutter – Precision cuts and high DPS whittle targets down
- The Pulse Rifle – High rate of fire helps overload enemies quickly
With the right gear and guns, you‘ll have necromorphs bowing before your boots in no time!
Optimal Stomping Strategies
Now for the fun part – mastering the perfect stomping method for various situations and enemies!
Strategy #1: Swarm The Swarmers
For quick and easy stomps, target tiny swarmers first. While weak individually, their advantage is numbers…and that plays right into our kick-happy hands!
How It Works:
- Swarmers attack in groups of 5+
- Die in one stomp (less than 100 health)
- Found in vents or spawned from Pregnants
- Easy to lure and trap in choke points
- Vision obscured when they swarm you
Execution:
- Before entering a room, briefly observe swarmer movement paths
- Plan a tight bottleneck to force them into single-file lines
- As they rush your position, stomp wildly while backpedaling
- Laugh maniacally as crunches echo through the room!
With clever positioning, you can grind these out quickly by chaining rapid stomps in the chaos.
Strategy #2: Curb Stomp The Guardian‘s Crib
Guardians may look intimidating with their nested wall mounts and tentacled pods, but their offspring are helpless squashable fodder!
How It Works:
- Guardians spawn eggs with pod babies
- Pods have less than 50 health
- No attacks – Literally defenseless bounce bags
- Found in the Medical Wing ventilation shafts
- Guardians use ranged attacks if engaged
Execution:
- Sneak by Guardians to avoid confrontation
- Scan eggsacs to find fresh pods detaching
- Time perfectly to stomp pods as the land
- Repeat while Guardians spew infinite babies
Simply bounce from pod to pod, serve up stomps, and farm your way to an easy 10 baby kicks before the nest runs dry!
Strategy #3: Divide and Stomp The Divider
At first blush, the colossal Divider looks far from a stomping candidate…until you blast off its limbs!
How It Works:
- Divider splits into smaller bodies upon dismemberment
- Torso chunks left crawling have low health
- Crawlers easily pinned for timed stomp antics
- Requires sufficient firepower to divide giant form
Execution:
- Engage a Divider solo, not among other necros
- Use the Line Gun beam to slice off legs and arms
- Once divided, concentrate plasma shots on remaining torso
- Listen for squishy impact sounds as torsos grow ripe for stomping!
Stomp criteria means only the final blow counts – so pummel Dividers down before executing defenseless crawling chunks underfoot.
Rinse and repeat across multiple Dividers to quickly gather lethal stomps!
Strategy #4: Lock Down and Stomp Ferocious Foes
The previous tactics focused on easier targets. But with proper preparation, you can set up even intimidating enemies for crushing stomp finishes!
The key is recognizing attack patterns, decisively tearing the right limbs to limit mobility, blasting them to low health, and carefully timing the final blow.
Here is one example flow:
Execution:
- Engage a medium threat like a Leaper or Slasher
- Stasis them the instant they leap to attack to buy time
- Rip off offensive limbs like blades or projectile launchers with the Line Gun
- Switch to the Pulse Rifle unload on the crippled necro, push past halfway health
- Kinesis toss an exploding canister or flaming barrel to weaken further
- Stomp just as stasis is wearing off for the finisher!
While riskier, this approach works on most necromorphs and prevents endless Swarmer stomp farming.
Master Difficulty Backbreaker Journey
Now I‘ll share my personal Backbreaker trophy unlock story playing on Master difficulty. Probably not recommended for your first playthrough, but I enjoyed the challenge!
The Ramp Up
Early on I took the quick path and farmed swarmers, landing 5 effortless stomps in Chapter 3. But soon I longed for more interesting targets and greater battles.
Mid-game I turned to Guardians and Dividers, creeping along rusty vents kicking pods while avoiding tentacle attacks from their angry parents. Several times I stomped a Guardian pod only to trigger a scripted ambush by a raging brute! I learned quickly not to linger near those resourceful nests…
Brutal Brute Battles
Speaking of brutes, I stubbornly insisted on slaying them through dismemberment rather than stasis+stomps. In hindsight this was foolish with limited ammo on Master difficulty.
One bridge encounter with 2 brutes and a horde of slashers took over an hour! After countless deaths I barely limped away with a sliver of health but got the elusive 7th and 8th stomps from a lucky divider.
The Home Stretch
In Chapter 11 I hit a lull unable to safely stomp tough foes like Infectors and Lurkers who kept slaughtering me. My save file crept past 13 hours trying the same encounters. I started questioning my tactics rather than just my aim.
That‘s when I had an epiphany – use stasis to guarantee openings for cripples and executions! I soon crafted the reliable 4 step approach from the previous section.
While costly in precious stasis, this strategy clinched my last 2 stomps on a pair of leaping Slashers in Chapter 12. Glory!
Final Backbreaker Tips
Let‘s recap the key guidelines:
- Analyze attack patterns before engaging
- Carve limbs strategically to limit mobility
- Blast health over halfway before final stomp
- Time stomps perfectly as stasis wears off
- Retry stubborn necros – no shame save scumming!
- Most importantly, laugh in the face of gruesome demise!
While the Backbreaker trophy presents a notable stomping challenge, each necromorph you repeatedly fall to ultimately holds the knowledge to overcome them. Study, strategize, implement, and soon you‘ll be bathing in the crimson viscera of your fallen foes!
Now stomp forth brave engineer, give the Ishimura back its gravity, and turn those necromorphs into stomped mush piles!
