As an obsessive Returnal player with countless hours traversing the persistently shifting landscapes of Atropos, I‘ve endured my share of punishing deaths. Yet none tormented me more than the towering shadowy entity known as Nemesis. This guide provides hard-won advice for defeating Returnal‘s most notorious skill check – derived from multiple failed attempts, strained controllers, and finally – a hard-fought victory.
The Nature of The Threat
Emerging from the twisting passages of the Derelict Citadel, you find yourself suddenly transported onto a barren crimson plane. Before you stands an intimidating horned figure, with a glowing core in its chest – the Nexus of this accursed domain. Wasting no time, Nemesis immediately assails you with spreadshots and homing projectiles, as lesser minions move to flank.
I lost track of how many times I faltered at this early stage. Only by analyzing attack patterns could I gradually decipher this relentless first phase. Let‘s break down the critical mechanics to overcome in order to even reach Nemesis‘ deadlier second form.
Surviving the Opening Onslaught
The initial cacophony of attacks might seem impossible to escape. But Nemesis uses only three primary shot types in the first phase. With practice, their delivery becomes predictable:
Homing Shots
- Identified by: Distinct purple/pink color, rapid lateral movement
- Frequency: Fired at regular short intervals
- Avoidance: Strafe briefly when they appear
Spread Shots
- Identified by: Blue energy clusters expanding in radial waves
- Frequency: Alternates with homing shot barrage
- Avoidance: Dash through gaps in arc pattern
Arcing Shots
- Identified by: Wider arcing orange projectiles
- Frequency: Intermittently fired if you remain stationary
- Avoidance: Circle strafe to avoid impact points
Meanwhile, shielded spear-wielding minions on both flanks harry your position with further attacks:
Beam Blasts
- Identified by: Continuous yellow laser sweep
- Frequency: Charged up then fired at regular intervals
- Avoidance: Jump the horizontal sweep
The Critical Weak Point
While simply evading attacks seems impossible at first, eventually a pattern emerges. Yet what truly overwhelmed me early on was trying to damage Nemesis itself. Learning to recognize and concentrate fire on its sole vulnerability is essential:
Only the glowing circular red core within Nemesis‘ chest can be damaged
All other areas will absorb even your most powerful weapons without effect
Keep repositioning using platform cover in order to target the core while dodging incoming fire
Surviving The Escalation
After depleting its first health bar, Nemesis enters a brief stunned period. But swiftly recovers by altering the battlefield itself. The ground fractures into hovering platforms as flaming pits emerge.
If you don‘t quickly grapple to an secure position, participial collapse will rapidly drain suit integrity. This shift to precarious elevated terrain is only the prelude to a far more vicious onslaught however…
Phase 2: Shifting Terrain & Escalating Attacks
Having recovered, Nemesis takes flight – teleporting to random locations while summoning additional minion reinforcements. The core weapon traits which served you well earlier now face amplified versions:
Platform Navigation
- Irregular floating fragments impede movement & firing angles
- Used grapple points to rapidly reorient toward Nemesis
Minion Swarming
- Up to 4 shielded spear-wielders now harass your position
- 2 coordinate yellow beam blasts require rapid double-dodging
Vanish/Reappear
- Nemesis blinks away to avoid damage, making targeting frustrating
- But always re-emerges among gathered minion formations
Enhanced Shot Patterns
- Spreadshots expand in wider arcs at faster velocities
- Homing shots feature more aggressive tracking with lateral drifting
New Environmental Attacks
- Some platforms may gradually ignite over time
- Others can be destroyed entirely by concentrated minion blasts
While struggling to reacquire Nemesis between teleportation bursts, avoiding minion flanks, and navigating a crumbling battlefield, the core shot patterns inexorably accelerate…
Phase 3: The Final Stand
Having weathered the shifting gauntlet of phase 2, Nemesis enters its most ruthless attack regimen. Destroying the entire arena, Selene now faces the epic foe from a distance while navigating floating debris.
With minions largely vanishing from the fray, Nemesis leverages the range to execute dense bullet curtains. Though the following core factors now determine victory:
Platform Positioning
- Irregular drifting terrain blocks shots & must be traversed to acquire angles
- Use jump/grapple abilities quickly reorient toward Nemesis
Evasive Maneuvering
- From spreading salvos to swarms of homing shots, attacks dominte space
- Keep moving between cover fragments to avoid terminal damage
Resilience
- As its last health bar critically flashes, Nemesis only intensifies salvos
- This endurance round tests nerves – don‘t lose composure!
Gearing Up For The Fight
Before entering the crimson void to face Nemesis, ensuring optimal equipment and resources is essential. After bitterly learning the hard way, I recommend:
Weapons
- Hollowseeker – Portal traits bypass cover & barriers to consistently damage Nemesis core
- Pylon Driver – Focused static streams make hitting the small core easier
- Thermogenic Launcher – Seeking heat-flares complicate arena navigation less
Artifacts
- Astronaut Figurine – The extra life is indispensable over 3+ phases
- Energy Barrier – Shields against interposed debris & minion shots
- Shield Vampirism – Steals lifeforce upon hitting Nemesis weak spot
Consumables
- Obolite/Ether Chunks – Currency for crucial artifacts at Fabricator terminals
- Silphium Vials – Obtain 3+ for healing between phases
- Adrenaline Stimulant – Player damage boost perfect for burning final health bars
Suit Integrity Upgrades
- 300+ Integrity recommended minimum to endure full barrage durations
- 500+ Ideal to withstand positional errors & survive instantly lethal burst
Suit Parasites
- Adrenalin Leech/Stay of Execution – Restore brief damage immunity upon health loss
- Resin Enhancer – Generate more Obolites per pickup for economy snowballing
Closing Thoughts
Having finally toppled the mechanical menace on a taxing multi-hour run, relief washed over me. In some small way, deducing those attack formations and surviving the onslaught parallel‘s Selene‘s own eternal struggle for answers.
For new Returnal explorers, Nemesis may seem an impossible specter designed to brutally punish the slightest hesitation or positional misstep. Yet by truly observing shot tells, managing the elevated terrain, and maintaining focus fire on that lone vulnerable locus of essence, victory reveals itself.
What once felt so dauntingly inscrutable will transform after repeated attempts into a kinetic, almost elegant bullet ballet. Having purified that cursed celestial shard, the bizarre mysteries swirling across Atropos appear less opaque – drawing you nearer toward the ultimate revelation.
Onward, explorer!
