In my dozens of hours exploring the sprawling world of Remnant 2, few areas captivated my imagination as much as the Postulant‘s Parlor. As a passionate gamer and veteran of the Soulslike genre, I‘m always seeking powerful new gear and unraveling complex puzzles. This optional zone, tucked away in the region of Losomn, satisfies both cravings and then some!
Deciphering the Area‘s Layout
I first stumbled upon the Parlor while investigating a narrow cave dotted with fluorescent mushrooms, drawn in by the soft blue glow of strange symbols upon the walls. Emerging into the larger cavern beyond, an intricate structure towered before me – nine square rooms enclosed by metal fencing and lined with bookcases, desks, and other scholarly trappings. It reminded me of a grand university library, a sanctuary for certain ancient knowledge.
A cloaked figure stood at the far end of the central room, his back turned to me as he gazed at a chalkboard. I recognized the grid work of a tic-tac-toe board used by the inhabitants of Losomn in certain rituals and ceremonies. Approaching with caution, I soon discerned the area’s orderly layout and puzzle-like nature. Each of the nine rooms corresponded to a specific square on the 3×3 grid. And accessing the various locked side chambers clearly hinged upon manipulating that central board somehow.
Gearing Up for the Puzzle Challenge
Before attempting any complex puzzles, my usual approach is to thoroughly scout a new area first to locate any easily obtained loot. And the Postulant‘s Parlor did not disappoint in that regard! Behind the NPC himself, I discovered a Royal Hunting Bow laying upon a desk, free for the taking. Compared to my current Last Breath rifle, this bow sported superior Accuracy, Weak Spot Damage, Critical Hit Chance, and Stagger Ability (see Table 1). It would pair perfectly with my high Crit Chance/Crit Stack build focused around precision shots. This area was already proving well worth the effort of deciphering its secrets!
| Stats | Royal Hunting Bow | Last Breath Rifle |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | 80 | 244 |
| Rate of Fire (RPS) | 4.3 | 1.3 |
| Mag Size | 1 | 5 |
| Crit Chance | 10% | 5% |
| Weak Spot Damage | +115% | +95% |
Squaring Off Against the Postulant
With a shiny new weapon in hand, I confronted the mysterious Postulant himself. He introduced himself as the "Game Master" and challenged me to a battle of wits across the tic-tac-toe chalkboard. The rules were simple – use whiteboard markers to make a row of three while preventing your opponent from doing the same with black markers. But the punishment for losing was severe – each failure inflicted stacking curses diminishing my overall battle prowess. A high risk challenge indeed!
Through several rounds of intense matches, a few key tactics became clear that led me to victory…
turtle strategy buys time
At first, I attempted to employ an aggressive approach – actively trying to complete rows while openly attacking the Postulant‘s pieces. But this only accelerated losses on my end. His AI reacted swiftly to threats and capitalized on every mistake. My health dwindled rapidly beneath the mounting curses!
Shifting to a defensive turtle strategy proved far more effective. I strived not to win per se, but rather forestall ANY winner from emerging. By carefully blocking the Postulant‘s moves, the match stretched on interminably. This also bought me time to plot which rooms to unlock and when.
Room access hinges on board state
Through accidental experimentation, I deduced a critical insight – the state of the tic-tac-toe board dictated which rooms I could access! By mirroring the board‘s white piece locations among the 9 grid spaces, I could selectively unlock specific side rooms even mid-match. Victories and losses alike reset the board, closing access until I shifted the layout again.
Exploiting this knowledge accelerated my collection process. No longer did I need to battle the Postulant repeatedly hoping for RNG to align. I navigated the board with purpose, unlocking rooms in an optimal sequence based on my gear priorities. The lore implications also fascinated me…was this entire structure some grand arcane lock sealable only by such esoteric means?
Collecting the Potent Parlor Loot
Utilizing my turtle strategy and room access shortcuts, I methodically unlocked all nine rooms and collected the treasures within. While the bow and one accessory had fixed locations, the other spawns seemed randomly assigned per visit. Occasionally, I even scored duplicate rings or amulets! Across various repeat runs, here is a compilation of all equipables the Postulant‘s Parlor yielded…
Fae Royal Armor Set
From the starting room directly above central on the tic-tac-toe grid came an ornate green-hued armor set bearing royal insignia with four pieces:
- Fae Royal Head Cover – Light helm with Physical/Elemental Resistance
- Fae Royal Bodyplate – Strong chest armor boosting Anomaly Power/Resistance
- Fae Royal Greaves – Greaves with high Fire Resistance
- Fae Royal Vambraces – Gloves providing Physical Resistance
Compared to my hodge-podge of scavenged rare armors, the uniform set bonuses and balanced defensive stats of the Royal Suite appealed greatly (Table 2). I also hoped to eventually adapt it into a fashionable ensemble with dye customizations down the road!
| Armor Piece | Fae Royal | Hodgepodge Rare |
|---|---|---|
| Head | 158 Armor | 121 Armor |
| Chest | 572 Armor | 488 Armor |
| Legs | 251 Armor | 190 Armor |
| Gloves | 107 Armor | 99 Armor |
Game Master‘s Pride
This innocuous silver ring packed a double-edged ability with more complex utility than initial appearances suggested. Its two notable modifiers created an interesting risk/reward mechanic:
- 50% Less Incoming Healing – Cuts all healing effects in half when worn. A major handicap for solo players relying on regeneration or health packs. But in co-op…
- Evenly Distribute Damage & Healing – All remaining damage taken and incoming healing gets split evenly across ALL players wearing this ring.
So while the healing reduction feels punishing alone, the potential teamwork synergies make this ring enticing. By having the entire party wear Game Master‘s Pride, you create a massive effective health pool with fractional damage. Swapping rings lets isolated teammates get bursting healing too. Creative co-ordination unlocks huge potential!
Chains of Amplification
I discovered this amulet in a side room mid-match and immediately socketed it for testing. The bonuses aligned perfectly with my core battle strategy – inflicting bleed & freeze to then detonate the status effects for amplified damage. Specifically, this amulet grants:
- +20% Damage – Applies a flat one-fifth damage increase…
- Against Targets Suffering Ailments – …but ONLY versus opponents already debilitated by impairments like burn, poison, shock, or similar.
After some advanced calibration, I determined this equates to roughly +8% average DPS under optimum conditions (targets bleeding 60% of time). Hardly game-breaking on its own. But when compounded with my other +Damage gear, the extra stacks pushed my crits into OHKO range more frequently! Always welcome for a glass cannon build.
Fae Shaman Ring
In subsequent Parlor runs, I obtained a couple versions of this vibrant gemstone ring providing more utility-focused benefits:
- +0.25 Health Regen – Modest perpetual regeneration bolstering sustainability.
- +25% Relic Recharge Rate – Zips up recovery speed of abilities/cooldowns.
Neither effect proves tremendously potent alone. But together they generate nice synergy! The constant health regen counters minor incidental chip damage between battles. And accelerated relic recharges enable more frequent use of my various AOE attacks, crowd control, and other tactical skills. It‘s amazing how even subtle numeric changes become hugely impactful over lengthy dungeon diving or intense boss battles!
Escaping the Parlor…for now
Having finally unlocked the last side room and claimed all its treasures, I returned to the Postulant‘s chamber expecting congratulations on deciphering his puzzle. Instead, he seemed upset I had ransacked his private study and demanded I leave at once! I had hoped for more insight into the rituals and customs around these tic-tac-toe trials, but clearly my quest for gear overshadowed respect for such cultural lore. Perhaps on my next visit, I will play the game more purely without looting intent…
For now, the Postulant‘s Parlor goes down as one of my most satisfying self-discovered secrets within Remnant 2. The intricate zone layout, cerebral battle of wits, and powerful armament rewards all resonated strongly with my gamer instincts. I relish environments testing both martial skill AND mental cleverness in equal measure. And the gravitational pull of even more exotic armors and artifacts waiting Undiscovered will no doubt draw me back soon enough…
Have you uncovered the Parlor‘s mysteries yet in your own adventures? Let me know your experiences in the comments!
