Newbie question about side cases

[Octarin]

Hi all, I'm finding myself a bit unsure as to how to proceed with this game, I got my first side case and I read online I shouldn't do it until MUCH MUCH later in the game. When is a good time to start doing side cases? And are they chapter bound? Can I finish several main cases and the side cases will be there, or do they disappear? Is there some formula to this? Like don't do side cases in areas you haven't discovered yet through the main story or something? Any advice appreciated.

[Retcon Rob]

I did all the side stuff first so I had the most experience and skills for the main quest line.

[Octarin]

Originally posted by JohnnyNoArms:

I did all the side stuff first so I had the most experience and skills for the main quest line.

I tried doing the letters but I got ganged by 3 wylbeasts on my first try...

[Bjørn]

I tried to do a side case after only a few of the main ones, and also got instantly killed by lots of creepy creatures when I went to the relevant house...

It was a bit discouraging (I prefer the detective and exploration sides, like the Sherlock Holmes games), so I took a break, but I haven't gone back yet...

I've seen there are mods that enables you to insta-kill enemies, so I might try that, but I think I'll try playing without some more first.

Thanks for making this thread! Would be nice with some newbie tips

[Octarin]

Originally posted by Bjørn:

I tried to do a side case after only a few of the main ones, and also got instantly killed by lots of creepy creatures when I went to the relevant house... :deaths::steamlaughcry:

It was a bit discouraging (I prefer the detective and exploration sides, like the Sherlock Holmes games), so I took a break, but I haven't gone back yet...

I've seen there are mods that enables you to insta-kill enemies, so I might try that, but I think I'll try playing without some more first.

Thanks for making this thread! Would be nice with some newbie tips :lunar2019smilingpig:

I am totally with you on that one. Especially since Lovecraft didn't use to have his protagonits kill creatues, simply because most of the time they couldn't, unless it was something mundane like a zombie or an Innsmouthian. it's weird to see creatures like that in such kind of game, but OK I'll play along, as long as I don't have to reload to kill them.

[Keller20]

You'd better have at least shotgun (obtained after one of the main quests). You can try with revolver, but not against the biggest ones. Use grenades and molotovs, run all the time, don't get cornered.

[Llyanka]

i kind of did things in tandem, but saved the most difficult sidequests for after i had finished unlocking all the weapons.

[Octarin]

Originally posted by Keller20:

You'd better have at least shotgun (obtained after one of the main quests). You can try with revolver, but not against the biggest ones. Use grenades and molotovs, run all the time, don't get cornered.

Good idea

Originally posted by Llyanka:

i kind of did things in tandem, but saved the most difficult sidequests for after i had finished unlocking all the weapons.

I think I'll wait to get a couple more weapons then

[Aethrys]

Resources aren't nearly as scarce as the game implies, feel free to burn through all your ammo if you need to, you can easily craft more. It just feels limited because your reserve is so small and you craft 1 at a time.

Same thing for grenades, if there's a big monster in your way, chuck all you've got at 'em.

[Octarin]

Originally posted by Aethrys:

Resources aren't nearly as scarce as the game implies, feel free to burn through all your ammo if you need to, you can easily craft more. It just feels limited because your reserve is so small and you craft 1 at a time.

Same thing for grenades, if there's a big monster in your way, chuck all you've got at 'em.

I dislike that I feel like I have to walk on eggshells around this subject. The game says avoid combat as much as you can, and then on your first ever side quest it spawns three wylbeasts that you have to Overwatch in order to kill. So, I don't get it, and I'm vexxed.

[Aethrys]

Originally posted by Octarin:

Originally posted by Aethrys:

Resources aren't nearly as scarce as the game implies, feel free to burn through all your ammo if you need to, you can easily craft more. It just feels limited because your reserve is so small and you craft 1 at a time.

Same thing for grenades, if there's a big monster in your way, chuck all you've got at 'em.

I dislike that I feel like I have to walk on eggshells around this subject. The game says avoid combat as much as you can, and then on your first ever side quest it spawns three wylbeasts that you have to Overwatch in order to kill. So, I don't get it, and I'm vexxed.

Yeah the game was going for much more of a desperate, resource scarce horror survival thing than it actually is. If you do truly find yourself out of EVERYTHING (Including a stash of crafting materials to craft more ammo) running away is always an option.

Bear in mind that melee works perfectly well against a lot of them, the small ones die in two hits. Human size ones can be beaten too, but it takes more hits and picking up on their movement patterns to keep them from hitting back.

If you need to top up on supplies, you can go into a lot of the infested zones and loot the nearest box without needing to fight most of the time, then just jump back out. Like the enemies, those resources respawn.

[Octarin]

Originally posted by Aethrys:

Originally posted by Octarin:

I dislike that I feel like I have to walk on eggshells around this subject. The game says avoid combat as much as you can, and then on your first ever side quest it spawns three wylbeasts that you have to Overwatch in order to kill. So, I don't get it, and I'm vexxed.

Yeah the game was going for much more of a desperate, resource scarce horror survival thing than it actually is. If you do truly find yourself out of EVERYTHING (Including a stash of crafting materials to craft more ammo) running away is always an option.

Bear in mind that melee works perfectly well against a lot of them, the small ones die in two hits. Human size ones can be beaten too, but it takes more hits and picking up on their movement patterns to keep them from hitting back.

If you need to top up on supplies, you can go into a lot of the infested zones and loot the nearest box without needing to fight most of the time, then just jump back out. Like the enemies, those resources respawn.

thank you! that was very helpful! i have been avoiding the infested zones like the plague so far.

[Bjørn]

Some useful tips here!

I only had the starter gun when I decided to do a side mission, and ran out of bullets while doing it (without hitting anything lol), and it was upstairs inside a house I was supposed to explore for the mission, so no way out. I'll try to get the shotgun and more ammo and such before attempting side missions again.

And I might have selected a very hard mission, I don't know. I picked up all the available missions as soon as I woke up in that hotel and went downstairs, so my mission log and map was suddenly full of stuff to do, so I'm not sure if that was a good idea.

I also tried to go into an alley where there was loot, but got swarmed by suddenly appearing zombie-like monsters, so then I ran away quickly... I have a rather nervous nature (PTSD), so I sometimes panic when something freaky happens.

When i get back into it, I'll try some more main missions first, get the shotgun and such, craft some ammo etc.

[Octarin]

Originally posted by Bjørn:

Some useful tips here!

I only had the starter gun when I decided to do a side mission, and ran out of bullets while doing it (without hitting anything lol), and it was upstairs inside a house I was supposed to explore for the mission, so no way out. I'll try to get the shotgun and more ammo and such before attempting side missions again.

And I might have selected a very hard mission, I don't know. I picked up all the available missions as soon as I woke up in that hotel and went downstairs, so my mission log and map was suddenly full of stuff to do, so I'm not sure if that was a good idea.

I also tried to go into an alley where there was loot, but got swarmed by suddenly appearing zombie-like monsters, so then I ran away quickly... :lunar2019crylaughingpig: I have a rather nervous nature (PTSD), so I sometimes panic when something freaky happens.

When i get back into it, I'll try some more main missions first, get the shotgun and such, craft some ammo etc. :steamsunny:

Let me know how it goes, cause I'm gonna take a bit of a break for now, trying to find the factory in those canals cramped my mood a bit.

[paladin765]

Originally posted by Keller20:

You'd better have at least shotgun (obtained after one of the main quests). You can try with revolver, but not against the biggest ones. Use grenades and molotovs, run all the time, don't get cornered.

traps are your friends against the biggest ones too, if you can get them set up. will buy you a second or two to line up your explosives.
the machine gun isnt acquired until much later in the main quest unless you bought the dlc one. but if you did it certainly makes it so much easier in the beginning.
I last played this on xbox before all of the chaos involved with the devs happened. havent started it on pc yet but am looking forward to diving back into it again.

[paladin765]

Originally posted by Octarin:

Originally posted by Bjørn:

Some useful tips here!

I only had the starter gun when I decided to do a side mission, and ran out of bullets while doing it (without hitting anything lol), and it was upstairs inside a house I was supposed to explore for the mission, so no way out. I'll try to get the shotgun and more ammo and such before attempting side missions again.

And I might have selected a very hard mission, I don't know. I picked up all the available missions as soon as I woke up in that hotel and went downstairs, so my mission log and map was suddenly full of stuff to do, so I'm not sure if that was a good idea.

I also tried to go into an alley where there was loot, but got swarmed by suddenly appearing zombie-like monsters, so then I ran away quickly... :lunar2019crylaughingpig: I have a rather nervous nature (PTSD), so I sometimes panic when something freaky happens.

When i get back into it, I'll try some more main missions first, get the shotgun and such, craft some ammo etc. :steamsunny:

Let me know how it goes, cause I'm gonna take a bit of a break for now, trying to find the factory in those canals cramped my mood a bit.

I agree navigating the canals was very annoying when i first played it.