Survival
Hi, I completed the game on expert survival mode with perma death for the first time yesterday.
The first tip I`d give you is to first play the game on expert survival mode without perma death. Considering you don`t know where to get the climbing hook yet (it is from the crafter/one armed Wenja hiding in a cave, he will be a map pop up after the mission where you defend your starting village from Udam) I`d say you need some hands on experience and plain knowledge on the missions you will be playing to get the perma death expert achievement (you are going for that right?). Keep in mind that you only need to complete the story missions (indicated by a face icon on the map) to get the game complete achievement. The beast master hunts are not a requirement, nor are the orange missions (besides the ones that are started in your starting village) but I would recommend doing some orange missions because getting skill points to unlock skills (such as health, speed and creating more ammo) are a must to get through survival mode with a mild sense of control.
Especially the boss fights will require you to have fought them previously, otherwise you will be nearly sure to die as you have no tactic to win yet. A good tip in the boss fights (and other missions) is that you can always press escape and return to a checkpoint, I don`t approve of this method and didn`t use it to escape death but when I faced Ull in perma death and he managed to dodge the ice pillar that should be a free first shot I restarted the fight. Another good tip besides just pressing escape and quitting a mission is that you can run away from the area to quit the mission and restart when you want.
In general I would recommend to avoid melee combat at all costs, especially against enemies with masks as they can dish out a lethal instant counter attack sending you right into critical health and only 1 small hit away from death (lost 10 hours on that - RIP perma death attempt 1). In general close encounters are to be avoided as you can`t dodge there, which is critical in survivor mode. Besides that you will also lose overview of the battle, another recipe for disaster as you will have no clue what to dodge. So in short, always keep your distance, keep that overview (using the Owl to scout and tag can be a great help but make sure the area around you is safe as you will be helpless while controlling the owl) and when facing off against ranged enemies try to dodge their first attack (sprinting and subsequently jumping is nearly always a successful dodge) and shoot back quickly after that. Luring their attack and moving behind cover is a good move too. If you feel that you are losing overview or suspect you are being surrounded or rushed ALWAYS run away, keep sprinting while you find a spot to regain overview and always remember to zig zag a bit to avoid enemy fire. A favourite of mine is to run towards to right and then jump to left (or vice versa), run a bit more and repeat as often as needed (until you think you are out of range or behind cover). Tags will be very useful as tagged enemies have the tag icon shown even through cover.
I would avoid the night at all costs as a high concentration of predators will be active then (simply sleep/rest until dawn). At least until you have your own predator like the bear, but preferably a cave bear or a sabre tooth tiger.
I would also suggest unlocking the beast master skills as early as possible in the game as a powerful pet will be able to kill enemies. Just keep in mind that you need to feed him when damaged (and never hit your own pet as he might go feral then and turn on you). In general I would combine the pet with the earlier mentioned careful tactic of putting distance in between you and the enemy and sending the pet to attack enemies that aren`t very close to others, then recalling the beast when injured (hold left alt), feel free to run away to heal up safely. An alternative is sending in the beast and targeting enemies when the enemy is attacking your beast, just make sure to recall the beast and run away when damage is getting severe. An alternative to recalling is sending the beast away through the beast menu but I find this a bit cheesy in combat situations.
As far as avoiding beasts go, remember that big cats (and dogs for that matter) hate water so never be afraid to dive into a river when you are being chased (in general I would never go toe to toe with a predator unless I have my own predator with me, and even then keep on running and jumping to dodge until your predator has the other predator on the run). Most animals (except mammoths) can`t reach you when you climb on big rocks or roofs so use that to your advantage when hunting them or fleeing if there is no water. Just remember that bears can swim and watch out for crocodiles! Although they can be countered fairly easily if you pay attention (you will get a cut scene and if you bash the right button, shown on screen, fast enough you will kill the croc and survive the attack).
One of the first things I did in my successful perma death game was to get the beast master skill to tame a sabre tooth (even before the mission where the Udam attack your village), head towards the large river that flows to the part where the cold/snow area begins and wait by the shore (preferably during night) until a sabre tooth notices me, attacking it with a bow or thrown spear, jumping in the water, waiting until it walks away, then shoot it again, retreat into the water again and repeat until you think it was damaged enough and then throwing the bait and taming it. There is a camp fire near the shore so you can rest there if your stamina goes low.
Some closing tips:
bait can be used to distract nearly every animal (so use it to get an easy first shot or when fleeing)
Always run away to safety when attacked from behind, never look behind you as this can mean the difference between surviving a sabre tooth maul and dying to its second maul (trust me you will). This is good advice in any case but the sabre will punish you with 100% certainty.
Never rush into enemies. Crouch and go slow, so you can get a free headshot in.
Always check your surroundings. I remember getting mauled in the back by a sabretooth when attacking an Izilia camp.
Be careful when you are near water or cliffs with your pet (especially the cats) as they are likely to slip and drown. I generally send my beasts away from the beast menu until I am down the cliff and call them again.
Learn to get down cliffs safely, as often even apex predators won`t be able to follow you, giving you valuable time to get away. You can generally do this by carefully walking to the edge and holding s while sliding down, just make sure the cliff doesn`t have bumps that might launch you off into the air.
Always take your time to listen. Predators will often make typical noises that can give away their presence. Either run or throw bait in the direction of the sound, so you can tame them or at least kill get a good shot in while they eat (or simply run).
Always be at max health as 2 attacks are almost sure to get you into critical health. If you run out of food the fight is over, leave and restock.
Berserk bombs and shards are great. As they will make enemies attack each other (can be done while remaining stealth, just remember to not have a pet attack).
When you face the slow melee enemies with masks and large 2 handed clubs, remember that their heads are nearly impervious. I find body shots take these guys out way faster. All other enemies die faster to headshots. These guys are especially fun to hit with berserk shards.
Try to do the crafting Wenja missions first as he will teach you upgrades that enlarge the amount of ammo (such as spears). Get these as soon as you can.
Spears do great damage when thrown, but have shorter range than the bow. If you do end up in close combat always go for the throwing spear, but running away is still preferred after getting a kill or two (to reassess the situation).
Never forget to run when you don`t feel comfortable! Missions can be restarted, your life can`t be.
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