Selene’s expedition on the planet Atropos takes her to different locations in Returnal. After crashing on the planet, Selene must explore and attempt to survive some harsh environments. Each biome has unique layouts and enemies, but just how many  biomes are there?

Returnal’s roguelite gameplay requires players to return to the ship’s crash site with each death. However, every run offers opportunities to empower Selene with artifacts, parasites, stat bonuses, or consumables. Additionally, each biome has secret areas that require some equipment to be accessed.

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Biomes in Returnal change with each death. How the game does this is by changing the layout of the rooms and what they contain. The number of rooms in each biome, however, stays the same. After enough runs, the room layouts begin to become familiar enough to understand what rooms are left and which ones to leave for later in the run. This information is essential when on long loop cycles in Returnal and for endgame exploration.

Every Biome In Returnal Explained

Returnal has a total of six biomes:

  • Overgrown Ruins
  • Crimson Wastes
  • Derelict Citadel
  • Echoing Ruins
  • Fractured Wastes
  • Abyssal Scar

Overgrown Ruins is the first place Selene explores after crash landing on Atropos. During the first part of the game, she will always return to this biome after dying. From there, players can then unlock the Crimson Wastes, a desert biome that requires players to scale a tower room by room. After the desert, Selene gets access to the Derelict Citadel, the remains of what looks to be the capital of sentient life that lived on Atropos. It is accessible from the teleportation gate in the Crimson Wastes or by traversing the broken bridge in the Overgrown Ruins. Both options require either a key or equipment to access.

The second part of Returnal has Selene returning to the Echoing Ruins after each death. It requires the player to unlock the Fractured Wastes, the winter biome, and the Abyssal Scar, an entirely underwater biome. Each biome, except for the Fractured Wastes, have a boss to fight as well. Once Returnal‘s main story is complete, all biomes will be accessible to the player, but not simultaneously. It is important to note that the Echoing Ruins, Fractured Wastes and Abyssal Scar have more challenging enemies and require more equipment than the first three biomes to explore fully. Players cannot access the first three biomes after leaving the Echoing Ruins, nor can they return to any other biomes after entering a new one.

All of the environments in Returnal have unique unlockable rooms with either puzzles, enemies, fabricators or other secrets. Players should take the time to explore each biome to gather as many resources as possible before moving on to the next. Exploring the biomes also helps with understanding the mystery of Atropos and finding the secret boss.

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Desmond Brown
(160 Articles Published)

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A graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Desmond began writing for Screen Rant in February of 2021. When he isn’t writing for Screen Rant, Desmond can be found watching wrestling, playing rogue-lites and Monster Hunter, or getting into the latest lore discussion on Reddit.

You can find his work at https://thedesmondbrown.wordpress.com/ and his entertainment site https://www.proteanentertainmentnews.com/.
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