Risk of Rain 2 Beginner's Guide (2026) - 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting
- By Ash
- in Tips and Guides
As I learned through repeated explosions, incinerations, or just being launched into orbit by giant balls, Risk of Rain 2 can be absolutely brutal if you don't know what you're doing. So to help you skip straight to the fun part, here's everything I wish I knew before I first started.
1) Rush or Farm?
Starting with the biggest dilemma - do you rush, or do you farm? And the answer is both.
The longer you spend in a run, the stronger and more numerous the enemies get. So you can't just graze across the fields like a space-cow hoping to find a chest behind every random rock. But at the same time, you shouldn't skip loot either. Because collecting everything efficiently will let you spank enemies regardless of how strong they get.
So what's the plan? Try to never retrace your steps. Clear the outer areas first, locate the exit, and then focus on chests that are far away from it. Once you're down to only loot near the exit that's when you should summon the boss. This will not only highlight all of the nearby chests, but it'll also give you the money needed to open them. So give the boss a ton of lead as a welcoming present, charge the teleporter, and then quickly grab all the loot before moving on. Do that consistently, and you'll be golden.
Is Moss Worth Playing Without VR? | The Forgotten Relic Demo Review
- By Ash
- in Reviews
Moss: The Forgotten Relic raises a pretty interesting question: how do you make a VR game work without the VR? After all, Moss built its entire identity around you physically reaching into the world, pushing and pulling everything like a curious toddler.
So how do you make that work on a normal screen? Well, after playing through the demo a few times, it turns out the answer is "surprisingly well". Not perfectly, mind you. There are definitely some awkward bits. But it works a lot better than I expected.
But first, what even is Moss? Well, it's the stuff that grows on rocks, but also a puzzly adventure game with some light combat. It's less about hardcore platforming or controller-destroyingly difficult combat, and more about exploring a cozy fantasy world alongside Quill - a sword-wielding mouse with a remarkable talent for getting herself into trouble.
The Infinite Museion is Weird, Ambitious, and Almost Great | Rogue Trader DLC Review
- By Ash
- in Reviews
One of Rogue Trader's biggest strengths has always been its ability to make Warhammer 40,000 feel weird and outlandish, yet also deeply personal. The Infinite Museion doubles down on that by introducing a delightfully eccentric tech-priest and sending you on the galaxy's most dangerous museum tour.
So after spending a week with the DLC, is The Infinite Museion an essential addition to Rogue Trader, or merely a pleasant diversion?
Factorio Beginner's Guide (2026) - 14 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting
- By Ash
- in Tips and Guides
Factorio has a reputation for being impossibly complicated, and when you see some of the abominations I built, that reputation makes sense. But the truth is, it's actually a lot more beginner-friendly than it seems at first glance. You just need to avoid a few traps that'll sneakily make your life hell if nobody warns you about them. So, let me warn you.
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is Great, But... | 30-Hour Review
- By Ash
- in Reviews
Deep Rock Galactic is one of the greatest co-op games ever. There's nothing quite like joining a group of strangers, spewing sewage at bugs, and then leaving feeling like you've just spent an hour with old friends.
So what happens when you take that formula, crank up the pressure, add a ton of randomness, and make players compete against each other for the best loot? Well, after about 30 hours with the roguelite spin-off Rogue Core, I can tell you it makes everything more exciting, more chaotic, and occasionally a lot more frustrating. And sometimes, all three at once.
Rogue Core Beginner's Guide - 11 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting
- By Ash
- in Tips and Guides
While it looks just as warm and welcoming as Deep Rock Galactic, Rogue Core can be surprisingly ruthless - even on the early difficulties. So before you dig in, here's what you need to know to avoid having your butt chewed off.
1) Can You Play Solo?
Starting with an important question: can you play solo? Yes, and more importantly, it's not any harder than multiplayer. If anything, it's a lot more chill since you don't have to worry about coordinating upgrades or being held hostage by one guy who's allergic to leveling up.
Instead, it's just you and your handy robot companion Cooper going around and blasting aliens. Cooper can also mine resources for you or light up dark areas - just point him at something with your scanner and he'll handle the rest. He really is a good boy. So if you're not in the mood for people constantly shooting you in the back, solo is still a great way to play the game.
Mina the Hollower Beginner's Guide - 11 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting
- By Ash
- in Tips and Guides
Mina the Hollower takes inspiration from the classic Zelda and Castlevania games, which means it's absolutely brutal despite being all cute and cuddly. So before you dive in, here's what you need to know to avoid having birds flung at your face.
1) Explore
Starting with the most important tip - explore everywhere. And I really do mean EVERYWHERE. Mina is absolutely stuffed with secrets, puzzles and awesome loot that you can very easily miss if you just follow the obvious path. I've combed through each area multiple times and I'm still finding things I overlooked. The game is that dense!
So whenever you see something out of place - a suspicious wall, a room with no obvious exit, a weirdly placed item - activate those brain noodles. The developers are clearly hiding something, and they want you to work for it. And the sneakier the secret, the better the reward at the end, so keep those eyes peeled.