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Icarus can be enjoyed with friends or by yourself. Each of these game modes presents its difficulties, which can hinder your chances of survival on the planet. When you play solo, you may encounter struggles with exploring and defending yourself against wild animals. With nobody to help or revive you, death may come swiftly.
In this guide, we are going to go over tips to help as you explore Icarus alone. It's important to note that there are two game modes; Play and Offline. In Play mode, you can venture solo or join others. In offline mode, you are only able to play by yourself. Take this into consideration when making a new character.
Don't Forget About The Solo Talent Tree
While playing solo, you will have access to the solo talent tree. From this tree, you will be able to upgrade your stamina, health, and speed, as well as unlock several other helpful perks. The talents on this tree are incredibly helpful, especially for traveling around the map.
When you level up, don't forget to invest points into the solo talent tree depending on your playstyle. On this tree, you can even unlock perks that provide additional blueprint points to use on the technology tree.
Bring A Long Ranged Weapon Everywhere
When you play alone, nobody will be able to revive you when you die. This means that you will respawn either on your bed or near your ship, with an experience debt.
Dying is unfortunate, but you can avoid it by keeping your distance from creatures. Rather than approaching a dangerous creature and attacking with a melee weapon, stand at a distance and use a bow and arrow (or a better ranged weapon, such as a gun). Even if you don't kill the creature before they make it to you, you will do sufficient damage.
You can also stealth kill creatures with headshots, which kills them instantly. This completely eliminates the potential danger of fighting the creature. We recommend practicing headshots on passive creatures, so you can easily take out wolves and bears when the time comes.
Be Cautious And Prepared
Overall, being cautious and prepared are the most important items on this list. As mentioned above, dying while playing alone isn't too great. Don't rush into situations carelessly, only to die seconds later.
This applies to fights, but can also apply to the prospect itself. Before setting off on a task, make sure you have everything you need. While alone, you can't rely on others to help you. If you are about to trek to a location for the prospect, be sure that you have food, water, oxygen, tools, and a bedroll. Additionally, bring healing items just in case you get hurt. It's better to be safe rather than sorry.
Kiting Creatures
Icarus has some scary creatures. We have an entire guide on how to deal with bears since they can quickly wipe out anyone who stands in their way.
You may want to face the creatures head-on, but it's perfectly acceptable to kite the creature. Additionally, a great way to 'fight' creatures is by creating a tall structure that they cannot climb, stand at the top, and shoot arrows down.
Overall, when playing solo, you don't have to be brave and kill every creature you see. If you are near a creature and they don't see you, running away is a great option.
Build A Defensive Base
Building a base is important when playing alone. In your base, you can store all the essential items and materials, as well as place a bedroll to serve as a respawn point.
Since there is only one of you and you won't be able to defend every side of your base at the same time, consider building your base against the terrain. For example, you can build a small structure against a mountain or cliff face. This will provide a sturdy wall, as well as one less side that you need to focus on.
In terms of building material, you should prioritize building out of wood or a better material. Thatch can be unlocked early in the game but can be destroyed in an instant by creatures and rain. Rather than building a weak structure that needs to constantly be repaired, build with wood instead.
In addition to building a base, it's important to have several smaller bases when you play alone. During several prospects, you will be required to travel large distances on the map. If you die and respawn all the way back at your first base, you will need to begin the trek all over again. This can be prevented by setting up more than one base.
Take Your Time
Lastly, take your time. Although there is a mission timer at the top of the screen, you should still take your time as you complete prospects.
When first landing on the planet for a new prospect, look at the tasks you need to perform, analyze the map, and check out the area that you are in. If it's your first time doing the prospect, you will not know what obstacles stand in your way. Before starting a task, build a small shelter, gather food, and look for a source of water. Rushing through a prospect may lead to an untimely death that could have been prevented if you had just taken your time.
This tip goes hand in hand with being cautious and prepared. Overall, playing slowly and carefully will lead to your success. The mission timer may seem daunting, but it's counting in real-time. For example, when the timer displays six days, that is six real days, giving you plenty of time to go slowly on prospects.