Arkane Studios is famous for creating completely original games that are like nothing else out there, such as Prey, Dishonored, and Deathloop. Redfall isn't quite as much of a one-of-a-kind title as those games, but there still isn't a lot like it in gaming.
As such, when you first load up the game, you're unlikely to be an immediate expert at it. That being said, it shouldn't take you too long to acclimatize to the vampire-infested town, especially if you know several tips and tricks from the beginning. Here are some of the most helpful ones to get you started.
Always Have A Stake Weapon Equipped
A universal rule about vampires is you can kill them by ramming a stake into their hearts. Redfall has a similar system, as bullets will only weaken the creatures, and a stake is the most common way to finish them off.
Yet, not every weapon can be equipped with a stake. Only things like shotguns and assault rifles can have sharp attachments. So, you want to make sure you're always carrying at least one of them on your travels. After all, when a vampire is vulnerable, you only have a short time to finish them before they regain health. You certainly won't have time to change your loadout.
Don't Underestimate Human Enemies
Redfall is all about vampires, but they aren't the only type of enemy in the game. You also face a litany of human foes. Visually, they look far less threatening than the blood-sucking monsters. That being said, you shouldn't overlook how dangerous these people can be. Their bullets deal plenty of damage, and you can die quickly if multiple of them are shooting you at once.
Fighting them is different from combating vampires. Against the monsters, you are continually forced into close-quarter encounters. When battling humans, you want to keep your distance a bit and make use of cover.
Save Health Packs For Battles
The two main healing items in Redfall are health packs and food you find laying around. While in real life, you probably shouldn't eat things you find on the floor, it is a useful method of healing in Redfall.
After all, you can only carry a limited number of health packs. So, it's best to save them for combat encounters when you desperately need some HP. While outside of combat, random food and drink items are a good alternative method of filling up your health. You can usually find some in most buildings.
Salvage Weapons You Don't Need
There is an incredible amount of weapons in this game. Pretty much every room and building has several of them. Your instinct may be to hold onto the ones you don't need until you find a merchant looking to buy them. However, the reality is that the town of Redfall is pretty devoid of commerce.
You can purchase weapons from the fire station, but nobody is looking to buy your cast-offs. That's okay because you can still make money from them. Simply hold the 'salvage' button when hovering over a weapon in the loadout screen or when you initially find them. In return, you gain some money.
Hit The People In The Back For Stealth Kills
Like in most Arkane games, stealth is very much an option in Redfall. Unlike Dishonored, though, you can't quietly choke people out or slit their throats. But there is still a sort-of stealth takedown in the game.
When creeping up behind a human enemy, hit the melee button to take them out. There is no fancy animation. It's just a typical melee strike, but unlike hits to the front, it kills them instantly and doesn't alert anybody - unless someone else sees you do it.
Only Use Lockpicks On Doors When You Have To
As is the standard for Arkane games, pretty much every building or area in Redfall can be accessed in multiple ways. Sometimes one of the options is to unlock a door using a lockpick.
However, lockpicks are consumables, and you can't carry many at a time. As such, it's best to save them for safes and locked chests, as you can't get into those any other way. So, any time you end up at a locked door, save a lockpick by finding another way inside.
Use Closed Captioning
Redfall isn't like games such as Dead Rising, where your enemies are directly in front of your face at all times. In fact, you can roam the open world a bit without ever running into a foe. This creates some tension, as you never know where the enemy is and if you're safe or not.
If you're not a fan of this concept, you can alleviate the issue by turning or keeping on closed captioning, which you can find in the accessibility settings. Once on, you can be made aware of little noises vampires make that would typically be hard to hear. And once you see the caption on the screen, you know there is a blood-sucking creature nearby.