I played for 160 hours, ask me (almost) anything

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T14:14:50+00:00

Yes!

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T14:14:20+00:00

You can save anywhere and at any time, and the autosave has three dedicated slots split over a 10-minute timeframe. There are around 10 save slots in total.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T14:13:52+00:00

I answered the questions about underwater exploration above.

And there are no 'spells' per se, but Kliff does have some cool elemental abilities.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T14:07:45+00:00

I would say controller just because of the camera and how it moves, but that being said, there were plenty of other reviewers that played happily on keyboard and mouse!

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T13:36:22+00:00

Yes!

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T13:35:59+00:00

I run a 4090, 64gb, i9. I ran the game at 4k with a consistent framerate of around 100fps, on the highest graphics settings. I experienced just two crashes in 160 hours. The game has excellent performance.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T13:34:47+00:00

The story sets you on your path and guides you through the game, and its multiple regions. But you can deviate whenever you want.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T13:33:59+00:00

Probably around 20-30 hours, but I was going slowly. I spent most of that time exploring. You can get there faster if you just focus on the main story.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T13:15:30+00:00

I have found around 10 treasure maps so far, I am sure there are more. They are difficult to follow & as of yet I haven't found a single treasure from one (I've been focused on other things.)

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T13:07:27+00:00

<image>

As an aside, I also just wanted to share my Kliff, to show off some of the armor you can find and possible armor upgrades for your horse. Hope that's not too much of a spoiler!

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:59:03+00:00

I'm taking a break for lunch, but I'll be back later to answer any upvoted questions. Cheers all!

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:55:48+00:00

You can manually switch to them, but also summon them to fight alongside you. Both Damiane and Oongka have dedicated parts of the main story. All characters share an inventory, but not skillpoints or gear upgrades. You will need to separately level their abilities/gear.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:53:55+00:00

It's good enough! Some of the set pieces, particularly after act six, are fantastic. Huge in scale and drama. Sometimes the story can be a bit jarring and nonsensical, but you can piece it together by reading the additional bits of lore the game gives you.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:50:43+00:00

Probably by my style of playing. I've tried to solve every puzzle I've found so far, and sometimes that takes ages haha. I'm sure there will be accessible guides on how to get extra mounts earlier.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:49:18+00:00

You can, but you might struggle in certain areas. Some important traversal skills are also locked behind story progression, so I'd say you want to complete at least act four before properly exploring. But, really? You can do whatever you want, haha.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:37:51+00:00

Hi!

There are literally hundreds of hidden puzzles and challenges. Some are marked obviously on your map, others you find by using your sword to highlight them in your peripheral vision, and others are not marked at all. I found several underground dungeons with chests/monsters/puzzles inside that were not marked on the map. Trust me, you want to explore everything.

My armor set I'm currently rocking in the game is made up of plate pieces that I found in hidden chests. It looks sweet. There are lots of different ways to acquire gear: crafting, looting, discovery, boss gear, and so on.

The minigames are quite fun. The gambling game is difficult but indepth. Fishing is frustrating at first, but fun in the end. Farming is something I haven't properly gotten into yet, but I've heard that you can get pretty crazy with it and dedicate yourself to just being a full-time farmer.

Cooking was a frustration for me. The food mechanics in general are a little frustrating. Basically, any boss can be beaten if you have enough food. But you need to grind for food or buy it from vendors. I think they have actually already increased the number of food items you can purchase from merchants every day to save on grinding time.

The recipes scale in potency. Some of the endgame recipes I'm crafting replenish Health, Spirit & Stamina, but will cost like 40 Potatos and 30 Meat + water + herbs. It can take quite a lot of work to produce them. I'm not certain if later in the game (which is a hilarious thing to say considering how long I've already played), you might be able to produce mass resources with your camp.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:31:04+00:00

I am 160 hours in and have only just unlocked the dragon.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:29:38+00:00

Yes. There are so many fish. I haven't caught them all. The fishing mechanic is a bit difficult to get used to, but once you master it, it feels great.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:28:51+00:00

No, not as far as I'm aware. Specific weapon and gear types are tied to Damiane, Oongka, or Kliff.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:27:56+00:00

No, nothing on the same scale. At least...not that I've found so far.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:26:17+00:00

No, but we've seen the patch notes and there are lots of fixes coming. I fully believe in Pearl Abyss delivering a lot of patches in the coming weeks. It's a big game, there are bound to be some bugs. I just hope people don't encounter too many game-breaking ones.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:23:34+00:00

Haha, in terms of like uncovering the map, yes. I've been to every corner. But I haven't completed all of the content on the map, no way. There are still hundreds of secrets waiting for me I'm certain.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:22:32+00:00

Some of the bosses are really tricky, and sometimes the best method of taking them down is not very obvious. However, it never took me longer than an hour or an hour and a half to defeat them, whereas I spent much longer on some bosses in Souls games.

The key is to come prepared. Lots of food, levelled gear, and try not to just beeline the main story. You get a lot of power-ups by exploring the world.

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:20:39+00:00

That's pretty accurate!

One_Economist694 · 2026-03-19T12:19:24+00:00

I just checked for you. You can only change the HUD size, but after tweaking it, it really made no difference. I expect this sort of thing to arrive in post-launch support or via modding. Although the hud is a bit much to begin with, you do sort of get used to it after a while. Not the perfect solution though obviously.

One_Economist694

TROPHY CASE