After spending a good chunk of time in Mycopunk, I can confidently say it’s one of my favorite releases of the year, and I plan to put dozens of hours into this cooperative shooter. It nails the gunplay and movement, keeping you constantly on edge.
Surviving the early hours of Mycopunk can be a bit daunting, especially if you’re flying solo. Fret not, loyal employee, because I have ten valuable tips to make your life in Mycopunk easier and your corporate overlords happy.
Turn down UI Distortion and Bloom
First things first, Mycopunk has a very specific look, and I’m not talking about the art, because that’s perfect. I’m talking about how the menus have intentional distortion and wrapping. I find the distortion and bloom a bit much, especially when the actual game has sharp visual clarity. Thankfully, you can turn both of these down quite a bit to improve your user experience.
- From the main menu or pause menu, open settings.
- Select the Graphics tab and turn down UI Distortion and UI Bloom to the lowest values (10 and 50).
This makes the menus much easier to navigate through, and you won’t get a headache. You can also turn down Screen Shake and check “Reduce Motion Sickness” in the gameplay tab if you aren’t comfortable with the effects.
Always Remain Mobile
Being mobile and always on the go is essential in Mycopunk. I’m not sure why the game even lets you walk, because the sprint speed feels like it should be the default. Either way, Mycopunk gives you plenty of tools to stay mobile. You can sprint, slide for an extended period, and depending on the employee you select, you can even hover, fly, propel, or dash.
Even when you’re shooting, you should always be moving in some direction. Whether it’s to the side, backward, or forward, never stay still, because enemies don’t stop moving either and are constantly zooming toward your position.
If you’re someone who likes characters with faster movement options, consider picking the Glider because she literally has a wingsuit.
That said, each employee has at least one ability that directly assists in movement, so make sure to spam their abilities; otherwise, you’ll keep taking damage, a lot.
Track Upgrade Materials
To unlock upgrades, you need specific materials which are usually collected during a run, dropped from enemies, and given as rewards. While you’re selecting missions, you can check what kind of rare resources you can expect on the planet by hovering over the region.
For instance, if you’re looking for Beezia and Gussula, then drop into the Flourishing Desert to get these resources. This way, you can essentially track materials if you’re running low on them, especially early on.
Don’t Always Pick Up Health Drops (Immediately)
It’s tempting to instantly run into green orbs as soon as enemies drop them, but I don’t recommend picking them up right away. Fights in Mycopunk can last a while, and chances are you’ll need those orbs a few seconds later when your health is actually low.
It’s also possible that one of your teammates needs healing more than you do, so maybe leave it for them until you really need it. Be more mindful of when you pick these up, because Mycopunk doesn’t care if your health is full. Yes, these eventually despawn, but I promise you that you’ll have enough time to get hit before you actually need it.
Liberally Use Character Kits
Every character in Mycopunk has a unique set of abilities that are very useful in combat. I don’t think there’s a single ability that doesn’t have some use, and I appreciate that the developers showed restraint here and ensured that characters feel great to play on a fundamental level. If you aren’t spamming these as soon as the cooldown drops, you are playing the game wrong. Mycopunk isn’t a game where these abilities are super situational.
Take Glider, for instance, her Rocket Salvo ability lets her shoot a barrage of rockets, which deal a ton of damage to enemies and heal allies. There are always enemies on screen, and there are always allies that need healing. You don’t really need to around and think, so fire away. Similarly, her Wingsuit doesn’t need to be fully charged, making it an essential tool for moving around, avoiding incoming attacks, and creating necessary distance.
Don’t Forget To Explore (A Bit)
Venturing far from the objective means you’ll lose some time and will have to face deadlier foes as the mission goes, but consider looking out for resources like Gussula stalks, those blue canisters that require you to solve a trivial mini-game, and side missions that drop a ton of rewards.
The Environment Is Your Friend
The alien landscape of Mycopunk is your only friend, especially if you’re playing solo. Giant structures give you room to breathe and access to higher ground, explosive plants litter the planet and let you bait enemies into massive corrosive attacks, and large arenas give you plenty of space to move around freely. So don’t just stare at the beautiful scenery, use it and stay a few steps ahead of the enemies.
Understanding the scale of your environment improves combat efficiency and gives you the option to make a run for it when things get hairy. Mycopunk doesn’t punish you for leaving a combat arena, and you’ll often want to do that if the team needs healing or if you aren’t actively contributing to the objective.
You Don’t Have To Kill Everything
Look, the gunplay in Mycopunk is really satisfying, no doubt about it, but the objective is still more important. If the entire team is low on health, you’ve already completed the main objectives, and there are hundreds of enemies on screen, then maybe it’s time to call the pod, yeah?
Unless you’ve selected a mission that requires you to kill a certain number of enemies, there is no hard condition to kill everything that springs up from the ground. This is a planetary infestation; you can’t kill everything in one mission, so you don’t really have to.
Don’t Forget the Invisible Clock
Just like Risk of Rain, Mycopunk becomes more difficult as the mission goes on. This means the faster you complete it, the fewer enemies you’ll have to face. I’m not entirely sure how this difficulty modifier increases, since there’s no in-game visual for it, but it’s something you need to keep in mind. You can always open the menu to see how long the mission has been going, which should give you an idea.
Even if you want to kill enemies and farm XP, make sure you’ve done the objectives first before taking on that extra dangerous work. Knowing when to call it quits should be obvious when the enemies simply become too much of a threat to handle, especially when you’re on your own. Don’t be a hero, the struggle doesn’t end in a day!
With these tips in mind, you’ll have a much easier time surviving the early hours of Mycopunk. There’s a long road ahead, and knowing what to prioritise is essential to survival and mastery of the game’s mechanics and characters.