Basics / Survival Tips

The Basics and Survival Tips

Survival Tips
This section offers a few important pointers to help you survive the brutal and dreaded environment of Dead Space 2. Veteran players can just skip this portion or maybe, just skim through the items for a quick review.

1. Dismember them
Necromorphs are fast, dangerous and resilient. Body shots are not that effective (with the exception of a handful of weapons) so you must dismember them by shooting the limbs and head. Take note that disabled necromorphs may still move - crawling or limping their way to you so make sure that they're completely dead before letting your guard down or turning your back away from them.

2. Look out for the glowing, orange points
Most necromorphs have a glowing, orange-colored swollen part that explodes when enough damage is dealt. These are their weak points and should be your primary targets. Lower level enemies that feature these parts are usually explosive, making it possible to damage nearby enemies and produce a chain reaction if the same type of enemies are clustered together.

3. Beware of necromorphs playing possum
Yep, these mindless abominations can lay motionless and wait for you to fall for an ambush. You can immediately recognize them if you happen to walk in a corridor and find a suspiciously, intact necromorph. The trick to not fall to this guise is to assume that all “dead” and complete necromorphs are alive. It won't hurt to hurl something at it or just shoot it to make sure.

4. Use your environment
In higher difficulty levels, ammo becomes a luxury and rarity so you'll have to be very accurate with your shooting to ensure that your shots count. Isaac can use kinetic energy to lift objects and hurl them at enemies. You'll find sharp metal rods that can pin enemies on walls or even use sharp, dismembered necromorph claws against them. Effective and deadly.

5. When cornered, go crazy
If you happen to encounter a swarm of enemies and you're not fast enough to shoot them down before they get near, you may want to swing your weapon like crazy to shove them off, giving you breathing space to fire your weapon at the same time dealing damage. Weaker enemies can be easily killed by melee attacks or by stomping at them.

6. Carry the essentials
Since inventory space is limited, it is wise to carry at least two health packs (more potent variants required for later levels) all the time. You also need to carry extra ammo, leaving a handful of free slots for more important loot like schematics and semi-conductors. As you upgrade your armor, more inventory space becomes available so this becomes less of a problem in the long run.

7. Manage your inventory wisely
As mentioned, schematics permanently add new inventory items for the shop so they're more valuable than anything else. If you happen to find one and if you can still backtrack to a nearby shop, it is imperative to run back and deliver it there to free up precious inventory slot at the same time registering the schematic to the shop. Semi-conductors are precious loot that can be sold of credits in shops. Power Nodes are also important pieces that can be used to upgrade Isaac's weapons and rig, as well as open especially-locked doors that may contain more loot. Additionally, necromorphs carry various loots after they're killed so make it a habit to crush their bodies for them to drop items.

8. Upgrade your equipment whenever you have the chance
In specially designated areas, you can find workbenches. This is where you can upgrade your rig, stasis and current weapons. It is recommended that you upgrade your rig first, as it allows you to have more HP, increase your air capacity (gives you more time to survive those vacuum environments) and increase telekinesis damage. After that, you may want to upgrade your stasis, then the weapon that you'll be using most of the time.

9. Keep at least 1 Power Node with you AT ALL TIMES
You'll come across locked rooms that can only be opened by inserting a Power Node in it. These rooms usually contain a good number of items, ammo, including schematics and semi-conductors. You don't want to find yourself unable to open these doors since you won't have the chance to come back for them later on.

10. Know your weapons
Every weapon has a secondary function that will benefit you if you know how and when to use it. Make sure to read the description as well as practicing using it. Popular weapons include the Ripper since its best for  most close-range encounters, the Pulse Rifle for its power and accuracy or the trusty Plasma Cutter for its instantaneous damage and pinpoint accuracy.