[GameSpot] - Elex 2 Tips For Beginners: Best Early Skills, How To Get Learning Points, And More

[343iBot]

Seemingly everyone is playing the season's biggest game. This RPG has gone viral like few games have before, quickly becoming the biggest game its storied team has ever released. It feels like everyone is talking about it. That game, of course...is not Elex 2. However, for those uninterested in From Software's massive RPG, Elden Ring, and looking for a new release to sink some hours into, the strange and charming Elex 2 may scratch your itch. Here are a few Elex 2 tips we hope will have you hitting the ground running--or better yet, not hitting the ground at all, given your early-game jetpack.

Elex 2 tips for beginners

Elex 2 revels in giving you freedom of choice, but this hands-off design may leave you directionless when you begin. Take our tips with you and find yourself felling aliens and finding secrets in no time.

Understanding Attribute Points versus Learning Points

Elex 2 uses a two-pronged character skill tree and each tree is enhanced in its own way. Attribute Points (AP) are unlocked 10 at a time, and like in games such as Fallout, can be spread across a number of skills as you see fit. Your hero, Jax, can be improved in categories such as strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, and cunning. Every time you level up, you'll receive 10 AP to spend as you wish.

You'll also receive one Learning Point (LP) per level, but these require a bit more work. Learning Points are spent with trainers found around the world, usually in towns and other hubs of civilization amid the post-apocalyptic wreckage. Trainers will teach you new abilities, both passive and active, across several categories:

• Combat
• Survival
• Crafting
• Personality
• Berserker
• Alb
• Morkon
• Outlaw
• Cleric
• Jetpack

Most of these are rather self-explanatory, but if you're light on lore and/or didn't play the first game, understand that Alb, Berserker, and Morkon are different kinds of magic inspired by different factions. You may wish to ignore these entirely if you don't plan on using magic. Otherwise, you'll want to find and focus on learning the skills right for your build.

Learning new skills via LP tends to also require certain attribute levels and Elexit (money), as well. Jax starts as a blank slate, for the most part, so give your build some thought so you don't waste any AP or LP from the moment you're given control.

Focus on strength and dexterity to start

If you're taking a break from Elden Ring, you're used to having to consider fortifying your strength or dexterity. In Elex 2, at least early on, you'll want to focus on both. Your starting weapon of a lead pipe doesn't help much, and early weapons you'll find require a bit more than your stats demand of both strength and dexterity. Later in the game, you may find it viable to min-max these stats one way or the other, but for now, a bit of a buff to both is ideal.

MYOM - Mark your own map

Elex 2 gives you a map right away, but the game does nothing about marking it for you. You'll need to do that yourself, though it's not as hardcore as you might think. You can see where you are on the map and none of it is clouded or needs to be revealed like some open-world games demand. To place quest markers on the map, head to your quest log and select "mark on the map" when highlighting a quest.

Additionally, you can leave your own markers by holding Y / Triangle and selecting from the game's several custom icons, such as a treasure chest, wolf, skull, and more. With these, you can create your own language to help you explore the world in more detail.

Make your own trouble in Elex 2, just be sure to have an exit strategy.

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Use campfires to cook (and improve) food

Elex 2 contains a lot of mechanics that may be familiar to you if you like RPGs, but it seldom introduces them. One such element is the ability to cook foods. You'll find some raw foods are just fine for eating as you've found them, and they'll provide buffs to things such as your health and combat readiness. But cooking some items can be done at any campfire you come across, and this is especially crucial if you're considering eating things like animal flesh. Don't get sick. Cook your food thoroughly so you can enjoy its benefits.

Customize your auto-save settings

Like any reliable RPG, Elex 2 will auto-save routinely. This is helpful for when you want to reverse a tough decision, take back your snarky comment, or try again on a tough combat area without using up all of your health potions. By default, Elex 2 auto-saves every three minutes, but you can adjust this process in the game's options menu. Every three-minute interval between three and 60 minutes is available, so pick the cadence that's right for your shenanigans--or even turn off auto-save completely, though we don't recommend that.

Don't miss the early Billy Idol concert

Unfathomably, Billy Idol not only exists in the Elex universe, but he's still performing live concerts for the denizens of the fractured, war-torn world. After you complete the game's first mission, you'll be told of an upcoming Billy Idol show taking place north of your location. Place the mission on your map (like we showed you in the earlier tip), then head there to catch the longtime rocker putting on a performance in his least expected venue to date. There's nothing really to the show besides that and some simple XP right in the game's first hour, so it's only a good thing to attend unless you really can't stand Billy Idol. You'll even pop an achievement/trophy for your time. The metaverse: It's not just for Fortnite anymore.

Jetpack over anything and everything

Elex 2 is built differently than most RPGs. As evidence to that, we point you to the jetpack you'll get basically as soon as the game gives you control. While it can be upgraded to be even more useful later, it's an immediate boon regardless. The best use case for the jetpack is scaling terrain. A lot of missions take place high and low, so the jetpack helps you climb quickly or descend without fear of fall damage.

You can--and should--also use it in combat, as it can grant you much-needed breathing room or give you the height advantage over enemies. There's really no bad time to use the jetpack, so it's quite lovely that you receive it immediately upon starting the game.

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