COMMUNITY / PLAYTEST EXPERIENCE
Practical lessons from hands-on playtest guides and community discussion: equipment, stamina, routes, recovery and quest survival.
Browse characters & teams guides →Reviewed 6 October 2026. Developer-described systems and historical player reports are labelled separately; upcoming-build behaviour is not independently tested. Old balance complaints are not presented as current bugs.
10 tips
A Tech Test 3 player reported successful low-cost scavenging runs. Use inexpensive equipment while learning routes, then invest after you can reliably return.
Player experienceEvidence includes developer announcements and historical playtest experience; check current controls and descriptions.
Players reported opponents waiting near quest objectives. Pause outside a busy location, check approaches and plan an exit before interacting.
Player reportsEvidence includes developer announcements and historical playtest experience; check current controls and descriptions.
Players reported that sprinting during attacks or reloads depended on mastery unlocks. Practise with your own character’s current options before attempting a combo seen in a clip.
Build-dependentEvidence includes developer announcements and historical playtest experience; check current controls and descriptions.
Playtest feedback describes awkward ledges and unreliable vaulting. Test a route before a fight rather than assuming a low obstacle is climbable.
Player reportsEvidence includes developer announcements and historical playtest experience; check current controls and descriptions.
Players disagreed about directional audio and reported difficulty hearing nearby footsteps. The August developer update reports an audio-occlusion fix, so these older complaints are not a diagnosis of the upcoming build. Silence alone still does not prove an area is empty.
Playtest caveatEvidence includes developer announcements and historical playtest experience; check current controls and descriptions.
Playtest players reported losing expedition quest progress on death. Once the task is done, prioritise getting back and check the journal after extraction.
Player reportsEvidence includes developer announcements and historical playtest experience; check current controls and descriptions.
The developer distinguishes movement Stamina from melee Energy. Preserve Stamina for repositioning and Energy for attacks and blocks; release pressure to recover rather than fighting through exhaustion.
Developer-described systemsEvidence includes developer announcements and historical playtest experience; check current controls and descriptions.
Historical playtest reports describe fast limited-use armour kits and slower reusable tongs, with a similar quick ampoule versus slow bloodbag distinction. Recover behind cover.
Playtest guideEvidence includes developer announcements and historical playtest experience; check current controls and descriptions.
The September developer update describes a 30-second zone countdown followed by balloon interaction. Deadsmoke now means two or more separate parties are in the zone; absence of smoke does not rule out an ambush outside it.
Developer update · September 2026Evidence includes developer announcements and historical playtest experience; check current controls and descriptions.
Historical playtest reports describe that disturbed crows and hanging bodies make noise. Watch your route past them when approaching other players.
Playtest guideEvidence includes developer announcements and historical playtest experience; check current controls and descriptions.
