Breathedge, the new open-world survival game by Redruins Softworks set in space, was released for consoles on the 6th of April. The game follows the story of a shipwrecked astronaut who must journey across the remains of the largest space liner ever made in order to survive and uncover the reason for the ship's destruction.
When players first start Breathedge, they will find a lot to like in the game's tranquil atmosphere and quirky sense of humor. However, there are many hazards that the main character will encounter throughout their travels. In order to survive, players will have to find sources of food and water while upgrading their equipment to travel between the different oxygen stations situated throughout the shipwreck.
Updated by Beau Boo Low on November 4, 2021: Breathedge is now a complete game, with the developers officially having added the game's final chapter. Now that the game is finished, Redruins Softworks can officially move on to their planned DLC, and players can feel free to buy the game knowing that it is now a finished product. This is sure to bring an influx of new players looking to enjoy this epic space odyssey and all it has to offer. Fans of survival and crafting games will enjoy Breathedge's unique settingm as well as the brilliant sense of humor that helps this game stand out. With that in mind, this list has been updated to include a few more mistakes worth avoiding during the first playthrough of Breathedge.
13 Follow The Main Quests
As with any survival game, it can be hard to understand what to prioritize when first starting Breathedge. As well as focusing on having enough food, water, and oxygen, players will also need to understand how to collect resources and build new items if they want to make progress.
It is recommended at the start to follow the main questlines as much as possible during Chapter 1. This will set the player up with all the basic equipment they need to proceed through the next chapters. That said, remember not to move on to chapter 2 until the starting area has been completely explored.
12 Not Managing Resources Carefully
Breathedge has a variety of resources the player can use to craft new tools and equipment. Unlike other survival games with large open worlds, some of the materials are more finite than others. Electronics, for instance, are fairly common at the beginning, but become scarce later on in the game.
Players should focus on finding the various uses for different raw materials and decide which ones they want to stockpile. With limited inventory space, it is important to avoid harvesting large numbers of any resource until the player can start crafting suitcases to store them in.
11 Not Focusing On Exploration In The Early Game
Players can unlock new crafting possibilities by picking up, or scanning objects they encounter. While some players may want to start with building a base or progressing through the story, it is better to focus on finding new blueprints at first.
In Breathedge, the player's capabilities are constantly expanding as new tools are unlocked. Players should use their first few spacewalks after crafting the debugging station to explore around their starting capsule and find essential items such as the scanner, air balloon, and accelerator. It is profitable to interact with anything and everything, as acquiring even random junk can reveal blueprints, different resources, or funny dialogues.
10 Know That Oxygen Is Limited
It should go without saying, but given the main character is marooned in the cold vacuum of outer space, Oxygen will be the player's number one priority. Thus, items for increasing oxygen capacity are limited in the early levels of the game.
Regaining O2 is possible with air bubbles and by crafting oxygen candles, but often this will not be enough for sustaining the protagonist through longer expeditions. Once the player has the blueprint for constructing oxygen stations, they should place them at memorable locations throughout the wreck to provide a quick refill that will sustain the player until they can return to base. This works wonders for improving survivability.
9 Suffocation Isn't The Only Threat In Space
As with any good survival game, there are many hazards that one can encounter floating through the vacuum of space. As mentioned above, oxygen is one problem, but it is significantly easier to solve than many of the other dangers players can find.
Some areas are especially cold and can only be entered briefly before the player begins freezing to death. Radiation is another hazard that can be lowered by completing certain side quests, and loose electrical wires will injure the player if they drift too close. It is wise to avoid any irradiated or freezing areas until the player has the necessary equipment to survive.
8 Don't Miss The Accelerator
The various areas of the shipwreck each have their own array of useful junk to collect. The player's movement speed is initially very slow and the item for speeding up is hidden in a relatively obscure location.
Upon leaving the starting capsule the player will find a toilet cubicle floating to the right of the exit. A second cubicle can be found in the same direction concealed behind a large cloud of nutritious goo, when the player approaches it they will start to take cold damage so they should try to be quick. The accelerator is floating in front of the dead body, and picking it up will unlock its blueprint.
7 Not Looking Under The Starting Capsule
When players first enter space they will want to follow the in-game missions to craft a scrapper and a better suit. While collecting the necessary resources such as glass and wiring, there is a section of the spaceliner immediately below the first base with very useful early game items.
There is a door attached to this section of wreckage with a scanner attached to a panel on the right. The scanner is a very useful piece of equipment for obtaining new blueprints, but there is an even better item behind the door. Once the player can build a basic smasher, they can use two of them to break down the door to find an oxygen station. This station will break, but it reveals the blueprint for building future ones. Going through this room and out the other end will lead to an oxygen balloon which increases the player's air capacity by 50.
6 Building Beef Grenades
While some doors can be opened with the player's smasher tool, explosive charges are a much more efficient way of clearing debris. In the hydroponics section, the player will find tins of beef which are the primary ingredient in most bombs and grenades.
Early in the game players will find a blueprint for beef grenades however, these are only useful against occasional enemies and it is better to save the cans of meat for better explosives later on. Since beef is only found in specific locations it is worth stockpiling while it is available and storing it for the future.
5 Not Using Vehicles For Travelling Long Distances
As players gather the resources closest to their base they will eventually have to make longer journeys to replenish their supplies. The vacuum rocket is the first vehicle in the game which is located at the beginning of chapter 2.
Later in the game players can make better vehicles, provided they can collect enough aluminum and electronics. Having a reliable method of transport not only saves time but will also help conserve valuable consumables like oxygen candles. Vehicles are also useful for returning to previous locations should the player need to gather specific resources.
4 Peeing In Space
There are many ways that the player can die in Breathedge, from asphyxiation to radiation poisoning. One of the many features included in the game is a dedicated urinate function that can also kill the player if used inappropriately.
If the player accidentally, or deliberately decides to void their bladder while on a spacewalk, they will rapidly reduce their water meter. As well as making them thirsty, the protagonist will also start to slowly freeze to death, requiring the player to find a source of heat in order to survive. Although this is a humorous way to die, players may regret it if they haven't saved beforehand.
3 Relying On Autosave
Breathedge is still in early access and while the game is already full of content, some of its features are not as reliable as others. With all the hazards players can encounter during their time lost in space, it is important to save the game often to avoid losing progress.
The autosave function in Breathedge only activates upon entering a station and this can lead to players losing a lot of their resources and time if they die on a spacewalk. To avoid setbacks it is a good idea to save frequently. Players should also use at least two different save slots to prevent locking themselves into inescapable fail states such as not having enough oxygen to return to base.
2 Not Planning Expeditions Carefully
Progress through the decimated shipwreck is broken up with oxygen stations and consumables. That said it can be easy to get wrapped up in exploring the cosmos and end up low on air while far from home.
With this in mind, players should plan spacewalks with specific purposes in mind and prepare their inventory accordingly. Carrying two scrappers for resource gathering helps minimize the number of trips back to base to replace broken tools. Players should also pack a few oxygen candles to provide them with extra air should they need it.
1 The Chicken Is More Than Just A Joke
At the very start of the game, players will find a chicken that they can use to plug a leak in their capsule. This chicken can be used for a variety of purposes, from filling leaks to rejoining sparking electrical connectors.
It is easy to assume that the chicken is there just for comedic relief. However, is not the case. The player should save before using the chicken in most instances so they can reload if they ever lose it. Avoiding spoilers, the chicken is essential for progressing to the end of the game, so it is a very big deal if the player ever loses the option to plug leaks with it. This this may mean the chicken is no longer with them and they will need to reload their game.