The Callisto Protocol is a space horror game with plenty of super-strong biophages to dispatch the player around every corner. It also comes with the usual trophy/achievement for beating The Callisto Protocol's hardest difficulty, but making progress can be difficult for players seeking 100% completion or a self-imposed challenge.
Currently, it is possible to 'cheese' the Maximum Security award by altering The Callisto Protocol's difficulty settings, but beating the game legitimately is still a viable option. Discouraged players will likely see Jacob repeatedly killed in gruesome ways, but with enough guidance that elusive trophy/achievement is possible to attain.
Don't Ignore Tutorials
It is unlikely that gamers will pick Maximum Security difficulty as their first playthrough, but either way it is important for players to be familiar with The Callisto Protocol's controls. Given the heightened difficulty and heavier attack damage, Jacob can easily go down in three hits. Therefore, getting to grips with the perfect dodge mechanic early on will greatly improve chances of success.
There are no visual on-screen indicators for enemy attacks, so players need to keep an eye on nearby biophage enemies and time dodges accordingly. Continually holding down the movement buttons in combat will decrease the chances of getting hit, but chaining dodges and melee attacks will give players the necessary edge during surprise ambushes.
Not all tutorials are combat-related, either. For example, players can easily overlook the importance of picking up items for selling at weapon upgrade booths. Progress and inventory management will be considerably more stressful if this happens, which could stop a Maximum Difficulty playthrough stone dead.
Paying attention to tutorials and mastering their advice during Chapters 1 and 2 of The Callisto Protocol will make the onslaught of biophage attacks easier to cope with, plus allow for more experimentation with attacks and weapons.
Avoid Unnecessary Combat
The risk/reward system in The Callisto Protocol is beneficial on lower difficulties, where it may be more convenient to kill every enemy and sweep up all the credits and items needed. However, not all enemy interactions are necessary for making progress.
This is most evident in areas during Chapter 4 of The Callisto Protocol, as players trek through areas infested with biophages.The constant barrage of enemies with fewer health pickups and resources means players may find themselves at an autosave with low health and no pickups in sight. Therefore, trying to sidestep and circumvent enemies without fighting all or any of them is greatly beneficial.
For example, if the exit to a room is on the right, and all the enemies are on the left side, rushing towards the exit before any of them notice Jacob will be an easier task than fighting them. Biophages also tend to spawn after players have explored cache boxes or secret paths where item drops can be found. Therefore, avoiding them completely is the better long-term solution.
Since a lot of these paths are one way, heading backwards often results in multiple biophages blocking the path. Fighting more than one biophage simultaneously is not advised, so this can be avoided by preserving health items and not wandering into danger.
Hoard Health Items
From the start of the game, Jacob only has space for six items in this inventory. While space upgrades come later, this will be after a minimum of 4 chapters trying to battle and avoid the biophages.
Health Injectors appear in wall-mounted caches, but on Maximum Security difficulty they barely recover 50% of health. As such, it is advised to hoard as many of them as possible, especially in the early chapters.
Junk items can be picked up and sold at special upgrade booths for Callisto Credits, but these also take up an inventory space. Some resource management may be required to preserve health items i.e: dropping health injectors by the upgrade booth to grab nearby junk items, then selling the junk before picking up the health items again.
Assuming that players have mastered the dodging mechanics, then Jacob will take fewer hits from enemies. This ensures the health items will be saved for when they are needed, such as boss encounters.
Use Your Upgrades Wisely
Some weapons may sound appealing and useful because of their variety, but in actual combat situations they are little more than a waste of Callisto Credits. The drop rate varies across all difficulties, but the collection of Callisto weapon upgrades on offer can make Jacob's journey much easier.
Preserving Callisto Credits is the best step, and not wasting CC purchases on unnecessary weapons. Jacob's most important weapon is the Baton, so funneling Callisto Credits into melee upgrades will help with faster attacks and dodges when in combat.
For example, the Skunk Gun is good in specific contexts, but players would be wise NOT to purchase it. Doing so will result in less ammo drops for the Pistol and Shotgun, plus the Skunk Gun is not a cost-effective weapon in the long run.
Environment Kills Save Time
As mentioned above, avoiding unnecessary combat helps to preserve resources, but some encounters are mandatory and cannot be skipped. However, by using the environment to Jacob's advantage, players will find it easier to progress without needing to waste lots of ammo and resources.
The GRP Energy power is useful but uses a lot of power, especially when lifting heavy/tall enemies. As such, players may not be utilizing this feature to its fullest. In arenas with spikes on the walls, or rotating blades, it is very easy to dispatch enemies with a brief pickup and throw with the GRP.
A good example of this occurs at the beginning of Chapter 6 when Jacob discovers blind enemies. Using guns makes more enemies appear due to the sound, but using the GRP to pick up the solo enemy and throw against a spike wall prevents reinforcements from appearing.
Maximum Security is not an easy challenge, but these tips will make Jacob's journey more engaging when used effectively. After completing The Callisto Protocol on its hardest difficulty, a trophy/achievement will appear for the determined players who did not use any cheats.
The Callisto Protocol is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.