Battle Tips

Lost Planet offers danger at every turn, and for those that dare brave the frozen expanse, the swarms of deadly Akrid, and the insidious designs of the snow pirates, the occasional tip or suggestion may be welcome. We think the following might help you stay alive on that Lost Planet.

Control Comfort
It may seem a bit of an odd setup at first, but take some time to understand the dual analog control system. Unlike games like Halo® 2, the right analog stick is focused more on the position of the gun, and less on turning your character one direction or another. Sure, hold the stick long enough and you'll start to turn, but make sure you utilize the left and right shoulder buttons to make hard turns. Otherwise, you''ll find yourself too easily surrounded by those lethally quick Akrid.

Energy Awareness
There is no more important element to survival than the energy that powers your suit. It both soaks up attacks from your enemies and keeps the fatally frigid temperatures from icing you over where you stand.

That suit could keep you a live a lot longer .

Your most consistent source of energy will come from the enemies you kill, but make sure you don't leave it sitting around. It doesn't take long for energy to evaporate after you take down an enemy, so if you're short on energy, make sure you kill enemies at short range. Also, keep a sharp eye out for boxes, which will often contain power, as well as items that look like antennas that you can power up for an energy refill.

Zoom it Up
Action in Lost Planet is never about one or two enemies, but instead giant swarms of them that keep on attacking. Try thinning out the herds from a distance with a rifle or machine gun before marching in. Again, energy management is at a premium, but long distance tactics will often even out the odds and increase your survival chance when you get closer.

If they're swarming, look for a hive.

Anchor Strategy
Your grappling hook, which in game terms is called your anchor, can be your greatest ally in combat. Not only will it work wonders in getting you up to heights you wouldn't have thought possible (a great advantage for sniping off hordes of Akrid), but it can also get you out of a jam in a hurry. Use it to leap out of a dangerous situation and recollect yourself. To that end, try making sure the bulk of combat takes place near buildings and ledges so you can take advantage of this tactic.

VS for Bosses
The Vital Suits (think mechs) can prove instrumental if you need to tilt the odds in your favor. If you're doing fine, though, leave these mechanized suits where they are. You'll inevitably run into something worse, and then you'll need the power of a VS to back you up. You'll be glad you held out until you really needed one.

Spawn Locations
The vicious alien Akrids can often seem never-ending, and in some cases they aren't. But if you find they're spawning out of hives, you can trust that their numbers will never end. When fighting Akrid, watch for the hives. Once you target one, ignore everything else until you wipe the hive out. The Akrid will chew you up a bit, but they'll be a lot easier to wipe out when they don't have unlimited reinforcements.

Lost Planet: This pic says it all.

Gun Swapping
Stay aware of what weapons are available to you. If you find you're using a machinegun, but an enemy hasn't dropped any ammo for it for a while, it's time to think about swapping to another weapon with more abundant ammo. If you keep your eyes on your environment, you might find a super weapon lying about. These giant guns override both of your other guys, and you'll drop it when you're done with it, but they can make all the difference between getting swamped, and standing triumphant. Of course, they're not always in the open, so keep your head in the game.

Boss Weaknesses
Through careful examination of patterns you can discern the best how, when and where to attack a boss creature. Unlike normal creatures, you can't just fire away and hope for the best. Look for the golden areas on the Akrid bosses to determine where you should aim. As one might expect, the legs are the first thing to go on the giant spider-y boss, eventually revealing the weak belly. Each boss monster is going to be different, and will require some trial and error. Armament may make a different as well. Remember, the more energy you can find, the longer you'll survive the trial and error phase of a boss fight.

Article by Alex McLain