Beginner guide
Rift Apart: find your feet, then find your favourite weapon
A beginner’s route through the basics of movement, weapons and upgrades, without spoiling the adventure.
1. Let the opening teach you
Rift Apart is built around lively movement and an inventive arsenal. You can begin here without completing the earlier games: Insomniac describes the adventure as a starting point for newcomers. Follow the opening objectives and give the tutorial prompts a moment before charging towards everything that moves.
Our suggestion is to treat your first encounters as practice. Pick a visible enemy, stay aware of the surrounding space, and notice which movements let you keep looking at the action. If the screen gets overwhelming, focus on surviving and finding room. You can learn to be spectacular after you feel comfortable being deliberate.
2. Practise movement one ability at a time
As the game introduces them, the Rift Tether, Phantom Dash, and wall-running broaden your options. The Rift Tether moves you across gaps to available rifts, while Phantom Dash can carry you through incoming attacks. These abilities have uses in both exploration and combat; follow their tutorials rather than expecting every tool immediately.
When a new movement appears, try it in the situation the game presents before improvising. During the next fight, choose one opportunity to use it on purpose. This gives you something concrete to learn from: whether the move created space, improved your position, or simply sent you somewhere you had not meant to go.
3. Find a weapon you enjoy using
Weapons gain levels through combat use, increasing their power and opening further upgrade options. That makes experimentation useful. When available, try the explosive Shatterbomb alongside a weapon that feels comfortable to aim. Pay attention to the situation each handles well instead of expecting one purchase to answer every fight.
Spend a few encounters learning a favourite before constantly changing your setup. Try another weapon when you understand what you want it to do differently. A good personal loadout is one you can use confidently while moving, not necessarily the combination another player calls the best. Keep reading the weapon descriptions as your choices expand.
4. Turn your next stop into a useful upgrade
Raritanium is used for weapon upgrades. When you reach a vendor, inspect the available options and consider the weapon you have actually been enjoying. Read what a node changes before spending: an upgrade makes more sense when you can connect it to something you noticed during combat.
For this first stretch, keep the next story objective as your main destination. Explore an appealing detour if you feel like it, then come back to the adventure. Finish your session with one useful observation: a movement you trust, a weapon you like, or an upgrade you want to try next. That is a satisfying start without turning the whole galaxy into a checklist.
Sources & review
Original PSN Leagues guidance, with gameplay facts checked against these official sources. Reviewed .
