6 Beginner Tips for Surviving The Evil Within

The Evil Within Tips

Proper survival horror is a genre that seemed long gone for quite some time. Luckily, Tango Gameworks came along with The Evil Within, published by Bethesda. In this game, you are Sebastian Castellanos, a detective from the Krimson City Police Department (KCPD). Due to a disturbing series of unfortunate events, he is now stuck in a world battling an evil he doesn’t understand.

From the moment you begin The Evil Within, you will realize that it’s not like recent survival horrors. While others have catered to the masses, this particular title takes a bit of pride in its genre. Supplies are scarce and enemies are plentiful. There is very little hand holding in The Evil Within so expect a challenge, especially if you’re not used to survival horrors.

Luckily for you, we have created a list of 6 very useful, spoiler free tips to help prepare you for the fight ahead. So sit back, relax, and read before you allow evil to take hold.

Read The Instruction Manual (it actually has one)

The Evil Within Tips

What may come as a surprise to most is that The Evil Within actually comes with an instruction manual. This is something that has become extremely rare in recent years, with a heavy push towards digital guides. While its inclusion is a bit of a miracle, it will prove to be a quite necessary one.

As you play through The Evil Within, there are tutorials for the first time you come across each mechanic. Unfortunately, the necessary information sometimes pops up much too late, and you’ve already met a gruesome fate. In order to avoid any headaches and unfortunate restarts, just do yourself a favor and read through the manual first.

It contains the same detailed information that you will come across in the game. Having it at your disposal prior to starting the game provides the benefit of both knowledge and the ability to disable those pesky in game tutorials. There is nothing like falling into a steady pace only to have some window pop up on your screen to ruin the immersion.

Take it Slow

The Evil Within Tips

As stated before, The Evil Within presents a challenge. It is by no means an “easy” game. Though it does offer a casual difficulty that tones down the threat to some degree, you should always keep your wits about you. Even on its easier setting, The Evil Within will not hesitate to tear apart anyone who underestimates the ever present threat of death.

One way to avoid any pointless demise is to take it slow. You will be surprised at how much easier the game becomes when a bit of patience is applied. This game punishes those who try to run through areas, and while there are select areas that present noise and speed as a valid option, they are few and far in between. Taking your time, on the other hand, will provide three valuable benefits.

For starters, moving slowly prevents enemies from immediately noticing you. Walking and running generate more sound than sneaking about, so get used to moving stealthily if you want to get the upper-hand on unsuspecting bad guys. Stealth kills help quite a bit if you’re going for the whole “please don’t notice me, just walking through” method of playing. You can also sneak into designated hiding spaces to let enemies pass you by.

Secondly, traps can be bypassed simply by sneaking past them. Bombs, trip wires, you name it… all bypassed by stealth. This means you can literally die just by running around, with no help from enemies. You’ll get the added benefit of being able to disarm traps for parts if you sneak up to them, or you can just leave them as traps for you enemies. Whatever route you may choose, just know that it presents a fair amount of strategic value.

The final major benefit of taking it slow is the opportunity to make a game plan. Sneak around in order to learn routes, gather some much needed supplies, or just to collect some simple surveillance. Killing the first enemy in sight may not always be the best plan in The Evil Within. Sometimes, killing any enemies at all can prove to be just as troubling. Forming a strategy before taking any action will save you heaps of trouble.

No Need To Be Trigger Happy

The Evil Within Tips

In true survival horror fashion, ammunition is scarce in The Evil Within. Not only is it rare, it’s also not very effective when used improperly. For these very important reasons, it is best that you refrain from satisfying that itchy trigger finger.  You may be wondering, “But how am I supposed to kill stuff?”

There are many options at your disposal for the dispatching of evil. If you pay close attention to your surroundings, you will noticed melee weapons scattered about. These are single-use items that can kill most enemies instantly. Melee without a weapon isn’t advised since you hardly do any damage. If anything, use bare handed melee only as a last ditch effort in order to escape.

Another option is good old fashioned fire. In The Evil Within, you are able to carry a limited amount of matches that can be used to burn all sorts of things. One of the fine flammable objects in the game happens to be enemies. If you manage to knock an enemy to the ground, or lead one towards an already dead enemy, you can drop a match instantly, setting anything in a close enough range ablaze.

If you’re patient enough, you can round up pretty sizable groups of the zombie-like nemeses and take them all out with a single match. Torches are also valuable, since they are able to burn a standing enemy. (They do have their drawbacks, but we’ll get to that in a second.)

The last option at your disposal poses a bit of risk. If while sneaking about you chose not to disarm any of the many traps laid out, then they can be used to your advantage. The main problem with this is remembering their locations. While they are quite easy to sneak past, you are usually running while leading enemies to a desired destination. If you aren’t careful, you may find yourself succumbing to the very traps you were going to use.

As long as you’re attentive while playing The Evil Within, preserving ammo shouldn’t be to difficult. If you come to a point where there is no other option, then make every shot count. Like most games in the same vein, headshots will almost always get the job done quicker. Push them back with your melee in order to set up a shot, then get out of there once granted the opportunity.

Get Used To The Dark

The Evil Within Tips

Early on in The Evil Within, you will gain access to a lantern that you can turn on and off at any time. It is very useful considering how dark the world of The Evil Within is. Most important items are completely shrouded in darkness, and you will often lose your path. The problem is that light attracts enemies.

Once one enemy catches a glimpse, it will make noise attracting other enemies. They will be drawn to you like a moth to a flame. Nine times out of ten, you will most likely want to avoid such heavy confrontation, making your lantern a bit of a nuisance.

This is when you will have to make a decision. Do you keep your lantern on in order to easily search for supplies? Or do you leave it off in the hopes of masking your presence? While both have their clear purpose, leaving the lantern off provides a far better benefit. Keeping your lantern on may make it easier to search, but it is not entirely impossible to do so without it.

Items have a faint glimmer to them, so they aren’t impossible to find as long as you keep an eye out for them. Because supplies are rare and extremely necessary, you are best served by always looking for them whether there is lighting or not. A keen eye is necessary for this game, and you will often get thrust into the darkness. You might as well get used to it so that you are always at an advantage.

Break And Open All The Things

The Evil Within Tips

You honestly never know where you will find supplies in The Evil Within. You will constantly be in dire need of ammunition, med kits, matches, and other items. Lucky for you, they are hidden in a vast selection of locations. It is a good idea to let your destructive side out every once in a while in order to make sure nothing gets left behind.

Crates, barrels, and even some of the wooden planks found in The Evil Within are breakable with a simple melee attack. At the risk of creating a bit of noise, you will be able to find ammo, green gel, matches, or anything else that will prove useful. It’s a good idea to always check if the coast is clear and then release some of that frustration on some unsuspecting containers.

There are lootable wardrobes as well. They aren’t all over the place, but when you come across one, make sure to check it out. There will always be something of use within one of these, so don’t let one slip you by. Similar to wardrobes are chests, though these can sometimes be booby-trapped. Make sure to open chests slowly if you don’t want to be blown to bits.

You will also come across these small white statues in The Evil Within. They are often times found in places you normally wouldn’t look. Some are in rooms off of the beaten path, and others are hanging from ledges, on top of scaffolds, or any other location. Thoroughly check every area because these statues provide keys that unlock certain lockers.

Upgrade, Upgrade, Upgrade

The Evil Within Tips

One of the many resources available to you in The Evil Within is a mysterious substance known only as green gel. It can be found in glass jars scattered around the game or obtained from killing some enemies. The jar can contain anywhere from 200 to several thousand green gel points, and every little bit counts.

Once you have amassed a sizable amount, you can head through a special mirror that leads you to an asylum of sorts. In here, you will find a shock therapy chair that doubles as an upgrade station. If you have the proper amount, you can upgrade several stats such as health, stamina, weapon damage, and stock limits.

The Evil Within is a very unforgiving game, so being able make any improvements, no matter how minor they may appear to be, is extremely important. It’s a good idea to make your way to the upgrade station every time you have a few thousand gel points, especially early on in the game.

Gather as many points as you can early on, as most upgrades come at a very low cost for the first few levels of improvements. After some time, they are very expensive, and your upgrades will come much less frequently. When not sure about what to upgrade, make sure to go with any ability that you use most. Do you sprint a lot? Upgrade Stamina. Feel like you rely on your pistol quite a bit? Upgrade bullet count, fire rate, and reload speed.

With these 6 useful tips you will find yourself overcoming the madness in no time. Remember, take your time and your patience will be rewarded.

For more info on The Evil Within check out their official site.