High on Life 2 is here on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, and it’s even wackier, weirder, and bigger than the original game. While not every part of this new sci-fi comedy FPS works, there’s still a lot of fun to be had in the sequel, featuring new talking guns and larger worlds to explore. To help you out on your journey to save humanity (again), we’ve put together a list of 13 tips that you should know before hopping into High on Life 2.
Talk to people!
High on Life 2 is at its best when it isn’t forcing you to fight dozens of aliens with living guns. Where this sequel excels is when it’s telling jokes, and a lot of the best ones can only be found by talking to NPCs. And you should keep talking to NPCs, as most of them will have many bits of dialogue and jokes. Likewise, if the game lets you do something over and over again, like kiss someone at a kissing booth, it’s usually a good idea to do it a few times and see if the NPCs react differently. They often do, and it can lead to some wild moments.
Sit down when watching TV or movies
There are multiple full-length movies in High on Life 2 that you can watch in a few places, including on Gene’s TV in the main hub area of the game. But if you stand there and watch these movies, the background music and audio of the game will still be heard. So sit down, which is often an option near the screen, and you’ll get a better view and won’t be distracted by all the noise.
When told to explore the city, do it
At certain points in High on Life 2, characters will tell you to go check out the city and explore while they get your next missions ready. And you should do this! Exploring the large multi-area world of Circuit Arcadia will often reveal new NPCs to joke around with, but more importantly, there are plenty of hidden puzzles to solve to unlock more currency, rare upgrades, and new cosmetics for your talking gun pals.
Buy upgrades at your home base
Speaking of upgrades, pretty early on in High on Life 2 you’ll gain access to a shop inside your main HQ. Stop by here regularly to buy upgrades for your guns to make them more powerful and useful. And don’t worry about spending too much money, as Gene will give you more cash if you need it for a specific upgrade that is required for progressing forward.
Use your Gatlian special abilities often
It is very easy to forget that all of your talking guns in High on Life 2 have special, secondary abilities. But don’t do that. Instead use them, and use them a lot. In particular, Sweezy’s ability to stop time in a specific area is very powerful and works on some bosses. I also think Gus’ magma disc is very powerful against tougher enemies. The point is, use these abilities often. And to help with that…
Drink lots of Bounty Hunter energy drink
Dotted around nearly every level of High on Life 2 are vending machines that spit out cans of energy drink. These are useful as you can pop one open by hitting the special ability button (RB on Xbox) and refill your gun’s special meter instantly. This lets you pop their secondary actions far more often during combat. And don’t worry, there are so many vending machines around, you can drink up as much as you want.
Use takedowns to avoid damage
Short but useful tip: When you do a takedown on an enemy using Knifey, you are momentarily invulnerable. This is useful during big fights to give you breathing room or avoid taking damage from a boss while murdering a minion.
Don’t play on story mode difficulty
High on Life 2 offers a few different difficulty modes, and while the game doesn’t punish you for choosing the easiest option, “Story Mode,” I’d advise against it as High on Life 2 isn’t a very hard game, even on its harder settings. The Story Mode is far too easy and boring. Stick to Easy or Normal.
Use your radar to track down remaining enemies
If an objective mentions killing all the enemies in an area and you can’t find the last one, check your in-game radar for a red blip. Very handy. Bonus tip: The radar will also show you where hidden caches are that can be broken up for extra money.
Don’t forget about Jeppy
I won’t spoil who Jeppy is, but eventually you unlock this odd alien sidekick who can only say his name. He functions as a sort of ultimate ability for your character. And I recommend popping him out once his meter is full, as he can clear out weaker enemies and put the hurting on bigger foes.
Shoot your sister when you first see her at the zoo
I know you don’t want to, but you should do it. Trust me.
Maybe wait a month or two before hopping in…
Perhaps the most important tip of all. If you’re reading this just a few days or weeks after High on Life 2‘s February 13 release, then I’d advise holding off on playing it. The game is currently filled with all sorts of bugs and issues. Some of these have been fixed via a day-one patch, but I’d still suggest waiting a little bit, playing something else, and then coming back to a game that is hopefully in better shape.