Returnal Trophy Guide

How to Unlock

Defeat **Phrike**, the first boss in Returnal, located in **Overgrown Ruins**. You'll encounter Phrike inside the underground vault marked by a red boss doorway. The fight has three phases, with Phrike gaining more aggressive attacks each time a health bar is depleted. **Phase 1:** Maintain your distance and move sideways while firing. Phrike uses sweeping projectile patterns and energy attacks. Dash through incoming projectiles when necessary. **Phase 2:** Phrike begins teleporting and using close-range melee attacks. Watch for its movements, particularly when it disappears beneath the arena. Prepare to dash sideways when it reappears nearby. **Phase 3:** Phrike combines its previous attacks with faster projectile patterns and more frequent melee strikes. Keep moving, avoid standing directly in front of the boss, and prioritize survival over constant damage. A Shadow in the Fog unlocks immediately after defeating Phrike.

Tip

Before entering the arena, collect Silphium and Resin to increase your health, and purchase a healing consumable if one is available. A weapon with reliable ranged damage, such as the Tachyomatic Carbine, makes it easier to attack while concentrating on dodging.

Warning

If you die, you'll restart the current cycle and must reach Phrike again. However, once you've defeated the boss, that victory remains recorded permanently, so you won't need to defeat Phrike again to progress through later biomes.

How to Unlock

Defeat **Ixion**, the second boss in Returnal, located at the summit of **Crimson Wastes**. Ixion has three phases, each featuring increasingly aggressive projectile attacks. **Phase 1:** Keep moving around the arena while firing. Ixion launches blue projectiles and attacks from the air. Maintain your distance and dash through incoming shots when necessary. **Phase 2:** Ixion begins performing high-speed aerial charges and releasing expanding waves of projectiles. Watch its flight path, reposition between attacks, and jump or dash through the incoming waves. **Phase 3:** Ixion becomes more aggressive, combining rapid projectile patterns with close-range attacks and ground-based energy waves. Keep your distance, avoid getting trapped near the arena's edge, and attack whenever it's safe. Ascension unlocks immediately after defeating Ixion.

Tip

Prioritize a weapon with reliable ranged damage. The Tachyomatic Carbine is a solid choice because you can maintain consistent damage while concentrating on movement. Defeating Ixion also rewards you with the **Icarian Grapnel**, a permanent traversal upgrade that allows you to reach grapple points and access previously inaccessible areas.

Warning

If you die during the fight, you'll need to reach Ixion again in a new cycle. However, once defeated, the boss does not need to be fought again for story progression.

How to Unlock

Find the **Atropian Blade** during your exploration of **Overgrown Ruins**, the first biome. As you progress through the opening story objectives, you'll discover the Atropian Blade at a scripted location. Interact with it to obtain your permanent melee weapon. Atropian Survival unlocks automatically when you collect the blade. The weapon also allows Selene to perform powerful close-range attacks and destroy certain obstacles. This trophy cannot be missed.

How to Unlock

Complete **Act 1** of Returnal. Progress through the first three biomes: Overgrown Ruins, Crimson Wastes, and Derelict Citadel. Defeat their respective bosses, Phrike, Ixion, and Nemesis. After defeating Nemesis, watch the following story sequences. Selene temporarily escapes Atropos, but the cycle eventually draws her back to the planet. Failed Escape unlocks when Selene awakens in **Echoing Ruins**, marking the beginning of Act 2. This trophy is story-related and cannot be missed.

Tip

Before fighting Nemesis, collect any available Scout Logs and Xenoglyph Ciphers. Your collectible discoveries remain saved when the story transitions into Act 2.

Warning

Entering Act 2 resets your current weapons, Integrity upgrades, artifacts, and other temporary equipment. Permanent upgrades and collectible progress are preserved.

How to Unlock

Defeat **Ophion**, the fifth and final main-story boss, located at the bottom of **Abyssal Scar**. Ophion has three phases and requires a specific strategy to expose its weak points. You'll notice glowing blue orbs floating near the boss. **Shoot these orbs to reveal the red damage points on Ophion's body**, then attack those exposed areas. **Phase 1:** Shoot a blue orb to reveal Ophion's weak points and begin dealing damage. Keep moving sideways to avoid incoming projectiles. Watch for purple energy attacks, which cannot be dashed through safely. **Phase 2:** Ophion introduces denser projectile patterns and additional environmental hazards. Continue activating the blue orbs and attacking the exposed red areas. Jump over purple energy waves rather than trying to dash through them. **Phase 3:** Ophion becomes more aggressive, filling the arena with overlapping projectiles and lasers. Prioritize avoiding damage, then shoot the blue orbs whenever the weak points disappear. Keep moving and attack the exposed areas until the final health bar is depleted. Inner Darkness unlocks immediately after defeating Ophion.

Tip

A weapon with reliable ranged damage makes it easier to hit both the blue orbs and Ophion's exposed weak points. Save a healing consumable for the final phase if possible.

Warning

**Purple energy attacks cannot be safely dashed through.** Jump over or move around them instead. You'll need to defeat Ophion again during Act 3 to access the secret ending, but the trophy only requires one victory.

How to Unlock

Complete **Act 2** of Returnal. After finishing Act 1, continue through Echoing Ruins, Fractured Wastes, and Abyssal Scar. Defeat Hyperion in Echoing Ruins, progress through Fractured Wastes, and descend into Abyssal Scar to confront Ophion. Once you've defeated Ophion, continue through the final story sequence and watch the credits. Last Drive unlocks after the credits, confirming that you've completed Act 2. This trophy is story-related and cannot be missed.

Tip

Completing Act 2 opens the way to the secret third act. You can revisit all six biomes, collect the Sunface Fragments, finish the remaining house sequences, and begin dedicated survey cleanup.

Warning

**Act 2 is not the end of the Platinum journey.** You'll still need to complete Act 3 for White Shadow and finish the six biome surveys. The optional Ascension DLC is not required for the Platinum.

How to Unlock

Defeat **Hyperion**, the fourth boss in Returnal, located in **Echoing Ruins**. You'll encounter Hyperion playing a large organ at the top of the biome. The battle has three phases, with increasingly dense projectile patterns and environmental hazards. **Phase 1:** Hyperion remains near the organ, launching waves of projectiles and energy attacks. Keep moving sideways, jump over ground-based attacks, and maintain steady damage from a distance. **Phase 2:** Hyperion moves away from the organ and attacks more directly. Its projectile patterns become more concentrated, leaving less room to maneuver. Watch for openings between attacks and use your dash when necessary. **Phase 3:** Hyperion becomes increasingly aggressive, combining overlapping projectile waves with root-like attacks that can restrict your movement. Stay away from the boss when possible, dash out of danger, and focus on surviving each attack sequence before returning fire. Silence the Song unlocks immediately after defeating Hyperion.

Tip

A weapon with reliable sustained damage can make the fight easier, particularly when Hyperion returns to the organ and presents a relatively stationary target. Preserve a healing consumable for the final phase if possible. Avoid taking unnecessary damage early in the fight.

Warning

Hyperion's ground-based attacks can force you to jump or reposition while other projectiles are approaching. Watch the entire arena rather than focusing exclusively on the boss. Defeating Hyperion permanently records your victory, so subsequent visits to Echoing Ruins won't require another boss fight to continue the story.

How to Unlock

Defeat **Nemesis**, the third boss in Returnal, at the top of the **Derelict Citadel**. Nemesis is a large, stationary-looking enemy fought across multiple platforms. Unlike earlier bosses, this battle emphasizes ranged combat and movement between platforms. **Phase 1:** Stand on the main platform and fire at the glowing red weak point beneath Nemesis's head. Avoid incoming projectiles and dash through the sweeping laser attacks fired by the surrounding creatures. **Phase 2:** The battlefield separates into multiple platforms. Locate Nemesis, use the available grapple points to move closer, and continue shooting its weak point while avoiding projectiles and lasers. **Phase 3:** The platforms break apart, leaving Selene falling through the arena. Grapple between floating platforms to maintain your position and avoid incoming attacks. Keep firing at Nemesis's weak point whenever you have a clear shot. Trial by Judgement unlocks after Nemesis is defeated.

Tip

Bring a weapon with strong long-range damage. Close-range options such as the Spitmaw Blaster are less effective because Nemesis remains far away throughout much of the encounter. Grappling provides brief protection during traversal, making it useful for avoiding difficult projectile patterns.

Warning

Defeating Nemesis completes Act 1 and triggers a major story transition into Echoing Ruins. Your current equipment and temporary upgrades are reset as Act 2 begins, although permanent progression remains intact.

How to Unlock

Complete **Act 3** of Returnal by collecting all six Sunface Fragments and unlocking the secret ending. After defeating Ophion and finishing Act 2, return to the earlier biomes to complete any remaining house sequences. You must have experienced the first **five house sequences** before the Sunface Fragments become available. Once these requirements are met, collect one Sunface Fragment from each biome: 1. **Overgrown Ruins** 2. **Crimson Wastes** 3. **Derelict Citadel** 4. **Echoing Ruins** 5. **Fractured Wastes** 6. **Abyssal Scar** The fragments appear in specific room layouts, but those rooms aren't guaranteed to generate during every cycle. Search thoroughly and repeat the biome if necessary. Collected fragments are permanent and can be checked in Selene's equipment inventory. After obtaining all six, return to Selene's house in **Echoing Ruins** and complete the sixth and final house sequence. This awards the **Car Key** and completes the requirements for Sins of the Mother. Finally, return to Abyssal Scar, defeat Ophion again, and approach the submerged car beyond the boss arena. Use the Car Key to unlock the secret ending. White Shadow unlocks after the concluding sequence and credits.

Tip

Use the device aboard Helios to switch between the Act 1 and Act 2 biomes. Collect missing Scout Logs and Xenoglyph Ciphers while searching for Sunface Fragments to reduce your later survey grind.

Warning

The final house sequence must be completed before the Car Key becomes available. Simply collecting all six fragments isn't enough to finish Act 3.