Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart: Combat Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart guide, walkthrough
Last update: 23 June 2021
This page of the Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart game guide contains the most important information and tips about combat. You will learn how to efficiently eliminate enemies, avoid enemy attacks, use different weapons and gadgets, replenish ammunition, rely on the help of allies during fights, and more.
- Melee and ranged combat
- Obtaining weapons and ammunition
- Different weapon modes
- Phantom Dash and other ways to dodge
- Elite enemies and bosses
- Summoning allies
- Avoiding damage and death
- Arena
Melee and ranged combat
Combat in the game Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart can take place in melee or at range - it depends on the attacks used by the opponents (some enemies rely solely on melee combat) and on the currently used weapon. Some weapons (e.g. the shotgun) work better at short range, others (e.g. the sniper rifle or the Negatron Collider) are ideal for ranged combat.
Ranged combat is generally safer. You will have more opportunities to dodge enemy attacks, more room to maneuver and the risk of someone approaching your character without you noticing will be decreased.
Obtaining weapons and ammunition
There are about 20 types of weapons in the game and it's quite convenient that you can carry them all in your inventory. The number of weapons you can carry with you at a time isn't limited in any way. It's definitely a good idea to change weapons depending on what is most efficient in a given situation. For example, if you want to get rid of inconvenient enemies at a distance it is best to quickly switch to a sniper rifle, minigun or rocket launcher.
New weapons need to be purchased from Mrs. Zurkon, the local vendor. You will have to buy them with bolts, which you must continually try to collect as you progress through the game. Prioritize buying (and upgrading) the weapons that will be most useful and deal the most damage.
A separate type of ammunition is collected for each weapon. It is a good idea to frequently switch between weapons to minimize the risk of running out of a type of ammunition. If it comes to that, you can find ammunition in the game world or, as a last resort, buy it from Mrs. Zurkon.
Different weapon modes
Most of the weapons you acquire can function in one of two modes. For example, the Void Repulser can be used to activate an energy shield and send out a wave of energy, while the Enforcer can shoot one or two bullets at once.
You can find out more about the available modes when purchasing the weapon or from the weapon list in the inventory window. Usually, the mode can be selecting by either pressing R2 halfway or all the way down. Try to test all newly unlocked weapons in order to know how to use them correctly and get the most out of them.
Phantom Dash and other ways to dodge
The Phantom Dash is the best way to dodge enemy attacks and it's a unique action you'll unlock while progressing through Nefarious City (the game's second main mission). By activating the dash (with the Circle button), you can not only quickly move to another location, but you will also avoid being hit by, for example, a laser beam. This becomes especially important during fights against destroyers and large bosses.
The following will also help your characters survive:
- hoverboots - you can use them to quickly move from place to place or even to escape the enemy,
- rifts - you can pull yourself to them to quickly change your position or to get to a place that is hard to reach for your opponent.
Elite enemies and bosses
In Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart, you'll be fighting groups of regular enemies most of the time, but on occasion, you will have to face more challenging encounters. These mainly consist of elite variations of standard enemies, which are a type of opponents that includes machines called sniperbots. You should try to focus on these types of enemies in order to eliminate them as quickly as possible.
As you progress through the campaign, you will also face off against main and side bosses and mini-bosses. Each main boss fight is described in our guide, although in general we recommend learning how to predict the attacks of strong enemies and avoid them. This is especially helpful against machines called destroyers, which appear in different "versions" throughout the game. You will have an easier time during later fights if you learn their laser attacks or how to dodge their big jumps.
Summoning allies
In addition, some of the weapons you buy let you summon allies who will fight on Ratchet or Rivet's side. Specifically, we mean the following gadgets:
- Mr. Fungi - he's a single helper, but at the same time, he is quite sturdy,
- The Glove of Doom - this is the best weapon for summoning allies, as it creates groups of small robots that can effectively distract enemies while gradually weakening them,
- Bombardier - this weapon summons a drone to bomb the surrounding area, but you need to make sure to aim it well.
In each of the cases described above, try to purchase the weapon at the first opportunity, upgrade it regularly with raritanium, and use it in most fights against groups of enemies and bosses.
Avoiding damage and death
A rather important piece of information is that in this game, the characters won't regenerate health over time. You must always make sure to heal Ratchet or Rivet's wounds, which can be done through finding health crates. Fortunately, you should be able to find 1-2 (or perhaps even more) of these types of crates during most of the big fights. Destroy these crates only after taking significant damage so as not to "waste" them too soon.
The game also allows you to permanently extend your health bar by earning XP and advancing to the next level of experience. Each new level adds 10 health points and the extra hp will come in handy during longer and more difficult fights.
Arena
The fighting arena is the largest additional activity in the game. You will take part in the first two battles within the bronze cup while completing the main storyline, but all subsequent battles are optional. As a reminder, you can join these fights in the Gastropub arena in the Scarstu Debris Cloud. Initially only the bronze cup is available, but as you progress through the main storyline, you will also unlock the silver and gold cup that contain new challenges.
The battles in the arena can have different objectives, for example they might force you to use a specific weapon or eliminate waves of opponents - all of these fights have been described in our walkthrough. We strongly recommend completing these on a regular basis, as there are valuable rewards to be earned, including large amounts of bolts, raritanium, collectibles or new armor pieces.