First Steps in No Return.

After completing the main story, I launched the roguelike No Return mode on very light difficulty as Ellie. Starting at the hideout, I traveled to Jackson for an Assault encounter against three Infected for the first wave.

I stealthily eliminated a Runner and two Stalkers, cleared the first wave, and located a supply cache.

I decided to explore the special game mode entitled No Return, and I was spawned into the hideout and felt relieved to see photo mode remained fully accessible.

Before jumping into combat, I inspected the local workbench to check for weapon modifications, but discovered I only possessed a single firearm and lacked the necessary supplies to craft any upgrades.

Exiting the workbench, I moved over to the map board to plan my route. I selected Jackson for my first location, which featured an Assault encounter against Infected forces with supply rewards upon completion.

I knew I needed to use the downtime between waves to heal, collect items, and locate the supply cache revealed by listen mode after clearing a wave.

The timer began ticking down ten seconds before the first wave arrived. Unsure of the terrain, I spent the remaining seconds gathering nearby supplies while exploring the completely deserted Jackson.

The encounter began with three Infected spawning onto the map. Using listen mode, I tracked their movement patterns across the area and identified a mix of Runners and Stalkers.

To conserve ammunition for the more unpredictable Stalkers, I opted to take down the first Runner using silent stealth.

During the strike, a nearby Stalker spotted me from a distance but chose to hold its position rather than rush forward.

We entered a brief game of hide-and-seek, both aware of each other's presence while navigating around cover.

Realizing the Stalker had lost tracking on my location, I closed the distance from behind, grabbed the creature, and eliminated it quietly.

With two Infected down, I began searching for the third, knowing it was another Stalker. I spotted the monster taking cover inside a building, but it shifted positions the moment I drew near.

I tossed a brick behind the Stalker to confuse its senses. The creature investigated the noise before turning and charging straight toward my position.

Forced to abandon stealth, I opened fire with my weapon, dropping the creature instantly and clearing the first wave.

With fifteen seconds remaining before the next wave, I located the supply cache to search for valuable supplies.

We'll check what happens next in another post.

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Image Source: In game screenshots.

End of the post.
Peace.