Ever since the 2.0 update became available for Returnal that allows players to suspend their games in order to not lose their progress, players have been flocking to the punishing roguelite in droves. What many newcomers have found, however, is that Returnal doesn't pull its punches when it comes to its difficulty and obtuse nature. By design, the game was made to be a little bit confusing for players as they start exploring the alien world of Atropos, and some things never end up being properly explained, even after the credits roll.
One such mechanic is the impenetrable orange walls that Selene encounters when exploring the alien planet. At first glance, they seem like the type of barrier that will be able to be passed through after players find more upgrades as they continue making their ways through Returnal's story; however, there never gets to be a proper explanation for them as Selene never finds an upgrade that mentions them. Luckily, they're not impenetrable, but players will need some good RNG to end up breaking through and accessing the goodies that lay in wait just beyond the barrier.
How to Break Returnal's Orange Barriers
Selene's Atropian Blade is introduced early on and can cut through almost everything that stands in her way on Atropos. The game introduces the idea that it doesn't just slice enemies. It can also cut through the red vines scattered across the environment, opening new paths and previously unavailable items. The Atropian Blade also gets the player past the orange barriers, but they'll require the Blade Balancer artifact that's randomly available for creation at the Fabricator.
The Blade Balancer's description doesn't mention anything about the orange walls, simply reading "enables a more powerful melee attack," but in addition to hitting close-range enemies harder than before, it cuts clean through the mysterious barriers.
The unfortunate thing about it is that the Blade Balancer isn't always available at the Fabricator every single run, meaning that there might not be a way to get through an orange barrier each time they're found. What's more, the artifact costs 250 Obolites which might be too much when faced with other purchases that players might need to make. It's important to note that, given Returnal's roguelite nature, the artifact disappears when Selene dies, so players will need to choose wisely if spending the Obolites to get behind the orange walls is truly worth it.
Returnal is available now for PS5.