Exploration and crafting survival game Serum has a lot of neat mechanics, but starting out it can be a little daunting thanks to all the moving parts and its time-based exploration - not to mention the hostile fauna roaming its world. Fortunately, we've put together a handy little list of tips and tricks to help get players started in Serum.
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10 Menus Don't Pause the Game
Don't Just Stand There
This one might seem obvious, but the escape menu and the inventory menus don't pause the game in Serum. Neither do menus for puzzles. The serum timer keeps ticking - so try not to waste time in menus when outside of the safe refuge area.
There's a little leeway depending on how much serum Adam has stored, but it's always best not to risk it.
9 Take Some Time To Explore
Time Is Precious, But So Is Stuff
Although time in Serum is literally life, rushing about endlessly isn't a good idea. There's all sorts of things hidden in the world of Serum, whether it's a new weapon schematic, a recipe for a new kind of serum, or notes and logs left behind by unfortunate testers.
Players constantly rushing from one point to the next will miss out on essential weapon upgrades, crafting components, and important information about the background and story of Serum. Exploration is kind of the point.
8 Use the Scanner
More Stuff To Find
The Scanner, which can be crafted from a blueprint found at the refuge, helps notify the player about things that can be interacted with in some way: loot, crafting materials, and notes.
This can be very useful when looking for stuff to hoard, especially since Serum requires players to craft most things of value.
7 Do A Little Foraging
Pick Some Flowers
From as early as the tutorial mission, Serum gives players the ability to have a little look around and pick up some nice stuff. Picking up plant materials is a great way to prepare for Serum's survival crafting experience because plants are integral to the creation of serum.
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Time is precious, and picking up the various bits of mutant flora Adam can find along the way saves a lot of it.
6 Go Hunting Early
Animals Parts Are Essential For Crafting
Some of the more useful early game serums are created using animal parts. Although the basic blight protection serum is craftable using only plant and fungus materials easily available in the starting area, more advanced serums require parts from animals.
Rotters in the starting area tend to run away but can be caught and killed for loot - and they drop parts which can be used in a health restoration serum.
5 It's Okay To Run Away
Cowards Sometimes Do Win
Although dying in Serum results in Adam respawning back at his refuge, it resets the serum timer and wipes any active serum powers Adam had. This is frustrating, and more than that, a waste of resources. Adam can pick up a backpack containing anything dropped after death, but the player still needs to navigate back to the spot where they died before to pick it up - a spot where the same enemy that killed Adam once before is waiting.
Judicious use of running away can prevent all sorts of frustration.
4 Use the Hydroponics Setup
Plants to Go
Although the map is scattered with various different kinds of plants used in the crafting system, always having to go out on expeditions to get them can be time-consuming - and in Serum, time is precious.
The Hydroponics Station at the refuge is the perfect solution: for a small cost in biofuel the Hydroponics Station will grow plants placed in its planters.
3 Experiment With Serums
DIY Biochemistry
Serum effects are given to the player after reaching certain experience milestones and after finding them in recipes out in the world. Once an effect is known it can be created and combined with other serum effects to create new and powerful serums.
There are serum effects to enhance slashing damage, damage resistance, and even ones that give Adam new powers. A nice bit of experimentation with effects can help produce the perfect serums tailored exactly to a player's play style, so it definitely pays off.
2 Use Serum Powers
Stimulers Are Pretty Great
As well as the basic blight protection serum, Adam can craft a whole range of serums with various different effects. Some of these serums give Adam active powers that can be used for world traversal or in combat.
Combat in Serum can be pretty tough, especially early on, so leveling the playing field with powers like Tether is an essential part of the game.
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1 Use the Absorber
It's Literally Life-Saving
Although it's tempting to try and save using the Absorber until it's absolutely necessary - once the serum timer has almost run out - sometimes this isn't possible. Thanks to the Distortion system, Adam can become completely unable to inject serum. Not only that, but he can be prevented from recovering health and all sorts of other nasty debilitations.
This is fixed by using the Absorber. It sets the serum timer to 2:00 minutes and completely refreshes Adam.