Gaming
Games
Master Descenders with these top tips
How to get to grips with extreme mountain-biking and increase your reputation.
Descenders is an extreme downhill mountain-biking game that's out now on Early Access. You play as a cyclist and are tasked with improving your reputation by completing courses, beating boss jumps and performing tricks to please your adoring fans.
The game puts a strong emphasis on speed and skill, so it can be difficult to master. Below, we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help you adjust to it. Not only will it brief you on the basics, but it will also give you an idea of more advanced strategies to get ahead.
1. Complete bonus objectives
You'll get extra health for completing bonus objectives
© No More Robots
Every time you pick a track to race on, you are given an additional objective. This can include not letting go of the acceleration, doing specific tricks, or staying in the air for a particular length of time. These activities aren’t required to move on to the next race, but they reward you with extra health alongside points towards your overall reputation. Try to complete them whenever possible. It will help make up for any points you lose elsewhere from bailing.
That being said, if you’re having trouble completing one, don’t dwell on it. Move on, and then attempt the next objective instead.
2. Mess around with the camera
Find a camera angle that suits you
© No More Robots
There are a number of camera perspectives to choose from in-game. Some of these make it much harder, such as the first-person angle, while others expand the field of vision letting you take in more of your surroundings. Experiment with the different angles and settle on the one that is right for you. Maybe you prefer the standard camera, or maybe you want a more overhead view to get a better sense of the environment.
3. Play practice mode
Play the courses you're struggling with in Practice mode
© No More Robots
As well as a campaign mode, there is also a practice mode that allows you to revisit the same courses and test your skills without the fear of losing your reputation. If you’re struggling to get past a certain stage or complete a boss jump, then why not get some practice in here. It will let you retry the same obstacles over and over until you get it right, and won’t affect any of your standings.
4. Learn pumping and counter-pumping
Counter pumping will soften your landing
© No More Robots
Pumping and counter-pumping are skills you will need to learn if you’re going to get anywhere in the game.
You can use counter-pumping to soften your landing and reduce the amount of time spent in the air. It is achieved through pressing down D (or holding the right joystick up on the Xbox One controller) before hitting a ramp.
Pumping, on the other hand, makes you stick to the ground and gives you a speed boost on ramps to achieve greater height. You can pump by keeping hold of S (or pushing the right joystick down) and then releasing it at the top of the ramp.
Used correctly, these two techniques will make some of the bonus objectives far easier to complete and will help you to master the other obstacles in your way.
5. Attack mode
You'll be able to turn more sharply in Attack mode
© No More Robots
Attack mode is a feature that lets you have better control over your bike at high speeds. You can activate it in a race by holding down S and letting go of the acceleration. This will make your avatar lean over the handlebars and be able to turn the bike much more sharply. This is especially useful on bonus objectives that require you to hit a certain speed and will often prevent you from crashing head first into rocks or trees scattered around the stage.
6. Bigger bails equal more points lost
You'll lose more points if you bail badly
© No More Robots
Every time you bail you will have points deducted from your overall reputation. The amount will depend on the intensity of the crash. If you’re going slower, then you will be penalised less than if you were careering down a hill at breakneck speed.
Bear this in mind while you play. Whenever you feel like you’re losing control of the bike, try to reduce your speed. This will prevent you from losing all your hard-earned points on a stage by ploughing into a cactus or a tent.
7. Play at your own speed
Choose races that suit your skills
© No More Robots
Perhaps the most important lesson you can learn from playing Descenders is to go at your own pace. The game allows for a bunch of different play styles and lets players skip out on certain obstacles by simply going around them. If you’re having a hard time with one of the stunt jumps, then miss it out. You won’t be punished for it, but you will lose the chance to earn some additional reputation.
This works the other way too. If you’re the daring type, you may want to do the reverse and take more risks. If this applies, then you can go off course and perform tricks like wheelies and stoppies to earn more points.
You can express this desire in the maps you choose, too. Each map has three bars on the stage select menu, which indicates the number of stunts, its steepness, and how curvy it is. While you will always start on a fairly average map, from there you can then tailor your selections to how you want to play. Prefer stunts? Then look for a map with a longer bar stunt bar. Like to go fast? Then pay attention to the steepness of every map available before you choose.
