In a recent community Q&A, Crystal Dynamics talked more about the gameplay modes that players can expect to find in Rise of the Tomb Raider. As we're getting closer to first launch date, the team are talking more in-depth about the game, and that means possible spoilers. Now, this specific interview focuses gameplay and not about the storyline or specific scenes. I tend to be pretty wary of finding out too much about a game... which is why I have two fansites apparently... I perhaps didn't think that one through. But even if you're avoiding spoilers for the game, this Q&A should be alright!
In any case, I'm going to put up a spoiler warning just in case you want to go into the game and be surprised by every part of the content.
A: Expeditions are additional modes of gameplay in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Each mode allows you to play “Expedition Cards” to modify your experience, and complete challenges for credits, which can be then used to acquire additional cards. At launch, the Expeditions you’ll be able to play include Chapter Replay, Chapter Replay Elite, Score Attack, and Remnant Resistance.
A: Yes. Extra gameplay modes will be available on both Xbox One and Xbox 360 with the same content.
A: The Chapter Replay modes allow you to select and replay parts of Rise of the Tomb Raider’s campaign. In Chapter Replay, you start the chapter with pre-determined inventory and skills. In Chapter Replay Elite, you start with the gear in your latest profile data from the campaign.
A: In Chapter Replay and Chapter Replay Elite you choose specific chapters to replay rather than starting the game over in full.
A: Remnant Resistance is an objective-based challenge mode that is played in Rise’s large “hub” spaces. You can choose to play existing Remnant Resistance missions made by your friends and the Tomb Raider community, or create your own mission. A Remnant Resistance mission is composed of 5 objectives, which can involve things like taking down a high value target, collecting intel documents, hunting animals, and more. Additionally, as the creator you can set Lara up with the costume and weapons of your choice, as well as apply up to five of the standard expedition cards as well. Lastly, you can choose where the challenge takes place, at what time, and what weather is active.
The harder the mission, the higher the reward (in credits). However, you must beat your own mission for it to be posted to the leaderboards. Difficulty can vary from objective to objective. For example, a normal difficulty objective to rescue hostages, followed by a high difficulty objective to take down a bear. Players familiar with Hitman: Absolution’s Contracts Mode should feel right at home in Remnant Resistance.
A: It depends on the card! The majority of cards are consumed once you’ve completed a mode. If you’ve created a Score Attack mission that is too difficult to complete and choose to quit, you won’t lose your cards.
Some cards are what we call “Foil Cards.” Foils are cards that are not consumed on use. All costume and weapon cards are foils to make sure Remnant Resistance players don’t have to worry about setting up player inventory.
A: Cards associated with pre-orders and DLC will be available with their associated downloadable content. The Big Head Mode card is not a pre-order exclusive, and has a chance to show up in any card pack.
A: You’re automatically given a starter set of cards when you first begin playing so you can experiment with our extra game modes. Earning or purchasing additional cards beyond the starter set is up to you, and you are never required to purchase a card in order to play a gameplay mode.
A: Chapter Replay modes and Score Attack can be played once you’ve unlocked a level, without using any cards. Remnant Resistance requires location and objective cards, several of which are provided when you first start the game.
A: There are many ways for you to earn credits to use in Rise of the Tomb Raider’s Expeditions:
1. Playing the campaign. Various activities such as challenges, finding relics, and story progression will gift players with additional credits.
2. Challenge Tombs. Completing challenge tombs while playing the campaign will earn you additional credits.
3. Backpacks. Similar to Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris’ canopic jars, when people on your friends list die they will occasionally leave a backpack where they fell. Finding one of these backpacks while playing campaign will net you some credits.
4. Expedition Challenges. In Chapter Replay, Chapter Replay Elite, and Score Attack, you can select up to five challenges to attempt when selecting a chapter to play. Completing challenges results in a credit reward, the value of which is determined by the difficulty of the challenge.
5. Score Attack. As previously mentioned, if you score high enough in a game of Score Attack to earn a medal, you will earn credits based on which medal you earn.
6. Remnant Resistance. Playing and completing missions will earn you credits both for completing objectives and for entire missions. Playing other Square Enix games. Players who register as a Square Enix member will get credits for playing other games such as Life is Strange, Hit Man and Deus Ex.
There are additional ways to earn credits in Rise of the Tomb Raider, ensuring you always have enough cards to experiment and challenge your friends in Expeditions.
A: We’ve worked hard to ensure card packs can be unlocked as quickly as they are consumed.
A: No. Expedition credits are only used to purchase card packs. There are alternate means of crafting and unlocking costumes in the single-player campaign.
A: There are no multiplayer modes in Rise of the Tomb Raider. However, there are ways in which you can face off against your friends and the Tomb Raider community:
1. Score Attack. You can look at Score Attack leaderboards and see how your friends or the community have scored per chapter. You can bring up the details of a player’s performance, including their kills, deaths, and what cards they used. If you think you can do better than they did, you can challenge their score, which costs a small value of credits per card the player used. This way you can challenge your friends’ scores, even if you don’t have the cards they used.
2. Remnant Resistance. When you post a Remnant Resistance challenge, your friends are able to play it. When you play someone else’s Remnant Resistance challenge, your score on their challenge is tracked, with the top 3 players being posted on the challenge. A week after the challenge was posted, the player with the highest score in that challenge is awarded credits and the challenge is removed.
A: The content for the Season Pass for Xbox One and Xbox 360 will be the same.
A: Yes, the digital deluxe edition on the Xbox Store includes the full base game and the season pass. You can also pre-order to receive the Remnant Resistance pack.
A: No. After Rise of the Tomb Raider went gold, the team shifted focus to creating content for the season pass, including much-requested story DLC, and two additional Expedition modes.
In any case, I'm going to put up a spoiler warning just in case you want to go into the game and be surprised by every part of the content.
[Possible Spoiler Warning!]
Q: What are Expeditions?
A: Expeditions are additional modes of gameplay in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Each mode allows you to play “Expedition Cards” to modify your experience, and complete challenges for credits, which can be then used to acquire additional cards. At launch, the Expeditions you’ll be able to play include Chapter Replay, Chapter Replay Elite, Score Attack, and Remnant Resistance.
Q: Will Expeditions be available on the Xbox 360 version of the game?
A: Yes. Extra gameplay modes will be available on both Xbox One and Xbox 360 with the same content.
Q: What are Chapter Replay and Chapter Replay Elite?
A: The Chapter Replay modes allow you to select and replay parts of Rise of the Tomb Raider’s campaign. In Chapter Replay, you start the chapter with pre-determined inventory and skills. In Chapter Replay Elite, you start with the gear in your latest profile data from the campaign.
Q: Can you replay the entire game in Chapter Replay Elite mode?
A: In Chapter Replay and Chapter Replay Elite you choose specific chapters to replay rather than starting the game over in full.
Q: What is Remnant Resistance?
A: Remnant Resistance is an objective-based challenge mode that is played in Rise’s large “hub” spaces. You can choose to play existing Remnant Resistance missions made by your friends and the Tomb Raider community, or create your own mission. A Remnant Resistance mission is composed of 5 objectives, which can involve things like taking down a high value target, collecting intel documents, hunting animals, and more. Additionally, as the creator you can set Lara up with the costume and weapons of your choice, as well as apply up to five of the standard expedition cards as well. Lastly, you can choose where the challenge takes place, at what time, and what weather is active.
The harder the mission, the higher the reward (in credits). However, you must beat your own mission for it to be posted to the leaderboards. Difficulty can vary from objective to objective. For example, a normal difficulty objective to rescue hostages, followed by a high difficulty objective to take down a bear. Players familiar with Hitman: Absolution’s Contracts Mode should feel right at home in Remnant Resistance.
Q: Are cards kept forever once I get them, or are they consumable?
A: It depends on the card! The majority of cards are consumed once you’ve completed a mode. If you’ve created a Score Attack mission that is too difficult to complete and choose to quit, you won’t lose your cards.
Some cards are what we call “Foil Cards.” Foils are cards that are not consumed on use. All costume and weapon cards are foils to make sure Remnant Resistance players don’t have to worry about setting up player inventory.
Q: Are there any cards that can only be acquired with microtransactions or by buying the seasons pass? Is Big Head Mode gated behind a pay wall?
A: Cards associated with pre-orders and DLC will be available with their associated downloadable content. The Big Head Mode card is not a pre-order exclusive, and has a chance to show up in any card pack.
Q: Do I have to buy or earn credits to start using cards when I first play the game?
A: You’re automatically given a starter set of cards when you first begin playing so you can experiment with our extra game modes. Earning or purchasing additional cards beyond the starter set is up to you, and you are never required to purchase a card in order to play a gameplay mode.
Q: Do I need cards in order to play Expeditions?
A: Chapter Replay modes and Score Attack can be played once you’ve unlocked a level, without using any cards. Remnant Resistance requires location and objective cards, several of which are provided when you first start the game.
Q: How do I get credits?
A: There are many ways for you to earn credits to use in Rise of the Tomb Raider’s Expeditions:
1. Playing the campaign. Various activities such as challenges, finding relics, and story progression will gift players with additional credits.
2. Challenge Tombs. Completing challenge tombs while playing the campaign will earn you additional credits.
3. Backpacks. Similar to Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris’ canopic jars, when people on your friends list die they will occasionally leave a backpack where they fell. Finding one of these backpacks while playing campaign will net you some credits.
4. Expedition Challenges. In Chapter Replay, Chapter Replay Elite, and Score Attack, you can select up to five challenges to attempt when selecting a chapter to play. Completing challenges results in a credit reward, the value of which is determined by the difficulty of the challenge.
5. Score Attack. As previously mentioned, if you score high enough in a game of Score Attack to earn a medal, you will earn credits based on which medal you earn.
6. Remnant Resistance. Playing and completing missions will earn you credits both for completing objectives and for entire missions. Playing other Square Enix games. Players who register as a Square Enix member will get credits for playing other games such as Life is Strange, Hit Man and Deus Ex.
There are additional ways to earn credits in Rise of the Tomb Raider, ensuring you always have enough cards to experiment and challenge your friends in Expeditions.
Q: How many credits do I get when I earn some? How many credits do I need to buy card packs?
A: We’ve worked hard to ensure card packs can be unlocked as quickly as they are consumed.
Q: Are credits used to unlock outfits?
A: No. Expedition credits are only used to purchase card packs. There are alternate means of crafting and unlocking costumes in the single-player campaign.
Q: When you guys talked about letting players compete with each other, what did you mean? Is there a competitive multiplayer mode?
A: There are no multiplayer modes in Rise of the Tomb Raider. However, there are ways in which you can face off against your friends and the Tomb Raider community:
1. Score Attack. You can look at Score Attack leaderboards and see how your friends or the community have scored per chapter. You can bring up the details of a player’s performance, including their kills, deaths, and what cards they used. If you think you can do better than they did, you can challenge their score, which costs a small value of credits per card the player used. This way you can challenge your friends’ scores, even if you don’t have the cards they used.
2. Remnant Resistance. When you post a Remnant Resistance challenge, your friends are able to play it. When you play someone else’s Remnant Resistance challenge, your score on their challenge is tracked, with the top 3 players being posted on the challenge. A week after the challenge was posted, the player with the highest score in that challenge is awarded credits and the challenge is removed.
Questions Regarding the Season Pass
Q: Is there a difference between the season pass for Xbox One and Xbox 360?
A: The content for the Season Pass for Xbox One and Xbox 360 will be the same.
Q: Is there an edition of the game that comes with the season pass?
A: Yes, the digital deluxe edition on the Xbox Store includes the full base game and the season pass. You can also pre-order to receive the Remnant Resistance pack.
Q: Was extra content pulled out of the core game for the season pass?
A: No. After Rise of the Tomb Raider went gold, the team shifted focus to creating content for the season pass, including much-requested story DLC, and two additional Expedition modes.
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