Gameplay Notes – Shadowrun Returns

We wrote this walkthrough using version 2015/05/23 (1) of the game. We also used the “Normal” difficulty setting. The difficulty only changes how accurate enemies are, which of course changes how much damage you take. Regardless of the difficulty setting you choose, below you’ll find a series of general notes that will help make your Shadowrun Returns journey a smooth and enjoyable one.

Gameplay Notes

• When looking at the walkthrough maps, north is the upper right-hand corner.
• It’s useful for every character to learn Spirit Summoning 3. This will allow you to choose the bear totem, which will give you an area-effect healing spell.
• Smartlinked weapons require a datajack, but they have reduced range penalties, which makes them slightly more accurate. Silencers have little if any impact on the game.
• It’s better to focus on a few skills rather than try to be a jack-of-all-trades. This is especially true for guns.
• Decking will allow you to see a few extra things during the game, but nothing overly important. You should only play a decker if you’re a completionist. The highest decking check in the game requires Decking 6. The best deck in the game requires Decking 7.
• For etiquettes, Corporate, Security and Shadowrunner will come up the most often, but Academic and Socialite can earn you an extra 1000 nuyen each.
• For attributes, the game has a few checks for Charisma and Strength, and one for Intelligence. Charisma 5, Intelligence 3, and Strength 6 will get you past all of the checks. The Strength 6 check can earn you 800 nuyen.
• Etiquette checks and attribute checks will give you extra ways of doing things, and they can earn you some extra money, but not being able to pass one won’t prevent you from seeing anything in the game.