The Olympic Exclusion Zone is a hostile and unforgiving place. As beautiful and atmospheric as the world of Pacific Drive is, it’s easy to forget that practically everything inside the zone wants to wreck your car, steal your stuff, and ruin your day.
Unprepared explorers entering the zone will likely find a harsh reality waiting for them. For that reason, we’ve put together 5 Tips for New Players to help new arrivals to the zone acclimate to the environment and make your road trip through hell one for the scrapbooks.
1: Always Bring A Spare
There’s nothing more frustrating than finding loot you can’t reach. In Pacific Drive, there is a range of different tools players can utilize to unlock doors and collect resources. But when you break the lock on a lab trailer just for your prybar to snap before you can unlock the Hazmat cabinet, you’ll wish you had an extra. This isn’t no GTA 5 where you can buy anything if you have tons of GTA 5 money that can get you everything, in this game you have to find a way to get around without the financial material.
It’s easy enough to replace simple tools like the prybar with readily available materials, but it’s easier to craft an extra one at the auto shop and stash it in your car for situations like this. Additionally, many tools cannot be crafted from the basic mat in your trunk, so make sure to bring a spare.
2: Prepare for Repairs
In the zone, your car is the player’s best friend, fortress, and means of escape. If a tire blows or the battery dies on the road, it could mean serious trouble or even prematurely end a good run.
However, there is a solution to almost every problem the player can encounter on the road.
If a tire runs flat, use a sealing kit. Dead battery? A battery jumper can save the day. Keeping at least a couple of each repair kit on top of battery chargers and repair putty can be a lifesaver in the zone.
3: Scan Everything
The mechanic’s visor the player picks up when they first visit the auto shop is equipped with a versatile scanner. This scanner, usable by pressing the (C) key by default on PC, collects information on loot sources, anomalies, car parts, resources, and much more.
Not only does scanning reveal valuable information about resources and anomalies such as how to counter or exploit them, but scanning is necessary for unlocking new technology.
4: Don’t be Afraid to Use Your Legs
In a game where driving is such a central feature, it makes sense to walk as little as possible. That said, most of the anomalies in the zone are actually more harmful to the car than they are to the player, especially early on.
Don’t be mistaken, walking is much slower, so don’t rely on it during time-sensitive scenarios. However, walking past dangerous pools of acid or up to Spark Towers is much easier than maneuvering your vehicle past their dangers and saves fuel.
5: Car Parts Protect their Neighbors
In Pacific Drive, players can research and craft all sorts of new armor and defenses for their cars. However, each of these parts does more than provide something for the anomalies to chew on.
Car parts with innate defenses add those defenses to neighboring parts. Armored doors will share their resistances with adjacent panels as well as nearby tires and rack attachments.
Players can protect valuable components from damage by strategically armoring their vehicles in adjacent slots.
Be Ready for Anything
Preparation is key to surviving in the exclusion zone, so learning the basics is a natural step toward success. With knowledge and tools at their disposal, new players can confidently enter the zone and expect to return with a haul of valuable loot.
