Hello everyone and welcome to this first edition of TNT! You may have noticed some snazzy trophy guides going up recently, like Chandler’s guide for Dead Space 3 and Dan’s guide for Ni no Kuni. This inspired me to offer up some additional tips and tricks that are not directly related to trophies, but will definitely help with getting some of those more difficult trophies. For this first edition I’ve been playing a lot of Dead Space 3 and have been scouring the net for some in-depth trophy guides and videos. However, my searching turned up some interesting glitches and exploits that, while not the way that Visceral intended for you to play the game, certainly can make that precarious Hardcore run significantly easier. But first a few disclaimers, warnings, and general caveats:
1. PSLS does not condone the use of competitive multiplayer glitches, cheats, or exploits – Anything that this column will cover refers specifically to single player stuff or co-op play. Under no circumstances do we condone the use of glitches, cheats, or exploits that remove competitive fairness.
2. If you follow any of the advice of this guide, you do so at your own peril – It’s entirely possible (though highly unlikely) that some of these exploits or glitches can corrupt your save game file or have other harmful consequences. Many of these glitches and exploits that are shown here will have been vetted by the internet at large or personally by the writer of this column. However if you choose to use them, you do so at your own risk. So back up your save file if you’re really worried about it!
3. Don’t be judgmental! – This last one is mostly to keep things civil, but if you choose to not use any of the advice given here or think that this is cheating, you are entitled to your opinion on the matter, but don’t post irate comments just to berate this stuff. This information is offered for the benefit of our readers and there shall be no judgements here! If you want to exploit the game and are still having fun with it, more power to you! I know I may be fighting against the natural tendency of the entropic universe in which we live, but be civil!
With all that out of the way, let’s get to the exploits.
Use Unlocked Items in Alternate Modes
Some of you may have noticed that before you could play DS3 there was a day 1 patch labeled ver. 1.01 (as of the time of this writing, Dead Space 3 is at ver. 1.02). As is the tradition with console game patches, patch notes for day 1 patches (and even subsequent patches) are usually nonexistent. In this case, patch 1.01 had one very particular purpose. Namely, it was made to prevent players from using unlocked bonuses and special items in the subsequent bonus game modes. For the uninitiated, DS3 has three special game modes that unlock upon completion of the game and have specific rule sets. They also award special bonuses to the player that can be used in the normal New Game+ mode. As an example, the Devil’s Horns (the most powerful weapon in DS3) can be unlocked by completing Classic mode, a game mode where you are only allowed to use the weapons that were available in Dead Space 1 and Dead Space 2 (the only exceptions being any DLC weapons you’ve purchased can also be used), co-op is disabled, you must build weapons using only blueprints, and the difficulty defaults to Hard. Let’s say you wanted to use the Devil’s Horns on Hardcore mode to make things easier. Tough luck! With the patch installed you can’t carry it over. However, some enterprising young minds at PS3T have discovered a method for using your bonuses in other modes. The following is their instructions for the glitch which have been edited to provide some additional clarity:
Instructions:
1. Complete Classic Mode (with or without any patches, does not matter).
2. Delete your game data if you have Patch 1.01 or higher (Note: DELETE THE GAME DATA AND NOT YOUR SAVE FILES!!!).
3. Backup your save files to a USB drive to be safe.
4. Re-download any DLC that you purchased from the PSN Store or you won’t be able to proceed (eg: the online pass and any other pre-order or DLC weapons packs).
5. Load the game, but do not install any patches. Load your Classic Mode save file so that the game detects that you’ve completed it.
6. Select New Game+ from your Classic Mode save file and choose to start either Pure Survival or Hardcore, or load up your existing Pure Survival or Hardcore save files.
7. You will get a message saying Devil’s Horns have been unlocked.
8. Play Pure Survival or Hardcore up to Chapter 3 or resume from your last save file, check the first workbench you come to and look into your inventory for the Devil’s Horns. Equip them then save and quit.
9. If you wish to continue playing Co-op, re-download your Online Pass from the PSN store, then reinstall the patch, it will not remove the Devil’s Horns.
Note: You can create a blueprint of the Devil’s Horns, but it CANNOT be shared.
As a further addendum to these instructions, there is also a chance that the game will continually pop-up the download patch dialog (this may be related to the 1.02 patch). This does not cause you to die as the game pauses when the dialog comes up, but it pops-up frequently enough to be annoying. The solution to this is to just disable your internet connection. Even if you don’t have the Devil’s Horns unlocked, a quick way to verify that this works is to access some of the suits that are unlocked later in the game in an earlier chapter. As an example, you should find that you can change into the Archaeologist’s Suit even if you haven’t been given it via progression in your current save game file.
Here’s a video as well for all you visual learners out there, as well as some interesting commentary on the redesign of the PSN Store:
Also once you unlock the weapon, be sure to press the reload button to rock out!
Infinite Ammo
Word is that this glitch was removed by patch 1.02 (current version), but I, personally, haven’t confirmed it as I’m going off apocryphal accounts. Regardless, the way this glitch works is pretty easy. As before, you may have to delete your game data in order to use and activate it. A couple of notes up front about this particular glitch. First, it will be disabled in Chapters 17-19 due to the on-rails flight sequences (as such this glitch can also be disabled due the same event happening in Chapter 2). However, once this glitch is on it remains on until it is turned off by the game. To activate this glitch remove your patch updates, re-download your DLC, and then do the following:
Instructions:
1. Open your save game file, and go to the ‘Weapon Crafting Arena’.
2. Once in the arena, empty the clips in your weapons, and reload them (I’m not sure if it needs to be both weapons or just one, but just empty both of the clips in the weapons in your inventory).
3. Save and quit.
4. Start your Solo Campaign as you normally would and the glitch should be activated.
Again here’s a video showing you the glitch in action (Note: In this video, he doesn’t fire off his weapons in the arena. If you are having trouble getting this to work try using the instructions above instead):
USB Save Backups
Did I mention that Chandler has a sweet trophy guide for DS3? If you’ve read it (and really, why wouldn’t you?) you may have noticed that you can backup your save game to a USB device. This is particularly useful on Hardcore where permadeatth is active, and when you die your save game will get erased. Here’s another quick video detailing how this particular trick works:
Now this is all well and good, but there are a couple of major things to know. First off, the save system in DS3 is designed so that when you save and quit the game will save the state of your inventory NOT your in-chapter progress. Chapter progress is still governed by the game’s checkpoint and autosave system. This can be a huge problem since these checkpoints are placed very far apart in some cases, and this problem only becomes more stress inducing on Hardcore where one death means your entire save game is deleted. Of course, using a backup eliminates this fear, but when should you backup your game? When is a good time to save and quit so that there’s a minimal loss of progress? Luckily the guys at PS3trophies.org have once again come to your rescue with a list of places to backup your existing save game to a USB. I haven’t verified this independently, but I imagine that these points within the game are moments when the autosave icon appears in the corner of the screen, signifying that you have reached a checkpoint (Warning: Some Story Spoilers Ahead!):
Chapter 5 – Before attempting Optional Mission: Conning Tower (if you choose to do it).
Chapter 6 – After refuelling the ship.
Chapter 8 – While on your way to Waystation.
Chapter 9 – After the scene with Ellie/Carver, before the Snowbeast fight.
Chapter 10 – Before the Drill Room.
Chapter 11 – After gathering all 3 Probe Parts, before the Snowbeast fight.
Chapter 11 – Before taking the cage to enter the belly of the monster with your probe.
Chapter 13 – After scaling up the cliff walls twice and the conversation with Ellie about Norton, before climbing the first Kinesis-activated ladder.
Chapter 13 – Before activating the winch to raise the elevator.
Chapter 14 – Before collecting the second Rosetta Piece in the Paleontology building.
Chapter 15 – After entering the burning building, but before you exit the door in the room with viewing monitors.
Chapter 18 – After going up an elevator, before you align the power sources by spinning the towers.
Chapter 19 – Start of the chapter.
And there ya have it! Three beautiful glitches to help make that platinum run on Dead Space 3 so much easier. Hopefully we’ll be able to continue this series of guides with future titles. Comments and feedback on this are much appreciated. Also let us know what other content we can add if you found this particularly lacking. And as always, keep it locked to PlayStation LifeStyle.
