What Is Adrenaline In Returnal?

What Is Adrenaline In Returnal?
Images via Housemarque

Written by 

Hritwik Raj

Published 

17th Feb 2023 14:45

Returnal is one of those games that offers a bunch of mechanics to help us clear different set pieces in the game, but we mostly miss out as the main focus is on dodging bullets and surviving the onslaught. Among many, we have the Adrenaline system in Returnal that players can use to get certain buffs to ease the playthrough.

However, many Returnal players are unaware of it as they don't know what Adrenaline is and what it's used for in the game. We are here with a handy guide that explains the Adrenaline system in Returnal.

What Is Adrenaline In Returnal?

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Adrenaline is a game mechanic in Returnal that comes into place whenever you defeat three enemies without getting hit. In total, you can achieve five levels of Adrenaline. Depending on the level, you get particular buffs, bonuses, and skills. 

How To Level Up Adrenaline In Returnal

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To level up Adrenaline in Returnal, you must keep stacking three kills without getting hit. When you defeat three enemies without getting hit, you reach Adrenaline level 1. 

You will get notified about it through a pop-up window that appears at the bottom middle part of the game screen. To reach the next level, get three more kills without taking a single hit. Doing so will increase your Adrenaline level to 2.

Similarly, to reach Adrenaline level 3, you must get another three kills with no hits taken. You can keep killing enemies while avoiding their attacks to finally reach the max level, Adrenaline Level 5, which gives you Obolites +50% bonus.

To summarize things, to reach max Adrenaline level in Returnal, you must get 15 kills without getting hit. Doing so will max out the Adrenaline mechanic, and you will get all five levels' bonuses stacked together.

All Adrenaline Levels, Buffs, And Bonuses In Returnal 

Here are the different Adrenaline levels in Returnal, along with their respective bonus:

Adrenaline Level How To Reach Bonus Bonus Description
1 Get 3 kills without getting hit Enhanced Overload Larger window to perform Overload
2 After reaching level 1, get 3 more kills without getting hit  Enhanced Vision See traces of hostiles through walls
3 After reaching level 2, get 3 more kills without getting hit  Enhanced Melee Attack Reduces Melee cooldown time
4 After reaching level 3, get 3 more kills without getting hit  Proficiency Rate +50% Earn 50% additional weapon proficiency from kills
5 After reaching level 4, get 3 more kills without getting hit  Obolites +50% Earn 50% more Obolites from the environment and killed enemies

That concludes our guide on what is Adrenaline in Returnal as we have answered the question while sharing everything you need to know about Adrenaline. For more on Returnal, keep reading GGRecon. 

Hritwik Raj
About the author
Hritwik Raj
Hritwik has been writing about video games, manga, and anime for more than 8 years. Some of his favourite games include The Last of Us Part II, Fallout 76, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, and the Souls series.
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