How do you decipher the mission select screen?

Is there a guide somewhere on this forum or somewhere else on how to read the mission screen?

For example, what is the yellow bar? the icons on the side? I’m hopping into these games without understanding what I’m playing… I feel like that should be in the game somewhere, and maybe it is I’ve tried looking.

Thanks

The yellow bar indicates the time that each mission is in rotation on the Mission Select screen. The time is also indicated in the top right corner when you select a map. After the time has passed (and the yellow bar disappears) the mission will cycle out of rotation and a new mission may take it’s place (though sometimes the new mission will appear in a different place on the screen).

This game has (if I remember correctly) 13 missions that rotate in and out on the Mission Select screen with different variations each time. The missions and their objectives are always linear and static (i.e. the map layout and the mission objectives along the way never change), whereas the placement of enemies, crafting materials, secondary objectives (collectables), mini-bosses, and sub-objectives on each mission are randomly determined. Essentially, while the map geography is not randomly generated everything else that can occur on each map is randomized.

Each mission appears randomly (and possibly multiple times) on the Mission Select screen for a limited time with a different difficulty and possible condition modifiers that change globally for all available missions; these condition modifiers can include such things as high or low intensity engagements, where, respectively, one increases the number of hordes and special enemies in a mission and the other one reduces them.

The global condition modifiers have their own time limit and are rotated out after that expires.
If a mission has one of these condition modifiers attached to it, you can see it displayed in a yellow symbol on the map icon.

Sometimes mission may have one (or none) of the two available Secondary Objectives. These are randomly placed collectables that you can search on the map for some (rather measly, tbh) extra XP and Coins.
The Secondary Objectives are to find either three SCRIPTURES (normal books that emanate a distinct sound when nearby) or two GRIMOIRES (green-glowing books that corrupt your health-bar and make the mission harder). Both secondary objectives require that you and your teammates (if they are able or willing) carry one each in your inventory. Meaning 2 or 3 people have to carry one item where they’d usually carry an ammo or health crate. Also, the scriptures can be replaced with an ammo or health crate or dropped upon player-death (also through a crash or disconnect from the game), but the grimoires can only be destroyed by the player who carries them (or when this player dies, then they also disappear).

Finally, in a mission there are sub-objectives. On every mission there is always a set of things that you need to do to progress a mission. They are always the same for each mission but always have some randomized element about them (e.g. scan items in a specific area that are always randomly placed, find different canisters in two different train wagons, etc.).

Did I miss anything?

Thank you!!. I do appreciate you. One last question? What do the smaller white and sometimes yellow icons mean? is there a key somewhere I’m missing?

I’m sorry, I hope these aren’t just obviously stupid questions.

Edit:

Holy, Thank you! I appreciate the write up a lot. I’ll give it a read and see what happens.!

Yeah, I wasn’t finished writing but I posted it anyway and then continued writing. :person_shrugging:

Hope this helps you out!