The gold doors in Returnal are just one of many types of doors in the game. However, they have a different unlock requirement than those other doors. Here’s how to open the gold star doors in Returnal.
How to unlock the gold doors in Returnal
To unlock the gold star doors in Returnal, players simply need to shoot the bulbous alien sac floating on the frame. Any weapon will work. Just fire a few rounds at it and it will flop off and die and unlock the door.
Just be prepared for a fight inside that room. The gold doorway signifies the game’s tough challenge rooms where a few waves of hard enemies spawn inside and swarm Selene. These battles usually have more than one elite inside as well. Go in with enough items and some good perks to survive.
These rooms also have plenty of rewards inside of them, too, making them quite the risk and reward. Aside from the many pieces of resin that litter the floor, the challenge rooms also have a few chests, some perks, and a few weapons. The best items are locked behind some pillars and come down once all the enemies have been defeated so be sure to grab them before exiting.
This is the same for every challenge room and there is seemingly one in every biome in every run. However, the arenas also appear to be the same each time so players can study the layout and go in prepared for the next bout. It’s important to have a few health items handy or a loadout that can either mitigate damage or dish it out quickly. It’s easy to get overwhelmed as these rooms can spawn in whole hordes of foes at a moment’s notice.
There are many other secrets in the game, too. There are big intimidating structures called Reconstructors, chests locked behind bars, mysterious red beds, inviting green ones, weird yellow force fields, and more objects that simply evade reasoning. For more general tips, check out our tip guide every newer player should know.
