Returnal: Tower Of Sisyphus [Definitive Guide]

Break past your combat limits and aim to achieve a high score in Returnal's Tower of Sisyphus!

The Tower of Sisyphus in Returnal was a new activity introduced with the ascension update on March 22, 2022, for the PS5. The PC version of the game comes with the Tower included with the base game. It is essentially an endless horde mode designed for hardcore players as well as even casual ones who’d like to test their combat skills. But before you can even jump into it, it is vital to discuss key information regarding it as well as a few tips and tricks from someone who played it effortlessly, which can help you set a high score in it with relative ease.

Before You Start: You will need to have unlocked the Icarian Grapnel equipment for Selene in order to access the Tower Of Sisyphus which can be done by defeating Ixion for the first time.
Important: Despite gaining access to it pretty early on as a new player, we strongly encourage you to attempt the Tower of Sisyphus after you have completed the main game because most progression can carry over to the activity such as weapon traits and permanent equipment upgrades.
Key Takeaways

The Tower of Sisyphus in Returnal is a challenging activity with the following key features:

  1. Endless floors with enemies and a boss.
  2. Earn high scores and compete on leaderboards.
  3. Speed matters for score multipliers.
  4. Face the boss Algos, who becomes stronger with each tower threshold.
  5. Use special weapons called Disgorgers as consumables.
  6. Discover a unique storyline by hunting six different flowers in the mode.

For success, consider these tips and tricks to maximize your score in the Tower of Sisyphus.

Tower Of Sisyphus Explanation

returnal tower of sisyphus
The main lobby of the Tower of Sisyphus (Image Captured by Us)

The Tower of Sisyphus is a challenging feature in the game, consisting of endless floors with increasingly difficult enemies. To enter the Tower, you need to locate its entrance near Selene’s ship, Helios, and use the Icarian Grapnel, a permanent tool unlocked after defeating the 2nd boss, Ixion, in the Crimson Wastes Biome.

On the Tower’s main floor, you can check leaderboards and engage in weekly challenge runs. Additionally, the operation bed can transport you to a Hospital area where you can explore and discover new story-related events.

returnal tower of sisyphus
The new story events (Image Captured by Us)

To exit the Tower, you can use a teleporter tool that resembles the one on Helios. Within the Tower, you’ll encounter new story events, but to unlock them all, you must collect 6 Poppy flowers hidden throughout the Tower’s sections. The vase in the Hospital area will indicate your progress. Once you find a new flower, return to the operation bed to view the story events.

returnal teleporter
How to exit the Tower (Image by eXputer)

The Tower also features the Algos Boss fight. It starts slow with projectile attacks and a rotating laser beam from Algos’s eye, which you can evade by jumping. Ranged weapons like the Hollowseeker are effective. As you face Algos more times, he gains more health and deadlier attacks, but his moveset doesn’t change significantly after the initial encounters.

Returnal algos
Algos (Image by eXputer)

Tips And Tricks

Now that we’ve mentioned most of the important aspects revolving around the Tower of Sisyphus, we have gone ahead and enlisted a few of our tips and tricks after personally setting a personal best score in the leaderboards. It is worth keeping in mind that despite the weapons or loadout we suggest, it all comes down to using whichever weapon suits your playstyle the best in the long run here.

  1. Best Weapons: The Hollowseeker and Dreadbound are popular choices. The Hollowseeker, with traits like the Portal Gun and Waves, can effectively deal with various enemies. The Dreadbound is favored by speedrunners and top players due to its close-to-mid-range combat capabilities. Your weapon progression from the main game carries over, so consider revisiting the Tower after completing it once.
    returnal hollowseeker
    The hollow seeker (Image by eXputer)
  2. Score Multiplier & Bonus Obolites: Clear rooms quickly to maintain a high score multiplier. After clearing a room, look for an orange glow at the portal, indicating a bonus. This bonus keeps the score multiplier high and grants extra obolites. Defeat enemies with weak points and use mid-air melee attacks to maximize your score.
    Returnal score multiplier
    My high score (Image by eXputer)
  3. Best Items & Upgrades: Prioritize offense items and invest obolites in Protection increasing upgrades. As you progress, enemies become more lethal and can potentially one-shot you. Focus on increasing weapon damage whenever possible, as it helps dispatch enemies quickly.
    returnal wound seeker
    The Wound seeker (Image by eXputer)
  4. Effectively Using Disgorgers: Disgorgers are one-time consumables that replace your weapon with a powerful one. Save them for tough encounters, especially in higher floors. You can carry up to 10 Disgorgers, so don’t hesitate to stock up and use them strategically to overcome challenging situations.
    returnal diisgorger
    Disgorger against Algos (Image by eXputer)

Remember that your playstyle and preferences may influence your choices, so adapt these tips to what suits you best.

The Wrap-Up

If you’re looking for an even deeper analysis of the score multiplier and how it works in the mode, then feel free to check out a Subreddit Post where the user has excellently detailed everything regarding its functionality. If you can get a high score multiplier combo from the early going, then you can be sure to expect to rack up an adequate score in order to place yourself in the leaderboard of other players around the world.

Our Review of Returnal discusses most things as one might expect from its bizarre yet richly conveyed storytelling as well as, of course, its sublime rogue-like gameplay and action.

I personally had the pleasure of playing the game when it was first released on PS5, sinking enough hours to grab the Platinum Trophy and then fast-forwarding to the PC release; it instantly caught my eye to the point where I just had to boot it up again for a replay.

As much as I would like to gush more about the game, this wraps up our guide to the Tower of Sisyphus in Returnal as well as its tips and tricks to help you get started with it. If you have any other questions or queries related to the guide, then please feel free to let us know about it in the comment section below so we can get back to you as soon as possible. Last but not least, eXputer wishes you luck!

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Moiz Banoori is the brains behind eXputer. Having worked at various Video Game sites, with 8 years of Content Writing Experience and a Journalism Degree at hand, he presently monitors teams, creates strategies, and publishes qualified pieces through his aptitude at eXputer. Feel free to get in touch with him through his gaming profile on Steam and PSN.

Experience: 8+ Years || Manages Teams, Creates Strategies, and Publishes Guides on eXputer || Education: Bachelors in Journalism.

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