Ratchet & Clank

1. Smash everything. Crates, explosive crates, and environmental objects drop bolts (currency). You need bolts for weapons—the OmniWrench is free, everything else costs. Hit triangle repeatedly; no penalty for breaking stuff.

2. Buy the Bomb Glove on Novalis. First weapon vendor appears early. The Bomb Glove (2,500 bolts) handles crowds and is essential for progression gates that require explosive damage. Prioritize this over the Blaster.

3. Explore before advancing the objective. Levels gate progress with gadget requirements (Swingshot, Hydrodisplacer, Magneboots). If you rush the critical path, you’ll backtrack later. Grab visible Raritanium crystals and gold bolts on your first pass—some become inaccessible after scripted events.

4. Don’t ignore Clank sections. When Ratchet and Clank split, the Clank sequences are mandatory and teach mechanics (Heli-Pack glide, high jump). They’re short. Do them.

5. Strafe-jump everywhere. Hold X while moving to long-jump. Ratchet has generous air control. This cuts travel time and reaches optional platforms with bolt crates.

6. Check vendors on every planet. New weapons unlock as you progress. The Devastator, Visibomb Gun, and Ryno appear mid-to-late game but only if you revisit earlier vendor kiosks. Bolts carry between deaths; no punishment for grinding.

7. Raritanium upgrades weapon ammo capacity. Blue crystals scattered in levels permanently increase max ammo for one weapon when spent at upgrade stations. Prioritize your most-used gun (typically Devastator or Blaster).

• Break every crate. Bolts are currency and late-game weapons cost tens of thousands. Crates respawn when you revisit planets, so backtracking after unlocking new areas doubles your haul.

• Buy the Taunter early. Forces enemies to target Ratchet instead of spreading fire — turns crowd control into funnel-and-fire. Costs 2,500 bolts on Pokitaru; pays for itself immediately.

• Raritanium doesn’t respawn. You need exactly enough scattered across all planets to max every weapon if you collect every piece. Miss a chunk and you choose which guns stay weak. Use a FAQ for 100%.

• The Devastator’s bomb-morph is faster than walking in tight corridors. Morph, roll through narrow passages, detonate on exit. Saves time in Blarg Station vents and Gemlik Base ducts where the camera fights you.

• Hoverboard races unlock vendor discounts. Gold medals on Rilgar and Kalebo III drop weapon prices 10% and 20% respectively. The RYNO goes from 150,000 to 120,000 bolts if you win both before buying.

• Clank sections gate progression but reward exploration. Giant Clank transformations and Gadgetron sites hide Raritanium and gold bolts in corners the camera doesn’t emphasize. Rotate the view manually.

• Strafe-jump everywhere. Ratchet’s double-jump has forward momentum — chain it with strafe inputs to clear gaps the game doesn’t expect. Shaves seconds off every traversal segment and opens sequence-break shortcuts on Oltanis and Hoven.

• The Glove of Doom is a boss delete button. Toss agents, let them swarm, retreat. Works on Chairmen, Blarg commanders, and Qwark’s second fight if you’re patient. Costs 7,500 bolts on Todano; trivializes half the campaign.

Blarg Depot — Hologuise Puzzle
The Hologuise gadget room on Gaspar requires you to disguise yourself as a Blarg commando to pass security checkpoints. Players miss the activation: equip the Hologuise from the Quick Select, then hold L2 to maintain the disguise while walking slowly past guards. Moving too fast or jumping breaks the hologram. The checkpoints won’t open if you’re sprinting — deliberate, measured movement opens them.

Pokitaru — Impossible Clank Puzzle in the Gemlik Base
The timed bridge sequence where Giant Clank must destroy generators before platforms retract stumps players who brute-force it. The trick: ignore the first set of generators. Sprint directly to the far platform, then work backward — the timer resets when you activate the second console. Prioritize the Hyper-Strike (Triangle) for grouped targets; the standard punch wastes frames.

Kalebo III — Gadgetron Site Raritanium Grind
You need 150,000 bolts to buy the RYNO from the Kalebo III vendor, and the game’s economy doesn’t naturally provide that much on a first playthrough. The Hoverboard races on Rilgar solve this — gold medals pay 2,000+ bolts per 90-second run and are repeatable. Three golds fund the RYNO. Alternatively, return to Pokitaru’s resort with the Persuader and farm the high-density enemy spawns in the flooded tunnels; each clear nets ~8,000 bolts.

Drek’s Fleet — The Turret Gauntlet
The starfighter turret sequence before the final planet has no checkpoints and a punishing difficulty spike. Players burn through health aiming manually. Use the lock-on (R1) exclusively — it tracks enemies through evasive maneuvers and guarantees hits. Ignore the small fighters; focus fire on the bombers (the large triangular ships) because their payload deals area damage to your hull. If you’re still failing, return to Rilgar and buy Nanotech upgrades from the vendor near the hoverboard track.

Veldin Revisit — Missing the Hoverboard
The gold Hoverboard on Rilgar is mandatory for progression on later planets (Kalebo III’s canyon, Pokitaru’s shortcuts), but the game never explicitly tells you to buy it. If you’re stuck unable to access areas with grind rails or large gaps, return to Rilgar’s boardwalk vendor. It costs 2,000 bolts. This is the single most common sequence break in blind playthroughs.