Last Edited:
Welcome to the How to Use Reconstructors how-to page of the official IGN Wiki Guide and Walkthrough for Returnal on PlayStation 5. Here, we’ll break down everything you need to know about Reconstructors, including where they can be found, how to use them, what they’re used for, and more.
Here’s How to Use Reconstructors in Returnal
When you first begin Returnal, you’ll come across a lot of “Xeno-tech” that you won’t understand and that’s ok. You’ll eventually learn about what all of this Xeno-tech is and what its place is on Atropos. If you come across a spooky-looking, large and circular door of sorts with a mold of what appears to be an alien on it, you might be wondering whether or not you should interact with it. It’s somewhat scary in appearance after all.
In short, you definitely want to use this and that’s because its a Reconstructor, a very helpful Xeno-tech machine in the world of Returnal. However, you might not want to use it right away. That’s because it can only be used once. When you use a Reconstructor, a quick cutscene will play and it might not seem like anything actually happened. That’s not the case, however — die and you’ll see what happens.
Essentially, a Reconstructor is a one-time-use starting point. When you die after using one, you’ll be brought back to it rather than your ship at the start of the Overgrown Ruins. Furthermore, you’ll be brought back to life (by coming out of the Reconstructor) in the same exact run — same rooms, same everything — and even better, the rooms already cleared of enemies will remain cleared.
These are very useful for when a biome feels new — instead of having to retread through the beginning rooms of a biome, you’ll be starting at the Reconstructor, which is often found somewhat deep into a given biome.
To find a Reconstructor, you need to keep an eye out for a small symbol on your minimap that looks like an alien standing up inside a circle. This is the symbol for a Reconstructor. Head there and you’ll see the Reconstructor.
Interact with it and after the short cutscene that plays, you’ll be set — next time you die, you’ll spawn here instead of your ship at the beginning of the Overgrown Ruins. Reconstructors can be very useful for this reason, but be aware: you only get to use them once per run.