In Deathloop, Residuum plays a critical role in allowing players to break the loop and maintain progress across time cycles. As you navigate the mysterious island of Blackreef, you’ll encounter powerful gear, unique abilities called Slabs, and memorable Visionaries. However, without Residuum, all your hard-earned tools will vanish when the loop resets. Learning how to get Residuum efficiently becomes essential to preserve your loadout and make meaningful progress. With multiple methods of obtaining this glowing substance, knowing the best strategies will help you build the perfect arsenal.
What is Residuum?
Residuum is a collectible resource in Deathloop used to infuse weapons, Slabs, and Trinkets, effectively locking them into your inventory between loops. Without infusion, you lose everything at the start of each new day, making Residuum vital for long-term success. You gain access to the infusion mechanic after completing a key early mission, and from that point on, your goal becomes gathering as much Residuum as possible.
Why Infusion Matters
Infusing items allows you to:
- Keep weapons with unique modifiers
- Retain upgraded Slabs and abilities
- Customize your character across loops
- Avoid re-collecting gear every cycle
The more Residuum you have, the more versatile and lethal your Colt can become. That’s why understanding how to collect and manage it efficiently is key to mastering the game.
How to Get Residuum
There are several reliable ways to collect Residuum in Deathloop, each with its own risk-reward balance. You’ll need to explore, hunt, and occasionally improvise, depending on the time of day and your current objectives.
1. Harvest Residuum from Glowing Objects
Throughout the island of Blackreef, you’ll notice objects pulsing with a glowing, ethereal light. These anomalies contain small amounts of Residuum. Simply approach them and press the interaction button to absorb the Residuum.
- Found in the environment during all times of day
- Typically yield between 200 to 600 Residuum
- Look for glowing phones, radios, typewriters, and more
This method is low-risk and available early, making it ideal when you’re just getting started.
2. Defeat Visionaries
The most rewarding source of Residuum is Visionaries the key targets in Deathloop’s narrative. Each time you eliminate one, they drop a significant amount of Residuum along with powerful gear or a Slab.
- Each Visionary drops around 10,000 Residuum
- Visionary weapons and Slabs can also be infused
- Plan your route to maximize Visionary kills in a single day
Some Visionaries also have upgraded Slabs, which makes them even more valuable for both power and Residuum.
3. Sacrifice Items You Don’t Need
In your loadout menu, you can choose to sacrifice any item weapon, Trinket, or Slab in exchange for Residuum. This is an excellent way to manage inventory clutter and ensure you have enough Residuum to infuse what really matters.
- Duplicates can be safely sacrificed
- Lower-tier weapons yield modest Residuum (5001,000)
- High-tier or rare gear provides better returns
Think strategically about which items you truly use, and convert the rest into useful Residuum fuel.
4. Collect Residuum from Your Own Corpse
If you die in a time segment, a portion of your collected Residuum is dropped at your corpse. When you respawn using Reprise, you can recover the lost Residuum by returning to the spot where you died and interacting with your body.
- Up to two Reprises per segment (three lives total)
- Returning quickly minimizes risk of losing it again
- Important during high-stakes battles or Visionary encounters
Use Reprise wisely and recover your resources to avoid setbacks.
Managing and Using Residuum
Once you collect Residuum, you don’t automatically infuse items. You must go to the loadout screen between time segments and manually select items to infuse. Each item has a Residuum cost depending on its rarity and utility.
Infusion Costs
- Basic weapons: 2,0004,000 Residuum
- Rare weapons or Slabs: 6,00010,000 Residuum
- Trinkets: 1,0003,000 Residuum depending on tier
Prioritize items that:
- You use frequently
- Are rare or unique
- Have valuable buffs or synergy with your playstyle
Tips for Efficient Infusion
To make the most of your limited Residuum:
- Don’t waste infusion on low-quality weapons
- Focus on one or two Slabs early on, especially Shift or Nexus
- Always sacrifice duplicates immediately
- Save up for powerful Visionary loot drops
Residuum is limited per loop, so careful planning will allow you to retain stronger builds over time.
Best Locations for Residuum Farming
Certain areas of Blackreef are particularly rich in Residuum sources. Some of the best locations include:
Updaam (Noon or Afternoon)
Loaded with glowing objects and frequent Visionary activity. Look around the library and Aleksis’ mansion.
Fristad Rock (Morning)
Great for stealthy approaches and also features Visionary Charlie in some loops. Good environmental Residuum sources.
The Complex (Morning or Noon)
Dr. Wenjie’s lab contains numerous scientific devices that yield Residuum. Also, defeating her nets a big payout.
Bonus Tips and Tricks
- Use stealth to avoid unnecessary combat and preserve lives during Residuum runs
- Play methodically; each time segment has unique opportunities and dangers
- Plan your daily route based on available Visionaries and Residuum-rich zones
- Use gear and Slabs that improve mobility to reach hidden objects quickly
Residuum is the heart of progression in Deathloop. By learning how to get Residuum efficiently whether through defeating Visionaries, exploring for anomalies, or sacrificing items you set yourself up for long-term success in breaking the loop. Managing this glowing resource wisely lets you retain powerful gear, refine your build, and dominate the battlefield with consistency. As you experiment with different routes, loadouts, and strategies, your understanding of Residuum collection will become second nature, making each new day on Blackreef a step closer to ultimate freedom.