Strider: “Meet Cypher’s Edge” achievement, some methods to unlock it

Strider only has one achievement that requires grinding, “Meet Cypher’s Edge”, which is unlocked by filling the Charge Strike meter 25 times. Most players do not achieve this at the end of their playthrough, so in this guide I will explain some methods to help you unlock it.

The methods described below do not have any real requirements, but they can only be applied under specific conditions in specific areas of the game. One method in particular may be precluded if you have performed certain actions in the game.

This method can be applied at the Organics Repurposing Center area in Processing, more precisely in the large room housing two circular pools with shallow water and a tube in the middle. Here’s a screenshot of the location on the map:

PNUT units spawn continuously from each of the tubes, they are rather weak enemies that are destroyed with a handful of hits.

Well, all you have to do is choose one of the two pools and do the following:

1. Stand near the tube;
2. Wait for a PNUT unit to come out;
3. Destroy the PNUT with the Cypher;
4. Rinse and repeat.

Even though the spawn rate is not high, it is still enough to keep the Charge Strike meter up (you don’t even need to move if you’re positioned correctly).

In my opinion, this method is the best in terms of ease/speed ratio (each “charge” should take just over a minute), but unfortunately cannot be applied always. The reason is this: two electric generators hang from the ceiling in this room, and they must be taken down to clear the way to the left on the ceiling (required to activate a switch); however, they’re right above the circular tubes, so knocking them down closes the tubes below and permanently block the spawn of PNUT units.

If this is your case, then you’re out of luck and you have to apply a different method.

This method is similar to method 1 but it’s worse in many aspects. It can be applied at the Research Lab area in Research Facility, a corridor made up of rooms with varied challenges (before the Gravitron). The method takes place in one particular room, the location of which is visible in the image below:

The room of interest is quite large, with two energy walls at the side exits and a duct in the center of the ceiling. PNUT units spawn continuously from the upper duct.

Now, all you have to do is:

1. Wait for a PNUT unit to come out;
2. Destroy the PNUT;
3. Rinse and repeat.

The PNUT units in this area are stronger than those in Processing, and the spawn point (being on the ceiling) requires more attention and reactivity from the player. Finally, considering that the Research Lab area is also in a very distant position, my opinion is that this method is the least convenient. There is one good aspect, though: if I remember correctly (I could be wrong), the upper conduit remains open throughout the game, therefore this method can always be applied (provided you haven’t passed the “point of no return” at the end of the game).

This method can be applied at the Atrium area in Tower, more precisely in any of the two long side rooms. Much like the central one, these side rooms develop on multiple levels, and we are interested in the first one, as shown below:

You don’t need to go all the way up, instead you will stop (hanging) just below the first floor, the one protected by the two elite guards.

From this position, do the following:

1. Hit the guards above, until the Charge Strike meter fills up;
2. Wait for the meter to run out, without hitting the guards;
3. Repeat.

Unlike the other methods described above, this one does not involve an “infinite spawn” point, but it exploits a peculiarity of elite guards: they don’t take damage from the first hit received, rather they teleport nearby to start attacking again. By taking advantage of this characteristic, it is possible to continue hitting them endlessly to fill the Charge Strike meter, but you must be careful not to hit them when in Charge Mode because they will take damage from every hit in such a case. Since there are two guards in each of the two side rooms, you theoretically have a second chance if you accidentally kill the guards in one room, but maybe exiting-and-loading the game should work as well (I haven’t tried that myself).

This method is perhaps the best in terms of optimization, because it is applied almost at the end of the game. This way, it allows you to fill the Charge Strike meter a few times naturally during your playthrough, and to use the method only for the remaining charges. Not to mention that, since this method is applied after the point of no return, it is suitable for almost any game.

Thank you for reading this far, I really appreciate it!
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