'The Ascent': How to Unlock Fast Travel

The Ascent is a cyberpunk RPG set within the confines of a towering skyscraper that segregates its population, by class, into different levels.

Navigating this sprawling environment can be quite time-consuming, due to the winding layouts, the near-constant enemy ambushes, and your character's rather limited movement speed.

As such, you might be wondering if there is a quicker way to get around, or if there is a fast travel system that will allow you to skip past areas that you have already cleared.

What Is 'The Ascent'?

The game takes place on a remote planet where everybody has signed an indentured contract with a local megacorporation, in exchange for a place to live.

You are one of these hapless "indents" (toiling away in the inhospitable basement tier of the city) when you hear the shocking news that the company you work for has dissolved.

This announcement plunges the entire community into utter disarray, as most of the residents here were employed by the exact same firm and are now worrying where their next pay check will come from.

You are a little more enterprising than the rest though and decide to take this opportunity to finally make a name for yourself as a reliable problem-solver. You promptly switch from a dead-end job in menial labour to a career as a hired gun, in the hope that you will be able to impress enough people to one day earn your freedom.

How to Fast Travel in 'The Ascent'

Over the course of the game, you will work your way up the various levels of the archology building, starting off in the destitute slums before eventually graduating to the more upper class neighbourhoods.

Each area has its own threats for you to deal with. For example, the basement tier is infested with hordes of mutated creatures, while the "Node" district is under the strict protection of a Yakuza-like gang, known as the Rojins.

Getting from one zone to the other can therefore be a bit of a hassle (especially since the map layout is quite complex and winding) and a lot of the quests will ask you to revisit areas that you have already seen.

Across the 20 or so hours that it takes to finish the campaign, you will do a lot of backtracking and will be destined to repeat certain encounters. That is unless you take advantage of the game's fast travel systems.

There are actually two ways you can instantaneously get from A to B in The Ascent. The first option is to hitch a free ride on the metro line, which unlocks at the beginning of the third main quest, "Trading Places".

By heading to a station (marked by a red "M" icon on your map) you can go straight to any other district that you have already visited. The only downside to this is that you do not get much choice in terms of where you disembark the train, so there may still be a little walking involved afterwards.

Alternatively, you can pay 1000 credits to hail a cab from anywhere in the archology. Again, you can only use this to fast travel to areas you have previously explored, but there is way more flexibility when it comes to your destination.

This is particularly useful if you need to return to Cluster 13 for an impromptu shopping-spree or to respec your character.

The ability to hail a cab is unlocked partway through "Trading Places", once you have spoken to Noghead.

As such, we would recommend doing the first three main quests before you take on any extra side missions in The Ascent, as having the ability to fast travel across the world just saves you a lot of time.

The Ascent is out now for PC and Xbox consoles. It is also featured as part of the Xbox Game Pass Service.