10 hours in, could really do with some advice to avoid hitting so many walls

[glacial kindle]

Reposted starting message

My first save lasted 4 and a half hours, managed to map out what i believe to be around 70~80% of the Industrial Complex, learned a lot on that run but decided to cut it short because i somehow severely antagonized the Scavengers and it seemed sensible to just start over because at that point they had became a wall by sending hit squads after me, it wasnt in vain because by then i had familiarized myself with many of the core mechanics of the game.

My second(and current, but not for long) save has lasted 6 hours and this time i went in another direction, to the Drainage System. Unfortunately i have kind of soft locked myself, hibernating besides a karma gate that i am nowhere close to opening, dont have nearly enough food to even try and farm karma, cant go back the way i came from because i cant cross the extended water tunnel without a bubble weed, my little yellow ghost has disappeared a while back, and the only possible way foward is thorugh a jump that feels impossible(image).

I am now preparing to start my third save, hopefuly my last one now that i am more wise now than ever, but i could really use some general advice(or even some pointed advice!) on how to avoid banging my head against those walls. Is there a smoother path i could have taken? Some areas i should avoid until later? Should i just follow the yellow ghost around, hoping he will lead me to where i need to go?

[cold coyote]

honestly you're doing great so far if you've been exploring and discovering new things!! all areas have their own difficulties, it's up to you if you want to continue exploring a location or backtrack and explore elsewhere

the extended water tunnel you found in drainage is possible, by the way, even without a bubble weed!! if you end up there in the future, here's some small tips: ||make sure to take advantage of the air pockets, and don't press jump while in water. it drains your breath faster||

but yeah there's nowhere you're not supposed to be, really

never feel like you have to keep on pushing through an area if it just ends up frustrating you as well, there's nothing wrong with turning back and exploring somewhere you're familiar with, and using your ingame map to your advantage to find new routes. there is always more than one path to a location since this game is very open world as well

a general piece of advice from me is that the pause screen has some good, kind of hidden mechanics you can do