The Alters is a game about multi-tasking. Only you don’t have to do it all alone, not exactly. You have your Alters, you see? Clones of you with different personalities and skills who can be assigned to different roles within your base, and work with protagonist Jan Dolski to survive a hostile alien world. But it’s not an easy game, and can get super stressful super quickly. Luckily, we’ve played a lot of it, and we’ve got 10 tips to help you survive in The Alters.
1. Set up Outposts as quickly as possible
At the beginning of each Act you’ll be presented with a new area to explore and plunder for resources. Use the first few event-free days to find deep resource deposits and set up a few Mining Outposts. This will give you fast travel options as well as vital materials. Prioritise Organics and Metals first. When you move the Mobile Base and start a new Act, you’ll have the option to bring as many of your existing Outposts and Pylons with you as you can fit in your storage, so after Act 1 you should start each Act with at least a few in your inventory.
The Alters Essential Tips: 2. Assign Alters to tasks they are good at
Each of your Alters has a unique talent and specialty. The Technician repairs damaged Modules 50% faster, for example, while the Doctor cooks quicker, can prepare the Feast special meal, and heals radiation sickness much, much faster if you assign him to the Infirmary. The Miner obviously mines faster, while the Guard will reprimand unruly or rebellious Alters in the Contemplation Room.
You’ll only be able to create any combination of six Alters from a possible ten in a given playthrough, so it’s important to balance efficiency with wellbeing, but always try to assign them to tasks they do better than the others. Not only will you get better results, but you’ll also make them happier.
3. Set Upkeep levels in Production
You can assign each Alter to whatever tasks you need doing at a given time, but to ensure you don’t run out of essentials, you can go into the Production menu and tap or hold X, Square, or E to instigate an “upkeep” level or simply make it infinite. You’ll rarely need anything on infinite upkeep cycle, but it’s essential to set some.
We always made sure we set the Mush upkeep to however many Alters we had plus Jan, for example, but it’s also worth ensuring you always have, say, four rad filters, two repair kits, and a spare suit battery, drill cartridge, and enough raw food to make cooked meals or a feast. Having upkeep will cause any idle Alter to jump in and fulfil the upkeep whenever they have nothing to do, giving you one less thing to worry about.
4. Build essential modules, but don’t waste space
Some Modules are simply too important to do without. A Dormitory, for instance, or the Social Room. But you will also need the Kitchen, an Infirmary, a Workshop, and a Research Lab. Nothing else is really essential for your Alters’ wellbeing, but there are other Modules that will really make your life easier. A Radiation Repulsor doubles the life of rad filters, while the Recycler turns your waste into precious Organics. The Gym isn’t essential, but it improves the mood of your active Alters, while the Park Bench Module is great for calming them down when they’re angry.
That all being said, be wary of your base’s weight and know that you will always need to prioritise storage over luxuries and may need to sacrifice some modules temporarily to outrun the sun.
5. Reload the day if you need to
The Alters only saves the game when you wake up in the morning, so you can’t really save scum. But you can reload the day from the start if you make a bad decision, waste a resource, or worse, do something that badly upsets or even hurts an Alter. Don’t be afraid to give yourself a mulligan if you must.
The Alters Essential Tips: 6. Store Enriched Metals and ALX in case of emergencies
Enriched Metals and ALX are unique in that they can’t be used as direct ingredients in crafting. However, both can be refined to make other resources. As such, it’s best to hold onto them in case you need materials fast and can’t risk going outside or leaving the base under-manned, such as in a Magnetic Storm. Be aware that they can build up and clog your storage, though, so try to limit your stock.
7. Keep an eye on rebellions and unhappiness
There are many ways to see a Game Over screen in The Alters, but a sudden rebellion can cause you to lose everything as you sleep. Likewise, if an Alter takes their own life they’ll often take the rest of the base with them. Try to be mindful of their moods and needs, and if you get a Low Morale or Threat of Rebellion optional task, try to prioritise them.
It may be as simple as organising a movie night, or having a chat, cooking a feast, or even sending depressed or unruly Alters to the Contemplation Room with the Guard or Shrink (if possible). Either way, never ignore a possible crisis if you can prevent it.
8. Search for Jan’s old possessions
As you explore the planet you’ll often come across downed capsules. Search around them, and you’ll find pink Ally Corp suitcases that contain Jan’s lost possessions. Reclaiming them not only gives you a little backstory on Jan, but also gives you the option to make gifts of them to improve your Alters’ morale. You can also find movies, some of which are genuinely funny.
9. Don’t go outside unprepared
Whenever you plan to leave the base, particularly to explore, make sure you’re ready. Always take at least one, preferably two, suit batteries, and always have at least one drill cartridge on you. Once you’ve researched the Anomaly Shield, take a Shield Recharge unit too.
During quiet times, have your Scientist research suit upgrades and improvements to the drill or climbing hook to make getting around easier.
The Alters Essential Tips: 10. Remove Anomalies where possible
Anomalies are a pain in the butt. They often block the way forward, or lock off shortcuts and deep deposits. Thankfully, though, they only need to be destroyed once and won’t respawn in the same place, so way up the pros and cons of just eradicating them when you find them. Once you upgrade the suit, suit battery, Luminator, and Anomaly shield, it becomes much easier to deal with them and harvest their super useful ALX.
There you have it. There are 10 essential Tips to help you survive The Alters.
