Prologue
Serving as the starter and tutorial mission for the game, the Prologue in The Alters is a little longer than expected. The game is quite straightforward during the prologue, as the player gets acquainted with the gameplay mechanics, such as exploration, finding resources, and building outposts.
You may only have a little difficulty finding the location of Rapidium and Organics resources, both of which are marked on the map below to help you further with speedy progression in the prologue.
During the Prologue, you will learn how to build modules by creating the Workshop, the Womb, and the Kitchen modules. You will also get to create the Technician as your first alter in the game. The resources required for crafting will mostly be Metals, while around 168 Organics will be needed for starting the first journey, along with some more of the same resource type for cooking meals. Also, you should collect at least 30 Rapidium to initiate the alteration process.
After the first journey begins, the player needs to reinspect their past in the Quantum Computer and speak with the Technician about their shared memories. This will build a more positive relationship between the two until they reach their next destination to kick off Act 1.
Act 1
Act 1 is where things get more complicated. Players are strongly advised to start by locating resource-rich areas and building mining outposts, as many different types of resources will be required.
The main task in Act 1 is to build a bridge that lets the base pass over a lava river. So, after building the mining outpost, the next priorities should be cloning the Scientist and building the Research module. The sooner you start researching new technology and improvements, the faster you will make progress in Act 1.
Also, don’t forget to locate the missing Qubit Chip in Act 1 to upgrade the Quantum Computer, unlocking a new alter slot along with a new layer of research options.
Act 1 is where players will get acquainted with heavy base maintenance duties. If a section of the base is damaged, you will need repair kits to make it operational again. Radiation Barriers will be a must-have maintenance resource to keep the base away from radiation effects. And, food will become more important with three people on the board.
Since the Scientist will be mostly dedicated to completing the research studies, most of these duties should be assigned to the Technician. The player will get the option to initiate crunch hours for the members, but that will eventually hurt their morale.
When it comes to the modules, the Research Lab and the Dormitory are top priorities. Refinery is also an essential module later in the act, when you will need Polymer to craft bridge anchors. Speaking of the alters, if you want to tackle all available side-quests in Act 1, then you’d better create the Scientist and the Botanist alters. There will be a timed side quest that only the Botanist can complete.
Act 2
The second act of the game is where Jan must make his first major decision, which will directly impact the game’s ending. This act begins with a giant gravity anomaly blocking the path ahead. The key to getting rid of the anomaly is to craft a Gravity Sensor. As with the previous act, it’s best to locate the resources early on and collect Organics and Metals. Also, building an Infirmary module is mandatory during Act 2 to make progress in the story.
The main goal of removing the anomaly soon gets interrupted by an unknown disease that kills Molly, the sheep that Jan cloned back in the Prologue. According to the Scientist’s research, this was caused by a brain complication that threatens all the alters as well, and could kill them all in a matter of days if not cured.
The player then gets two solutions to solve the issue. One from Maxwell, which suggests that Jan create a blank version of himself known as Tabula Rasa, and then kill him to use his healthy brain tissue to cure the alters.
The other solution comes from Lena, who recommends that Jan craft a Neural Implant and inject it into the alters. While this path does not harm anyone, the Neural Implant is a chipset that will enable Ally Corp to spy on the brains of the alters and possibly control them in the future.
Taking either of these paths will have serious consequences on Act 3 as well as the overall ending of the game. Taking Lena’s path will lock Maxwell out of Act 3, while taking Maxwell’s path will cause Lena to never trust Jan ever again. These will also be represented in another form at the end of the game.
Moreover, siding with each solution will cause a number of the alters to rebel and leave the base in Act 3, though there is a huge difference. If you choose Neural Implants, the rebel alters can be convinced to come back to the base somewhere in Act 3. However, using Maxwell’s solution will cause the rebel alters to never return to base.
Once the player makes their decision, the curing process will be initiated. Note that the rebel alters will not leave the base right away, but they will have very low morale. When the player crafts the necessary tools to get rid of the gravity anomaly, the rebels will leave the base as Act 2 comes to an end.
Technically, there won’t be any necessary alters to create in Act 2, other than Tabula Rasa if you take sides with Maxwell. However, it’s best to have some more people on the board to help with different responsibilities.
Act 3
While the main questline will be the same regardless of your choice at the end of Act 2, some details will be different throughout Act 3. The player will need to craft a beacon and light it up to let the rescue team find them. However, the anomaly presence reaches its peak in this act, as almost every resource mine is surrounded by radiation anomalies.
If you have come to Act 3 with Neural Implants, then the good news is that you can convince the departed alters to come back to the base again by completing The Aftermath side quest.
Metals, Minerals, and Organics are going to be the primary resources needed throughout Act 3, but the good news is that you no longer need to keep a balance between the mass of the base and the Organics’ storage limit, as there will be no journeys ahead. So, you can freely expand the number of storage rooms in the base and collect as many resources as you can.
Luminator turns into a highly useful device in Act 3, as most of the anomalies will now drop a resource known as ALX, which can be refined into Minerals once you unlock its dedicated node in the research tree. It is strongly recommended that you unlock all the upgrade nodes available for the Luminator, as it will be needed for a main story quest of Act 3, where you have to deal with so many anomalies.
Doctor, Scientist, and Refiner will have their own specific side quests in Act 3. Also, the Botanist will offer a very specific ending. So, having him on board will give you a new option to unlock two new major endings.
Depending on how you have expanded your base in Act 2, you may or may not need new modules in Act 3. Probably, you will need a few more storage rooms in this act, but an Ark Sarcophagus will also be a mandatory module to build near the end of the act. Also, you can expand your Rapidium Arks up to five, which will play a role in the ending of the game.
The major part of Act 3 is deciding what to do with the rescue team. The player can either steal the rescue ship or let the Ally Corp or Maxwell decide about the alters. Stealing the rescue ship will result in good endings for the alters, but will get Jan into trouble. On the other side, handing over the Alters to either Maxwell or Agatha will unlock the evil endings, where Jan betrays his alters.
Epilogue
The epilogue is the shortest part of the game, featuring no gameplay and simply showcasing the game’s ending. However, it has different variations based on the player’s decisions in Act 2 and Act 3. The following decisions will have a significant impact on which ending you get:
– Choosing between Neural Implants or Tabula Rasa
– Choosing between killing the rescue team members or using sleeping gas
– Choosing between using the self-made autopilot device or getting help from Lucas
– Choosing whether to swap places with the Botanist or not
– The number of Rapidium Arks built and the amount of Rapidium stored in them.
There are six primary ending branches in The Alters, and each one also has a few slightly different variations.