Jun 17, 2025

The Alters Walkthrough – Prologue

Mahmud Munazil Rahman

Welcome to Into Indie Games’ walkthrough for The Alters. This is a complete walkthrough of the prologue for The Alters, covering everything from Day 1 to Day 7 and the first Journey. This guide takes you through the early hours of the game, helping you understand how to build your base, create your first Alters, and make the choices that shape Jan’s story. Whether you’re figuring out how to manage resources or just want to see what happens if you take a different path, this walkthrough has you covered. It’s perfect for players who want to get the most out of the story without missing key moments. With clear steps and tips for each day, you’ll be ready for what’s ahead in this emotional, thought-provoking survival game from 11 bit studios. If you’re just starting The Alters, this is the place to begin.

If you want to learn more about the game beyond this walkthrough. Please go here.

Day 1 : Crafting and Base Management
Day 2 : Resources, Pylons and Rapidium
Day 3 : The Womb
Day 4 : Branching
Day 5 : Getting Ahead
Day 6 : Climbing Hook
Journey 1 : Alter Interactions

Day 1 : Crafting and Base Management

You’ll start the day inside your base with the task “Is Anyone Home?”—your goal is to find the Communication Room.Take the lift on the left and head up. The Communication Room is on the left side of the floor. Once inside, initiate a call to Earth. Select the first dialogue option: “The Captain is not here,” followed by “What danger?”

After the call, open your Manual and read the Captain’s Log. You’ll now receive a new task: “Escape the Sun.” Check the Evacuation Procedure section in the Manual for more context. Next, you’ll get a new objective: “The Fundamentals”—you need to collect 60 Metals from outside and craft a Polygonal Scanner. This requires a Workshop module, but building one costs 40 Metal.

If you’re short on Metal, dismantle a Storage Room to get a 30 Metal refund. Build the Workshop (available build spots will glow green), ideally next to the Command Center.

Enter the Workshop, open the Manual, and queue up the Scanner for production. Then interact with the production belt (press X or the relevant key) to begin crafting. If Jan faints from exhaustion at this point, make sure to monitor the exhaustion meter at the bottom left moving forward.

You now have eight days until sunrise.

Day 2 : Resources, Pylons and Rapidium

Head to the Airlock and step outside. Look for Shallow Deposits—they emit red dust. There’s one directly behind the base. Approach it and extract Metal from the rock. At this point, your main task should be “Organics Matter”—your goal is to find an Organics deposit area. These areas give off blue smoke. Head left toward the shoreline, and you’ll come across a capsule with a skipping rope.

To the far right, you’ll spot an Organics deposit, which you can confirm on your map. However, you’ll need a Climbing Hook to access it. While you’re out, collect any small pieces of Metal scattered on the ground. As you continue left, you’ll discover a Rapidium deposit. Gather a few samples to progress the “Rapidium Discovery” task.

Keep heading down and left until you locate an Organics deposit. Mark the location on your map. Follow the tutorial closely to learn how to scan—energy is limited, so keep an eye on your exhaustion meter. Create scanning grids to search for deeper ore. When you find one, place a Mining Outpost.

You’ll now be introduced to Pylons, which connect outposts to your base. To set them up, jump down the ledge on the right—the one you passed earlier. Successfully linking the outpost to your base earns you the “Dig Deeper” achievement. If your energy is low, return to the base and end the day to recover.

Day 3 : The Womb

After waking up, head to the Communications Room. You’ll speak with a mysterious voice about the Rapidium. If you’re feeling confident, choose “I’m sure” when prompted. The voice will send you a DNA sample and the blueprints for a new module called the “Womb.” You can ask “Who are you?”—this ends the conversation.

Now, head to the Command Center and build the Womb. It takes up five blocks, so place it in a large space—preferably the top right corner of your base. Test the Rapidium inside the Womb. This will result in your first successful clone: a sheep named Molly. Return to the Communications Room and report your findings. When prompted, select “Will you help me now?” to complete the task “Making Sure.”

Next, you’ll have a pending task called “Organics Matter”—you need to collect 180 Organic Matter. If you’re low on Metal, use fast travel to head straight to your previously built outpost. Work at the outpost until you’ve gathered the required Organic Matter. Then, you’ll receive a new task: “Provisions Needed,” which requires 40 Metal to build a Kitchen. Head past the Rapidium node to find a Shallow Metal Ore—check your map for its exact location. Extract the ore; you should get around 98 Metal, but note that your base might run out of storage.

Return to the base and build the Kitchen—place it under the Womb (it also requires five blocks). You’ll likely need to construct an additional Small Storage Room near your existing storage on the lowest floor. For “Provisions Needed,” you’ll now need to prepare 6 Mush meals. Head to the Kitchen. Each meal takes 30 minutes, and with less than an hour left before sleep, prepare one Mush meal before ending the day.

Day 4 : Branching

Start your day by heading to the Kitchen and preparing the remaining Mush Meals to complete the “Provisions Needed” task. Next, move to the Command Center and attempt to start the engines for the task “Escape the Sun.” This will trigger a new task: “The Emergency.” Head down to the Machinery section and turn the lever to respond.

Return to the Command Center and try firing the engines again. When it fails a second time, go back down to Machinery and flip the lever again. This time, the system overloads. Now, head up to the Communications Room and call Ally Corp. In the dialogue, select “Save me how?” and then “I don’t have access to QC.”

This starts the task “The Quantum Computer.” Go to the QC room and access the computer. Then return to the Comms Room and call Ally Corp again. Ask “What next?” You’ll get two options—either will trigger the task “Branching.” Choose again, and Ally Corp will inform you that you’re out of options and in imminent danger. Head back to the QC. You’ll now witness the moment where your life splits, resulting in the creation of your Alter: Jan Technician.

Watch the cutscene and wake up your Alter. Choose any dialogue option—it doesn’t significantly impact the outcome. After the conversation, Jan Technician will help fix the machinery, completing the repair and unlocking a Core Memory. At this point, you can start the Journey by firing the engines. However, if you’re low on Organic resources, now is a good time to stock up. You can also stay an extra day to craft a Climbing Hook—which is highly recommended. Go outside and gather Organics until you have 252/300. When energy runs low, return to the base and sleep.

Day 5 : Getting Ahead

Start by building an extra Storage Room to hold more resources.

Then head out and collect Metal. At the bottom of the map, look for Jan’s scattered belongings—a multi-tool, a movie, and a football. Use your map to mark their location.

Afterward, gather the remaining Rapidium and sweep the area for any Metal you missed earlier. Once done, continue collecting Organic Matter until you max out at 300/300. Return to base and end the day.

Day 6 : Climbing Hook

Head to the Workshop and craft the Climbing Hook—note that it costs 120 Organic Matter.

Once it’s built, go back out to replenish your Organic supply. Top it back up to 300/300.

Now, with all tasks done and resources maxed out, there’s no reason to delay. Return to the Command Center and start the engines to begin Journey 1.

Journey 1 : Alter Interactions

During the Journey phase, there’s no active timer, so take your time with tasks. The objective now is “Common Ground.” Begin by opening the Alters tab to inspect Jan Technician. Check your radiation levels—if they’re rising, you likely forgot to activate the base’s radiation filters. Head to the Machinery Room and turn them on. It’s a good idea to always keep these filters running and maintain a healthy stock of Rad Filters.

Try talking to Jan Technician. He may be unresponsive or irritated at this point, which is normal. Regardless, your next goal is to repair the Communications Room. Head to the Workshop, craft a Repair Kit, and then use the repair module to fix the Comms Room. Once repaired, you’ll be able to speak with Lucas, an agent from Ally Corp. Go through all available dialogue options.

Eventually, Lucas will suggest reading about the technician’s past in the Quantum Computer. Do this by heading to the QC Room and reviewing the technician’s file. Return and talk to Jan Technician again. For best results, select:

“We are more similar than you think”
“You stood up to dad”
“I was a coward”
“Beer and synthetic starch”

Now head to the Kitchen and prepare Mom’s Pierogi (a quality meal). Then sit at the dining table in the corner and eat the Pierogi with Jan Technician. This will trigger a Core Memory. Afterward, talk to him once more. Choose:

“How do you feel?”
“It’s hard for me too”
“So did I”

You’ll now face a choice: trust Ally Corp or go your own way. To strengthen your bond with Jan, choose to handle it your way.

For the final dialogue sequence, select:

“They told me to create you”
“I have a plan”
“Versions of us”
“I can’t wait to do it again”

Next, head to the Comms Room to answer an incoming call—this time from Lena, your ex-wife. You can either show excitement about Rapidium or question her motives. For a more personal tone, choose: