Greetings, esteemed colleagues!
As 1.0 looms near, we know some scientists are probably in various scenarios in terms of where they’ve progressed in the story of Abiotic Factor. Therefore, we’re providing you with something of a guide to getting back into the game when 1.0 opens its blast doors.
First, please make sure you’ve read the 1.0 Save Upgrading Guide, then return here.
If you are in one of the following categories, this blog post is for you.
- You are currently in the midst of your adventure, anywhere beyond or near the end of Manufacturing Sector.
- You have completed all of the current content up to the end of the Dark Energy update.
- You’re on your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th playthrough (or more!) and are well versed in the ins and outs of Abiotic Factor.
- Any of the above, either actively playing or planning to play at 1.0 launch.
If you aren’t in one of these categories, you can safely skip this blog post, because you’re either relatively new to the game or the changes we’re about to discuss won’t affect you unless you eventually find yourself in one of the above categories before 1.0 releases.
This blog post will also contain some Dark Energy spoilers (concerning the end of ABF’s last major update), so please read the header on each section before proceeding to read further. If you feel you're getting too deep into stuff you’re not familiar with, close the browser tab and get outta here! This is your last spoiler warning. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Let’s begin talking about each scenario in order of spoiler-intensity (from earliest to latest), what you will do next, and what you need to know when the 1.0 update hits.
Scenario A: I’m beyond or at least very near the end of Manufacturing Sector
Congratulations, you have survived the Office Sector and progressed far, fighting off squads of Order troops and maybe even riding aboard the Train!
When 1.0 drops, you will have access to a new piece of technology – The Enhancement Bench.
This recipe will require Manufacturing-tier resources and give you access to a ton of new weaponry and armor. This may be slightly overwhelming at first, especially if you’re deep into the adventure and now have tons of stuff you can upgrade.
The Enhancement Bench was planned to allow lots of additional combat and protection options through the entire game and it will absolutely shift the balance some, especially in tougher areas. We hope our scientists enjoy these new tools and toys.
If you aren’t planning on restarting from the beginning of the game, you may see a lot of items, including items you thought you no longer needed, with a blue arrow on their icon. This indicates that an upgrade is available for the item, and you know the items that are required to upgrade it.
The item tooltip will also state this clearly. Example below.
If you see this blue arrow, visit the Enhancement Bench, pop the item into the slot, and see what you might have available! These upgrades will help you bring old items up to snuff for later encounters. We highly recommend exploring this system, and we’ve intentionally left much of it up to the scientific community to explore and find all the upgrades that might be available. We recommend checking all of your old armor and favorite weapons, for starters.
Even if an item doesn’t have a blue arrow, you could throw it on the Enhancement Bench anyway just in case, and you might see there’s a yet-unknown upgrade that lay ahead.
If nothing shows up on the Enhancement Bench when you place an item into it, that means the item doesn’t have any upgrades.
We will also note that many of the military weaponry that require Biometric Locks can often have this Biometric requirement removed by upgrading with the right items.
On to the next scenario!
Scenario B: I’ve completed all of the current content up to the end of the Dark Energy update.
Well lah-dee-dah, aren’t you fancy and cool and probably smart! Look at you blitzing through the content and / or taking your time getting your science just right.
Either way, you’re a legend, and you deserve respect. But come 1.0, along with the above Enhancement Bench / item upgrading information, you might not remember exactly how to continue your adventure.
If you didn’t finish Dark Energy, you really need to stop reading here or risk major spoilers. Final warning.
Will new players struggle with this if we tenured scientists require instructions?
We don’t think so. When you venture through the story one beat after the next, none of this is too hidden. We simply feel our veteran scientists might actually struggle here, having both so much knowledge and having also explored so thoroughly. In this scenario, the changes might be overlooked. Hence, this guide.
Alright, refresh my memory!
Certainly. You may recall at the end of Dark Energy, you found yourself hopping into a massive portal where previously a large entity was trapped in chains of sorts, and you freed it from the Gatekeepers, because you’re a standup researcher.
Upon entering this massive portal, you were taken to a strange floating isle in Far Garden, a far-flung region of Anteverse 2. Beyond this, a strange golden portal, which took you to an unknown location, we now know is The Praetorium.
This is where your adventure resumes.
How do I get back to The Praetorium?
We may need to jog your memory here, so let’s talk about the two ways back to The Praetorium.
Option A: You already opened the shortcut back to the Facility, which is a golden portal found in a small room at the center of The Reactors. Here is an image below.
If this portal is not present, you have not opened this shortcut yet and will need to take Option B.
Option B: Go back through Shadowgate (GATE Intrados Facility) and to the end portal where the strange creature was previously in chains. Below is an image of the entrance to Shadowgate and the portal in question, along with the next portal.
I found The Praetorium! Where do I go now?
Great work! Next, you’ll need to find our favorite High Inquisitor, Hasta Tria. Search around a bit, he’s not too hard to find. Even if you spoke with him before the update, speak with him again. He has some important information, believe it or not!
Once you speak with him, he’ll bring you up to speed and also unlock a specific door for you. This large door is in another hallway tied to a button, you’ll find both together with a bit of searching.
If you get lost here, just follow the waypoints for the quest. They should get you pointed in the right direction.
From there, you’re on your way to uncovering the mysteries of The Praetorium and beyond. We cannot guide you the rest of the way, but we’re sure you’ll find some friends along the frigid road ahead… Eventually.
What about Residence Sector?
You’ll get there, but first, you need something important. Just follow the rat and hear him out. He’s not so bad, we feel. At the very least, he has information, if not wisdom. We’ll let you decide which statements are which.
Oh, and one more thing…
We shrunk the Repair Bench. We’re sorry or you’re welcome, depending on how you feel about this change.
That’s all for now. See you July 22nd for 1.0!
Onward -- to science.
Join the Scientific Community!
You can also join the Research Division today on Steam!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/427410/Abiotic_Factor/