Welcome to this definitive Abiotic Factor game guide & walkthrough. Whether you’re a newcomer or have played a bit but feel stuck, this guide is designed to walk you through every major system, decision point, and trick — from how to survive in Abiotic Factor during the opening hours, to mid-game crafting guide strategies, portal world tips, base building strategy, and late-game endgame planning.
Abiotic Factor is a survival crafting game set inside a large underground research facility (GATE) full of odd portals, anomalies, and dangers. You begin in the Office Sector, with limited tools and resources, and gradually unlock new sectors, advance your research tree (Ideas and Recipes), build stronger defenses, and explore alternate dimensions called Anteverses or portal worlds.
Part I: Early Game & Survival (Day 0 to Day 3)
This phase determines whether you survive or die early. Let’s break it down.
Step 1: Character Setup, Traits & Specialization
- On starting, create your scientist and choose traits or specializations. These may affect your stats (e.g., strength, intelligence, resilience).
- Pick traits suitable for early game survival — ones that reduce resource consumption, improve crafting efficiency, or boost health/hunger resistance.
Step 2: Understand Vital Meters & UI
- Immediately open your inventory/status screen. Observe your meters: hunger, thirst, fatigue, radiation, temperature.
- These meters are always ticking. Maintain awareness of them while exploring or crafting.
- Also familiarize yourself with your hotkeys, quick slots, and repair/packaging UI panels.
Step 3: Loot & Dismantle Furniture for Materials
- In the Office Sector, look around for desks, filing cabinets, chairs, glass, metal scraps, etc.
- You can right-click with Hammer to dismantle furniture rather than brute-smash.
- Some furniture items are portable: you can package (i.e. pick up) many desks or chairs and move them to your base area for dismantling safely.
- Label your storage containers so you can easily sort electronics, scraps, tools, food, etc.
Step 4: Create First Crafting Bench & Basic Tools
- Use collected materials (metal scrap, glass, screws etc.) to build a Crafting Bench.
- If possible, upgrade your bench so that it allows remote crafting or better modules — this speeds up your workflow.
- Next produce a Hammer, Screwdriver, and simple weapons (melee or low-tier firearm) as soon as possible.
Step 5: Cooking, Water Purification & Food Management
- You’ll need to satisfy hunger and thirst. Use a stove + bowl or pot to boil contaminated water to make it safe to drink.
- Use cooking pans on stovetops, cook “creature bits” or raw meat into safer food items. Avoid letting food spoil.
- Having a refrigerator (requires power) helps slow spoilage.
Step 6: Unlocking Office Sector & Escaping Initial Rooms
- There is a sequence in the Office Sector to clear. Use the TechRaptor office sector walkthrough for direction.
- You’ll need to craft an Energy Brick (battery / power cell) to power certain locked doors.
- Explore the cafeteria and adjacent rooms, follow terminals, unlock doorcodes, collect keycards, etc.
Step 7: Night & Power Shutdown Behavior
- At night, all facility power is shut off, lights go dark, and portal cracks start appearing near your location.
- You cannot rely on outlet power at night. Use desk lamps (they run without wired connection) to provide light.
- In early game, it’s safest to stay in a fortified room or base at night rather than roam.
- Don’t leave vital tools or resources unguarded — use containers, barricades, or doors.
Part II: Mid Game — Expanding, Exploring, Portal World Access
Once your immediate survival is stable, you move into expansion, unlocking sectors, deeper explorations, and portal worlds.
Step 8: Unlock New Sectors & Advance Research
- After you leave the Office Sector, you’ll aim to unlock Manufacturing, Power Services, Residence, Reactor / Cascade Labs etc.
- Use the research tree — the Ideas / Recipe mechanic: shielding, electronics, wiring, more advanced tools.
- To unlock new sector doors, you often need to craft tech parts, hack door consoles, or use keycards.
Step 9: Portal World Access & Farming (Portal World Tips)
- Portal worlds (also called Anteverses) are alternate dimensions you can travel to via portal nodes. They offer unique resources not present in the main facility.
- Portal worlds reset every few in-game days at midnight, so you can repeatedly farm resources.
- A prime example: The Train portal world in Manufacturing West yields Silver Scrap and pocket watches, which can be converted into Refined Carbon through an exchanger machine.
- Use the portal world farming loop: travel → loot → return → convert → repeat. This is central to mid-game crafting.
Step 10: Farming Refined Carbon & Other High-tier Materials
- Refined Carbon is a mid/late-game crafting staple used in many advanced recipes.
- In Cascade Labs’ Adjustment Wing, break Carbon Analysis Machines to get some refined carbon.
- When that supply is exhausted, use the Refined Carbon Exchanger: feed in Silver Scrap to get one Refined Carbon.
- Silver Scrap comes from pocket watches and silverware collected in The Train portal world.
- Don’t scrap all pocket watches — they are also used for trinkets. Use them judiciously.
Step 11: Base Expansion, Storage & Defenses
- Build a proper base: central hub, power distribution, lighting, storage rooms, and defensive structures.
- Place turrets, traps, reinforced doors, walls, and choke points around your base to repel interdimensional intrusions.
- Spread out your workstations (crafting benches, labs, research stations) to avoid having all your operations destroyed in a single attack.
- Use forward outposts (FOBs) in sectors you frequently visit — these act as quick staging points and reduce back-and-forth trips. Many players recommend this in forums.
Step 12: Automation & Efficiency Upgrades
- As you advance, build automation or remote crafting structures to reduce manual labor.
- Use power nodes, long cables, and relay stations to extend electricity to remote parts of your base.
- Use categorized storage, naming crates so you or teammates can find “electronics”, “mechanical parts”, “food”, “ammo” quickly.
- Plan your item flows: raw → intermediate → final product, minimizing wasted movements.
Part III: Late Game & Endgame Strategy
By now you’re well-equipped, with multiple sectors unlocked, portal world loops established, and a formidable base. The final stage is about finishing the story, facing strong threats, and preparing escape or endgame challenges.
Step 13: Follow Main Story & Unlock Final Areas
- The game has a narrative arc. Use terminals, emails, NPC dialogues, and lore hints to find main objectives.
- Some tasks are optional but yield powerful rewards or upgrades. Keep an eye on side quests.
- New sectors (e.g. Residence Sector, reactors, advanced wings) will open near endgame.
Step 14: Tackling Bosses, Strong Factions & High Threats
- In late game, tougher enemies — Gatekeepers, high-tier anomalies, bosses — will challenge you.
- Use cover + range + mobility in fights. Don’t engage in open melee unless confident.
- Keep medical kits, shield items, emergency power backup ready.
- If playing co-op, coordinate targets, provide support, watch each other’s backs.
Step 15: Resource & Efficiency Optimization for Endgame
- By this stage, resource loops should be tight. Use portal world resets to keep top-tier resources flowing.
- Avoid overextending defenses — sometimes less, well-placed turrets/traps are better than sprawling walls.
- Use upgrades/enhancements (if the game version supports it) to boost gear, armor, weapons.
Step 16: Plan & Execute Escape / Endgame Objective
- The ultimate goal usually involves escaping the facility or reaching the surface.
- Prepare a backup path, stock emergency power, survival gear, weapons, consumables.
- Watch for final events or “boss phases” — keep flexibility.
- After “escape,” you may revisit for full exploration, achievement hunting, or replay at higher difficulty.
Operation Workflow & Checklist (By Day / Phase)
Here’s a detailed sequential checklist you can follow in your own run:
- Day 0 (Initial spawn / tutorial) Choose traits / specialization Learn UI & meters Loot surrounding rooms for scrap Craft basic tools (hammer, screwdriver) Build crafting bench, label storage
- Day 1 Cook safe water, basic food Unlock initial locked door (Energy Brick) Explore more of Office Sector, pick up keycodes, documents Dismantle furniture for parts
- Night 1 Stay in fortified safe room Use desk lamp for lighting Prepare for possible portal cracks nearby
- Day 2–3 Finish Office Sector walkthrough (TechRaptor’s route) Move into Manufacturing / Power sectors Upgrade bench / research new ideas Build more storage, defense units
- Mid Game (Days 4–10) Unlock portal node, travel to portal worlds Farm Silver Scrap in “The Train” portal world Use Refined Carbon exchanger to get refined carbon Expand base, build turrets, traps Establish outposts in new sectors Automate power and tasks
- Late Mid-Game Reach Cascade Laboratories, gather materials and unlock advanced components Unlock new sectors like Residence or Reactor Tackle more dangerous creatures and anomalies Upgrade gear and prepare defenses
- Endgame / Final Phase Follow story pushes to final goal Clear challenging enemy zones Prepare an escape route Launch final breakout, escape, or reach objective
Frequently Asked Questions & Pro Tips
Q1: Can I feed coworker / NPC to help them?
In early guides, there is debate. But generally, don’t waste scarce food resources on NPCs early — you need them for yourself.
Q2: Do powered benches prevent enemy spawns?
Some players report that powered crafting benches can reduce or nullify spawn zones in local radius. Use this in base design.
Q3: How to manage massive inventory and storage?
Use labelling of crates and bins. Small or medium containers can show their name visually when you hover.
Q4: How can I extend electricity reach?
Use tech scraps to place cable nodes, relay stations, and extend wire lengths in your base. Many players learn this later but it’s powerful.
Q5: Is portal farming renewable?
Yes — portal worlds fully reset (including furniture) every few in-game days.
Q6: What’s the best way to get Refined Carbon reliably?
Use The Train portal world to farm Silver Scrap, then feed into the Refined Carbon Exchanger in Cascade’s Adjustment Wing.
