Abiotic Factor: Tips for Beginners

Starting your career as a facility employee in Abiotic Factor can feel overwhelming, but with the right knowledge, you'll transform from confused newcomer to confident survivor. This guide reveals the essential strategies, hidden secrets, and optimization techniques that will give you a massive advantage during your first days on the job.

Start with the Right Job

Your career choice impacts more than just starting stats; it determines your trait points, which are far more valuable than any statistical bonus. You can only select traits during character creation, making this decision both permanent and crucial.

Best Job Choices:

• Lab Assistant - Provides abundant trait points for maximum customization
• Summer Intern - Another excellent option with generous trait allocation

Choosing the Right Job

Choosing the Right Traits

Must-Have Positive Traits:

• Fanny Pack - Dramatically improves inventory management
• Wrinkly Brain Meat - Provides significant quality-of-life enhancements

Choosing Traits

Traits to Avoid:

• Fear of Violence - Severely limits combat effectiveness
• Slow Learner - Permanently reduces skill progression speed

Upgrade Your Inventory Early

Increasing your carrying capacity should be your first priority after completing the introduction. While you can craft a small makeshift backpack or find standard office backpacks, there's a superior option waiting to be discovered.

Security Pack

Navigate to the lobby and take the stairs up to the data forms area. On the far side of this room, you'll spot a small closed office. Behind it lies a catwalk leading to a hidden chamber containing the security pack - this backpack holds more items than both standard options combined.

Secret Early Game Area

Here's another game-changing secret most players miss: Instead of taking the right vent toward your first enemy encounter, head straight forward. During daylight hours, a deadly fan blocks this path. However, when the facility powers down at night, the fan stops spinning, granting access to a secret room containing an anvil for crafting repair stations.

Secret Area

Defeating Security Bots Safely

Security bots represent your first major challenge. These nocturnal predators are among the deadliest early-game enemies. You'll need to eliminate at least three to collect their CPUs for crafting the hacking patch, so avoidance isn't an option.

Security Bots

This remarkably effective technique can be executed within your first five minutes in the facility:

Required Materials:

• 1 Energy Brick
• 1 Pipe
• 1 Scrap Metal
• 1 Can of Oil (found in break room)

Start by crafting the Choppinator using the required materials. Once it's ready, find a security bot charging station; one can be found in the lobby. During daylight hours, place the Choppinator close to the station. Use tech scrap to run a wire from a nearby outlet to power the device.

When everything is connected, attack the charging station to trigger the security bot. As it activates, move behind the Choppinator and let it take on the fight. After each battle, use your hammer to repair the Choppinator. Repeat this process until you’ve collected all the CPUs you need.

Security Bot CPU ...

Maximizing Crafting Bench Benefits

The crafting bench offers far more value than simple item creation. Understanding its full potential will revolutionize your base-building approach.

Crafting Bench

The most valuable enhancement is the item transporter, which allows all nearby stations to automatically pull required materials from storage. This eliminates tedious inventory management and streamlines your entire workflow.

Requirements: 2 Exor Hearts

How to Obtain Exor Hearts:

• Primary source: Eliminate monks in the Far Garden portal area
• Harvest with sharp weapons (beware of cliff teleportation)
• Alternative: Rarely obtained by butchering portal fish after completing Far Garden

Monks in the Far Garden Portal Area

Quick Ways to Level Skills

Certain skills require significant time investment, but these optimization techniques will accelerate your progression dramatically:

• Crafting Skill: Create water bottles using one plastic and one salvaged material. The plastic returns to your inventory, enabling infinite crafting loops.
• Sneaking Skill: Return to your first carbon encounter, crouch nearby, and go AFK. You'll continuously gain sneaking experience until hunger or sleep deprivation becomes fatal.
• Fortitude Skill: Craft a shield, then walk into a Choppinator while blocking. Repair your shield whenever stamina depletes to continue the process.
• Reloading Skill: Hold the reload button until your weapon unloads completely, then reload. This process can be repeated indefinitely.
• Strength Skill:  Carry heavy objects until your weight indicator reaches yellow or red zones. Once you reach level 5, dramatically accelerate progression by repeatedly shaking multiple vending machines.

First Steps in the Game

Before exploring the deeper parts of the facility, make sure you’ve completed a few essential steps to ensure your survival and progression.

Start by selecting an optimal job and the most beneficial traits during character creation. This foundation will greatly impact your long-term effectiveness. Next, locate the secret room to acquire the security pack, which offers superior inventory capacity compared to early alternatives.

Craft and deploy the Choppinator to help you handle early threats, particularly security bots. Defeating these bots is necessary to collect their CPUs, which are required for crafting the hacking patch. You should also establish a powered crafting bench to begin building more advanced tools and items.

Be sure to locate the early anvil, as it will allow you to craft and maintain repair stations. Finally, identify a merchant NPC early on to open opportunities for trading and acquiring valuable resources. Completing these steps will prepare you for the challenges that lie ahead.

Your journey through the facility will be challenging, but armed with these strategies, you'll navigate dangers with confidence and efficiency. Remember that exploration and experimentation are key - the facility rewards curious employees who dare to investigate every suspicious corner and unusual mechanism.