A New Player's Guide to Abiotic Factor: Surviving (& Thriving) in the GATE Facility
Hey there, future GATE facility survivor! So you've found yourself in a bit of a pickle. One minute you're clocking in for another day of cutting-edge science, the next you're dodging teleporting aliens & fighting off military goons with a desk leg. Welcome to Abiotic Factor! It's a wild ride, but honestly, it's one of the most rewarding survival crafting games I've sunk my teeth into in a long, long time.
Getting started can be a little overwhelming, so I've put together this guide to help you get your bearings. We'll go over everything from creating your scientist to building your first real base & not getting immediately stomped by the local wildlife. Think of me as your slightly-more-experienced lab partner who’s already made all the dumb mistakes so you don't have to.
Part 1: Creating Your Scientist - More Than Just a Pretty Face
First things first, you gotta make your character. Before you even jump into a game, you can hit the "Customization" button to tweak your appearance. Don't sweat this part too much, though. You can change your looks anytime from the main menu, & you'll likely be covered head-to-toe in makeshift armor before you know it.
The REAL important stuff happens when you start a new game: choosing your Job & Traits. This is permanent, so let's break it down.
Picking a Job: It's All About the Points
Your Job is basically your starting class. It gives you some skill bonuses & a certain number of points to spend on Traits. Now, here’s the thing a lot of new players miss: the starting skill bonuses are nice, but the Trait points are WAY more valuable. You can level up skills in the game, but you can't get more Traits.
Because of this, the Lab Assistant & Summer Intern are often considered the best starting jobs for new players. They give you the most trait points to play with, allowing you to create a much more customized & powerful build right from the start.
On the flip side, I'd strongly recommend avoiding the Defense Analyst. It gives you very few trait points & saddles you with the "Slow Learner" trait, which is a HUGE handicap.
Traits: The Real Brains of the Operation
Traits are where you can really define your playstyle. They can be positive (costing points) or negative (giving you points back to spend). Here are some of the must-haves & ones to definitely avoid:
Top-Tier Positive Traits:
- Fanny Pack: Seriously, take this. More inventory space is ALWAYS a good thing, especially early on when you feel like you're carrying a lunchbox. It's a massive quality-of-life improvement.
- Wrinkly Brain Meat: Another fantastic choice for making your life easier. It provides several small buffs that really add up.
- Gardener: If you want to get into farming early, this lets you grow plants with clean water. Just, uh, ask your friends before you use up all their drinking water for your tomatoes.
Traits to Avoid Like the Plague:
- Fear of Violence: This caps all your combat skills at level 5. It might seem like an easy way to get 4 extra points, but trust me, it's NOT worth it. Combat gets tough, & you'll need those higher-level skills.
- Slow Learner: As mentioned, this permanently nerfs your skill progression. Just don't do it.
Feel free to experiment with other traits to see what fits your style, but building around a solid foundation of Trait points is the key to a strong start.
Part 2: Your First Days - From Fleeing to Finding Your Feet
Alright, you’ve created your scientist & you’re loose in the facility. Now what? Your first few hours are critical. The goal is to get a basic setup running so you can stop living out of your pockets.
The Holy Trinity: Food, Water, & a Place to Sleep
Your immediate needs are simple: don't starve, don't die of thirst, & have a safe place to respawn.
- Food & Water: Initially, you'll be scrounging from vending machines & looking for packaged food. One of the first things you should craft is a water bottle, which you can refill. As for food, you'll soon be hunting the little alien "pests" & "peccaries." Cook their meat on a stove or portable hob. Pro-tip: grab a couple of pans when you see them so you can cook multiple pieces of meat at once.
- A Bed is a Checkpoint: The first time you die (and you WILL die), you'll realize how annoying it is to run back from the very beginning. As soon as you can, unlock & craft a bed. This acts as your spawn point. The penalty for dying isn't too bad on default settings – you drop your backpack contents but keep your equipped gear & hotbar items, though they lose 10% durability.
Your First "Base": The Office Sector Starter Home
The Office Sector, specifically Levels 1 & 2, is the perfect place to set up your first base. It's relatively safe & a lot of later pathways lead back here, making it a great central hub.
Find a cozy spot, preferably near a power outlet, & plop down your essentials:
- Crafting Bench: This is your bread & butter. You'll need to power it using a nearby wall socket. A powered crafting bench creates a small "safe zone" where enemies won't respawn.
- Bed/Couch: Your respawn point. Couches work just as well as beds for this.
- Storage Crates: You'll quickly accumulate more junk than you can carry. Get some storage going ASAP.
- A Heat Source: A simple heater will do.
You don't need to build a palace right away. Just a small, functional area where you can craft, cook, store loot, & sleep safely. You can use nearby furniture like desks & filing cabinets to create some simple barricades for peace of mind.
As you explore further, it's a GREAT idea to create mini-checkpoints in new areas. Just a bed & a crafting bench can save you a massive headache if you die deep in the facility.
Part 3: The Art of the Craft - Turning Junk into Lifesavers
Crafting is the core of Abiotic Factor. You'll be turning random office supplies, scrap metal, & alien bits into everything from weapons & armor to complex defensive systems.
How to Unlock Recipes
You don't start knowing how to make everything. You'll unlock new crafting recipes in a few ways:
- Picking up all the ingredients for a recipe.
- Finding an item that you can craft.
- Being told a recipe by an NPC.
- Leveling up your skills, especially Crafting & Cooking.
The best way to learn is to just grab EVERYTHING. See a roll of duct tape? Grab it. A discarded computer? Smash it for its components. That random plastic scrap might be the last piece you need to unlock a recipe for a better backpack.
Essential Early Game Crafting
Here's what you should focus on making as soon as possible:
- Makeshift Screwdriver: You need this. It lets you disassemble furniture & other objects so you can move them or harvest their parts. ALWAYS carry one.
- Nets: These are AMAZING. They can trap the small, annoying pests & even the bigger dog-like creatures, holding them in place for a few free hits. Craft a bunch & keep them on your hotbar.
- Makeshift Crossbow: This is a fantastic early-game weapon. It lets you attack from a distance & helps you level up multiple skills like Accuracy & Reloading.
- Bigger Backpacks: As soon as you unlock a better backpack recipe, make it your top priority. More inventory space is the best upgrade you can get.
As your business of survival grows, managing all the incoming requests for "help, a monster is eating my face!" can get overwhelming. That's where a tool like Arsturn comes in handy. While you can't build an AI chatbot in the GATE facility, in the real world, Arsturn helps businesses create custom AI chatbots trained on their own data. These bots can provide instant customer support, answer questions, & engage with website visitors 24/7, freeing you up to focus on the bigger picture—like not being disemboweled.
Part 4: Building a Real Base - Your Fortress of Solitude (& Science)
Once you've stabilized & explored a bit, you'll want to move beyond your little corner of the office. Building a proper, defensible base is one of the most satisfying parts of the game.
Location, Location, Location
Choosing the right spot for your main base is a big decision. You're looking for a balance of:
- Power Access: You need wall sockets to power your crafting stations & traps.
- Defensibility: A location with limited entry points is ideal.
- Resource Proximity: Being close to important resources or a portal world can save you a ton of travel time.
- Transportation: Setting up near a tram station is a game-changer for moving large amounts of stuff around the facility.
Good mid-game locations include the security office near the cafeteria or even the gym. I've seen some incredible bases built in the main office lobby, utilizing both floors for a massive, multi-level headquarters.
Advanced Base Building & Organization
As your base grows, think about efficiency.
- Smart Storage: Don't just dump everything in a pile of crates. Organize your materials. Keep crafting components near your benches, food supplies near your kitchen setup, & medical items in their own designated spot. A great tip is to use shelves to stack storage crates vertically, saving floor space.
- Kill Zones & Defenses: At certain points, a portal will rip open near your base & spew out enemies. You need to be ready. This is where traps come in. Create "kill zones" in the pathways leading to your base. A combination of Chopinators, Tesla Coils, & Grinder Turrets can make short work of most raids. You can even wire them to levers to turn them on & off.
- Workshop Efficiency: Place a toolbox with a hammer & some tech scrap right next to your defenses for quick repairs. Keep a roll of duct tape handy near your repair bench for "cheating" repairs without using tons of resources.
- Farming & Sustenance: Set up a dedicated area for your garden plots & a water source. Having a consistent supply of food & water from your own base is a huge relief.
Building a great base is a creative process. Don't be afraid to experiment with different layouts & designs. The goal is to create a space that’s not just safe, but also a convenient hub for all your scientific & survival endeavors.
Part 5: Combat & Enemies - How to Not Be a Meal
You're a scientist, not a soldier, but you'll have to fight to survive. Combat in Abiotic Factor can be clunky but it’s very tactical.
Know Your Enemy
The facility is crawling with three main types of foes: Creatures, Robots, & Humans. Each has different behaviors & weaknesses.
- Creatures: These range from small, skittering Pests to large, lumbering Peccaries & teleporting Exor Monks.
- Peccaries (the pig-like things) are weak to blunt weapons. A good table leg to the head works wonders.
- Exor Monks shoot lightning but can be interrupted with a headshot. Strafe side-to-side to dodge their attacks & get in close.
- Robots: These are tough, especially early on. The Security Robots that come out at night are a real menace.
- Traps are your best friend here. A Chopinator can kill a security bot on its own during the day if you lure it into the blades. You can even hide behind the trap & repair it with a hammer while it takes damage.
- Humans: The military "Order" soldiers are dangerous. They use guns & work together.
- Headshots are KEY. Whether you're using a spear or a pistol, always aim for the head. It does significantly more damage.
- Stealth is a viable strategy. Sneaking up on an enemy for a powerful opening attack can even the odds.
Combat Tips & Tricks
- Master the Net: I said it before & I'll say it again: nets are overpowered early on. A netted enemy is a helpless enemy.
- Blunt vs. Sharp: Pay attention to what works. Blunt weapons are great against armored or tough-skinned enemies like Peccaries & Robots. Sharp weapons are good for fleshy targets & for butchering corpses for food.
- Shields are Your Friend: Craft a shield! It can block most melee attacks & even some projectiles, giving you a chance to breathe & reposition. The Charge Shield can even stun attackers if it has power.
- Cook for Buffs: Don't neglect your cooking skill! Making soups can provide powerful buffs like increased stamina, faster crafting XP, or even radiation resistance. Bland Pea Soup & Pest Goulash are two easy early-game recipes. Just... make sure your base has a toilet nearby. Those soups can go right through you.
If your business is struggling to handle a constant barrage of customer inquiries, it can feel like facing a horde of angry Peccaries. This is another situation where a service like Arsturn shines. By helping businesses build no-code AI chatbots trained on their own data, Arsturn can automate responses to common questions, generate leads, & provide personalized customer experiences. It's like having a team of friendly, knowledgeable scientists managing your website engagement, letting you focus on strategic growth.
Part 6: Leveling Up & Getting Stronger
As you perform actions in the game, you'll gain experience in various skills. Leveling these up unlocks powerful perks that can dramatically change how you play.
- Crafting: Leveling this up makes you craft faster & unlocks workbench upgrades. The best way to power-level it? Craft stacks of items with cheap, reusable resources, like water bottles from plastic scrap.
- Combat Skills (Blunt, Sharp, Accuracy, etc.): The best way to level these is to use them. Bash things with a pipe, shoot your crossbow at Exor Monks for target practice, & you'll see them climb.
- Fortitude: This increases your health. You gain XP by... well, by taking damage. A slightly cheesy way to level it is to craft a shield & let a weak trap (like your own Choppinator) hit you while you block, repairing your shield as needed.
- Sneaking: Find a non-hostile creature, crouch near it, & just go AFK for a bit. You'll gain sneak XP over time.
Don't be afraid to specialize! If you're playing with friends, having one person focus on cooking & crafting while another becomes a combat expert can be a very effective strategy.
Tying It All Together
Phew, that was a lot of information! The learning curve in Abiotic Factor is steep, but it's incredibly rewarding. The key is to be patient, be observant, & never stop experimenting. Your first base will probably be a mess, you'll die in silly ways, & you'll definitely get lost. But then you'll craft your first real weapon, build a base that survives a raid, & successfully explore a whole new sector of the facility, & it'll all click.
The game is all about turning a catastrophic failure into a success story, one piece of scavenged junk at a time. It’s about problem-solving, creativity, & working together (or solo) to overcome some pretty insane odds.
Hope this was helpful for getting you started on your journey. Now get in there, doctor. The facility isn't going to explore itself. Let me know what you think, or if you have any other new player tips to share