The best Alters in The Alters are the Jan Dolskis who unlock new items or yield plenty of resources, preferably without instigating a rebellion. Do not underestimate that last part, as some members of the clone crew stir the pot way more than others.
Starting with our good friend and guinea pig, Jan Technician, here’s the best order to unlock your Alters, plus some details about the process of awakening new versions of Jan Dolski in the first place.
How to get new Alters in The Alters
You’ll unlock the first Alter in The Alters during the prologue. After completing the first few tasks — such as finding Rapidium, building a module called “The Womb,” and cloning a sheep — you’ll be asked to clone yourself, Jan Dolski, using branching life paths on the Quantum Computer.
As every version of Jan Dolski made a difference choice in life, they have similarly turned into different versions of Jan Dolski, with varying skills and life experiences. Although the only “Jan” you can pick as your first Alter is Jan Technician, later on, you’ll be able to add five more Alters of Jan Dolski.
In other words, you get to choose six Alters in total. And since there are nine Alters to choose from, you can’t awaken all of them in a single playthrough. Once you’ve awakened an Alter, the choice is final, unless you go back to a previous save file.
To awaken new Alters, choose the Alter you want by selecting their life path on the Quantum Computer (Scientist, Botanist, etc.), and wait for the in-game seven-hour timer to finish the creation process. Once that’s complete, you can awaken your new Alter in The Womb.
Adding Alters requires Rapidium as well as Quantum Computer upgrades. To increase the computer level, you must find Damaged Chips on the map and turn them into Qubit Chips at the Workshop, then add this new chip to the Quantum Computer. Your fourth, fifth, and sixth Alter will require such an upgrade.
This limit on Jan Dolskis means it’s important to think carefully about which Alters you’d like to awaken, and in what order. The sooner an Alter joins the crew, the more useful they are — but they aren’t just useful. Alters struggle with personal issues, too, and some are more rebellious than others. Our recommended order of awakening the Alters is based on their personal skills, your early-game priorities, and the risk they bring aboard.
Here’s the best order to unlock Alters in The Alters.
Technician
- +50% efficiency when doing base maintenance.
Granted, you don’t have much choice here, as the first Alter is always the Technician. After he saves you from impending doom during the prologue, the Technician may not seem particularly useful, but just wait until some of your base appliances break… That’s when the Technician proves his worth.
As the only Alter capable of fixing things quickly, the Technician is incredibly helpful during emergencies. Whenever your base isn’t falling apart, you can send your handyman to the mines or put him on kitchen duty. He’s no bad chap either — if you look past his initial complaints.
Scientist
- Can research new technologies.
This learned fellow is the most important member of the clone crew. As the only Jan capable of conducting research at the Research Lab, you simply can’t unlock new crafting recipes and other upgrades without him. Jan Scientist is the MVP of The Alters, and annoyingly enough, he knows it.
Beware that the Scientist isn’t very useful without a Research Lab, but since you can build a lab at the start of Act 1 (it only costs 40 Metals), that shouldn’t be a problem. The sooner you awaken the Scientist, the more things he can research, and the better equipped your base will be.
If you already got another Jan as your second Alter, don’t panic, but make sure the Scientist takes the third spot if you don’t want to get stuck.
Botanist
- +100% efficiency when growing crops in the greenhouse
Jan Technician has been saying this since his arrival, but that ‘mush’ you’re serving is disgusting. Apart from the makeshift pierogi shenanigans, the only way to get better food in The Alters is to build a Greenhouse, and the only Alter capable of growing a decent amount of crops is the Botanist.
Do not underestimate the Botanist’s power; serving better food is a great way to boost morale, and it will help you manage the crew later in the game. Furthermore, the Botanist is cheerful, which is a rarity among Alters, and he’s got a certain insider’s connection with the company — I won’t say more, but trust me, you want this guy on your team.
Refiner
- +50% efficiency when refining enriched metals into metals and organics.
Blessed with a rather specific talent, the Refiner proves a true resource-booster if you choose to mine Enriched Metals. Rather than just Metals or Organics, an Enriched Metal deposit gives you both, so it’ll take less time and resources to set up. While you don’t have to rely on Enriched Metals, it’s an effective way to yield extra resources in early game. Also, the Refiner opens the path to the Worker, who makes a great sixth crew member.
Although it may seem logical to get a Miner before a Refiner, there are reasons to prioritize the Refiner. Firstly, you don’t have a great many tasks at the start of Act 1, so you and the Technician should be able to tackle (most of) the mining. Yes, you’ll have to mine enriched metals, which causes radiation buildup, but if you regularly swap places, allowing some healing time, this won’t be a problem. Secondly, the Miner isn’t the happiest member of your clone crew, whereas the Refiner is a fairly pleasant fellow, which makes him better for morale.
Miner
- +50% efficiency when mining metals.
Since extra mining efficiency is such a straightforward and logical ability to pick, you may be tempted to get the Miner as your first Alter. Don’t do it. Yes, the Miner is useful, but he’s also deeply troubled, and he will start drama among the crew. Get the Botanist to stabilize the situation first, use the Refiner to get your first Metals and Organics from a single Outpost, and only then add the problem Jan to boost your resource intake.
If you get the Miner early, you may be forced to get a Guard or Doctor and Shrink combo too, which wouldn’t give you the most efficient group of Alters. You may also skip the Miner if you don’t want to deal with his problems (and get the Worker as your fifth crew member), but whether that’s possible depends on your resource management.
The final Alter: Dealer’s choice!
As for the sixth and final Alter, choose one who fits your current situation. The Worker is usually the best choice as you’ll have more and more crafting to do in mid- to late-game, and he can speed up the process. That said, if your crew suffers from injuries, especially if you’ve decided to keep the Miner, the Doctor may be a better option. If you’re dealing with rebellious crew members, either the Guard or the Shrink may help you out, but you typically don’t need both.
If you manage to avoid most health issues, get the Botanist, provide good food, hand out some thoughtful gifts, and choose the right dialogue options when speaking with Alters, you may complete your playthrough without ever needing the Doctor, Guard, and Shrink.
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