The Alters: Best Research Projects

Which technologies in The Alters are the most useful? In our guide, you will find a list of recommended technologies related to, for example, expanding your main base, inventory management, or a set of skills for Jan and his alters. You will also find out what to expect from various Research Projects.

• Projects from the Mission tab
• Recycler
• Hub Pylon
• Cheaper Climbing
• Storage
• Contemplation Room
• Base Expansion
• ALX-Organics Conversion
• Suit Upgrade
• Anomaly Shield
• Radiation Repulsor
• Magnetic Storm Analysis
• Hook Upgrade
• Free Climbing
• Energy Gates Inversion
• Automatic Outpost
• Efficient Food and Food Farm

Projects from the Mission tab

1. All mandatory projects related to the main plot are presented in the last tab of the Research window. In this walkthrough, we discuss them all together. You need to deal with them in order to advance in the main plot - thanks to them, you can unlock new tasks, new items to craft or new rooms to build in the base.

Recycler

1. This technology will allow you to build a Recycler module in the base.
2. The constructed Recycler (requires 30x Minerals) can produce limited amounts of Organics for free every day. The more alters you have in the base, the more of this resource can be produced.

Hub Pylon

1. This technology will unlock a new, improved version of pylons.
2. The described pylon is more expensive to erect ("consumes" several pylons), but it has a much larger range. As a result, you'll be able to place fewer pylons on the way, for example, from the extraction site to your base.
3. The Hub Pylon can be particularly useful in act 3, because the game may then force you to place pylons, for example, on top of a hill.

Cheaper Climbing

1. This project can reduce the cost of using a Climbing Hook.
2. After developing the technology, climbing on medium and high walls will cost 50% less (1 energy for medium, 3 for high). This can be useful in locations where Jan has to climb onto a higher shelf several times in a row.

Storage projects

1. Once you've made enough progress in the game, you can unlock medium and large storage projects.
2. Larger storages should gradually replace the small ones, which you start the game with. More information is on the page How to expand the storage?.

Contemplation Room

1. This is one of the more important rooms in the base to unlock through research. It can serve as a place to combat depression in alters.
2. Characters staying in the Contemplation Room may additionally be assisted by Jan Guard or Jan Shrink - unfortunately, these alters can be unlocked only in the later stages of the campaign.

Base Expansion

1. All Research from this group is crucial and it's recommended to take care of it right off the bat. After completing the research, you must additionally spend resources to expand the base.
2. A larger base entails more space for new rooms, which will help you handle rooms that take up a lot of space. In addition, the Organics Tank will expand too (Organics are stored differently compared to other resources). We described it on the FAQ page How to expand the base?.

ALX-Organics Conversion

1. This is a research project that you will unlock only after building the Luminator device. As a reminder, the ALX resource leaves destroyed anomalies behind.
2. Developing this technology will allow you to process ALX into more common Organics and the whole process can take place in the Refinery at your base.
3. In the later stages of the campaign, you will unlock other ALX processing technologies, i.e. those that will allow you to obtain metals or minerals.

Suit Upgrade

1. This technology improves Jan's suit. Each level can increase resistance to radiation, as well as increase the energy limit used for various activities (e.g. climbing).
2. Completing this research project will also unlock access to other research related to the main character's suit.
3. Later in the game, you can develop Suit Upgrade II, which will further improve radiation resistance and energy limit. Unfortunately, this technology requires as many as 2 planetary samples.

Anomaly Shield

1. This is a research project related to Anomalies found in the game world.
2. After completing the research, your protagonist will gain additional protection when in contact with an anomaly. Your suit will protect you from receiving radiation. The anomaly shield charge can be renewed the next day.
3. In the later stages of the campaign, you can unlock upgraded versions of this technology. Each subsequent project will increase the maximum number of shields by 1 before radiation starts to appear.

Radiation Repulsor

1. This project enhances the protection of your base against radiation.
2. After building the Repulsor (30x Metals, 40x Minerals and 30x Rapidium), the Radiation Filters are used up more slowly. Moreover, constructing a larger number of Repulsors can completely eliminate the need for using filters, so you will no longer be forced to produce them in the workshop.

Magnetic Storm Analysis

1. This project becomes available after experiencing the first magnetic storm, which will occur in Act 1.
2. As the name suggests, you will be able to predict the next storms, which will be crucial in terms of preparing the base and all characters. This will allow you to gather everyone in the base as well as produce more Radiation Filters.

Hook Upgrade

1. This is a very important project related to using climbing hooks on high walls, which you will start encountering from act 2. Then you will also gain access to this technology.
2. You must develop the project as soon as possible, because you will have to climb high walls in act 2 to reach, e.g. story-related places.

Free Climbing

1. This is the best technology related to the climbing hook.
2. The development of this project will result in medium and high walls no longer consuming the suit's energy. Climbing will become free and this will allow you to travel around the map much easier, and use the energy you have, for example, to destroy anomalies.

Energy Gates Inversion

1. The Energy Walls will start appearing in the second act and we have described their operation in more detail on the page How to avoid energy walls?.
2. Finishing this project will allow you to destroy the cores of Energy Walls by using the luminator. Performing such an action will change the operation of the gates and the suit's energy will be charged to 100%. This will allow you to perform energy-consuming actions more often by returning to the Energy Walls to quickly replenish it.

Automatic Outpost

1. This is the best Mining Outpost option, but unfortunately access to it is available starting with act 2.
2. After constructing this project, the extraction can take place automatically, i.e. without the need to assign Jan or anyone else. The Automatic Outpost's performance is equal to 7 hours of work. In the meantime, you can send alters to other tasks.

Efficient Food and Food Farm

1. These are two closely related technologies that can help you in producing food necessary to meet the needs of others.
2. Efficient food allows for faster production of raw food, and once built, the Food Farm can produce free raw food daily.

See also:

1. Game guide
2. How to avoid radiation?
3. How to restore the suit's energy?
4. How to avoid anomalies?

The Alters

June 13, 2025

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