The Alters: How to unlock research and the research laboratory?

Conducting research will allow you to gain access to new technologies in The Alters. We've covered its requirements - building a research laboratory and adding Jan the Scientist to the main base. We've also explained how to conduct research and how to unlock higher-level research projects.

• How to construct a research laboratory?
• How to create Jan the Scientist?
• How and why should you research?
• How to unlock higher-level research?

How to construct a research laboratory?

1. The laboratory and research are not available initially. You unlock them during Act 1. The plan to build a laboratory will appear as part of the main task The Lava River.
2. Visit the command center at the base and open the list of rooms you can build. The research laboratory requires 4 free spaces (and a connection to a corridor, elevator or other room) and costs 40 metal.

How to create Jan the Scientist?

1. Unfortunately, the main character cannot use the laboratory for research. The next mandatory step will be to unlock Jan the Scientist, one of the available Alters.
2. You need to visit the quantum computer at the base, find a scientist, and spend 20 rapidium to create him. After that, you have to wait a few hours and visit the Womb Module at the base.

How and why should you research?

1. You can set up research projects with the left terminal in the laboratory. You can queue up to two projects at once.
2. Additionally, assign Jan the Scientist to work at the laboratory in the Assigned Tasks tab(as shown in the picture). He will focus on the assignment during the day. The game shows a notification whenever the scientist completes a research.

1. The most important Research can be found in the last tab. Those projects are related to the main story. That includes avoiding the lava river in Act 1.
2. Technology from other tabs unlocks new rooms or base functions. They also improve certain actions, such as reducing the energy consumption of the suit or speeding up resource extraction.

How to unlock higher-level research?

1. Initially, only level one research projects are available. You won't be able to access the entire tech tree at first.
2. The availability of research projects is limited by the current qubit level, found in the top left corner of the screen. We've described how to increase it on a separate FAQ page How to increase Qubit Level?. After each level up, look through the new research projects. There may be some useful technologies among them.

See also:

1. Game guide
2. Interactive map
3. The best Alters

The Alters

June 13, 2025

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