As you encounter new problems in The Alters, you'll need to research new technologies to expand your base and harvest new resources on the planet's surface. Researching things takes up valuable time, however, and some research is locked behind Planetary Samples that can only be obtained in very limited quantities throughout each act of The Alters.
The best research in The Alters will be different for everyone since you can add new Alters to the crew in any order you like, but there are still quite a few essentials that shouldn't be ignored. Whether you want to increase your mining output, increase the speed of food production, or enhance your crew's radiation resistance, there are all sorts of research upgrades at your disposal in The Alters.
The Alters: Trophy/Achievement Guide
There are a total of fifty-six achievements or trophies in The Alters, and some of them are not easy to complete without a bit of help.
What to Research First in The Alters
Once you build the Research Lab, you can start researching new upgrades for your base, suit, and crew. This is ideally a job for the Scientist Alter, so make sure to unlock him at the Quantum Computer before you build the Research Lab. You should prioritize mission-based research so you can avoid the sun (and a game over), but other than that, you're free to choose anything from the research tree.
You should immediately research the Recycler from the base tab of the research menu when you get the chance. This is a very small room for your base that automatically generates Organics depending on how many crew members you have. After creating a few Alters, you'll have a steady supply of Organics that can be used for food or crafting. You should also get Magnetic Storm Analysis ASAP to protect your base from inclement weather.
With those out of the way, navigate to the economy tab of the research menu and start unlocking all of the efficiency upgrades. These will improve the output of your mining outposts, granting you more materials and saving you a ton of time in the long run. You can ignore the ALX-Organics Conversion upgrade at the start of Act 1, but you should definitely unlock it once you learn how to harvest ALX from anomalies.
Lastly, you should prioritize any research upgrades that connect to unlocks further down the tree. If you don't research things like Base Expansion 2, for example, you won't be able to access anything below that on the research page. These are usually unlocked by increasing your Qubit Level, and you should be researching things like Base Expansions anyway. Even if you don't think you'll need a certain research upgrade, you should set aside some time to unlock it if it connects to things further along the tree.
Best Planetary Sample Upgrades in The Alters
The best research upgrades in The Alters require Planetary Samples, which can only be obtained in very limited quantities throughout the game. You'll be able to find more as you progress through the main story, but deposits are gone for good once you've harvested them.
Because of their scarcity, you should choose carefully before spending Planetary Samples. One of the safest Planetary Sample upgrades is the Radiation Repulsor, which wards off radiation and increases the efficiency of Radiation Filters. With enough Radiation Repulsors, you won't ever need to change your Radiation Filters again. Large Storage is another good choice if you find yourself running out of space frequently, but Medium Storage is almost as good and doesn't require any Planetary Samples.
If you'd rather use Planetary Samples to increase productivity, then you can spend it to unlock advanced mining outposts for specific resource deposits. The Advanced Enriched Metals Outpost and Advanced Non-Metals Outpost are the best choices since they're harder to stock up on compared to basic metals. Plus, Enriched Metals can be refined into both Metals and Organics, so the Advanced Metals Outpost isn't as helpful in comparison.
The Alters
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- June 13, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
- Publisher(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Strategy, Management
