In this guide, we’ll tell you how to get more Alters in The Alters, how Alters work, and which special abilities each Alter can bring to the table.
How Alters Work
Alters are effectively clones created by using the Quantum Computer in The Alters; each Alter simulates how you might have lived a different life in the past. Although each Alter is based on your character Jan, the life choices they’ve made and the events they have experienced influenced their careers and their personalities.
Once created, Alters can be assigned to work various jobs around the Base. An Alter could be assigned to craft Repair Kits while you explore, and another Alter could operate a Mining Outpost elsewhere on the map.
Take note: each Alter has its own storyline that you may want to work your way through. These unique stories can affect how Alters perform at their jobs and they may make it difficult for you to use them to their full potential until you resolve them.
How Many Alters Can You Have?
The number of maximum Alters you can have in The Alters is determined by the Qubit Level of your Quantum Computer. You can increase the Qubit Level by finding Damaged Chips, using them to craft Qubit Chips, and installing them in the Quantum Computer.
Here’s how many Alters you can have in total:
- Qubit Level 1: 3 Alters
- Qubit Level 2: 4 Alters
- Qubit Level 3: 5 Alters
- Qubit Level 4: 6 Alters
Note that Jan Technician and Jan Scientist are mandatory Alters; Jan Technician is created to help get the Base moving during the Prologue, and Jan Scientist is needed to research new technologies to progress to the next Act.
In short, you can have a maximum of 6 Alters in total, but you can only realistically choose 4 of them since 2 of the Alter slots are filled with mandatory Alters.
How to Get More Alters in The Alters
In the beginning, you can get more Alters by creating them via the Quantum Computer. However, you’ll need to upgrade your Qubit Level by finding Damaged Chips and crafting Qubit Chips to upgrade your Quantum Computer and unlock more slots for Alters.
As previously stated, the Technician and Scientist are mandatory; this means that you’ll only have access to one more Alter slot at the beginning. I strongly recommend taking on the Botanist as the extra food production in the Greenhouse will be tremendously helpful.
Going forward, you should think about what you need the most before you create any new Alters. Once you’ve made a decision, you should aim to create more Alters as fast as possible. While you’ll have to feed them and help them with their problems, the additional manpower will make your journey much easier.
List of Alters
Here are all of the Alters you can unlock and what they can do.
Jan Botanist
- Special Ability: +100% Efficiency when growing crops in the Greenhouse
- Prerequisite: Jan Technician
- Required Qubit Level: 1
Jan Botanist is all but essential for growing food in a reasonable timeframe if you want to feed your Alters something other than Mush. Without him, you would need someone working at the Greenhouse full-time and/or a lot of Organics production.
It should be noted that Jan Botanist is essential to some of the game’s Endings. Taking him on board will expose you to some interesting storylines (and potentially, some trouble).
Jan Doctor
- Special Ability: Heals Alters 8x faster at the Infirmary, cooks food faster
- Prerequisite: Jan Technician
- Required Qubit Level: 3
Jan Doctor’s faster healing abilities are the difference between a mistake wrecking your chances and a mistake costing you a single day of production. Alters heal much faster when he is around to run the Infirmary.
His healing abilities aren’t quite as useful when no one is injured. Fortunately, he is also an excellent cook and does a great job working as an impromptu chef when no one is injured.
Jan Guard
- Special Ability: Disciplines Alters in the Contemplation Room
- Prerequisite: Jan Technician
- Required Qubit Level: 3
Jan Guard is one of two choices for helping to keep your Alters in line; the other option is Jan Shrink. Jan Guard will monitor any upset or unruly Alters in the Contemplation Room, helping them return to a more stable emotional equilibrium.
Jan Miner
- Special Ability: +50% Efficiency when mining metals
- Prerequisite: Jan Technician
- Required Qubit Level: 1
Jan Miner is an absolute beast when it comes to mining Metals. If you’re hungry for raw resources, he’s an excellent pick.
Like some of the Alters, Jan Miner has trouble adjusting to his new situation. These problems will manifest as him working longer shifts — a boon in the short term, but a serious problem when he starts coming home irradiated. Invest the time in him, though, and he’ll become a valuable ally.
Jan Refiner
- Special Ability: +50% Efficiency when refining Enriched Metals into Metals and Organics
- Prerequisite: Jan Technician
- Required Qubit Level: 1
As his name implies, Jan Refiner is an expert at refining materials. Unfortunately, it’s rare that you will have enough Enriched Metals or ALX to ensure that he is refining materials enough of the time to justify his existence.
Putting Jan Miner (or another Alter) on an Enriched Metals vein, working in tandem with Jan Refiner, can produce a heft amount of both Metals and Organics.
Jan Scientist
- Special Ability: Can research new technologies
- Prerequisite: Jan Technician
- Required Qubit Level: 1
Jan Scientist is absolutely essential to your mission — he is the only Alter who can research new technology. Not even the player character is able to do that! For that reason, he is one of two Alters that are all but mandatory for progressing the story.
There is enough research to do that you should be able to keep Jan Scientist busy in the Research Lab most of the time.
Jan Shrink
- Special Ability: Comforts Alters in the Contemplation Room
- Prerequisite: Jan Technician, Jan Doctor
- Required Qubit Level: 3
Jan Shrink is one of two Alters who can help with the psychological state of your crew, the other being the Guard. Whereas the Guard is more of a stick, Jan Shrink is all about being the carrot.
Occasional visits to Jan Shrink in the Contemplation Room can help your Alters deal with bad moods quicker than most other options for restoring their good moods.
Jan Technician
- Special Ability: +50% Efficiency when doing Base Maintenance
- Prerequisite: Jan Technician
- Required Qubit Level: 1
Jan Technician is the first Alter that you create in the Prologue and is one of two Alters that is absolutely mandatory for progressing the storyline. He excels at maintaining the base whenever it breaks down; outside of that situation, he is only useful as general, non-specialized labor.
The first Alter you wake up also happens to be one of the most contentious; Jan Technician is ornery and not all that happy about the situation you put him in. Still, he’s willing to help you escape the planet.
Jan Worker
- Special Ability: +50 efficiency when crafting items in the Workshop
- Prerequisite: Jan Technician, Jan Refiner
- Required Qubit Level: 2
Jan Worker is a crafting maniac — he excels at cranking out useful devices in the Workshop. The Workshop is where a lot of essential equipment for exploration and maintaining the Base is made, so you’ll never be short of supplies as long as you have the resources to fuel your crafting.
Tabula Rasa
- Special Ability: N/A
- Prerequisite: Jan Technician
- Required Qubit Level: 1
The Tabula Rasa is a special Alter that is used to help cure the other Alters from an affliction in Act 2. While he is technically an Alter, he does not join the crew in any tangible way.
That’s the end of our guide on how to get more Alters in The Alters. Check out our other guides for The Alters below!
