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As soon as the Technician grabs the guitar at the end of Act 1 in The Alters, you know things are about to take a turn for the worse. The unexpected emergence of a brain condition among the Alters means they have only days left to live unless a cure is found.
With limited time and resources, you have two paths: trust Maxwell’s unsettling method involving living brain tissue or risk involving Lena. Your choices here will significantly affect the remainder of the game, so consider carefully.Be warned, this guide contains spoilers.
Maxwell’s Cure
Maxwell suggests a default cure that involves researching QC Hacking to reprogram the Quantum Computer, creating a Tabula Rasa—an Alter devoid of memories and awareness—to harvest healthy brain tissue for the other Alters. No matter which route you take, you must create the Tabula Rasa to keep the story progressing.
Once the Tabula Rasa is extracted from the Womb Module, you have three days to decide; if you don’t consult Lena or craft enough Brain Implants for each Alter in the base by then, you will have to default to Maxwell’s cure.
While Maxwell’s method does kill the Tabula Rasa, it provides a permanent fix for the Alter’s condition and prevents it from appearing in any future Alters you create. If you kept Lena in the dark, Maxwell will take charge and supervise your extraction in Act 3.
Lena’s Cure
After Maxwell introduces his cure, you can take on the Second Opinion side quest by calling Lena to disclose the truth about the Alters and request her assistance. She will follow up the next day with designs for neural implants that can be crafted in the Workshop. If you have enough to equip each existing Alter within three days after creating the Tabula Rasa, you can opt for Lena’s treatment.
There are two main outcomes from this choice:
- Involving Lena will leak the situation to the leadership of Ally Corporation, leading to the firing of Maxwell and Lucas in Act 3. From then on, you’ll have to face the Corporation’s COO, Agatha, even if you don’t ultimately use the implants.
- If you decide to use the implants, you must craft a new one for each subsequent Alter you create. The implant becomes an added cost for creating an Alter in the Quantum Computer, alongside the usual 20 Rapidium.
Additionally, these implants allow Ally Corporation to track the Alters when they return to Earth, a prospect that many Alters despise. However, in Act 3, Lena will find a way to disable the trackers, which can persuade the rebels, including the Technician, to return.
Major Consequences
Not all Alters will be on board with your choice; many have strong opinions about which treatment to prefer, and those opposing your chosen cure will become permanently alienated. Their mood will drop to the lowest level, making them work fewer hours and refusing to converse with you, regardless of gifts or quests you might offer.
Moreover, any Alter that disagrees with your decision will exit the base at the conclusion of Act 2; they cannot be replaced by new Alters unless there are available slots in the Quantum Computer, so consider the team’s leanings before making a choice to avoid a manpower shortage.
Creating an Alter who opposes your decision later on will still lead to them disliking you, preventing you from accessing their storyline during that playthrough.
Which Alters Favor Each Cure?
The Technician will always disagree with your decision, while the Scientist and the Guard will support your choice. Since Maxwell’s cure necessitates killing Tabula Rasa, he can only join your team if you opt for the neural implants.
The other Alters have their preferences as follows:
|
Maxwell’s Cure Is Supported By… |
Lena’s Cure Is Supported By… |
|---|---|
If you already know which cure to go with, consider forming your crew from those who will agree with you. Lena’s cure tends to be more manageable, but it excludes the Miner and Worker, both of whom have excellent skills.
The Shrink only becomes available after creating the Doctor, and since they’re on opposing sides of the issue, one will always rebel if you recruit both.
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