Abiotic Factor is a survival crafting game set in the GATE Cascade Research Facility, a large underground complex built into a former lithium mine in the Western Australian outback. The facility is divided into named sectors, each with its own job. Knowing what each sector does and how they connect makes the early game much easier to plan.
Story Route
Main Story Route
Office Sector
The facility's administration center combines offices, repurposed silos, and research spaces.
- Story Order
- 1
- Route Access
- First facility sector in the main story route.
- Key Progression
- Install a Power Cell in the forklift to open the route into Manufacturing West.
- Map Floors
- 3
Manufacturing West
An industrial area built around shipping, the garage, the old mines, and equipment fabrication.
- Story Order
- 2
- Route Access
- Reach from Office Sector using the forklift route.
- Key Progression
- Overload the Synchrotron to open the route into Cascade Laboratories.
- Map Floors
- 1
Cascade Laboratories
The research complex is divided among containment, advanced study, and field research areas.
- Story Order
- 3
- Route Access
- Reach from Manufacturing West through the Synchrotron route.
- Key Progression
- Reset Labs security and clear the Vacuum Chamber blockage with Antethermite to reach Security Sector.
- Map Floors
- 3
Security Sector
A defense area of the facility linked to Cascade Laboratories and Hydroplant.
- Story Order
- 4
- Route Access
- Reach from Cascade Laboratories through the Vacuum Chamber route.
- Key Progression
- Advance the Security Sector escape objectives and complete the Canaan gate steps to open the Hydroplant route.
- Map Floors
- 1
Hydroplant
The facility's water and power systems meet around reservoirs, an electrical station, and a transmission tower.
- Story Order
- 5
- Route Access
- Reach from Security Sector after its escape route opens.
- Key Progression
- Complete the four Hydroplant system objectives, then open the spillway toward the Reactors.
- Map Floors
- 3
The Reactors
A deep facility complex centered on four primary reactors and a reactor tram network.
- Story Order
- 6
- Route Access
- Reach from Hydroplant through Power Services.
- Key Progression
- Activate Dusk, Cloud, Mist, and Gale before powering the Fusion Generator.
- Map Floors
- 2
Residence Sector
A staff residential area with shared housing, recreation spaces, and a shopping district.
- Story Order
- 7
- Route Access
- Reached after The Reactors on the late-story route.
- Key Progression
- -
- Map Floors
- 1
What Are the Sectors in Abiotic Factor?
Sectors are the large, named areas that make up the GATE Cascade Research Facility, and each one has a purpose. Some are for work and research, like the Office Sector, Manufacturing West and Cascade Laboratories. Others keep the place running, like the Hydroplant and the Reactors, which power the complex. Residence Sector gives staff somewhere to sleep and relax, with dormitories and recreation areas.
Sectors are not the same as portal worlds. Portal worlds, called Anteverses, are separate realms you reach through rifts called perforations, while sectors are part of the facility itself.
How Sectors Unlock and Connect
Sectors open up as you go rather than all at once. Each one stays closed until you finish the job that opens it, such as crafting a piece of tech, fixing a machine or getting the right clearance for a door. Once you're inside the facility, trams, elevators and tunnels link many sectors together, so a single trip can cut across several of them.
The Office Sector is the hub, with trams running out to several other sectors, so it's the place you keep returning to. The locked doors are the real gate, though. Keypads and security doors are tiered, so a door may need a higher clearance level or a stronger hacking tool, and a connection on the map doesn't always mean you can walk straight through.
Sector Order: How the Story Takes You Through the Facility
The story moves through the sectors in a broad line, and each one hands you the way to the next. You begin in the Office Sector, where a forklift blocks the route into Manufacturing West and needs power cells from a portal world before it moves. Overloading the Synchrotron there opens a tunnel into Cascade Laboratories.
In the labs, a blocked door needs a special chemical brought back from a portal world before it opens, and it leads on to the Security Sector. There, you work through the sector's escape objectives, including a trip to another portal world, until the gates toward the Hydroplant open. Restoring the Hydroplant's control systems opens the way to the Reactors, and the Residence Sector comes after the Reactors. Each stop gives you the tools and access the next one asks for, so following the main line keeps you from arriving at a locked door without the right gear.
Threats to Plan For in Each Sector
Each sector has its own dangers, and they tend to come in a few kinds. Machines are one of the main threats, like the security robots in the Office Sector and the defense robots in the Hydroplant. Factions add more pressure, since The Order and the Gatekeepers both show up across several sectors, and both are out in force in the Reactors, so you can get caught in the middle.
The environment is a threat in its own right. The Security Sector is dim and littered with wreckage, and Reapers make the lights flicker when one is near. Hydroplant has snipers on the high ground, so keep long stays in the open short, and the Residence Sector's cold wears you down if you're not ready.
Gear matters as much as weapons, since many doors and areas need a specific tool or clearance level, so check what a sector needs before you go in.
FAQ
Where do you start in Abiotic Factor?
The story drops you into the Level 1 Cafeteria of the Office Sector, a large and fairly safe area with vending machines. A Keypad Hacker opens the locked keypad rooms around the Office Sector, so it's worth crafting one early.
Can you visit sectors out of order?
You can often reach a sector's outer area early, since trams and tunnels link several of them. Its locked doors still apply, though, so a shortcut often ends at a closed door. Going in before you have the right gear is the bigger risk.
What do you need to get into the Hydroplant?
The Hydroplant's security doors need Level 5 clearance, which a Tier 5 Keypad Hacker can open. Inside, the Neutrino Detector tower sits out in the reservoir, and a Diving Suit lets you reach its underwater entrance.
How do you survive the cold in the Residence Sector?
Plan for it before you go in. The whole sector is wrapped in an unnatural cold, so you need Cold Resistance to move around without taking damage. An ice wall also blocks part of the sector, and you'll need to melt it before you can get through.