21 articlesThe Alters allows you to unlock a variety of alternate “yous” known as Alters, but it can be tough to figure out which ones to get first. There are many of these Alters, each one focusing on a different profession. Their branching lives end up changing how they behave, as well as what their skill sets are. In this guide, we’ll give you recommendations of which Alters are most useful early on.
Best Alters To Unlock First | The Alters
First of all, we’ll be ignoring Jan Technician for this guide. Not because we dislike the guy, mind you! It’s just that you get him through the story as your first Alter, so every single player and playthrough will get him first. That aside, these are the best Alters to unlock in order after Technician:
- Scientist – Required to use the Research Lab, which becomes crucial to progressing through the story. You’ll need to get him sooner or later, so getting him first makes the most sense.
- Botanist – Doubles your efficiency for growing crops in the Greenhouse. This can make managing your food supply a lot easier, keeping Jan and his Alters in high spirits.
Now that you have both the Scientist and Botanist, you realistically can just pick any Alters you wish. Truthfully, Scientist and Botanist are the only real “must-haves” early on in the game.
That said, we’d recommend getting the Miner at this point simply because the 50% boost to efficiency when mining metals can be pretty helpful early on. The Worker can be similarly useful, due to boosting crafting proficiency by 50% at the Workshop. However, neither of them is truly essential. They’re just nice to have!
How to Gather Organic Matter Using the Outpost in The AltersJun 16, 2025
How to Get Through the Rocks for Find A Way Out Quest in The AltersJun 16, 2025
The Alters Beginner’s GuideJun 16, 2025So, there you have it! Essentially, the best Alters to unlock first are just the Scientist and Botanist. If this is your first playthrough of the game, getting these two right away will help you have a much smoother experience. Feel free to experiment more on repeat playthroughs, however, so you can get to spend time with more of the Alters.
Do you need more slots to get all the Alters you want? Check out our guide on how to get more Alter slots!
