Atomfall Master Guide: Your Ultimate Handbook for Survival

Keep Calm and Carry On 😎

Welcome, survivor, to the Quarantine Zone! 👋 Five years ago, the Windscale nuclear disaster totally changed Northern England, shrouding the gorgeous Lake District in mystery, fear, and a creepy, unnatural vibe. ☢️ You wake up in a damp bunker with no memory, a stranger in a green and unpleasant land. This is… Atomfall, a world that rewards being clever, punishes being reckless, and demands that you become an investigator to survive. 🕵️‍♀️

This guide is your ultimate handbook for mastering Atomfall’s challenges. It’s gonna take you from a confused newbie to a seasoned pro who can navigate the treacherous landscape, outsmart its dangerous inhabitants, and uncover the dark truth at the heart of the zone. 🤫 While lots of people compare it to Fallout ’cause of the post-apocalyptic setting, Atomfall is its own thing. It’s not a classic RPG with XP and levels. Instead, it’s a tense, single-player action-survival game with deep investigative mechanics, way more like the atmospheric dread of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. or the anything-goes freedom of an immersive sim.

Here, knowledge is your greatest weapon. 🧠 We’ll arm you with everything you need to know, from your first shaky steps out of the bunker to the final, world-altering decisions you’ve gotta make. We’ll cover character progression, combat tactics, crafting, bartering, and a complete breakdown of the game’s multiple endings and awesome DLC content. Let’s get started! 🚀

Welcome to the Quarantine Zone: A Beginner’s Survival Primer 🏕️

Your first few hours in Atomfall are meant to be confusing. The game totally strips you of power and direction to really hammer home its core theme of desperate survival. Getting a grip on its unique systems is the first step to taking back control.

The Lay of the Land: Core Mechanics Explained 🗺️

Before you can thrive, you’ve gotta understand the rules of this new reality. Atomfall runs on a few key principles that are super different from other survival games.

The “Leads” System: Think Like a Detective 🕵️

Forget everything you know about boring quest logs and map markers. 🙅 Atomfall uses a “Leads” system, which is basically a detective’s corkboard. 📌 You’ll gather info from notes you find, chats you have, and weird stuff you see. Each piece of info might open a new Lead, giving you a clue—maybe a location name, some map coordinates, or a person of interest—but it’ll rarely tell you exactly where to go or what to do. This is on purpose; it forces you to pay attention, connect the dots yourself, and let your curiosity guide you. The world doesn’t revolve around you; you’re just another person trying to make sense of the chaos.

Health and Heart Rate: Your Body’s Warning System ❤️‍🩹

In Atomfall, you only need to manage two stats: your health and your heart rate. Health is simple, but the heart rate monitor is a super dynamic mechanic that affects almost everything you do. It’s your stamina, your stealth meter, and your combat effectiveness all rolled into one.

Sprinting 🏃, jumping, swinging a cricket bat, or taking damage will make your heart rate spike. As it climbs, your vision gets blurry, sounds get all distorted, and your weapon aim gets super unsteady. 😵 A high heart rate also makes you louder, so sneaking past enemies is basically impossible. Managing this is critical. You’ve gotta learn to pace yourself, use cover to catch your breath during a fight, and remember that a calm heart means a steady shot. 🎯

The Five Zones: A Densely Packed World 🌳

The world of Atomfall isn’t one giant, sprawling open world. Instead, it’s made of five or six separate sandbox zones, each one jam-packed with points of interest, secrets, and dangers. 🤫 These zones, kinda like the maps from the Sniper Elite series, are all connected, so you can explore freely between them. This design encourages you to really search every nook and cranny of an area instead of just trekking across a huge, empty landscape. From the spooky Casterfell Woods to the militarized village of Wyndham, each zone has its own unique vibe and challenges.

Your First 60 Minutes: The Golden Hour Checklist ✅

Your first hour in the Quarantine Zone is super important. To get over that initial feeling of being weak and lost, you need a clear set of goals. Follow this checklist to get a foothold and set yourself up for success.

Objective 1: Find a Metal Detector 🥇

This is your most important early-game goal. The Metal Detector is an essential tool that lets you find hidden caches and buried lunchboxes full of rare crafting materials, ammo, and even valuable recipes. 💰 Without it, you’re leaving a ton of loot behind. You have two options to get one early:

Barter for it: The trader Molly Jowett, in a camp in Slatten Dale, sells one. You’ll be pointed toward her early on.
Find it for free: Head to the small lake near the Water Wheels in eastern Slatten Dale (coordinates ). You’ll find a body on the rocks with a free Metal Detector just waiting for you! 🎉

Objective 2: Locate a Pneumatic Tube 📦

Your backpack space in Atomfall is TINY. 🎒 You can only carry four large weapons and a few other items. This makes the Pneumatic Tube system your lifeline. These tubes act as a shared stash, letting you store up to 100 items and grab them from any other tube in the world. Find one ASAP—they’re usually in bunkers and major locations—and use it to store extra weapons for upgrades, quest items, and surplus supplies.

Objective 3: Avoid Fights and Practice De-escalation 🤫

As a newbie, you’re just a regular person, not a super-soldier. Combat is deadly, and you should avoid it whenever you can. You don’t get XP for kills, and every fight is a net loss of precious resources like ammo and medkits. 🩹 Use tall grass and cover to let patrols pass. If a fight is unavoidable, remember this hidden trick: aiming a gun at a single, lightly-armed enemy can scare them into backing off or surrendering. This bluff can save your life, even if your gun is empty! 😉

Objective 4: Make Your Way to Wyndham Village 🏡

Your first big goal should be reaching Wyndham Village. This settlement is one of the few relatively safe spots in the early game, controlled by the Protocol faction. Here, you can talk to key characters, get important Leads, and trade with people without being attacked (as long as you don’t trespass). It’s the main hub for the early-to-mid game and the perfect place to get your bearings.

Tips for the Game Pass Survivor 🎮

With Atomfall being a day-one release on Game Pass, tons of players will be jumping in without buying it outright. If you’re exploring via subscription, being efficient is key. Focus on the main story threads that seem interesting first to get a feel for the story. Use this guide to skip the early frustrations—like finding the Metal Detector and figuring out the Leads system—so you can quickly get to the game’s best content and decide if you wanna dive deeper. 👍

The Survivor’s Blueprint: Character Progression and Builds 📈

Character progression in Atomfall is totally different. It’s a system built on discovery, not grinding. Your ability to get stronger is tied directly to your willingness to explore the darkest corners of the Quarantine Zone. Every choice you make is permanent, so planning your character’s development is super important. 😱

The Science of Survival: How Skills Work in Atomfall 🧠

Forget about experience points. In Atomfall, you don’t level up by killing enemies or finishing quests. Instead, your growth is tied to two real items you have to find in the world:

Training Stimulants 💉: These are your skill points. They’re rare items usually found inside yellow B.A.R.D. (British Atomic Research Division) crates scattered around the world, or given as rewards for finishing certain Leads.
Training Manuals 📚: These are books that unlock new, more advanced skills. You start with a basic set of skills, but to get the full range of abilities in each category, you have to find the right manual in the game world.

This system turns character progression into a fun exploration mini-game. To become a master marksman, you have to find the Firearms Mastery Manual first. To become a ghost in the shadows, you need to find the Stealth Manual. Your build isn’t just defined by the points you spend, but by the knowledge you find. 💡

The Point of No Return: Your Choices Are Final ‼️

The most critical part of the Atomfall skill system is that it’s permanent. There is absolutely no way to respec or re-assign your spent Training Stimulants. This is on purpose; it forces you to commit to your decisions and makes every skill point a meaningful investment. It also makes planning your build essential. Spending points on skills that don’t match your playstyle can leave you at a huge disadvantage later. So, choose wisely! 🤔

The Four Pillars: A Complete Skill Tree Breakdown 🌳

Your skills are split into four categories, each one handling a different part of survival. Understanding these pillars is the first step to creating a powerful and effective survivor.

Ranged Combat 🏹: This tree focuses on your skill with firearms, bows, and thrown weapons. Skills here reduce weapon sway, boost damage, and even let you slow time while aiming with a bow.
Melee Combat ⚔️: Since ammo is scarce, melee is your best friend. This tree boosts your close-quarters fighting, increasing damage, lowering the heart rate cost of attacks, and improving your stealth takedowns.
Survival 🏕️: This is probably the most versatile and essential tree. It has game-changing skills that let you disarm traps, carry more stuff, get better deals when bartering, and, most importantly, upgrade your weapons with the Gunsmith skill.
Conditioning 💪: This tree is all about your physical toughness. Skills here increase your max health, improve your heart rate recovery, and give you resistance to nasty stuff like poison, radiation, and infection.

The table below gives you a complete breakdown of every skill in Atomfall, including its cost and the manual needed to unlock it. Use this to plan your character’s path to becoming a total badass! 👇

Skill Name	Category	Effect	Stimulant Cost	Required Manual & Location (Coordinates)
Default Skills (Available from Start)
Kick Stun Duration	Melee Combat	Increases the stagger duration when enemies are kicked.	1	Default
Weapon Throw Training	Ranged Combat	Thrown melee weapons travel faster and deal more damage.	2	Default
Throwables Damage	Ranged Combat	Throwables like grenades and molotovs deal more damage.	4	Default
Throwables Radius	Ranged Combat	Increases the area of effect for throwables.	6	Default
Disarm Traps	Survival	Allows you to disarm traps and harvest their components.	3	Default
Charisma	Survival	Your items are worth more when bartering with traders.	4	Default
Scavenger	Survival	Search bodies and containers faster.	5	Default
Fortitude	Conditioning	Increases your maximum amount of health.	5	Default
Recovery	Conditioning	Low health regeneration is faster and restores more health.	5	Default
Endurance Training	Conditioning	Heart rate rises slower and recovers faster.	3	Default
Melee Combat Manual Skills
Melee Weapon Attack Power	Melee Combat	Increases damage caused by all melee weapons.	2	Melee Combat Manual: Outlaw’s Cave, Slatten Dale ()
Seasoned Brawler	Melee Combat	Substantially reduces the heart rate cost of melee attacks.	5	Melee Combat Manual: Outlaw’s Cave, Slatten Dale ()
Heavy Melee Attack Power	Melee Combat	Increases damage caused by heavy melee attacks.	7	Melee Combat Manual: Outlaw’s Cave, Slatten Dale ()
Stealth Manual Skills
Quiet Takedown	Melee Combat	Takedowns create less noise, reducing chance of detection.	2	Stealth Manual: Datlow Hall Conservatory, Casterfell Woods (Requires key from Prudence Rook)
Quiet Movement	Melee Combat	Reduces the sound of your footsteps.	5	Stealth Manual: Datlow Hall Conservatory, Casterfell Woods (Requires key from Prudence Rook)
Surprise Attack	Melee Combat	Deal more damage to unaware enemies.	5	Stealth Manual: Datlow Hall Conservatory, Casterfell Woods (Requires key from Prudence Rook)
Bow Mastery Manual Skills
Draw Speed	Ranged Combat	Increases bow draw speed.	2	Bow Mastery Manual: Castle Ruins, Casterfell Woods ()
Draw Control	Ranged Combat	Heart rate no longer impacts how long you can hold a full draw.	4	Bow Mastery Manual: Castle Ruins, Casterfell Woods ()
Bow Focus	Ranged Combat	Allows you to briefly slow time while your bow is fully drawn.	6	Bow Mastery Manual: Castle Ruins, Casterfell Woods ()
Firearms Mastery Manual Skills
Firearms Stability	Ranged Combat	Reduces weapon fire recoil.	2	Firearms Mastery Manual: Sold by Bootsy in Skethermoor or found in Data Store Charlie.
Firearms Handling	Ranged Combat	Reduces firearm sway when aiming down sights.	4	Firearms Mastery Manual: Sold by Bootsy in Skethermoor or found in Data Store Charlie.
Firearms Focus	Ranged Combat	Increases firearm damage when your heart rate is low.	6	Firearms Mastery Manual: Sold by Bootsy in Skethermoor or found in Data Store Charlie.
Crafting Manual Skills
Crafting Speed	Survival	Crafting time is substantially reduced.	1	Crafting Manual: Data Store Delta, The Interchange (Requires powering the area and key from corpse).
Deep Pockets	Survival	Carry more crafting supplies and weapon ammo.	5	Crafting Manual: Data Store Delta, The Interchange (Requires powering the area and key from corpse).
Gunsmith	Survival	Unlocks recipes to craft upgraded weapons.	7	Crafting Manual: Data Store Delta, The Interchange (Requires powering the area and key from corpse).
Consumables Manual Skills
Blue Fingers	Survival	Allows you to harvest young spores from heavily infected sources.	2	Consumables Manual: Bakery, Wyndham Village (Requires Bakery Bedroom Key).
Buff Duration	Survival	Effects from consumables last longer.	4	Consumables Manual: Bakery, Wyndham Village (Requires Bakery Bedroom Key).
Gut Health	Survival	Food consumables also grant a damage resistance buff.	6	Consumables Manual: Bakery, Wyndham Village (Requires Bakery Bedroom Key).
Resistances Manual Skills
Poison Resistance	Conditioning	Provides resistance to all sources of Poison.	4	Resistances Manual: Medical Wing, The Interchange (Lower level auditorium).
Bleed Resistance	Conditioning	Provides resistance to all sources of Bleed.	4	Resistances Manual: Medical Wing, The Interchange (Lower level auditorium).
Burn Resistance	Conditioning	Provides resistance to all sources of Burn.	4	Resistances Manual: Medical Wing, The Interchange (Lower level auditorium).
Experimental Inoculation Skills
Infection Resistance	Conditioning	Provides resistance to all sources of Infection.	0 (Free)	Experimental Inoculation: Given by Dr. Holder in the cellar of St. Katherine’s Church.
Radiation Resistance	Conditioning	Provides resistance to all sources of Radiation.	4	Experimental Inoculation: Given by Dr. Holder in the cellar of St. Katherine’s Church.
Healing Boost	Conditioning	Healing consumables restore more health over time.	5	Experimental Inoculation: Given by Dr. Holder in the cellar of St. Katherine’s Church.

Optimized Builds for Every Playstyle 🌟

Since your skill choices are final, following a dedicated build path is the best way to master Atomfall. Here are four optimized builds for different ways to survive.

Build 1: The Pugilist (Melee Focus) 👊

This build turns you into a monster in close-quarters combat, perfect for saving ammo and wrecking most common enemies.

Early Game (First 10 Stimulants): Kick Stun Duration (1), Endurance Training (3), Melee Weapon Attack Power (2), Recovery (5).
Mid Game (Next 15 Stimulants): Kill Momentum (4), Seasoned Brawler (5), Thick Skin (5).
Late Game (Final Stimulants): Heavy Melee Attack Power (7), Fortitude (5).

Build 2: The Stalker (Stealth & Bow Focus) 🤫

For those who like to strike from the shadows and avoid open fights, this build is all about silence and precision.

Early Game (First 10 Stimulants): Quiet Takedown (2), Draw Speed (2), Quiet Movement (5), Kick Stun Duration (1).
Mid Game (Next 15 Stimulants): Surprise Attack (5), Draw Control (4), Endurance Training (3), Disarm Traps (3).
Late Game (Final Stimulants): Bow Focus (6), Deep Pockets (5).

Build 3: The Marksman (Firearms Focus) 🎯

This build is expensive on resources but turns you into a lethal gunslinger, able to handle the toughest enemies from a distance.

Early Game (First 10 Stimulants): Firearms Stability (2), Endurance Training (3), Deep Pockets (5).
Mid Game (Next 15 Stimulants): Firearms Handling (4), Gunsmith (7), Recovery (5).
Late Game (Final Stimulants): Firearms Focus (6), Healing Boost (5).

Build 4: The Investigator (Balanced/Survival Focus) 🤔

This is the perfect build for a first playthrough, focusing on utility and survivability to give you the flexibility to handle anything.

Early Game (First 10 Stimulants): Disarm Traps (3), Endurance Training (3), Recovery (5).
Mid Game (Next 15 Stimulants): Deep Pockets (5), Healing Boost (5), Melee Weapon Attack Power (2), Firearms Stability (2).
Late Game (Final Stimulants): Gunsmith (7), Radiation Resistance (4).

The Art of the Brawl: A Complete Combat Doctrine 💥

Combat in Atomfall is a desperate, frantic mess. You’re not a supersoldier; you’re a survivor. Every fight is a puzzle of resource management, where the goal isn’t just to win, but to win efficiently, saving that precious health and ammo. The master survivor knows not only how to fight, but when not to.

The Heart of the Matter: Mastering the Heart Rate Monitor ❤️

Your heart rate is the engine of combat. Letting it redline is a death sentence. A high heart rate blurs your vision, makes your aim go wild, and tells every enemy nearby exactly where you are.

Pacing is Everything: Never sprint into a fight. Approach carefully to keep your heart rate low, making sure your first shot is a steady one.
Use Cover to Recover: After a burst of action, duck behind cover. A few seconds of chilling is all it takes for your heart rate to start dropping, clearing your vision and steadying your hands.
Strategic Breathing: Skills like Endurance Training are amazing, as they slow down how fast your heart rate rises and speed up its recovery. This gives you a real edge in a fight.

Melee Masterclass: Up Close and Personal ⚔️

With ammo being so rare, you’ll be fighting up close most of the time. Atomfall’s melee system is simple but deep, rewarding good timing and positioning over just mashing buttons. Super important: there’s no block or parry; your feet are your best defense. 🏃‍♀️

The Kick-and-Whack: Your Go-To Combo 👟💥

The single most effective melee tactic is the “Kick-and-Whack.” It works on almost every human enemy and can be repeated to stunlock them.

The Kick: Use the kick button to shove an enemy back. This interrupts their attack and staggers them for a sec. The Kick Stun Duration skill makes this window even longer.
The Whack: Immediately follow the kick with a charged heavy attack. The stagger gives you just enough time to wind up and deliver a massive blow, usually to the head.
Repeat: Back away, let them get up, and do it all over again. Easy peasy!

Ranged Tactics: Making Every Shot Count 🔫

Every bullet is a treasure. Wasting them is a huge no-no in the Quarantine Zone.

Headshot Supremacy: I can’t stress this enough. A single headshot from almost any gun will instantly kill an unarmored human enemy. This is the golden rule of ammo conservation. Don’t shoot the body; always aim for the head. 🎯
The Silent Killer: Bows 🏹: The Bow is one of the best weapons in Atomfall for one reason: it’s silent. A fully-drawn arrow to the head is a guaranteed, quiet kill on any human enemy except the super-armored Thralls. This lets you clear whole outposts without anyone knowing you were there. You can often get your arrows back, making it the most resource-friendly weapon in the game.

Stealth Operations: The Ghost of the Quarantine Zone 🥷

The stealth in Atomfall is tough on purpose. Enemies have sharp senses and can see you from far away, making a pure stealth run tricky without the right skills and a lot of patience.

Cover is King 👑: Crouching in the open isn’t gonna cut it. You have to use hard cover (walls, rocks) and tall grass to break line of sight.
Takedowns Are Loud: A stealth takedown from behind is a guaranteed kill, but it’s not silent by default. The struggle will alert any nearby baddies. To be a true ghost, you need the Quiet Takedown skill.
Heart Rate and Stealth: Remember, a high heart rate makes you louder. You can’t just sprint up behind someone and expect a quiet kill. Move slow and steady to keep your heart rate, and your noise level, down.

Quarantine Zone Enemy Dossier 👹

Knowing your enemy is the key to victory. This dossier has tactical info on every threat you’ll face in Atomfall and its expansions.

Enemy Type	Faction	Behavior & Attacks	Weaknesses & Strategies
Outlaw Brawler 😡	Outlaws	Aggressive melee combatant, often armed with bats or axes. Will charge in groups.	Vulnerable to the Kick-and-Whack combo. Isolate them from the group before engaging.
Outlaw Shooter 🔫	Outlaws	Stays at a distance with a pistol or shotgun. Poor accuracy but dangerous in numbers.	Priority target. Use cover to close the distance or pick them off with a headshot from a rifle or bow.
Druid Convert 🙏	Druids	Slow-moving melee attacker with knives or sickles. Will attempt a lunging charge attack.	Easily kited. Backpedal and use heavy attacks. Sidestep their lunging charge. Headshots are effective.
Druid Archer 🏹	Druids	Stays at range, firing arrows. Often positioned on high ground.	Their arrows have travel time. Keep moving and use cover. A single headshot from any weapon will neutralize them.
Protocol Recruit 👮	Protocol	Basic soldier with a truncheon or pistol. Lightly armored and low aggression.	Easily dispatched with melee or a single headshot. Not a major threat alone.
Protocol Marksman 🎯	Protocol	Well-equipped soldier with a rifle and improvised armor. High accuracy and works in squads.	Dangerous. Do not engage in the open. Use explosives to break their cover or flank them for a headshot. Armor can deflect body shots.
Feral 🧟	Mutated	Fast, goblin-like creature that lurks in dark areas. Spits an infectious projectile and uses melee claws.	Stealth: A single arrow to the head is a silent, instant kill. Combat: Use a shotgun up close or a Molotov for groups. Dodge their spit by strafing.
Thrall 🤖	Mutated	Heavily armored, slow-moving humanoid in a hazmat suit. High health and resistant to damage.	Don’t waste bullets. Kite them by backpedaling and hitting them with a two-handed melee weapon. It takes several heavy hits.
B.A.R.D. Robot 🦾	B.A.R.D.	Large, heavily armored robot. Comes in Patrol (machine gun) and Flamethrower variants.	Weak Point: Shoot the glass dome on top to stun it. When it overheats, a battery pack is exposed on its back. Run behind it and grab the Atomic Battery for an instant kill.
Contaminated Variants 🩸	Red Strain	Stronger, faster versions of human and mutated enemies, glowing with red energy.	Extremely dangerous. Use your most powerful weapons and explosives. The Red Strain Adaptation skill from the DLC is a lifesaver.
Synaptic Unit 🧠	Red Strain	Advanced robot controlled by a human brain in a jar. Often equipped with heavy weapons.	Treat as a high-priority B.A.R.D. Robot. Focus fire on the glass dome containing the brain.

The Scavenger’s Arsenal: Weapons, Gear, and Crafting 🛠️

In the Quarantine Zone, you are what you carry. Your survival depends on the weapons you find, the gear you craft, and your ability to turn junk into life-saving tools. The best survivors aren’t just good fighters; they’re master tinkerers. 🧑‍🔧

Tools of the Trade: Best Weapons Tier List 🏆

Not all weapons are created equal. While pretty much anything can be deadly with a good headshot, some gear is just way better than the rest. Prioritize finding and upgrading these top-tier weapons to be as effective as possible.

S-Tier: Game Changers 👑

Modified JM-3: The undisputed best gun in the base game. It’s a semi-auto rifle with a built-in scope, the only one like it. This makes landing long-range headshots super easy. Find it in a cave in Skethermoor.
Bow: The ultimate stealth weapon. A fully-drawn headshot is a silent, instant kill on almost every human enemy. It’s also super resource-efficient since you can pick up your arrows.
Mace: The king of melee weapons. It has “Excellent” damage and can kill most enemies with a single heavy attack. Perfect for the Kick-and-Whack combo.

A-Tier: Reliable Workhorses 👍

Broadside Auto 5: The best shotgun because it’s semi-automatic. Great for dealing with charging Ferals or groups of enemies.
Falkirk Battle Rifle: A powerful semi-auto rifle with great damage and accuracy. A solid choice until you find the Modified JM-3.
Axe: The best early-to-mid game melee weapon. Does a ton of damage and is way easier to find than the Mace.
MK.VI Revolver: The hardest-hitting pistol. It’s slow, but its high damage makes it a great sidearm for saving primary ammo.

From Rusty to Pristine: The Weapon Upgrade System ✨

You’ll notice weapons come in three qualities: Rusty, Stock, and Pristine. A Pristine weapon does way more damage than a Rusty one. The key to unlocking this power is one of the most important skills in the game: Gunsmith.

The Gunsmith skill lets you upgrade your weapons through crafting. It’s simple but needs resources:

To upgrade a Rusty weapon to Stock, you need two identical Rusty weapons and some crafting parts.
To upgrade a Stock weapon to Pristine, you need two identical Stock weapons.

This makes collecting duplicate guns super important. Don’t sell or drop your extras! Use the Pneumatic Tube system to store them. Once you unlock Gunsmith, you can forge a truly epic arsenal. This is the core of gear progression in Atomfall. 💪

Weapon Name	Type	Damage Rating	Rate of Fire	Special Properties	How to Acquire
Modified JM-3	Rifle	High	Very High	Only weapon with a scope. Semi-automatic.	Found in a Secluded Cave in Skethermoor ().
Mace	Two-Handed Melee	Excellent	Slow	High stagger potential.	Found in Outlaw Caves or dropped by Druids.
Bow	Bow	High (Headshot)	Very Slow	Silent. Arrows are recoverable.	Looted from Druid Archers in Casterfell Woods.
Broadside Auto 5	Shotgun	High	Medium	Semi-automatic, multiple shots per reload.	Found in high-level loot spots or on tough enemies.
Falkirk Battle Rifle	Rifle	High	Medium	High accuracy, semi-automatic.	Found in military locations or on Protocol Marksmen.
Sword (Excalibur)	One-Handed Melee	High	Fast	Inflicts Bleed damage. Unique weapon.	Found in a stone by the river in Casterfell Woods ().

A Scavenger’s Cookbook: Complete Crafting Recipe Guide 📜

Crafting is done right from your inventory, so you can make stuff on the fly—but be careful, the game doesn’t pause! 😱 To craft an item, you have to find its recipe first. Here’s a list of essential recipes.

Bandage 🩹: Your main healing item. You get this recipe at the start. (4 Cloth, 1 Alcohol)
Molotov Cocktail 🔥: Great for area denial. Recipe is in the Outlaw Camp in Slatten Dale. (3 Cloth, 6 Alcohol, 4 Glass)
Painkillers 💊: Gives you a temporary damage resistance buff. Buy the recipe from Morris Wick in Wyndham Village. (4 Herbs, 1 Iodine, 1 Water, 3 Glass)
Makeshift Grenade 💣: A standard timed explosive. Buy from Reg Stansfield or find it in a Remote Bunker. (4 Gunpowder, 6 Scrap, 1 Glue, 2 String)
Sticky Bomb 💥: An explosive that sticks to stuff, perfect for traps. Recipe is in Agravaine’s Lockbox at the Railyard. (3 Gunpowder, 6 Glue, 4 Scrap)

Navigating the Green and Unpleasant Land: Factions, Bartering, and Secrets 🤝

Surviving in Atomfall isn’t just about fighting and crafting; it’s also about navigating the complex social world of the Quarantine Zone. The friends you make, the deals you strike, and the secrets you uncover will decide your fate.

The Barter Economy: How to Trade Like a Pro 💰

There’s no money here; survival is the only currency. All trading is done through a direct bartering system. When you trade, a scale shows the value of the exchange. To make a deal, the scale has to be balanced or tipped a little in the trader’s favor.

This is more than a simple swap. It’s a game of observation. Every trader has specific things they want, and they’ll value certain items way more than others. An up arrow or yellow text will show you what they like. Learning these preferences is the key to getting rich. For example, the tinker Molly Jowett loves Molotov Cocktails. 🔥 You can craft these cheap items and trade them to her for amazing stuff like Atomic Batteries or Skill Manuals.

Identify Preferences: When you meet a new trader, offer them one of everything to see what they’re into.
Craft for Profit: Once you know what they like, you can mass-produce that item just for trading.
Invest in Charisma: The Charisma skill makes all your stuff worth more in a trade. It’s a great investment!

Faction Politics: Choosing Your Allies 🤔

The Quarantine Zone is split between several competing groups. Your interactions with them aren’t just a simple reputation meter; your actions are like keys, unlocking or locking off different paths through the story.

Protocol 👮: The official government force trying to maintain the quarantine. Led by the strict Captain Sims. They’re neutral at first but will get mad if you trespass.
The Druids 🌳: A mysterious cult that worships a “Voice in the Soil.” They’re hostile at first, but if you help their leader, Mother Jago, you can walk freely through their camps.
The Outlaws 🏴‍☠️: Bands of raiders who are always hostile. They’re just there to be fought.
B.A.R.D. 👩‍🔬: The scientists who caused all this. They’re not really a faction anymore, but their old tech and dangerous robots are everywhere.

The best strategy, especially early on, is to play all sides. Help Captain Sims, help Mother Jago, talk to everyone. This keeps all your options open so you can do a bunch of quests before you have to pick a side in the endgame.

Hidden Britain: Secrets and Easter Eggs 🥚

Atomfall’s world is full of secrets and clever nods to British culture. Keep an eye out for these!

The Sword in the Stone 🗡️: In Casterfell Woods (), you can find a sword in a stone. You can pull it out to get your own Excalibur, but it’ll break. 😅
Last of the Summer Wine 🛁: On a hillside in Skethermoor (), you’ll find a bathtub with three skeletons in it, a reference to the classic British sitcom.
Mr. Bean’s Car 🚗: Near the Convoy Wreckage in Slatten Dale, look up at the bridge to see a yellow car with an armchair on the roof, just like in the show!
Judge Dredd’s Helmet 🧑‍⚖️: Inside the Protocol Workshop bunker in Skethermoor, you can find Judge Dredd’s helmet on a shelf.

Unraveling Oberon: Endgame and DLC Master Guide 🏁

As you dig deeper into the Quarantine Zone’s mysteries, you’ll eventually end up at The Interchange, a huge underground facility connected to the Windscale plant. This is the start of the endgame, where your choices will decide everyone’s fate.

The Path to the End: A Spoiler-Free Endgame Roadmap 🗺️

To reach the final chapter, you need to restore power to The Interchange’s Central Processor. This requires two things:

Five Atomic Batteries 🔋: Found by doing major quests, trading, or disabling B.A.R.D. robots.
One Signal Redirector 📡: A unique item found in the security room of Skethermoor Prison.

Once you have these, you can power up The Interchange and activate the Central Processor. This gets you into the Windscale Plant and the Oberon Dig Site, where the final showdowns and big decisions happen.

The Six Fates of the Quarantine Zone: All Endings Guide 🌟

Atomfall has six different main endings, each tied to who you decide to side with. You can see all of them in one playthrough by making a “golden save.” 💾 To do this, get all the major NPCs’ quests to their final step before you make your big decision. Create a manual save after powering up The Interchange but before going into the Windscale Plant. From this save, you can reload and see every ending.

Code snippet

graph TD
    A[Explore Quarantine Zone & Gather Leads 🗺️] --> B[Collect 5 Atomic Batteries & 1 Signal Redirector 🔋];
    B --> C[Power Up The Interchange ⚡];
    C --> D[***CREATE GOLDEN SAVE HERE!*** 💾✨];
    D --> E{CHOICE: What to do with Oberon? 🤔};
    E --> F[Ending 1: Side with the Telephone Operator 📞];
    E --> G[Ending 2: Side with Captain Sims 👮];
    E --> H[Ending 3: Side with Dr. Garrow 👩‍🔬];
    E --> I[Ending 4: Side with Joyce Tanner 📻];
    E --> J[Ending 5: Side with Dr. Holder 💉];
    E --> K[Ending 6: Side with Mother Jago 🌳];

The Voice on the Telephone Ending: The “default” ending. Just do what the Operator says.
Captain Sims’s Ending: Get on Sims’s good side and destroy Oberon for him.
Dr. Garrow’s Ending: Break Dr. Garrow out of prison and get a sample of Oberon for her.
Joyce Tanner’s Ending: Help Joyce with the radio towers and get an Oberon sample for her.
Dr. Holder’s Ending: Help Dr. Holder and use his special poison to destroy Oberon.
Mother Jago’s Ending: Gain the Druids’ trust and use their serum to empower Oberon.

DLC Deep Dive: Wicked Isle 🏝️

The first story expansion, Wicked Isle, adds a new, spooky folk-horror area to explore.

Accessing it: Talk to the boatman, Bill Anderson, on the docks in Wyndham Village.
New Stuff: The island is more dangerous and has new enemies like pirate bandits and water Ferals. You can find new weapons like a Blunderbuss and a Cutlass, plus new skills.
Story Impact: The clues you find on Wicked Isle connect to the main story and can unlock new ending variations.

DLC Deep Dive: The Red Strain 🦠

The second expansion, The Red Strain, introduces a secret B.A.R.D. lab and a deadly new virus.

Accessing it: Find the old B.A.R.D. lift in the Slate Mine Cave system.
New Stuff: This DLC adds the Red Strain virus, which has created stronger “Contaminated” versions of enemies. You’ll also face new robots. You get awesome new skills and gear:
- Heavy Weapons: Rip the heavy guns off destroyed robots and use them yourself!
- Robot Hacking: Temporarily take control of enemy robots.
- Suppressed Weapons: New silenced guns for stealth players.
Story Impact: Just like Wicked Isle, this story adds new Leads that connect to the main plot, giving you even more possible endings.

By following this guide, you now have all the knowledge you need to not only survive but to conquer the challenges of Atomfall. The Quarantine Zone is a place of mystery, danger, and tons of freedom. Your story is yours to write. Good luck! 🎉🥳

Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan work, all trademarks and copyrights for Atomfall belong to the developer Rebellion.

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