The Alters Last Variable Wiki
Follow Jan Scientist into a new survival story featuring an underground base, four specialist Alters, nine terraforming arenas, cryosleep cycles, advanced research and the mystery of the Oasis.
The Alters Last Variable Guide Hub
Everything you need to survive The Alters: Last Variable — release info, DLC setup, walkthroughs, specialist Alters, base building, terraforming and endings.
Last Variable launched on July 13, 2026, as a paid expansion for The Alters. Compare its price, platform availability, ownership requirements, and store-specific features.
Steam
$14.99July 13, 2026 · Windows PC
Steam achievements, Steam Cloud, Family Sharing and controller support
Epic Games Store
$14.99July 13, 2026 · Windows PC
Single-player campaign and Epic achievements
GOG
$14.99July 13, 2026 · Windows PC
DRM-free offline installer with optional GOG Galaxy features
PlayStation Store
$14.99July 13, 2026 · PlayStation 5
Offline single-player play, DualSense vibration and accessibility options
Microsoft Store
$14.99July 13, 2026 · Xbox Series X|S and PC
Also included with eligible Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Edition Upgrade purchases
Expansion Overview
$14.99Available now · PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
Approximately 20 hours of new campaign content
The expansion runs as a separate campaign and does not require an existing completed save. Follow these steps to confirm ownership, install the DLC, and start its story.
Own The Alters Base Game
Purchase or install the original The Alters on the same storefront and account used for the Last Variable expansion. The DLC cannot run as a standalone game.
Purchase or Verify Last Variable
Buy the expansion separately or confirm that it is included with your eligible Deluxe Edition content. Check the platform's add-on management page if the DLC is not automatically recognized.
Install the Latest Game Update
Update The Alters before launching it. On consoles, open the game's add-on management screen and confirm that Last Variable is installed rather than only owned.
Open the New Game Menu
Launch The Alters, choose Start New Game, and select the Last Variable campaign. Loading a completed base-game save is not required.
Begin with a Separate Campaign State
The expansion creates its own progression route, research sequence, objectives, resources, and save files. Base-game structures and inventory are not carried into the new story.
Review the Story Prerequisite
Last Variable follows the outcome in which Jan Scientist remains behind on the planet. Complete the original campaign first to understand the relationships, ethical choices, and events referenced by the expansion.
Check Missing-DLC Problems
Restart the storefront client, verify the game's installed files, confirm that the base game and DLC use the same regional account, and reinstall the add-on if Last Variable does not appear in the menu.
The opening cycle is controlled by a 14-day Cryosleep Chamber deadline. Prioritize essential repairs, resource outposts, the branching procedure, and your first Alter before spending materials on optional modules or unnecessary crafting.
Complete Famous Last Words
- Speak with Old Scientist and complete his final request.
- Bury him and return to JanBot.
- Inspect the damaged Research Lab and the locked Quantum Computer.
Do not spend the starting Metals on optional equipment before inspecting the damaged facilities.
Start New Home and Forced Dormancy
- Review the new base objectives after speaking with JanBot.
- Track the 14-day deadline for constructing the Cryosleep Chamber.
- Reserve resources for the chamber while expanding production.
Do not treat the deadline as optional; delaying core research can leave too little time for construction.
Establish the First Metals Outpost
- Travel south from the base and locate the nearby Metals deposit.
- Build a Metals Outpost and connect it to the base network.
- Collect enough Metals for repairs, pylons, and required modules.
Do not rely only on manually collected surface resources; automated Metals production is needed for the opening build order.
Repair the Research Lab
- Use the Repair Kit on the damaged Research Lab.
- Inspect the laboratory whiteboard.
- Speak with JanBot to unlock the route toward the Oasis.
Do not end the day before starting critical research when enough work time remains.
- Collect Rapidium from the deposit south of the Metals Outpost.
- Complete New Branching Procedure.
- Choose the first Alter according to the resource bottleneck you want to solve.
First Alter options
- Geologist: 50% faster Metal mining.
- Physicist: 50% faster base maintenance and Workshop crafting.
- Biologist: 100% faster Greenhouse work and eight-times faster Infirmary healing.
- Chemist: 50% faster refining and faster cooking.
Do not choose only by personality; match the Alter's production bonus to the facilities you plan to use most.
Investigate the Oasis
- Enter the Oasis and collect all three required samples.
- Return before exhausting the day's exploration window.
- Start Analysis of Samples in the Research Lab.
Do not leave the Oasis after collecting only one or two samples, because a second trip consumes another large block of the day.
- Secure Metals, Rapidium, and Organics.
- Add the Sample Analysis Module to the base.
- Continue the Oasis research chain without interrupting essential resource production.
Do not begin construction until the Cryosleep Chamber reserve and basic production network are protected.
- Build a Dormitory for the growing crew.
- Establish an Organics Outpost behind the base.
- Craft Drill Cartridges when blocked deposits must be opened.
- Extend pylons toward the Oasis Rapidium deposit.
- Add a Refinery only when its input materials and staffing are ready.
Avoid building multiple unstaffed facilities, overproducing food, or assigning Jan and every Alter to long projects at the same time.
The campaign progresses through repeating exploration, research, production, Field Laboratory, Terraformer, and cryosleep phases. Complete urgent construction before the end of each cycle, then use remaining hours for Alter requests, anomalies, upgrades, and additional resource reserves.
Jan Geologist is the strongest first creation because early Metal income and geology research control almost every other upgrade. Jan Physicist is the best second pick for Workshop output, maintenance, and processing technology; Jan Chemist and Jan Biologist become increasingly valuable once Field Labs, rare-resource chains, terraforming, the Greenhouse, and crew recovery enter the schedule.
Jan Geologist
Geology, deposits, terrain barriers, anomalies, and advanced resource extraction.
Research Contribution
- Accelerates Phased Rapidium research.
- Excels at root-barrier drilling, Magnetometer, Tier III Terraformer, Anomaly Repulsor, and late Oasis-device research.
- Provides the strongest early boost to the Metal economy.
50% efficiency when mining Metal, making him the most useful opening-cycle resource specialist.
Best Assignments
- Metal extraction during the opening cycle
- Geology and anomaly research
- Root-clearing and high-tier terraforming preparation
- Surface expeditions that combine deposits, samples, and story objectives
Enthusiastic, adventurous, and eager to test bold ideas. He responds best when Jan takes his discoveries seriously and supports controlled experimentation.
Keep him at the base until the main extraction upgrades, root access, anomaly protection, and his personal storyline are complete.
Relationship Rule
Support his curiosity, repair experiment damage quickly, and give him rest after long mining or surface shifts.
Jan Physicist
Physics, advanced instruments, resource-processing networks, equipment, and base systems.
Research Contribution
- Accelerates Splitter research from six hours to four hours and forty-five minutes.
- Specializes in Tier II Terraformer, Polygonal Scanner, Rematerializer, and Mass Spectrometer projects.
- Makes the transition from simple extraction to multi-input production chains much smoother.
50% efficiency in base maintenance and 50% efficiency when crafting Workshop items.
Best Assignments
- Workshop queues and Repair Kit production
- Base maintenance during high-damage cycles
- Splitter, scanner, and processing-network research
- Late-day crafting while other Alters gather resources
Highly self-assured and status-conscious, with a strong need to feel that his work is important.
Send him only after the Splitter and essential instrument research are finished and the base has enough Repair Kits and spare parts.
Relationship Rule
Recognize his expertise, avoid dismissive dialogue, and balance his workload with Recreation or personal conversations.
Jan Chemist
Chemistry, refined materials, food production, sample work, and Field Lab technology.
Research Contribution
- Completes Field Laboratory research in six hours and fifteen minutes instead of the standard ten hours.
- Supports chemical processing, sample analysis, anomaly-countermeasure work, and rare-resource production.
- Becomes especially useful when Phased Rapidium, Proxylium, and Megafluid chains begin overlapping.
50% efficiency when refining Enriched Metal into Metal and Organics; he also prepares food faster.
Best Assignments
- Field Lab research
- Refining and rare-resource processing
- Cooking during food-pressure periods
- Sample experiments and chemical story projects
Precise, emotionally restrained, and pragmatic. He values clear facts, efficient plans, and direct answers.
Create him before the first Field Lab research bottleneck, then keep him at the base until key chemical projects and his storyline are resolved.
Relationship Rule
Use practical dialogue, keep promises, and avoid assigning him to low-value work while major Laboratory projects are waiting.
Jan Biologist
Biology, living samples, crop growth, medical recovery, slime research, and ecosystem response.
Research Contribution
- Accelerates Terraformer research and the Uses for Slime project.
- Strengthens biological sample work and long-cycle survival planning.
- Supports the research path connecting the Oasis, plant life, radiation recovery, and transformed regions.
100% efficiency when growing Greenhouse crops and eight-times-faster healing work in the Infirmary.
Best Assignments
- Greenhouse production
- Infirmary recovery
- Terraforming and biological sample research
- Morale recovery through plant-focused projects
Idealistic but worn down by past failures. He needs encouragement and visible proof that his work can still help the crew.
Keep him available while injuries, food supply, Greenhouse output, or biological research remain unstable.
Relationship Rule
Encourage his work, complete plant-related requests, and avoid sending him away while the base still depends on his healing or crop bonus.
The underground base does not roll away from danger. Each cool phase is a preparation window before a thirteen-year hot phase forces the remaining crew into cryosleep. Build the Cryosleep Chamber within its fourteen-day objective, protect critical production and life-support modules, and treat the final evening as a hard logistics deadline rather than another normal work shift.
Restore the Research Core
Cycle 1, immediately after gaining control
- Build one Repair Kit in the Workshop for 10 Metal.
- Repair the damaged Research Lab.
- Research New Branching Procedure to unlock the specialist crew path.
Do not spend the opening Metal reserve on comfort modules before the Laboratory and basic extraction are operational.
A delayed Research Lab blocks Alter creation, Cryosleep preparation, Terraformer work, and the entire technology chain.
Complete the Forced Dormancy objective within 14 days
- 50 Metal
- 65 Rapidium
- A valid underground placement cell connected to the working base
Place the chamber early enough that its footprint does not cut off future corridors, large modules, or expansion routes through the varied underground soil.
Without the chamber, the crew cannot safely pass the planet's years-long hot phase.
Plan Around Soil and Module Footprints
Before every major expansion
- Use the placement preview to identify buildable soil.
- Reserve connected space for Laboratory, Workshop, storage, sleeping, food, medical, morale, and power-support functions.
- Keep production modules close to storage and Workshop routes while separating rest areas from constant emergency work.
Build the mandatory chain first, then fill remaining cells with comfort modules. A compact layout reduces walking time and leaves fewer critical rooms isolated by awkward soil.
Poor placement can consume the only practical cells for later modules and force expensive rebuilding during a short cooldown.
Create a Critical-Power and Repair Buffer
Mid-cycle, before advanced processing expands
- Keep life support, Laboratory, Workshop, storage, and essential processing online before optional comfort systems.
- Stock Repair Kits and Metal for earthquake damage.
- Maintain Radiation Filters, batteries, food, medicine, and spare construction materials.
Do not run every new processor at once if the base cannot also support repairs, meals, sleep, and medical recovery.
Earthquakes, radiation waves, and overloaded production can turn one damaged module into a chain of stalled research and exhausted Alters.
Before the last day of every cool phase
- 50 Organics for each Jan entering cryosleep.
- 100 Organics for Jan Scientist plus one Alter.
- 150 Organics for Jan Scientist plus two Alters.
Treat this Organics reserve as untouchable. Field Lab assignees remain outside the base and do not add to the chamber's current occupant cost.
Spending the reserve on food, modules, or experiments can leave the crew unable to end the cycle safely.
Evening or night of the final day
- Finish urgent research and personal conversations.
- Heal injuries, lower radiation, feed the crew, and restore sleep and morale.
- Assign the selected Alter to a Field Lab only after his important base work is complete.
- Dismantle any surface structures named in the cycle warning so their parts return to storage.
- Enter cryosleep after all final shifts and collection runs are complete.
Do not sleep early unless the surface is already exhausted; the final day is valuable for stockpiling, samples, and relationship events.
Low readiness can trigger an Alter Revolt, while forgotten surface hardware and unfinished conversations create shortages or missable story progress after waking.
First morning after planetary cooldown
- Restore the Organics Outpost first.
- Replace dismantled pipelines, Phasers, Extractors, Outposts, and support structures.
- Inspect base damage and crew readiness before assigning full shifts.
- Visit active Field Labs and collect new research progress.
- Use the short cooldown to explore newly transformed terrain and collect samples.
Restore survival income before rebuilding optional production branches.
Reconnecting rare-resource chains before food and Organics can create an impressive factory with no safe path to the next cryosleep.
The map contains nine connected arenas: the Oasis plus eight regions transformed through three Terraformer tiers. Every transformation changes routes, exposes new construction sites and pickables, and advances the Phased Rapidium, Proxylium, and Megafluid research chain. Planetary activity rises as the project expands, so the safest route is to transform one research stage at a time, rebuild protection, and explore immediately during the next cooldown.
Oasis
Reference biome; no Terraformer placementThe protected living ecosystem at the center of Jan Scientist's investigation.
Pickables: 3 early Electric Algae samples
Initial Rapidium access, the first biological evidence, and the Sample Analysis Module research path.
Use the Oasis as the comparison point for every transformed region; do not spend the early cooldown only mining.
Rocky Valley
Terraformer IFirst full terraforming test and the location of the first Field Lab site.
Pickables: 3 Polymer Gas, 1 Obsidian Crystal
Metal access, root-barrier progression, Field Lab deployment, and early Phased Rapidium infrastructure.
Expect newly opened paths and stronger planetary reactions; carry protection charges and combine every trip with sample collection.
Base
Terraformer ICentral logistics arena linking the underground base to Organics, processing equipment, and multiple regional routes.
Pickables: 4 Old Technology Debris, 1 Polymer Gas
New building space, processing connections, Organics access, and technology experiments based on recovered debris.
Rebuild this region first after cryosleep because failures here can disconnect several other arenas at once.
Narrow Cliff
Terraformer IEarly expansion zone with Enriched Metal and a compact set of mixed samples.
Pickables: 2 Polymer Gas, 1 Electric Algae, 1 Old Technology Debris
Enriched Metal supply and additional data for extraction, outpost, and radiation-support experiments.
Short routes make it suitable for a late-day sweep, but narrow passages punish low battery or radiation protection.
Misty Gorge
Terraformer IIMidgame research hub and location of the second Field Lab.
Pickables: 1 Polymer Gas, 2 Obsidian Crystals, 2 Old Technology Debris
Second Field Lab access, advanced sample experiments, and a key junction for later Phased Rapidium and Megafluid pipelines.
Roots and vertical paths increase travel time; enter with upgraded climbing, battery capacity, and a defined sample route.
Volcano
Terraformer IIHigh-value mineral and processing region used by the final rare-resource network.
Pickables: 1 Polymer Gas, 4 Obsidian Crystals, 1 Mushroom
Mineral extraction and a transformed input required for the Megafluid production chain.
Use strong radiation protection and finish the region in one planned circuit; repeated partial trips waste the short cooldown.
Remains Hollow
Terraformer IIRuined research zone containing technology debris, story objects, and a mineral input for rare-resource production.
Pickables: 1 Polymer Gas, 3 Old Technology Debris, 1 Mushroom
Proxylium-related infrastructure, Chemist story progress, and additional permanent experiment bonuses.
Earthquake and radiation pressure increase by this stage, so avoid entering without filters, healing supplies, and enough time to return.
Waterfall
Terraformer IIILate-game biological and geological sample zone opened after advanced root and terraforming research.
Pickables: 2 Electric Algae, 1 Polymer Gas, 1 Obsidian Crystal, 1 Mushroom
Late Sample Analysis Module experiments and final evidence connecting transformed land to Oasis survival.
Treat it as a single high-priority cooldown expedition because access is late and the planet's defense is already severe.
Far Hill
Terraformer IIIFinal high-tier region and location of the third Field Lab.
Pickables: 2 Electric Algae, 1 Obsidian Crystal, 2 Mushrooms
Third Field Lab access, final research data, and the last major step toward the ENC Generator sequence.
Bring maximum practical radiation protection and leave enough time for the long vertical return route.
Last Variable follows the base-game branch in which Jan Scientist remains on the planet to study the Oasis. Most ordinary dialogue choices shape conversations rather than the ending; the decisive branch comes in the final exchange with JanBot. Field Lab assignments, specialist aging, unfinished personal stories, and the timing of the ENC Generator still change what the final journey feels like and determine whether completion objectives remain available.
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