Atomfall - Beginner’s Guide#

UI Element	Function	Key / Location
Health bar	Shows current health	Bottom of the screen
Radiation indicator	Shows current radiation exposure level	Next to the health bar
Hunger/thirst bars	Shows nutrition status	Below the health bar
Weapon quick slots	Quickly swap between equipped weapons	1-4
Inventory	Manage all items, weapons, and gear	Tab
Map	Shows area maps, markers, and points of interest	M
Quest log	View current and completed quests	J
Crafting menu	Craft items at a workbench or in the inventory	C
Skill tree	View and unlock skill talents	K

Survival Basics#

Core Survival Stats#

Stat	Effect	How to Manage
Health	Reaching zero means death	Med kits, bandages, resting
Radiation	Too high drains health over time and causes mutations	Rad pills, protective gear, leave contaminated zones
Hunger	Too low hurts stamina and health recovery	Canned food, dry rations, foraged food
Thirst	Too low causes stamina loss and steady damage	Drink clean water, collect rainwater
Stamina	Affects sprinting, jumping, and melee attacks	Rest, eat, drink
Carry weight	Overweight slows movement and drains stamina faster	Drop unneeded items, upgrade the carrying skill

First Steps#

Opening Routine#

Step	Action	Notes
1	Create your character	Pick your appearance — it has no effect on gameplay stats
2	Finish the prologue	Follow the tutorial to learn basic controls and the setting
3	Loot the starting area	Grab every visible item — medicine, food, materials
4	Find a safe house	Secure the first safe spot as a temporary base
5	Check the workbench	Craft basic tools — lock picks and makeshift weapons
6	Take your first quest	Talk to NPCs for initial quest guidance
7	Explore the surroundings	Learn the map and mark points of interest

Starting Area Resources#

Resource	Common Locations	Used For
Scrap metal	Abandoned cars, warehouses, factories	Crafting weapons and tools
Cloth	Houses, clothing shops, inns	Crafting bandages and armor
Wood	Forests, cabins, fences	Crafting tools and structures
Chemicals	Labs, hospitals, factories	Crafting medicine and ammo
Electronic parts	Offices, server rooms, tech facilities	Crafting advanced gear
Canned food	Kitchens, supermarkets, cellars	Restores hunger
Clean water	Water sources, shops, medical posts	Restores hydration

Resource Management#

Item Priority#

Category	Priority	Suggested Amount	Notes
Medical supplies	★★★★★	5-10	Bandages and med kits are survival essentials
Rad pills	★★★★★	3-5	Stock up enough before entering radiation zones
Ammo	★★★★	Depends on your weapons	Don’t haul too much and bloat your carry weight
Food	★★★★	5-8	Light but indispensable
Water	★★★★	3-5	Dehydration is more dangerous than hunger
Materials	★★★	As needed	Used for crafting, but don’t hoard excessively
Weapons	★★★	2-3	Primary + secondary + melee
Junk	★★	Situation	Can be sold or broken down into materials

Inventory Management Tips#

Tip	Notes
Tidy up regularly	Sort your inventory after finishing each area
Sort by type	Keep weapons, medicine, and materials in separate groups
Break down promptly	Dismantle unneeded gear into materials right away
Set up storage points	Keep a container in a safe house for surplus supplies
Sell duplicates	Sell spare weapons and materials to traders

Exploration Tips#

Map Marking Advice#

Marker Type	Purpose	Advice
Safe houses	Rest and storage	Mark every safe house you find
Resource spots	Repeatable resource gathering	Mark rare material respawn points
Danger zones	High radiation or tough enemies	Mark them and return later
Locked doors	Need keys or skills	Mark them for a later visit
Points of interest	Hidden content or quests	Mark all of them for future exploration

Area Exploration Precautions#

Precaution	Why	Advice
Stay stealthy	Cuts down on unnecessary fights	Crouch your way into any new area
Plan an escape route	Leave quickly when outmatched	Confirm the way back is safe before entering
Carry enough supplies	Prevents running dry mid-trip	Check medicine and food before setting out
Watch the weather	Radiation storms can strike without warning	Keep an eye on the sky and find cover
Mark explored areas	Avoid re-exploring	Tag doorways once they are fully looted

Combat Basics#

Beginner Combat Strategies#

Situation	Recommended Strategy	Notes
1 enemy	Stealth takedown or a ranged headshot	Confirm no other enemies are nearby
2-3 enemies	Take out the biggest threat first — usually the armed one	Use cover and pick them off one by one
4+ enemies	Retreat or use explosives	Never take them head-on
Mutated creatures	Keep your distance and use the terrain	Some creatures are weak to specific weapons
Fights in radiation zones	Finish fast — radiation keeps ticking	Take rad pills beforehand

Common Beginner Mistakes#

Mistake	Consequence	Fix
Ignoring radiation management	Dying to radiation without noticing	Always carry rad pills and watch the radiation indicator
Carrying too much weight	Can’t move or dodge quickly	Carry only essentials — store the rest
Fighting groups head-on	Getting surrounded drains resources fast	Use stealth and the environment to pick enemies off
Skipping crafting	Stuck with poor weapons and tools	Unlock workbench crafting early
Not saving	Sudden death costs a lot of progress	Save manually every 15-20 minutes
Wasting med kits	Nothing left when it really matters	Bandage small wounds — save med kits for serious ones
Skipping dialogue and documents	Missing key clues and codes	Read every document and listen to every tape

Handy Hotkeys#

Action	Default Key	Notes
Quick-use med kit	H	Fast healing in combat
Toggle fire mode	V	Switch between single and automatic
Flashlight	F	Essential for dark areas
Interact	E	Pick up items, open doors, talk
Sprint	Shift (hold)	An effective way to dodge in combat
Crouch	Ctrl (hold)	Lowers footsteps and visibility
Mark target	Middle mouse button	Tag enemy positions in combat

Key NPC Types#

NPC Type	Attitude	Function	Trades
Trader	Neutral	Buys and sells items, weapons, ammo	All categories
Doctor	Friendly	Treats radiation sickness and severe wounds	Medical supplies
Mechanic	Neutral	Repairs weapons and gear	Repairs, mods
Quest NPC	Varies	Offers quests and background information	Intel
Faction members	Depends on faction	Friendly or hostile — depends on reputation	Faction-specific gear

Beginner FAQ#

Question	Answer
Stuck on a quest?	Check the quest log — the marker may not show everything — try heading back to a previous area
Always getting detected?	Slow down, switch off the flashlight, stay crouched — watch your noise level
Never enough ammo	Lean on melee — stealth takedowns cost no ammo — crafting ammo requires gunpowder
Radiation is overwhelming	Rad pills are crafted at a chemistry workbench — needs chemicals — protective gear greatly slows radiation buildup
Inventory always full	Upgrade carrying skills — craft a bigger bag — set up storage in safe houses — break down unneeded items
No idea where quests come from	Talk to every NPC — check notice boards — explore unmarked buildings on the map
Getting crushed by a boss	Check whether you’re ready — see the boss section of this guide — stock up on consumables and buffs
Where do saves happen	Manual saves work at any safe spot — autosaves trigger when you enter new areas, finish quests, and rest

Recommended Beginner Path#

Stage	Actions	Goal
Hours 1-2	Finish the prologue, learn the controls, loot the starting area	Build up basic supplies
Hours 3-5	Find a safe house, craft tools, take the first quest	Establish a survival base
Hours 6-10	Explore nearby areas, unlock the skill tree, upgrade gear	Build power for deeper runs
Hours 11-15	Meet the factions, complete side quests, gather rare materials	Expand your reach

Detailed Opening Route#

Step 1: The First Ten Minutes Out of the Bunker#

When the prologue ends, don’t rush onward. Do three things first: loot every cabinet and drawer near the spawn point, play the tape on the desk, and turn the cloth and scrap metal you picked up into a makeshift weapon at the workbench. What the starting area yields sets the floor for your first two hours of survival.

Timing	What to Do	Goal
Right after leaving	Sweep the area around the spawn point	Get bandages and canned food
Within 15 minutes	Find your first water source	Top off the thirst bar
Within 30 minutes	Reach Windscale Village	Unlock the shop and quests

Step 2: Set Up a Temporary Base#

Around Windscale Valley, confirm at least two safe houses — one near the shop, one near the farmland. Store looted materials in containers by category, keep only medicine and ammo on you, and stash everything else to avoid being weighed down.

Step 3: Take Your First Quest#

Talk to the village trader and doctor once each, then pick up the first quest from the survivor camp. The objective is usually to fetch supplies or find a person — ideal for learning the map and finding your way around.

Skill Tree Priority#

Branch	Recommended Order	Why
Carrying capacity	First priority	Eases early inventory pressure
Radiation resistance	Second priority	A must for mid-game industrial exploration
Medical effectiveness	Third priority	Boosts the healing from medicine
Stealth	Fourth priority	Cuts losses from direct fights
Melee damage	Situational	A fallback when ammo runs low

Daily Survival Loop#

Time	Recommended Actions	Notes
Early morning	Head out to explore	Good light and wide visibility
Daytime	Loot and do quests	Avoid enemies’ vision advantage at night
Dusk	Return to a safe house	Sort your bag and stash supplies
Night	Rest or a short stealth run	Night combat is risky — don’t push through

Safe House Facilities Checklist#

Facility	Function	Unlock Condition
Bed	Save and skip time	Available as soon as you enter
Storage box	Store surplus supplies	Available as soon as you enter
Workbench	Craft and break down items	Some safe houses have one
Campfire	Cook food, recover condition	Some wilderness camps have one
Map board	View an area overview	Unlocks once the area is discovered

Early-Game Key Supplies Cheat Sheet#

Supply	Where to Get It	Used For
Bandages	Clinics, house drawers	Treating light wounds
Med kits	Hospitals, traders	Treating severe wounds
Clean water	Water sources, shops	Restoring hydration
Canned food	Kitchens, cellars	Restoring hunger
Lock picks	Crafted at a workbench	Opening locked boxes and cabinets