You step into Abiotic Factor, a survival game from Deep Field Games and Playstack that places you inside a sprawling underground research facility in Australia. Designed for one to six players, the game casts you as a scientist or staff member trying to endure a containment disaster caused by alien forces and strange anomalies.
You gather resources, craft improvised tools and weapons, and build functional bases while navigating a hostile, science-driven environment. Every decision shapes how you survive, from managing supplies to adapting laboratory equipment for practical use in a facility that no longer functions as intended.
Abiotic Factor's First Major Content Update Is Now Live
You now have access to the expanded Pets 2.0 system, which significantly upgrades how companions function. You can feed, farm, tame, mutate, and deploy creatures in combat, giving you more tactical options during co-op sessions.
The update introduces a dedicated Companion Pet Slot. Each pet uses a collar that works as its own inventory and helps stabilize it when it enters a downed state.
You can now tame the Peccary, the alien canine-like creature encountered early in the facility. Once recruited, it fights alongside you and adds consistent support during encounters.
Beyond companions, the update adds over 100 new items across multiple categories:
- New crafting recipes
- Additional furniture pieces
- Fresh inventions and traversal tools
- Cosmetic options
- Quality-of-life improvements
- Bug fixes
Several new blunt melee weapons expand your combat choices. You can also craft a mop to clean environmental hazards and build a fan-powered chair device that helps you move across Cascade more efficiently.
Many additions unlock through progression. You must develop relevant skills to access higher-tier gear and systems.
Abiotic Factor v1.3.0 Cosmic Companions Update Patch Notes
New Portal Realm – Voices of the Void Collaboration
You can now access a new portal destination: Dunkeltaler Forest. This area connects to the main facility through a hidden access point inside the Hydroplant, though entry requires a Neutrino Mapper obtained in Voussoir.
The forest introduces a distinct atmosphere, new exploration routes, and crossover elements tied to Voices of the Void. Expect unique environmental hazards, unfamiliar enemies, and additional loot scattered across the landscape.
Access remains gated behind progression requirements, so you must prepare before attempting entry.
Companion System Overhaul
The pet system has expanded significantly. You can now tame, level, and manage companions with deeper mechanics and broader progression hooks.
Pets interact more directly with combat and exploration. Additional mutation variants exist, and discovering them unlocks new Compendium entries when you interact with each variant.
The update also adjusts the Core Companion Trinket, reducing its overall effectiveness due to the higher companion presence throughout the facility.
Chemistry System Added
Once you reach Cascade Labs, you can construct two new workstations:
- Distillation Bench
- Chemistry Bench
At the Distillation Bench, you process anomalous materials gathered during expeditions. You can produce one of 15 distinct Distillations, though some attempts may result in useless byproducts.
With Distillations prepared, you can move to the Chemistry Bench and create:
- 12 Throwable Flasks – Offensive or utility projectiles.
- 10 Drinkable Tinctures – Short-duration personal buffs.
- 10 Weapon Coatings – Temporary enhancements for melee and ranged weapons.
Weapon Coatings provide effects such as bonus damage or situational utility. All chemical effects remain temporary, so you must time their use carefully.
New GATEPal tracking menus monitor discovered Distillations and successfully crafted concoctions.
Craftable Wristwatch Upgrades
You can now craft upgraded wristwatches due to lifted equipment restrictions. Each variant provides an active ability when you check the watch.
Available Watches:
| Watch | Function |
|---|---|
| Stealth Watch | Grants temporary invisibility while active; drains battery faster during movement. |
| Decoy Watch | Projects a holographic duplicate that draws enemy attention. |
| Hauling Watch | Increases maximum carry weight while active. |
| Refined Pocket Watch | Cosmetic alternative with no gameplay bonus. |
Battery management plays a key role in using the active watches effectively.
The inventory layout now groups equippable slots together on the left side, swapping Pager and Wristwatch positions for clarity.
Item Adjustments
Several item behaviors and visuals have changed.
- An on-screen error message now appears when you attempt to manually place an item into an invalid container.
- Certain consumables and illnesses can temporarily alter your character’s facial coloration.
- Numerous environmental messes, including bloodstains and scattered debris, now respond to the MOP 9000, allowing proper cleanup.
- Previously immovable bodies in parts of the facility can now be removed.
These changes improve usability and environmental consistency.
Weapon and Equipment Updates
Four new crafted weapons are now available:
- Endothermic Hammer
- Plasma Flail
- Acid Mace
- Hardlight Sledge
You can also use IS-128-B to craft an alternate fiery weapon variant.
Additional equipment updates include:
- Volatile Helmet added as a new craftable headgear option.
- Mystagogue Wraps now allow use of artifact weapons.
- Adjusted Healing Briefcase reliability.
- Polished Antique Shotgun blast no longer causes friendly fire.
- Anteplate Gauntlets visual fix.
- Sword hilt reflection issue corrected.
A new blunt melee perk, Stunning Slam, expands close-combat builds.
Core Gameplay Changes
Terminal interfaces now open to the Desktop by default instead of Email.
Movement-related and combat-related quality-of-life improvements appear across multiple systems. You also receive clearer UI feedback when inventory placement fails.
These updates focus on clarity and reducing friction during routine interactions.
Performance Improvements and Optimization
The update introduces backend refinements aimed at improving stability and system performance.
You should experience smoother transitions in portal zones and fewer inconsistencies in entity behavior under heavy load.
Optimization efforts also target interaction consistency and environmental updates.
Facility and Portal Area Updates
The Botanical Temporal Rift has grown more unstable. You now encounter:
- A wider variety of hostile entities
- Increased Gatekeeper patrols
- Expanded loot placement in hidden areas
Additional changes include:
- Fixed shortcut doors re-locking after portal resets in multiple locations, including Intrados, The Train, and Rise Bio-Laboratory.
- Corrected an early-game wristwatch date bug.
- Jump orbs in Fragments behave more reliably.
- Wakeman adjusted his power setup in the Residence Sector.
- Added supply support from a key NPC before upcoming trials.
These adjustments strengthen progression consistency and environmental reliability.
Entity Behavior Updates
Enemy AI improvements affect both robots and military units.
- Defense Robots now rotate properly before launching mortars.
- Military enemies avoid friendly fire more consistently.
- Improved spatial awareness reduces cover overlap and NPC congestion.
- Fixed tracer visibility issues when NPCs fire at each other.
- Resolved infinite Thorns loop causing instant death from IS-0173-B.
Loot adjustments include:
- Certain powerful enemies may drop extra Arcane Scrap.
- Volatile Exor may drop additional Plutonic materials.
- Increased Essence drop rates from IS-0091 and related wild variants.
These changes refine combat flow and reward balance.
Interface and Journal Updates
The GATEPal now tracks:
- Discovered Distillations
- Created Chemistry Concoctions
New Theory Compendium entries explain both the companion and chemistry systems.
Additional updates:
- New entries for pet mutation variants.
- Fixed inaccessible Praetorium entry.
- Corrected multiple improper unlock triggers.
You can now track progression systems more accurately.
NPC Dialogue and Progression Updates
Late-game dialogue for Dr. Riggs received minor revisions.
Two dueling doctors also have slight dialogue adjustments during their encounter.
A potential Gale Reactor softlock tied to world state flags has been addressed. Reports also suggest a new shortcut path in the Security Sector tied to specific NPC connections.
These changes preserve narrative continuity while addressing edge cases.
Character Appearance Additions
New customization options include:
- Hudson head preset (default unlocked)
- Patchy hairstyle (default unlocked)
- Mad Scientist facial hair (unlock requirement applies)
- Spiked facial hair
These additions expand baseline appearance variety without affecting gameplay systems.
Food System Updates
Some consumables now apply temporary visible effects to your character while active.
These visual indicators reflect status conditions or food-related changes and fade once the effect ends.
Deployable Adjustments
Environmental interaction improvements extend to deployable and cleanup tools.
The MOP 9000 now removes more surface mess types across the facility. This improves base management and visual clarity.
Accessibility and Localization Updates
Interface clarity improvements enhance usability across menus and tracking systems.
Menu restructuring and clearer error feedback support smoother navigation for all players.
Audio and Visual Effect Updates
Visual corrections address weapon reflections and projectile tracer inconsistencies.
Combat readability improves through corrected animation direction for robotic mortar attacks.
Environmental polish adjustments increase visual consistency across portal resets.
Miscellaneous Fixes and Adjustments
This update resolves multiple edge-case bugs tied to portal resets, shortcut states, and UI tracking.
Environmental cleanup, AI stability, and loot distribution now function more consistently across sessions.
The 1.3.0 update expands progression systems, deepens companion and chemistry mechanics, and strengthens overall system reliability across the facility and portal realms.
