How to get around Sevastopol

Details, maps & tips about how Alien Isolation's key locations connect to each other, for lost or explorative players

Sevastopol transit map

If you're scratching your head and wondering, "Gemini Exoplanet Solutions? Where the hell is that?" then this simple, London Underground-style map of Sevastopol's key locations - and how to travel between them - might save your space bacon.


If you're having trouble viewing the image, try clicking here[i.imgur.com].

To supplement this general overview with the exact location of a tram or elevator connection, I suggest diving into AstalaYstalawa's excellent in-game maps. Or, read on...

Introduction

The rest of the guide focuses on each area of Sevastopol. Every location is divided into several sections:

Access

Lists the area's connections to other parts of Sevastopol, and describes how to find them.

Bonus items

Most locations contain a few locked doors which can't be opened on your first visit. If you want what's behind them, you'll need to return when you have the proper tools.
This section lists these bonus items and the tools needed to get them; near the end of the guide there's a list of when each access tool is obtained.

Maps

A few locations are difficult to find the way back to, so I've included some maps with directions.
For San Cristobal Medical Facility, I've gone a bit further and added a map-based walkthrough for Missions 5 and 6, because it's hard to figure out where you're supposed to go when you have an eight-foot walking slaughterhouse right on your tail.

Tips

There are plenty of guides out there that'll advise you on surviving Sevastopol, but some maps need more specific help. The section for San Cristobal Medical Facility contains some more general tips, because Jesus Flying Spaghetti Christ, that place is a nightmare.

Spaceflight Terminal

Access

• The first visit to the Spaceflight Terminal leads to Lorenz SysTech Spire, via a tram route that can only be used once in the game.
  
  
• Return visits are only possible from Mission 11, via Solomons Habitation Tower. The route can be tricky to find after that mission, so I've mapped it out below.

Return route

Here's how to return to the Terminal, through Habitation. Only available in the second half of the game.

Bonus items

• Mission 11 lets you reach a little double-room with some salvage, it's to the right just after leaving the airlock.
  
  
• Plasma Torch allows access to a dark room stocked with salvage items on the east side of Baggage Claim.
  
  
• Ion Torch unlocks a room west of Baggage Claim near the airlock you used to arrive at the Spaceflight Terminal in Mission 11, with an audio log and a safe (opened with code 2931). This one's only for completionists, as it requires a very long detour when you have the Ion Torch and free run of Sevastopol.
  
  
• Ion Torch also unlocks a room on the west side of the Passenger Lounge (the open area with the big exterior windows), containing an EMP upgrade and Nostromo log. This one's much easier to reach, as you'll be passing nearby during Mission 17, but the other Ion Torch room will be inaccessible by then.

Tips

• Freight Shipping floor is only accessible once (Mission 2), and contains an ID tag and terminal. So make sure you don't miss them, if you want to nab all the game's collectibles.
  
  
• When you encounter a group of looters hogging the middle of a large open room, there's a set method to get past them; it's basically a sneaking tutorial. Move to the right, staying in the dark, and keeping cover between yourself and the looters wherever possible. Eventually you'll reach a set of doors, past which is a cramped side-room with a generator. Next to it, on the floor, is a vent opening. What you need to do is activate the generator, which attracts the looters to come and investigate, leaving the area they'd been guarding. They're now heading your way, so quickly open the floor vent and drop down into it.
  
  (Although I said "quickly", be careful not to sprint. Enemies can hear this over long distances, and will come straight to your position. Walking is fine unless enemies are very close, crawling is always fine, but never run in dangerous areas.)
  
  Continue through the underfloor tunnel, and you'll come up right at the spot where the looters were before you activated the generator. Go straight ahead after climbing out of the vent, and you should reach the exit.
  
  
• Near the end of Mission 2 ('Welcome to Sevastopol'), you'll need to call a train to leave the Spaceflight Terminal. It's very important not to make any loud noises (like running or banging your wrench), and not to hang around when the train's doors finally open.

Lorenz SysTech Spire

Access

• Lorenz SysTech has a station on the main tram system, and is your first port of call after leaving the Spaceflight Terminal.
  
  
• Elevator connections to Seegson Communications, Gemini Exoplanet Solutions and Project KG348. All are accessed in the lobby, northeast of the tram station.
  
  
• Communications elevator is on the lower floor of the lobby, straight ahead from the entrance. It opens at the end of Mission 3 with the Level 1 Security Access Tuner.
  
  
• Gemini Exoplanet Solutions elevator is on the upper floor, in the windowed room directly above the lobby entrance. It opens partway through Mission 10.
  
  
• Project KG348 elevator is right next to the Gemini one, and only opens after hacking an optional panel within the Project.

Bonus items

• Level 1 Security Access Tuner unlocks a room right around the corner from where you find the Data Cell that activates it - it's easy to forget. This contains an audio log and ID tag.
  
  
• Level 2 Security Access Tuner unlocks a room west of the transit hub, containing a Nostromo log.
  
  
• During Mission 10 there's a one-time-only opportunity to find log entry 149. From the transit hub of Lorenz SysTech, find a locked door up the northeast set of stairs; examine the door to see the 'locked' icon. Then continue up to the lobby, and you'll find friendly civilians there. There's another civilian downstairs, in a little room north of Tech Support. If you properly examined the aforementioned locked door, talking to the civvies should give you the code to unlock it (0482), as well as log entry 149.
  
  If you didn't get the door code from the civilians, the Plasma Torch opens a vent next to the locked room that allows access to it, and the room contains a Medikit upgrade. You won't get the log entry this way though.
  
  
• A little later in Mission 10, you can find a keycard that will unlock a room loaded with salvage on the top floor. It's a long process, so you might want to come back later in the game when the alien isn't on your case.
  
  - When sealing the bulkheads on Lorenz' north stairwell for Waits, you might notice a keycard-locked door near the uppermost bulkhead, with vents near it. This is where all the loot is, but you won't be able to get to it for a long time.
  - Immediately after sealing the stairwell, you arrive at Server Hub Reception, a dark area where you enter Ricardo's override code on a terminal. The keycard is in a locked canteen directly east of the terminal. Getting around the lock requires messing around with a Rewire system.
  - Continue north from Server Hub Reception, turn right to access Coolant Control, and you'll find a corridor flooded with toxic gas.
  - Just before the gas is a Rewire box. Switch power from Door Controls to Air Purification to vent the gas.
  - Move down the corridor. The keycard room is on the left (Canteen), but will be locked, because it's operated by the Door Control system on that Rewire box. Instead turn right - you can open a door with the Maintenance Jack, which exits back in Server Hub Reception.
  - Find the Rewire box you used earlier, and switch the circuits from Air Purification back to Door Control. This will restore the toxic gas, but now you can finally access the canteen.
  - Circle back to Server Hub Reception to find the door you opened with the Maintenance Jack; the canteen ahead is now open too. The keycard is locked in an alcove on the left of the canteen room.
  
  (Note, a little bit further on there's another room with toxic gas, in the server farm. This isn't the one described above, it can only be accessed when you've found the Gas Mask.)
  
  If you're doing Mission 10 and managed all that without getting munched by the alien, bad news - the door the keycard opens is at the top floor of the north stairwell (remember there are two stairwells in this part of Lorenz), near the uppermost bulkhead you sealed for Waits earlier, and you can't get back there until you're done with the server farm. Just keep it in mind for later, when you can move more freely. It's a long way to go for some scrap, but on the higher difficulty levels you'll probably need it.
  
  
• Gas Mask allows access to a room east of the server farm containing a Nostromo log and some salvage.
  
  
• Level 3 Security Access Tuner unlocks a room on the southwest of the lobby's upper floor, contains a Molotov upgrade and ID tag.

Tips

• Your first visit to Lorenz SysTech (Mission 3) includes arguably the hardest human encounter in the game, as you have no guns and limited tools. This takes place in the lobby area, with the entrance to Seegson Communications. When you arrive you'll find someone directly across the lobby, working in the doorway to Comms; she'll fire at you and run away, escaping through a door upstairs and locking it behind her. You now have the lobby entirely to yourself until you investigate the Comms doorway she was working on before you arrived. Don't do this yet! Explore the rest of the lobby to get familiar with the layout, scout it for loot, and tinker with the three Rewire systems on the top floor. The most important thing is the 'air purification' Rewire function - these release a patch of vision-blocking fog near the Rewire box for a few minutes.
  
  The goal of this section is to get through the door the woman escaped through, it's on the top floor of the lobby to the right (east) of where you came in. It'll be locked until she returns with backup, which happens when you approach the Comms entrance. Unfortunately they'll leave a guard near the escape door while the others search for you.
  
  Once you've figured out the layout and where to go, it's game time. It might be worth returning to the transit station's save point first. When you're ready, quickly activate all three fog patches, then approach the Comms doorway to summon the looters. Next, move quietly upstairs and circle the top floor until you're near to the guard by the southeast door (the others will head downstairs first), then throw a flare to distract him. Wait until he's gone to investigate it, you can then either crouch-walk quietly through the fog to the door (sprinting only if you're spotted), or attack him with the wrench. Past the door is a stairwell, but the looters are afraid and won't follow you downstairs.
  
  
• Later in the story, a small room will unlock southeast of the transit hub. It's dangerous to enter until after finishing Mission 10... If you do, and survive, you'll need to find a button on a wall in the adjoining room.
  
  
• When using the Pistol, tapping reload will just add one bullet at a time. Hold down the reload button to fill it up.
  
  
• The Working Joes inhabiting Lorenz in the first half of the game should be non-hostile. If you see red eyes, though, whip out that Stun Baton.

Seegson Communications

Access

• Seegson Communications is reached from an elevator on the ground floor of Lorenz SysTech's lobby, directly opposite the lobby's entrance. This leads to the Monitoring Rooms floor.
  
  
• First access requires the Security Access Tuner (which is found right outside the entrance) powered up to Level 1 by the Data Cell (found in Lorenz' works archive).
  
  
• Communications has the elevator to Upper Transit, opening at the end of Mission 16. It's a few seconds southwest of the elevator to Lorenz SysTech (near the Local Departure Bay where you start the mission).

Bonus items

• Ion Torch opens sealed vents on the Monitoring Rooms floor, one of which (the sourthernmost) connects to an otherwise inaccessible room near the entrance. It contains a Smoke Bomb upgrade, audio log, ID tag and salvage.
  
  
• Mission 16 allows access to a terminal on the Monitoring Rooms floor which opens a nearby room containing an audio log, salvage and a hazmat-suited Working Joe (which should wander around and helpfully murder any trigger-happy thugs patrolling the area).
  
  
• Mission 16 also opens an area north of Comms Control. You'll be going here anyway, but there's an easily-missed ID tag on the wall at the bottom of the elevator.

Tips

• Three sets of vents on the Monitoring Rooms floor require a lengthy Ion Torch session to unseal from one side, but just a switch pull from the other side. You'll be coming back to Seegson Communications late in the game, so it can be worth popping in during a quiet period (eg. Mission 12) to hunt around for the open vents, so you can unseal them at the other end. You can do this for two of the three Ion Torch vent passages - it could save your life later on, allowing you to quickly dive into otherwise sealed vents. This is also a good opportunity to hunt for items you may have missed in Mission 4, as the area won't be so heavily guarded by this point.
  
  
• Don't bother tinkering with all the Rewires for future benefit, they're helpful at the time but will be reset by the next time you pass through the area. Air purification will even be reset within a few minutes, but is near-essential for making it through undetected.
  
  
• Comms is your introduction to Working Joes. If you're careful then you can avoid fighting them for now, but here are some tips to keep in mind.
  
  - You'll find neutral and hostile Joes. You can tell them apart by their eye light colour - white or red. However, sometimes player actions (such as opening a terminal) will make white-eyed Joes turn red. If you find a 'dead' Joe, any eye light at all means it's not quite dead yet.
  - You can move faster than a Joe, so try hiding in a locker after escaping its line of sight. It'll follow you, but won't think to look in the locker unless it saw you enter. Or, find a vent - Joes don't function in tunnels. After you've waited long enough in the vent or locker, it'll eventually give up and wander off.
  - During combat, aim for the head. This does double damage with the Pistol and Boltgun, triple with the Shotgun.
  - The Flamethrower is okay against regular Working Joes, but if you find one wearing a hazard suit, it'll take several times more fuel to decommission them. Generally speaking I advise saving fire for the alien, as there are many ways to take care of an android but very few for fending off a dribbling Lovecraftian wang monster.
  - At higher difficulty levels, Working Joes are ridiculous bullet sponges. Avoid getting into a shootout where possible - sneak around them, run away from them, blow them up with pipe bombs, or stun them (with an EMP or Stun Baton) and use the wrench to finish them off. Or lower the difficulty level...
  - It might seem dumb to throw a flare to occupy an android, but it works remarkably well.
  
  
• The Motion Tracker is best used to show the way to your next objective. Its objective marker will guide you literally corridor to corridor like a satnav, which is particularly valuable on Nightmare difficulty where there are no in-game maps.
  
  Ironically it's less effective when used as a motion tracker, because it can give away your position as well as the enemy's: they hear the beeps too. It's still worth using, quiet enemies are hard to find without the tracker, but keep it active for the minimum necessary time. It'll usually take a few seconds' use before an enemy notices the sound.
  
  The tracker also beeps when something enters its range, whether it's held out or not. Only humanoid entities can trigger a signal - you won't get false readings from objects like doors - but it does track non-hostile NPCs. Maximum range is approximately 20 metres, and the number in the bottom left of the screen shows how close they are (as a fraction of the tracker's maximum range - so 1.0 is 20 metres, 0.5 is 10 metres, and 0.1 is up to a man-height away).

Gemini Exoplanet Solutions

Access

• Gemini isn't accessible until midway through Mission 10. It's reached from an elevator on the top floor of the lobby in Lorenz SysTech Spire, directly above the lobby's entrance. Leads to the west side of Gemini (Reception).
  
  
• Near the end of the level, you unlock a freight elevator to Project KG348. There's another elevator between the Project and Gemini's reception area, which can be unlocked from within the Project.

Bonus items

• Ion Torch opens a room on the Upper Floor containing a Nostromo log and salvage. You can reach that floor from a ladder at the east edge of the map, next to a save point in Ore Processing.

Tips

• Working Joes around here will start out neutral but turn violent if you interact with devices. Happily you don't have to fight them - two terminals have functions in the Utility section which instruct the androids to move. The first one happens immediately after finding the Plasma Torch - a Joe is working closely with a terminal you need to use, but if you continue around the corner, you'll find another terminal which can summon him away from his station (he'll go to this terminal, so leave the room!).
  
  The second Joe-ordering terminal is in Ore Processing (the big room with the central column, ladder and save point) - hit the second Utility function on the terminal instead of the first, and the Joe will do the work for you. Then you just need to throw the two breaker switches on the other side of the column and bugger off out of there.
  
  
• There are some difficult-to-access rectangular wall vents around the middle of Gemini. The crosshair needs to be pointed at just the right spot to get the prompt to enter the vent, try pointing further downwards than you normally would.
  
  
• Progression through Gemini is quite tricky. At one point you'll need to backtrack half the level to pull hard-to-spot breaker switches on the wall. Remember you can pull up the in-game map to help you figure out where to go (unless you're playing on Nightmare, in which case it'll take a lot of motion tracker waving).
  
  
• Near the end of the level you're looking for the freight elevator. When you get to Quality Control, you'll hit a blockade, as the tunnels leading out of the room have cargo stacks barring your way. It's VERY easy to miss, but there's a button on the wall next to the tunnel entrance that moves the blockade out of the way.

Project KG348

Access

• Initial access to Project KG348 is from a freight elevator in Gemini Exoplanet Solutions, leading to the southwest corner of the Project.
  
  
• You can open elevators to Gemini's reception and Lorenz SysTech's lobby, from a hackable panel next to the first save point.
  
  
• The lower floor's Research Labs are only accessible once, but just contain a few salvage items.

Bonus items

• Nothing you can't collect on the first pass through.

SciMed Tower

Access

• SciMed has a station on the main tram system, you can't miss it. Open for nearly the entire game.
  
  
• Elevator connections to San Cristobal Medical Facility and Seegson Synthetics, the latter of which connects to APOLLO Core.

Bonus items

• Plasma Torch allows return visits to San Cristobal via the west entrance, a Nostromo log is just south of the elevator.
  
  
• Level 3 Security Access Tuner opens a little office near the Seegson Synthetics elevator, containing a Pipe Bomb upgrade and audio log.

San Cristobal Medical Facility

Access

• Two entrances from SciMed Tower, first northwest and second west.
  
  
• First entrance leads to a dark area at the east of Primary Care Floor. After Mission 5 it's blocked off from the rest of the map until finding the Ion Torch.
  
  
• Second entrance is accessible after finding the Plasma Torch, and leads to Medical Reception on Primary Care Floor. This is the main route for revisiting San Cristobal.
  
  
• On return visits, Crisis Stabilization Unit can be accessed from an elevator off a wide curving corridor in the north of Primary Care Floor.
  
  
• Maintenance & Morgue can returned to by taking the route to Crisis Stabilization Unit described above. Once there, hop in the elevator immediately south.
  
  
• One-use elevator connection to Seegson Synthetics.

Bonus items

• Plasma Torch allows revisits of the facility, including an audio log and salvage in a room off the Medical Reception.
  
  
• Mission 12 is the easiest time to explore for items, as you'll only have the occasional android or looter to worry about. Make sure you clear the ER room in the middle of the Primary Care Floor (which contains an audio log and salvage) before Mission 14; after that point it'll be locked at both ends.
  
  
• Ion Torch allows you to find a Nostromo log near the Primary Care Floor south entrance, beside the elevator that took you to Seegson Synthetics.
  
  
• Mission 15 opens the Ambulance Bay, including a Flashbang upgrade and ID tag.
  
  
• Level 3 Security Access Tuner allows you to find an audio log on the Crisis Stabilization Unit floor, in the room where Dr Kuhlman was hiding in Mission 5. It's quite a long trip for this one.

Walkthrough

Thanks to Isolation's mad reversed learning curve, the San Cristobal missions are arguably the hardest in the game. A particular problem is not knowing where to go, so I've drawn up a walkthrough map to help you out.


External downloads are available for the combined walkthrough[i.imgur.com], map only[i.imgur.com] and text only[i.imgur.com].

Tips

• The walkthrough shows roughly the quickest path - take detours to find save points, items and hiding places. When you hear a regular high-pitched chirp, a save point is nearby.
  
  
• The alien won't appear until after step 5, so take the time before then to explore.
  
  
• Any human in San Cristobal who's not plainly there for story purposes is a looter and will shoot on sight. This will attract the alien, so hide VERY WELL if you're fired upon.
  
  
• Some doors have override buttons next to them which force the door to stay closed for 20 seconds. Can be very useful for putting some space between you and the alien.
  
  
• When the alien jumps into the ceiling vents, sometimes it'll quickly drop into another room, but otherwise it means it's taking a break, so this is your opportunity to move around easily. The amount of time it'll be gone depends on the difficulty level and the alien's state of aggression, plus a random factor; minimum 25 seconds unless you do something to attract it back. Remember, it can still listen up there.
  
  
• Hiding:
  - The alien has a vague sense of which area you're in, so doesn't stray far. You'll see less of it if you move through areas quickly and quietly.
  - Move past the alien by setting distractions (eg. throw a flare), and move on while it's looking the other way. Or, wait for it to jump into the ceiling vents.
  - It's usually best to hide behind an obstacle or under a table, as this allows you to stay mobile, and throw distractions. Just make sure your body is mostly concealed; darkness helps.
  - Hiding in a locker makes you less visible, but can attract the alien, and you're trapped until it leaves (listen for it jumping into the ceiling). Lean back!
  - Human-accessible vents aren't usually patrolled by the alien, but if you spend too long in one, it'll smell you and enter it. Continuous rapid steps mean it's in the tunnel with you, so make a quick exit.
  - If you're briefly spotted, make a lot of noise or repeatedly drive it away, the alien will start investigating lockers, looking under tables, and laying ambushes.
  
  
• Sounds:
  - Sprinting or firing a weapon will bring enemies running straight there from considerable distances. If you have to do it in a dangerous area, hide ASAP.
  - Entering lockers sometimes attracts nearby enemies, but not as much as you'd expect given how loud it is.
  - Enemies can sometimes hear the motion tracker, so use it sparingly. You can tell what the alien's doing by using your ears and peeking around corners.
  - Using the cutting torch sounds to you like it makes a terrible racket, but enemies barely react to it.
  - Walking while upright produces a little noise. It won't be enough to attract an enemy from any distance, but if you're right next to them, it can make them turn around and spot you.
  - Walking while crouched seems to be completely inaudible, but it's painfully slow, so if you crawl everywhere then you'll rarely get far away from the alien. Best to walk upright unless enemies are close.
  - Opening doors or vents doesn't seem to trigger enemies at all.
  
  
• Tools:
  - The Flare is probably the best distraction technique - enemies will pause over it for some time. They just need to spot it first.
  - Noisemakers attract enemies in hearing range, but only occupy them briefly.
  - EMP Mines are essentially backup noisemakers, having the same audio attraction. The EMP effect itself is only useful for stunning non-suited Working Joes.
  - Flashbangs block enemy senses for a couple of seconds - handy for getting the upper hand against looters, especially when left as a proximity trap. Being very noisy, they also attract the alien like a gunshot.
  - Smoke Bombs release a cloud of vision-blocking smoke that gradually dissipates over 50 seconds. Great if you need to create some cover, use a terminal, or get past a guard who won't move. The alien loves hanging out in smoke clouds, so it's also a distraction tool.
  - Explosives and fire will drive the alien off into the ceiling, but if you're in the way of the nearest vent or it's mid-pounce, it'll knock you over and do a lot of damage. The bomb itself can also hurt you, if you're close to the impact.
  - Remember that enemies can see your torch beam!
  
  
• Rewire boxes can provide resource-free distractions.
  - Setting off an alarm will attract enemies to it like a gunshot, so use the map to make sure it'll send them far from you.
  - Speakers, sprinklers and radios have a shorter-range audio effect that can hold enemy attention for a little while. Set them off at a critical moment, enemies ignore noises that are continuously looping.
  - Air purification releases a small cloud of fog for a few minutes, which reduces enemy vision.
  - You'll sometimes need to use Rewire boxes to progress, for example opening the vents on the Morgue floor.
  
  
• If the alien is continually stomping around the room you're in, you might want to try lowering the difficulty level. This actually makes the game more realistic and no less scary, as the alien's appearances become less predictable. Alternatively, you could install the Unpredictable Alien mod.
  
  
• Don't be discouraged by the San Cristobal missions - life gets a LOT easier once you find the Flamethrower.

Seegson Synthetics

Access

• Seegson Synthetics is initially accessed with a one-use-only elevator from San Cristobal's Primary Care Floor, which takes you to Synthetic Storage.
  
  
• Return visits are made from an elevator in the northwest of SciMed Tower, just east of the San Cristobal main entrance. This takes you to the Synthetic Fluid Plant.
  
  
• Synthetic Storage is accessed from an elevator at the southernmost end of the Fluid Plant.
  
  
• Return visits to the upper level (Android Orientation and Administration) are made from a ladder at the southeast end of the Fluid Plant.
  
  
• Connects to APOLLO Core from Mission 12.

Bonus items

• In Mission 12, when you enter Seegson Synthetics there will be a load of salvage in the room straight ahead - the area overlooking the fluid plant, which had armed guards staring down on the factory floor the first time you came through. This isn't on your route in Mission 12, so is easily missed.
  
  
• Gas Mask allows you to find a Nostromo log. It's in the Synthetic Storage area that you originally explored in Mission 7. Climb up a ladder in the southeast of that floor, near the area with the tall storage stacks. You'll have to really want this, it's a long detour.

Tips

• In the Components Warehouse, which the service android leads you into, some of the tall shelf stacks can be moved up and down using the buttons next to them. To progress you only need to fully retract the rightmost stack, but there are a lot of salvage items in the shelves, so it's worth investigating every level of every stack, on both sides; especially on Nightmare difficulty.
  
  
• Midway through Mission 12, you'll be able to find a selection of pre-made equipment - molotovs, EMPs, medkits, a noisemaker. Be careful not to do too much crafting immediately beforehand, otherwise you won't be able to carry everything.
  
  
• When you encounter the Working Joe display room, your concern is valid. Only hit the lockdown button near the desk when you're ready, and be prepared to sprint to the door. It can be locked behind you by pressing a button next to the door, and the Rewire system in the next office can ignite a fire trap outside the door.

APOLLO Core

Access

• APOLLO Welcome Area is found via SciMed Tower -> Seegson Synthetics -> upper level, and taking a tram from the Administration floor. First visit requires the Plasma Torch.
  
  
• It's a bit tricky to remember the route for return visits (which is slightly different to the initial path), so I've mapped it out below.
  
  
• Going through the APOLLO Core eventually lands you in Engineering, on the Maintenance Deck. This is a one-use-only route.

Return route

Here's how to return to APOLLO Core's Welcome Area, through Seegson Synthetics.

Bonus items

• None, you can get everything in one go. Some items in the server area require the Gas Mask, which is found elsewhere on that floor.

Tips

• Only the Welcome Area can be returned to, but it just contains an ID tag, salvage and a couple of terminals. Most of the goodies are in the server/core area, which can only be accessed once. You won't get another shot, so make sure you grab everything you want.
  
  
• Hazard-suited Working Joes are impervious to electrical stunning (EMP and Stun Baton), far tougher than regular Joes (around 2x with most weapons) and have very high resistance to fire. The standard distraction/hiding methods still apply, but if you have to fight, best to use the Boltgun and aim for the head, or chuck a Pipe Bomb and finish them off with bullets. Ideally though... avoid fighting.
  
  
• To save your resources, you can use the environment to zap the Working Joes patrolling the tall server bank rooms.
  - When you get into one of these rooms, use the gaps between the servers at eye-height to figure out where the Joes are, so you can move between the aisles when their backs are turned.
  - Now, look for an alcove on the outer edge of the room, with a terminal and a locker.
  (There's another alcove on the inner edge of the room with a wall-mounted vent, don't go for that one.)
  - Get to the alcove when the Joes aren't looking. If one starts approaching, hide in the locker until they've moved on.
  - Open the terminal, then activate the function in the Utility section.
  - In the Right Hemisphere server bank (north, orange), you'll then need to pull away from the terminal and hit a switch on the pillar to your right, but in the Left Hemisphere bank (south, blue) no switch is needed. Depending on which hemisphere, it'll either flood the room with coolant gas or electrify the waterlogged floor, frying anything that isn't safe in the alcove. It should go without saying, but don't step into the room until the overload is finished...

Engineering

Access

• Engineering has a station on the main tram system, which is open for most of the game.
  
  
• The vast majority of Engineering is locked until you find the Ion Torch. Before then, you can find some scrap and an ID tag, and peek out of a window at Sevastopol's dramatic central reactor, but all of this can be done while swinging by during the story.
  
  
• Initial access to Maintenance Deck is via APOLLO Core - a one-use-only elevator.
  
  
• Most of Engineering can be returned to, but the Reactor Maintenance sublevel is a one-time visit.

Bonus items

• Level 3 Security Access Tuner unlocks a room in the northwest corner of Maintenance Deck, containing a Pipe Bomb upgrade and Nostromo log. It's quite a long trip.

Tips

• The Bolt Gun works differently to all the other weapons, which can be confusing at first. You need to hold down the trigger to charge up the projectile, then release the trigger to shoot. Take care to be accurate, as the weapon needs reloading after every shot.
  The Bolt Gun is arguably the best way to fight a hazard-suited Joe. You just need one head shot or two body shots to take them down.

Solomons Habitation Tower

Access

• Habitation is on the main tram system.
  
  
• Most of the level is locked until Mission 11. It remains accessible after that, but the maze of locked doors and overlapping corridors make re-visits a pain in the ♥♥♥.
  
  
• Habitation's sole elevator connection is the Spaceflight Terminal. The labyrinthine structure of Habitation makes it hard to find. For your convenience I've drawn a walkthrough for how to return to the Terminal, it's in that area's guide section. Be warned, despite the rarity of ceiling vents, you can still be hunted in Habitation.

Bonus items

• Level 3 Security Access Tuner unlocks a little room just outside the transit hub, containing a Noisemaker upgrade and ID tag.

Tips

• Be aware that when you have the Flamethrower held out, you're generating a light source, so enemies will spot you instantly. Only start aiming when you know you're going to use it.
  
  On the flipside, you can use it to illuminate dark vents without draining your flashlight's charge.
  
  The Flamethrower is the only gun that's useful against the alien (although you can also use Pipe Bombs, Molotovs and gas tanks for the same effect), so is best saved solely for old Stompy. However, if you fry the alien too often, it'll become more aggressive and adopt nastier tactics such as ceiling vent ambushes. It'll also stay away for shorter lengths of time. And of course you only have limited Flamethrower fuel, so it's still best to keep hiding as usual, using fire as a last resort if you're spotted.
  
  Final note, the Flamethrower might sound quiet to you, but it'll still attract enemies from far and wide just like any other gun.

Upper Transit

Access

• The elevator to the Upper Transit levels unlocks at the end of Mission 16. It's in Seegson Communications, near the entrance from Lorenz SysTech.
  
  
• Upper Transit contains three maps, and eventually leads to the top floor of the Spaceflight Terminal passenger lounge (an area that's previously blocked off by wreckage). A new exit opens in the northeast corner of the Passenger Lounge, leading to Station Maintenance (Lower Deck).
  
  
• A certain amount of backtracking is possible, but you have all the access tools by now, and it's late in the game, so there's not much need (or opportunity). I'd advise gathering everything you want before coming here.

Bonus items

• None, by this stage you already have all the access tools. There aren't any blueprints here, but you can find several audio logs, ID tags and a Nostromo log.

Tips

• The rest of Sevastopol becomes permanently inaccessible after taking the elevator to leave the train station in Upper Transit's second map. It becomes impossible to backtrack any further than this elevator, and you're locked onto a linear course for the rest of the story.
  
  The last part of Mission 17 does take place in an area you've visited before, the Passenger Lounge of the Spaceflight Terminal (the wide open area where you had your last glimpse of the Torrens), before leaving through a new exit in the northeast corner. However, the other exits out of the Passenger Lounge are locked, so this isn't a way to revisit the rest of Sevastopol. It is still possible to take the Nostromo log behind the Ion Torch-locked door on the western side of the Passenger Lounge, but the other Ion Torch-locked items in the southern part of the map are now inaccessible.
  
  
• The first and third maps of Upper Transit are mislabelled in-game.
  This is the labelled sequence:
  1. Solomons Habitation Tower: Habitation Decks
  2. Solomons Habitation Tower: Upper Transit
  3. Lorenz SysTech Spire: Upper Transit
  
  This is the actual sequence:
  1. Lorenz SysTech Spire: Upper Transit
  2. Solomons Habitation Tower: Upper Transit
  3. Solomons Habitation Tower: Habitation Decks
  
  
• During the third map (labelled Lorenz SysTech Upper Transit, but actually Habitation Decks), it will become necessary to retrace your steps twice, across half the map. Keep an eye out for any generator, safe, keycard device or wall vent that you can't currently interact with, and make a mental note that you'll be returning there later. The level's exit, after rebooting the generator, is accessed through the wall vent of a cabin in the southeast corner of the map.

Access tools

If investigating a door gives you a mouseover prompt, then you'll be able to open it at some point. Some doors open or close due to storyline events, but most locked areas require a particular tool to access. Here's when you gain each of these:

Maintenance Jack	mission 2
Level 1 Security Access Tuner	mission 3
Level 2 Security Access Tuner	mission 7
Gas Torch (basic)	mission 8
Plasma Torch (middle upgrade)	mission 10
Gas Mask (for toxic areas)	mission 13
Ion Torch (fully upgraded)	mission 14
Level 3 Security Access Tuner	mission 15
Immense sense of relief, achievement and closure	mission 19

At some points in the game, you'll have free run over the station, so you can hunt for bonus items that weren't attainable during your first pass through an area, or pick up anything you missed.

• Mission 12 is the least stressful time to explore like this, but you don't have the Ion Torch, Gas Mask or Level 3 Security Access Tuner. I advise doing most of your exploring at this point, because some doors will be permanently locked after the next couple of missions.
  
  
• Mission 15 allows free-roaming with every tool except the Level 3 Security Access Tuner. However, some doors (such as the ER room on San Cristobal's Primary Care Floor) are locked by now. In terms of difficulty, roaming initially seems just as easy as Mission 12, but eventually you'll attract unwanted attention.
  
  
• Mission 16 is when you have all the access tools and free run of the station, aside from the aforementioned couple of locked doors. However, roaming now might also shred your nerves - there are no safe areas by this point.

The game permanently saves any logs, ID tags and Nostromo boxes you find, so you can keep your achievement progress when starting a new game. You'll have to start afresh for blueprints, weapons, access tools and passcodes though.

Where the story takes you

This is the sequence that the story directs you around Sevastopol. You can combine this with the access tool section above to figure out when to revisit sections - or just to figure out how far you are through the game.

Areas marked "hub" are transit hubs that allow you to easily free-roam throughout unlocked areas of Sevastopol. Some other parts of the game do allow you to free-roam by backtracking though, and others eventually allow free-roaming after you've met some objectives.

To minimise spoilers, I've blanked out some locations that are one-off visits. This whole section's basically a very mild spoiler though.

Areas visited	Mission name	Mission number
(prologue)	Closing the Book	mission 1
Spaceflight Terminal	Welcome to Sevastopol	mission 2
Lorenz SysTech Spire	Encounters	mission 3
Seegson Communications Lorenz SysTech Spire (hub)	Seegson Communications	mission 4
SciMed Tower (hub) San Cristobal Medical Facility	The Quarantine	mission 5
San Cristobal Medical Facility	Outbreak	mission 6
Seegson Synthetics	Seegson Synthetics	mission 7
SciMed Tower Solomons Habitation Tower (hub)	Haven	mission 8
LV426	Beacon	mission 9
Solomons Habitation Tower (hub) Lorenz SysTech Spire (hub) Gemini Exoplanet Solutions Project KG348	The Trap	mission 10
Spaceflight Terminal Solomons Habitation Tower	Hazard Containment	mission 11
SciMed Tower (hub) Seegson Synthetics	A Synthetic Solution	mission 12
APOLLO Core	Consultation	mission 13
Engineering Reactor Maintenance	The Descent	mission 14
SciMed Tower (hub) San Cristobal Medical Facility Anesidora	The Message	mission 15
Seegson Communications (final hub)	Transmission	mission 16
Upper Transit Spaceflight Terminal	Desolation	mission 17
Tow Platform	Tomorrow, Together	mission 18
(epilogue)	Isolation	mission 19

Thanks and links

And that's it! First off, thanks to you for reading. Particularly though, thanks to these people who've provided useful information and resources.

Help

AstalaYstalawa's amazing in-game maps. These are indispensable, I couldn't have made the guide without referring to them.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=371906352
_F_o_x_'s video guide is essential for collectible-hunters. Not really used for this guide, but was enormous help during my first playthrough.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=336396377
Captain Capslock put together a handy video of how the various tools and weapons affect the alien.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/214490/discussions/0/617329150703357934/

This forum discussion is where the method for finding Lorenz SysTech log 149 comes from.
http://www.playstationtrophies.org/forum/alien-isolation/249498-i-need-help-finding-archive-log-149-a.html

The in-game-style font I used to write the locale databoards is Sevastopol Interface by RNRCFan.
https://www.dafont.com/sevastopol-interface.font

Walkthroughs

Prima's text-only walkthrough helped me work out a few things outside the game, and is generally pretty damn useful.
https://www.primagames.com/games/alien-isolation/coverage/alien-isolation-complete-walkthrough-and-game-guide

GamePressure's walkthrough has maps as well as text, just be aware that their mission numbers don't correspond to the game's. Not used for this guide, but was handy on my first playthrough.
http://guides.gamepressure.com/alien/

Yogscast Kim's let's-play is pretty entertaining. If you're struggling to find courage to get through certain sections, this one might give you a boost.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlSBsxKnPs6Q5j6W7DAIIc3ioUh6ze265

JoeFenix's 4-hour speed run is awesome, and was a handy reference when making this guide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ4lJNzI3CA

[Hex: Frosted Balls]

This is perfect for backtracking once you get the Level 3 tuner, thanks.

[iNGeN²]

i always playback mission 15 just to fool around the aliens, feels good being on top of food chain, phew...

[xRibellax]

ty

[Emperor Lv]

for taking your time to make this and for contributing to the community, i thank you and wish you the best of luck

[|iG| Vertigo]

Whitedga:
Yeah, that's one of the differences of Nightmare difficulty. AFAIK these are the things it changes...

- No HUD. Makes it more immersive, but you do need some experience with the game to get through it that way.

- No maps. Again - definitely need to know your way around the game before trying Nightmare!

- Fuzzy motion tracker. It's still useful for pointing the way to objectives though.

- Much lower likelihood of finding item pickups (ammo, batteries and crafting materials) in cabinets or on corpses. Items which appear in set locations of the map are unaffected, such as the ones on the shelves of the rising/lowering stacks in Seegson Synthetics.

- Alien aggression: it hunts you for longer before giving up to lurk in the ceiling vents, and you have less time to hide in floor/wall vents before it comes looking for you.

- The alien can spot you more easily.

- Non-alien enemies deal 25% more damage than Hard.

[ExtinctReptile]

while im here does anyone know why i dont have a hub (as in health and batteries) i am playing on nightmare difficulty and i think that has something to do with it

[MrVent]

This was very helpful and well-written, thank you!

[Forkinator]

This is a savage guide. Thank you.

[|iG| Vertigo]

Fropps:
Yup, by salvage I mean crafting parts. Bonding Agent, Ethanol, SCI Injector, scrap, etc. The exact content is variable - you'll find more stuff on Novice difficulty, and very little on Nightmare.

[Fropps]

When you say salvage, do you just mean scrap and components for items?