Atomfall’s open-endedness extends to its items, and there’s a good chance you’ll find and acquire an Atomic Battery or two before you know what to do with it. Just like in thesimilarSTALKERgames, though, inventory space is precious inAtomfall, so it might be an inconvenience to haul an Atomic Battery around without any indication of whether it’ll be useful. The game’s lack of direction is part of the fun, and you’ll probably figure out what to use the batteries for eventually, but a cluttered inventory could lead to some early deaths and frustration.
IfAtomfall’s lead systemis any indication, information is power in the Windscale quarantine zone, but the game doesn’t divulge much about the Atomic Batteries. Their description says, “A valuable power source created by B.A.R.D. to power their equipment.” This novel power supply was created by the British Atomic Research Division, and is clearly a hot commodity – bartering for one will see you trading a lot of items. Atomic Batteries are, however, very important toAtomfall’s main story.
Atomic Batteries Are Used To Access New Parts Of The Interchange
Power Up The Data Stores
The primary use for Atomic Batteries is in the Interchange, where they’ll be slotted into machinery to restore power to the locked-down research facilities' various wards. The Interchange is a major component ofAtomfall’s puzzle box design, and exploring its depths is a key part of the game’s main storyline. A key feature of making progress inAtomfallis restoring power to the Interchange’s Data Stores, of which there are four.Atomic Batteries are used to restore power to the Interchange’s Data Stores, which subsequently let you use lock release mechanisms in the area to access previously inaccessible rooms.
You’re likely to stumble upon an Atomic Battery early on in Slatten Dale, in the possession of the trader Molly. She’s west of the entrane to Wyndham Village, but this early in the game, you might be wary of parting with valuable loot. Your best bet is to take a look around Wyndham Village, following the leads surrounding St. Katherine’s Church specifically. Once you have an Atomic Battery,any Interchange entrance you can find will eventually lead you to a Data Store.
You Can Store Any Atomic Batteries You Find In Atomfall
Pneumatic Tubes Are Your Personal Chest
Inside most B.A.R.D. facilities – the Interchange and bunkers, among other locations – you’ll find Pneumatic Tubes, which are there to ease your inventory woes.Pneumatic Tubes act as your personal storage throughoutAtomfall, letting you put valuables away until you need them to clear up inventory slots. I suggest picking up any Atomic Batteries you find and depositing them into a Pneumatic Tube whenever convenient. You may not always be ready to use an Atomic Battery right away, and storing them will make sure you don’t lose track of them.
The Pneumatic Tube can hold 100 items of any size – far more than your paltry inventory screen.There’s no fast travel inAtomfall, and you carry everything you find except for key items in your inventory, so it will help tremendously if you dump quest items like Atomic Batteries into Pneumatic Tubes. The tube access points are all connected, so you’ll be able to pull Atomic Batteries out in the Interchange (or any other government site) when you need them.
You Can Pull Atomic Batteries Out Of B.A.R.D. Robots
Atomfall’s Tough Enemies Are Powered By Advanced Tech
While Atomic Batteries seem to start out in short supply, you’ll be able to find them in abundance as you get further intoAtomfall. Despite taking place in 1962, there is some distinctly futuristic technology to be found, the Atomic Batteries included, though not enough to enshrineAtomfallas so-called BritishFallout. Most notably, the batteries power B.A.R.D.’s hulking robots, some of which can be seen stomping around Wyndham Village. These robots are found elsewhere too, and are generally the game’s toughest enemies, but destroying them will give you their battery.
If you aren’t a fan of Protocol’s occupation of Wyndham Village, stop by the Grendel’s Head pub and have a chat with the bartender.
In fact, the B.A.R.D. robots can be beaten relatively easily by simply removing their Atomic Battery. This is easiest on the flamethrower-equipped ones: aim for the fuel tanks, and doing enough damage will cause the robot to overheat, whenyou’ll then be able to run around their back and extract the battery before the robot recovers. This is a bit trickier on the other robot variants, but if you can trick the AI into shooting at you while you’re safely in cover, they’ll eventually overheat on their own.
Simply shooting or throwing explosives at the robot will work too, but you will definitely burn through a lot of supplies. You’re rarely required to fight any of the B.A.R.D. robots, though, and Atomic Batteries aplenty can be found throughout the quarantine zone. They start out as a bit of a mysterious item with clear importance, but once you start exploring the Interchange inAtomfall, Atomic Batteries' use will become clear.
Atomfall
Set in an alternate 1960s Britain,Atomfallimmerses players in a post-nuclear disaster landscape following the Windscale incident. As an amnesiac protagonist, players navigate the quarantined Lake District, confronting mutated creatures, cultists, and rogue agents.
