If you’ve played other games like Atomfall, then you’re probably going to be wary of a status effect like Infected. All it takes is one look at the rampaging, growling Ferals to know that you probably don’t want to end up like them.
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However, if you do happen to become Infected in Atomfall, you may find yourself discovering some intriguing plot elements that you never would have seen otherwise. Is it worth the risk to let yourself dabble in whatever strange power has contaminated the Quarantine Zone? This spoiler-free guide will tell you everything you need to know.
How To Get Infected In Atomfall
There are two main ways to develop the Infected status effect in Atomfall:
- Take damage from standing in a blue spore cloud.
- Suffer damage from one or more Infected enemies or hazards over a short period of time.
Each of these will cause the Infected status to build up on the lower right corner of the screen. If the triangle fills all the way, you’ll become Infected.
If you start to become Infected but it doesn’t fully take hold, the effect will slowly fade as long as you don’t suffer any more Infection damage.
How To Prevent Infection
The main way to stave off Infection is to drink a Strange Tonic. Doing so removes any Infection that you’ve built up, and greatly increases your resistance to further Infection as long as the effects of the potion remain active. You’ll also take much less damage from spore clouds, letting you pass through them at much lower risk.
How To Get Strange Tonics
Strange Tonics are very rare, so the best way to get them is to craft them yourself. The recipe can be found in the druids’ castle in Casterfell Woods, in the apothecary workshop at the rear right. It’s the same room where Mother Jago’s Book can be found.
Be sure to learn the Blue Fingers Skill as well, so that you can harvest the necessary Spores for the recipe.
Experimental Inoculation
You can also get a permanent buff to your Infection Resistance by speaking to Doctor Holder in the cellar of St. Katharine’s Church. Once you establish that you’re a potential ally, he’ll let you use the syringe on the workbench next to him.
Both the Strange Tonic and the Experimental Inoculation only slow the rate at which you take Infection damage, rather than preventing it altogether. That means that even if you have both buffs active at the same time, you can still become infected or die from the damage!
What Happens If You Become Infected?
Unlike most status effects like Burn or Bleed, Infection doesn’t deal damage over time when it takes hold. In fact, it doesn’t mechanically do anything at all. Instead, your character will start to hear voices calling them to join the Soil, the entity that the druids worship.
The Infection will wear off with time, but hearing the voices can open up new dialogue options, especially with characters like Mother Jago.
The real danger of Infection is the HP damage that you suffer while getting it. Without the protection of a Strange Tonic or Inoculation, spores drop your Health Bar very quickly, and Infected foes like Ferals and Thralls hit hard. Becoming Infected on purpose is a gamble, as you might not live long enough to actually pull it off.
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