Alien: Isolation – How to Survive the Alien

Make it off Sevastopol alive with Prima’s Alien: Isolation walkthrough.

The scariest part of Alien: Isolation has little to do with facing the Xenomorph. No, the most terrifying moments are when you can’t see the creature, knowing it’s out there hunting you and waiting for just the right moment to strike.

• Tips and Tricks for Playing Alien: Isolation

Life on the troubled space station doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom, though. While on the surface it might appear the Alien is superior to Amanda Ripley in every way, one should never count out the ability for human beings to adapt and overcome. If you’re tired of being impaled and sucked through vents but this angry monster, look at some of the tips and tricks we used to survive the Alien.

Keep the Noise Down

The first and most effective way to ensure the Alien doesn’t kill you is to never let it hear or see you. At certain points of the game this is impossible due to the fact that the Xenomorph is placed into the environment you must navigate, but for the bulk of the missions in Isolation, there are some things you can do to minimize your contact with it.

First of all, know that the game becomes far less forgiving as you increase the difficulty level. Where you might get away with walking on Easy, you likely want to stay crouched on Hard. The main trigger for the Alien to show up and investigate is sound. If you tend to fire the Revolver or toss a lot Noisemakers, expect to be up close and personal with your adversary quite often. Whenever possible, escape dangerous situations by sneaking through a vent or an alternate series of rooms. If you don’t give the Alien a reason to come looking for you, chances are it won’t.

Locker Simulator – Alien: Isolation Edition

It’s not possible to go the entire game without at least catching a glimpse of the Alien. The developers at The Creative Assembly made sure that no matter how stealthy you are, at some point you’ll share the same rooms and corridors as your foe. This is when Isolation turns into a game of hide and seek, and lockers become both your best friend and worst nightmare.

When you reach a mission in the game where you must sneak past and evade the Alien to complete objectives, don’t be too proud to jump into a locker, lean against the back and hold your breath. In fact, such actions are absolutely essential in small doses. The key is to wait for the Alien to leave, then exit the locker and move towards your next objective. Sure, there is always a chance you’ll get caught out in the open and ripped to pieces, but there’s also a chance the Alien will find you in the locker anyway. Remember, hiding is only a temporary solution.

Create a Diversion

Distracting the Alien is one of the more popular ways to sneak away, but players would be wise not to rely too heavily on this maneuver. Noise tends to aggravate the beast, so after it’s done checking out the Noisemaker you tossed down the corridor, you can bet it’ll keep looking for you. The difference is now you confirmed that it’s on the right track.

To utilize the Noisemaker (or any type of diversion) effectively, use it sparingly, only tossing it when you are about to transition to another part of the mission, or can at least get several rooms away before the Alien starts hunting you again. What you don’t want to do is throw a Noisemaker down a hall and then go hide in a locker in the next room. That’s sort of like shaking up the beehive and then sitting on the ground next to it.

Multiple Entrances and Exits

There is this idea that opening up more doors in Alien: Isolation will leave you more vulnerable, but the opposite is true. The fewer doors you open, the fewer escape routes you have when you come face to face with the Xenomorph.

The game is absolutely packed with doors, some of which you never need to go through. Our advice is to open as many as you can. This will often result in having two routes to choose from when moving from one objective to another, or a quick escape if you spot the Alien up ahead. It’s also a good idea to open these doors ahead of time so you’re not messing with your Security Access Tuner while the Alien is busy disemboweling you.

Always Play with Fire, at Least in a Video Game

It’s about time that you find the Flamethrower and become brave in Alien: Isolation. Funny how that works.

You can’t kill the Alien, but you can scare it off for a few short moments while you book it to another objective. With Flamethrower in hand, wait for the Alien to approach and give it two or three small blasts of hot death. This should cause it to squeal, then scurry up into the vents while you make your escape. Should you find yourself low on fuel for the Flamethrower, craft yourself a Molotov to act as a last ditch substitute. Just don’t miss.