Lab 2016 Guide

Game Talk The Bunker
1
  1. Pick Lab Challenge
  2. Pick Any Profession (I prefer Broken Cyborg, because they are cool and points)
  3. Pick Any Stats using Multiple Pool default (I prefer 8, 8 , 8, 14)
  4. Pick Any Traits (I prefer Robust Genetics and Light Step with Hoarder, because the game is about surviving and hoarding to survive). Night Vision helps, but is not required.
  5. If you picked Broken Cyborg, then you should be able to get your Computers skill to 7.
  6. Name your character “Dylan the Hacker” and start game.

List of things to pick up along the way:

  • Any Food
  • Few Drinks
  • Any and all Bandages/First Aid Kits
  • Flashlight
  • Smokes
  • Matches/Lighters
  • Cocaine!!!
  • Butcher Knife (in case something goes wrong and you have to resort to eating creeps)

As you start the game, remove sound cancelling headset and start exploring. Avoid getting infected as it will slow down your process of getting out. Avoid using mutagens until you have broken out of the lab. Avoid hacking anything until you are positive, that the destination cannot be reached in any other way. If you need to hack anything. start by smoking a cig and do cocaine to boost your stats and then pray for the RNG gods.

Your main priorities are:

  • Reaching the lowest level’s room with science ID (ASAP)
  • Gaining access to armory in order to deal with the top level turret.
  • Should gaining access to armory fail, then try to find bulletproof gear or just wear tons of layers of clothes and blankets while trying to make the top level turret run out of ammo by baiting it to fire at you from the maximum range. Rest and/or bandage when you run low on health.
  • Have a mentality of not settling down in the lab, but breaking out and doing so later should you desire
  • Additional food can be attained from levels, Prisorner Containment Units and by luring enemies to Slime Pits and killing Slimes for Globs.

If everything goes well, then you should be able to escape the lab within the first day.

E: You can of course find Teleporters, C4, etc that can help you in your quest of breaking out.

2

Format appropriated without permission and altered to taste, [i]!!!ITS THE DYNAMITE ESCAPE PLAN!!!

1) Pick Lab Challenge.

2) Pick Lab Technician (It’s most optimized for this thanks to x2 free Cooking and Computers skill, but Volunteer Mutant can work as well).

3) Pick Any Stats using Multiple Pool default.

4) Pick Any Traits (Night Vision is not required, but it’s a massive quality of life improvement. Quick, Fleet Footed, and Light Bones are all good if you feel that need for speed. Fluffy Tail is preferred, Canine Ears optional).

5) Thanks to Lab Tech/Volunteer Mutie getting your cooking skill to 7 is easy. If you chose Lab Tech bumping up computers to 5 for hacking won’t hurt either.

6) [Optional] Name your character “Zoey Greene” and start game.

7) Your Anonymous Anarchist’s Shopping List for the Apocalypse:

[ul][li]Paper (Tear up some trashy romance novels, for survival reasons of course).[/li]
[li]Concentrated Acid (Use a Chemistry Set with a source of breakroom standing water to create some acid water, then refine it).[/li]
[li]Ammonia (Look in Storage Rooms).[/li]
[li]Soap Bars (Look in Garage Janitor Closets).[/li]
[li]Book on Advanced Phyiscal Chemistry (Look in Storage Rooms).[/li]
[li]Chemistry Set (You start with one as a Lab Tech, otherwise look in Storage Rooms).[/li][/ul]

8) Craft dynamite individually to ensure you don’t accidentally waste all your escape supplies.

9) Escape! Using a stick of dynamite, preferably at night, you should be able to destroy the security turret and front door with the first throw. Failing that you can also blast through one of the exterior walls at a corner.

10) [Optional] If you took some computers skill you can see about hacking barracks now. Handguns, submachine guns, martial arts books, and military clothing all await you through the first door. To get into the armory proper and its monthy haul you’ll need to use a stick of your precious dynamite on the reinforced glass windows. If you didn’t take computers skill you can also use another stick to blast through the first door as well.

11) Enjoy the spoils of your advanced start and lab worth of loot.

3

Here’s a tip - if you can, make a scrambler grenade (or EMP grenade and pray to RNG) and throw it at a turret. Once it turns friendly you can walk up and disable it and get an inactive turret. Once you disassemble it you get an UZI. If the turret didn’t shoot at you or anything in the room, you can get a set of free 100 9mm jhp bullets.

4

Good one! Havent looked into the skillpoints of Lab Tech, might be so that he gets a headstart with the combined skills, which is not a feature, but a dirty bug. :stuck_out_tongue:

My latest guy just broke out against all odds - started on the top level rooms right next to the turret. Luckily the turret only blasted me once as I sprinted past it with my bare Quick Fleet-Footed Padded Feet. Got down to 1st level and was getting rekt left and right due to pain and diminished perception, which led me to multiple traps. There also was a case of stair camping by another turret at one point, I managed to survive a full burst albeit it was a close call. Marked the stairs with glowsticks and moved on. Found some mutagens and decided to try my luck as a new character was pending anyways. Got the short straw with Unstable Genetics, however, in time I reaped Strong and Roadrunner due to my Robust Genetics. All those mutagens made me hungry and thirsty, thus a creep had to be cooked - very carefully as not to set the lab on fire. After some exploration and avoiding all combats - luring opponents to rooms or dissectors/blobs, I reached the final room, evaded some manhacks from highlighting me to the security borgs, got my ID and got out. Found a teleporter on my way up, however, decided to gamble with the barracks anyways. Popped my mouth full of chewing gum, drank some energy drinks and smoked a cig, while hacking the computer. It was a success, met some bio-ops and lured them into nearby dissectors, got few handguns and a taekwondo manual. Shot the top level turret and I am free! >:D

5

An actual tip I can’t recommend enough is to check everything. I’ve had several lab escapes where I was all squared away to start cooking with nitroglycerin before I lucked across an alternate escape method. Highlights include finding an electric jackhammer in a storage garage crate, or more mundane things like a teleporter tucked away in the back crate of a specimen containment room.

Scrambler grenades need 8 electonics and 4 computers skill. That’s alot of point investment, but if it helps you get the science ID for a guaranteed escape it works. I like the dyanamite route because it gives you an avenue to jump into mutations early and easily as well.

With Lab Tech/Volunteer you end up spending 5 skill points in either case to get to 7 cooking. 2 from the Profession, 2 from the first purchase, 1 from the third and fourth respectively, then you spend two points for the last 1. Though you also have to factor in the Lab Tech cost of 3 points if you go that route for a total of 8 to guarantee your escape with a high degree of success. Volunteer Mutie has a better exchange rate since it only costs 1 point but you lose out on the Lab Tech’s utility with extra skills.

6

Normally I get lucky with a regular EMP grenade. Scrambler grenades are a large point investment but will make your life much easier resource wise imo.

You could make do with EMP grenades however. But at that point it’s possible to create an electrohack and just use that to get through the lab doors - after you clear the turret of course.

Recipe for the EMP grenade is:

1 tool with screw driving quality of 1
soldering iron (6 charges) OR integrated toolset (6 charges)
Components required:
1x superglue OR 1x long string
3x scrap metal OR 1x tin can OR 1x aluminum can OR 1x clay canister OR 1x empty canister
1x amplifier circuit OR 1x power converter
5x copper wire

All of the materials are relatively easy to acquire, except amplifier circuit/power converter which could be found by disassembling flashlights, electric motors, tazers, hotplates, mp3 players, broken skitterbots, etc.

Electrohack:

1 tool with screw driving quality of 1
soldering iron (10 charges) OR integrated toolset (10 charges)
Components required:
1x processor board
1x RAM
4x scrap metal
10x copper wire

Electrohack components can be aquired by gutting a broken manhack and a spare chemistry set.

You need 5 electronics and 1 computers, for the electrohack and just 5 electronics for the EMP grenade.

But tbh, dynamite is my go-to. There’s so many roles dynamite can fulfill, destroying security bots and armored zombies at the lab finale are one of them.

EDIT:
I forgot to mention that dynamite can be made with nitric acid or sulfuric acid. Denatured alcohol can replace ammonia in the recipe. This both really did help as nitric acid was basically everywhere.

7

You get an Uzi but you don’t get a magazine… The bullets are nice though.

8

EMP recipe should include 500 batteries.

Electrohack recipe should include LCD display and 100 batteries.

9

You get an Uzi but you don’t get a magazine… The bullets are nice though.[/quote]

Unfortunately so, I usually just cheat a magazine in. I’m wondering if it is possible to implement a invisible magazine that carries a single round that represents the “bullet in the chamber”. Maybe when a fresh mag is inserted the bullet in the chamber gets added to the magazine (if it’s empty or partially full) or dropped/added to your inventory.

I’ve toyed with this idea for a long time but never actually went out and worked on it.

10

[quote=“X-PLODE, post:8, topic:13119”]EMP recipe should include 500 batteries.

Electrohack recipe should include LCD display and 100 batteries.[/quote]

500 batteries seems a little excessive.

The electro hack just has a whole bunch of ports and hacking software installed in. I don’t see why you should add a LCD display. Plus, if it was like a USB drive, then the electro hack would draw power from the computer or something.

11

You get an Uzi but you don’t get a magazine… The bullets are nice though.[/quote]

Unfortunately so, I usually just cheat a magazine in. I’m wondering if it is possible to implement a invisible magazine that carries a single round that represents the “bullet in the chamber”. Maybe when a fresh mag is inserted the bullet in the chamber gets added to the magazine (if it’s empty or partially full) or dropped/added to your inventory.

I’ve toyed with this idea for a long time but never actually went out and worked on it.[/quote]

Actually, the Uzi fires from an open bolt, so you couldn’t keep ‘one in the chamber’. It’d go off as soon as you dropped the bolt. A magazine is necessary for that kind of gun.

Back on topic, I didn’t even know escaping the Lab was a thing! Now I want to try this out.

12

Well, you’ve been missing out - it’s great fun!

Though I did find this guide to be a bit funny and limited, considering all the posts on the topic over the last 12-18 months… but most of them have been in the Tips,Tricks, and Noob thread, I think. Here’s a link to a good one exploring all the known ways out: http://smf.cataclysmdda.com/index.php?topic=14.msg287702#msg287702

For easy reference, here’s the main part, listing all the ways I know of to get out, along with my opinion about how much luck is required.

-teleporter - lucky to find, but extremely UNlucky not to find as a teleport trap (grinding trapping, disarm, escape)
-teleportitis - step on teleport traps a bunch, then go stand near the walls on the first floor and wait. Easy, and is pretty much guaranteed to work eventually… but also pretty much guaranteed to infect you with fungus, so be prepared for that (haven’t tried this one in a long time, possible it doesn’t work anymore)
-Science ID - drops from scientist zombies (very rare) or found in crates in that one room with the fencing (uncommon)
-electric jackhammer - rare to drop, but also buildable… with a book that’s also fairly, I think (not in Under the Hood, is it? that one’s common)
-jackhammer or jacquehammer - rare drop, and you also need to find a refillable lighter for the fuel (uncommon but with enough bed rooms, it’s pretty common to find one)
-make a vehicle to ram the doors with - seriously, it can be done. Pain in the butt, and requires the right books and tools (tools harder to get than the books, probably), but it’s possible.
-sewer access - totally luck based, somewhat rare
-teleport CBM - can be found at the bottom, so very luck on finding, somewhat lucky on getting and getting installed
-That one CBM that lets you walk through walls (same as previous)
-electrohack the front door card scanner - I think electrohack used to be autolearn? Never bothered with this way myself, but some people like it - if you don’t need a book, VERY little luck involved (if you start with high enough skill) - they also drop VERY rarely
-dynamite - make it (very little luck required if you start with the skill) or find it in an armory (uncommon)
-ant hill access - only seen this one once myself, so pretty darn rare, and totally luck
-I’ve seen labs actually in a city, but it’s rare, and if you’re in there a little while, the horde (especially with the help of a hulk) has been known to bash down the wall for you (but it’s rare)
-start near triffids, and the queens take down the wall for you
-mininukes in the bottom of the lab
-one more that I know that can always be done (seriously, every time, no luck involved), but I don’t think it’s intended, so I’m leaving it out of the list

13

Most if not all of those methods seem to be a tad extreme and either require grinding or luck. Ive been grinding the game for 4 days straight, mostly playing lab characters and getting out pretty much 99% of the time, then re-rolling because after you escape lab, there is lack of excitement outside. In the latest builds you are bound to get out within the 1st day using science ID, which is cool.

Only once I came across a lab, where finale was cut off from the stairs (drop from top stairs), but probably still escapable if I had a way to blow the walls.

0 fighting has to be done as most of the enemies can me lured into traps (goo pits for inorganic and dissectors for organic, including the slimes you get from the goo pits if you chose to stay in the lab for as long as possible - turning every possible enemy into a slime and eating the globs) or turrets (run past the door, open it from a 45 degree angle, step back, scream and shout to make sure the turret is ready when the enemy steps in the LOS).

For main lab tricks (spoilers for the super new people):

  • Find Flashlight, wield it and keep it off, from time to time when exploring do a shift + A memorize the layout and shift + A to conserve batteries.
  • Find all the stairs and go up/down on them to mark them on the map (in the latest experimental it seems that at least one set of stairs will lead you to PCU or Barracks most of the time).
  • Open doors in 45 degree angles and avoid rooms that are lit as they contain turrets

E: It took me awhile to grasp the concept of Multiple Pools and I enjoy it as all the characters come out with the same stat variance, while keeping the staring conditions/loadouts/traits unique and fresh.

E2: Been in the labs for so long, that I forget about the game having other colors than black and white 50 shades of grey. >:P

E3: Played the game for awhile, but only now realized something - would moving refrigerators in front of you let you go through rooms with turrets?! :open_mouth:

14

[quote=“Kuldar, post:13, topic:13119”]Most if not all of those methods seem to be a tad extreme and either require grinding or luck. Ive been grinding the game for 4 days straight, mostly playing lab characters and getting out pretty much 99% of the time, then re-rolling because after you escape lab, there is lack of excitement outside. In the latest builds you are bound to get out within the 1st day using science ID, which is cool.

Only once I came across a lab, where finale was cut off from the stairs (drop from top stairs), but probably still escapable if I had a way to blow the walls.

0 fighting has to be done as most of the enemies can me lured into traps (goo pits for inorganic and dissectors for organic, including the slimes you get from the goo pits if you chose to stay in the lab for as long as possible - turning every possible enemy into a slime and eating the globs) or turrets (run past the door, open it from a 45 degree angle, step back, scream and shout to make sure the turret is ready when the enemy steps in the LOS).

For main lab tricks (spoilers for the super new people):

  • Find Flashlight, wield it and keep it off, from time to time when exploring do a shift + A memorize the layout and shift + A to conserve batteries.
  • Find all the stairs and go up/down on them to mark them on the map (in the latest experimental it seems that at least one set of stairs will lead you to PCU or Barracks most of the time).
  • Open doors in 45 degree angles and avoid rooms that are lit as they contain turrets

E: It took me awhile to grasp the concept of Multiple Pools and I enjoy it as all the characters come out with the same stat variance, while keeping the staring conditions/loadouts/traits unique and fresh.

E2: Been in the labs for so long, that I forget about the game having other colors than black and white 50 shades of grey. >:P

E3: Played the game for awhile, but only now realized something - would moving refrigerators in front of you let you go through rooms with turrets?! :O[/quote]

Meh, some of those ARE very lucky (and mentioned as such), and a few are very grindy, but I put that together before they added the Science ID in the finale room, and I quit doing the lab challenge because it was too easy (I got out 90%+ of the time) without grinding. After the lab, you’ve got a good home to start exploring the rest of the world, especially if you got out without killing a useful turret or two that you run out of ammo and use as a perma-light source.

Yes, the refrigerator trick works (now - turrets used to be able to shoot you from positions where you couldn’t see them!), but you have to be VERY careful. Also, any piece of furniture that blocks line of sight will do - the lockers are a good source, and if you can build bookshelves, that works, too.

15

Only thing more challenging is Really Bad Day Tweaker, but its fruitless effort most of the time. The scenarios dont mean that much when its about skill points only - while Lab gives 8, one could start out being Sheltered for 5 and be better off with much better base and equipment to boot with less effort. Training 3 point worth of skills takes less time, than clearing out the lab. >:P

16

Maybe you could hold the bolt open and just let go of it when firing. But I know little of open-bolt guns other than you need to be a little more cautious with the firing mechanism.

17

The bolt will lock open, because if it didn’t, it would be entirely unsafe to use. Not that that’s much comfort. Technically you could seat a cartridge in the chamber, but with the bolt open, it will likely just fall out if you don’t hold the firearm a certain way. It would make aiming up impossible. Then again, I’m not sure if the bolt will hold open without a magazine in place, either.

18

Nice. Didn’t know that.

19

Going for an Unwilling Mutant with 0.01 Item Spawn rate to make the game a worthy challenge. >:P

Default other than 0.01 Item Spawn rate, 30 day long seasons (making winter harsher, since finding food and gear only comes from Zs and Wildlife).

Best experience Ive had, really intense 5 level lab, couldnt just powerwalk through the levels and had to pay attention at all times. Kept searching for stairs, saw and heard few Army Zs being torn to pieces, lured two Scientist Zs into different turrets. Managed to loot myself a torn set of cargo pants, steel-toed boots, 3 bandages and now a science ID on the last floor. Great start, now to see if I can break out from the top level.

E: Also got Fusion Rifle, Laser Pistol and the other Rifle on the finale floor, now I need to find gear to give me volume to be able to carry it. >:O

E2: Made it! Shot the top level turret with my Laser Rifle. Now the game begins. >:P

E3: When playing on the 0.01, you will really appreciate those extra points used for starting gear during character generation - ie matches, etc.

20

Where in the menu does it allow you to buy gear with?