The Alters: Jan Miner Choices and Dialogue Guide

If you have chosen to get the Miner in The Alters, you might be overwhelmed by his insane story. It can be really challenging to feel like you are making the right choices for any of your alters, but the Miner is his own special kind of twisted.

In order to keep him alive and at least somewhat happy, you’ll need to walk on eggshells for quite a bit of Act 1 around the Miner. This guide contains everything you need to know about how to speak to him, and what choices he will agree with in The Alters.

tabula rasa or implants decision in the alters

Should You Choose Tabula Rasa or Implants in The Alters?

During Act 2, players will need to make a tough decision on which cure to use: the Tabula Rasa or the Implants. Here’s what you need to know.

All Conversations With the Miner in Act 1

You can create the Miner in Act 1 of The Alters. Most of these conversations, however, will also take place if you wait to get him until Act 2. As you progress through this first section with the Miner, you will begin to realize that he has a lot of issues, perhaps a lot more than most of the other characters. He will require more work than many of the others to be okay, but his boost to mining outposts makes him worth it.

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Waking the Miner Up Conversation in The Alters

The first time you meet him, the Miner will understandably be disoriented. He will be scared and unhappy, and he will be confused by the fact that his arm, which he lost in an accident in his timeline, is suddenly back. In order to increase his work efficiency in The Alters, you will want to pick the correct options.

Question	Best Answer	Result
Oh [_]… that’s it then. I’m dead already.	It’s okay to be confused. (Both have negative results, but this is the least bad.)	Burden Less Joy
My… [_] arm! It’s… there again! Ok, I’m done with your little survey; tell me what’s going on! What have you done to my body!?	I fixed it for you.	Less burden Motivation
Because if you really are who you claim to be – both of us should be short an arm!	That’s smart. We’re not exact copies	Motivation Less insecurity
Aaarargh, man. You wanna know what’s most cruel about what you did?	[All answers have same effect.]	No change
To what?	Working hard to help me…	Motivation Anxiety

How Are You Doing?

After the Miner from The Alters has been in the base for a bit, you will be able to ask him how he is doing. This is a good conversation to have, as it will help boost his mood.

Question	Best Answer	Result
[Start the conversation]	Doin’ alright?	Less gloom Less anxiety
I… don’t know. All right I guess, but… still trying to find some sense in this… plot twist.	You’re doing great.	Motivation Less insecurity
But, yeah. Focusing on the work helps me keep my demons at bay.	Don’t push yourself.	Less rebellion Motivation
Really? That’s hard when everyone takes you for a useless loser.	You’re not useless.	Motivation Less insecurity
But… is it really me you need? I mean… with this change… am I still the same person I was?	You’re a new person. Your past isn’t real.	Less burden Motivation

Try to Calm Him Down

After the heavy injury from the Miner’s arm is gone, you need to speak with him again. There are two different possibilities for conversations here. One is you ask about his anxiety, and the other is you say something about how he seems scared.

Both “None of us do” and “You work too hard to be called a wimp” are good choices when having the anxiety conversation.
If you get the scared conversation, you will need to choose something other than the “I’m following company procedures” answer.

About the Miner’s Painkiller Addiction

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Next in Act 1, you will have another conversation about the Miner’s damage. He will ask you for drugs, and you have the option to give them to him or not. Believe it or not, the best outcome here is to actually let him have the drugs he craves, for now at least.

Question	Best Answer	Result
The arm I lost in the accident… It’s weird but… It hurts. I mean, [_] it hurts.	Doesn’t phantom pain work the other way round?	Anxiety Less joy
What? I don’t know! It’s your arm, not mine. Damn, everything is [_] up here. I’m not some kind of wimp, so if I say it hurts, it really [_] hurts. Alright?	I believe you.	Less frustration Less anxiety
Or that [_] you doped me with before. That should do the trick.	Okay, I’ll give you some more.	Less rebellion Motivation

There are two different options you can pursue here: you can continue to allow the Miner to take the drugs, or you can take them away. There isn’t a good outcome here, but there is one that is slightly better than the other. Thankfully, there is a way to make up for this later.

If you don’t give him drugs to start with, he will cut off his arm. He will be severely injured.
If you give him the drugs to start with, then tell him he can’t have any more, he will spend a night in the infirmary, then ask for your help to cut it off. Declining to help cut it off will force him to do it himself.
If you allow him to keep taking the drugs, he will die in a mining accident. So you cannot choose this one if you want to save the Miner in The Alters.

Arm Replacement for the Miner in The Alters

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You have two different choices for how to handle his arm replacement in the Miner’s character story in The Alters. You can either get the Scientist to replace his arm with a prosthetic, or you can ask the Scientist to make a serum from Rapidium to make it grow back.

While the Miner is resistant to the idea at first and will take a lot of hits to his stats, the serum is the long-term best decision. You’ll need to talk the Scientist into it, then use the research tab to get it. Make the serum in the kitchen, then give it to the Miner and wait for his arm to grow back.
If you choose the prosthetic arm, the Miner will be moderately happy with it, but not as happy as the regrown arm.

How is your new arm?

Question	Best Answer	Result
[Start the conversation.]	How’s the new arm?
…	Wow.	Less rebellion Motivation x 2 Less insecurity
Not to mention pissing off our whiz kid…	I enjoyed that part.	Less rebellion Motivation