How to get the Keypad Hacker in Abiotic Factor

An Abiotic Factor scientist (player character) wearing makeshift armor. It's mostly cardboard, toilet paper rolls, and pieces of office furniture.
(Image credit: Deep Field Games)

You'll need to craft a Keypad Hacker to bypass more sophisticated locks in Abiotic Factor. This is one of the survival-crafting game's first big walls to bypass, as it places a GATE security keypad between you and its second zone. The materials aren't hard to come by, but the early game to-do list is a bit daunting.

In my first run, I wasted quite a bit of time looking in all the wrong places, but hopefully my lessons learned from fighting Security Bots spare you the same mistakes. To make things as simple as possible, I'll explain how to get the hacker idea first. If you're already there, just scroll down for a handy checklist of items you'll need to make the Keypad Hacker in Abiotic Factor.

How to get the Keypad Hacker in Abiotic Factor

(Image credit: Deep Field Games)

Speaking to Alice Mayfield in Office Sector Level 3 unlocks the idea for Abiotic Factor's first Keypad Hacker. Well, it's either her or you've already killed one of the Security Robots—picking up its dropped Security Bot CPU. You can ignore finding her first as a step, but I didn't square up with any hunks of metal until I was forced.

Image

Idea: Level 1 Keypad Hacker
Materials:
LCD Screen, Controller, Infrared Emitter
Required ideas: Computation Brick, Glow Stick, Screws
🔹Takedown (3) Security Bots for CPUs
🔹Craft Computation Bricks, Screws, and a Glow Stick
🔹Gather more common materials from the Office Sector

The dying warehouse worker in Office Sector Level 2, Grayson, kicks off the whole quest by asking you to retrieve a power cell so you can power up a forklift to gain access to manufacturing and escape.

The elevator up to the third floor doesn't work, so take a right (following the sign to the Residence Tram) and look for the flooded office where one rather unfortunate scientist is stuck in the back on the upper level. Break out the window and hop along broken furniture to reach him. Speaking to the scientist will reveal that the power cells were all taken to Silo 3 by soldiers.

You'll need to find an anvil to reach Office Sector Level 3 and its Silo. So after you've grabbed one, made a repair station, and crafted an Energy Brick, it's time to head to Level 2.

From the broken lift, take a left and follow the path until you come upon the broken security control panel and locked door—pop the Energy Brick in to repair it. It'll open up the path forward to an elevator that takes you to Level 3. It's not much further to Alice, so exit the elevator and follow the long hallway over another hazardous few puddles and keep going until you see Silo 3 through the Lift Access corridor.

Alice is inside a control room to the right of Silo 3's entrance. She'll complain about being locked out, then ask you to salvage CPUs from the Security Bots—this unlocks the Keypad Hacker and its three core components.

Make sure you grab a nearby map of the Office Sector Level 3 from the board, then use the elevator to reach Level 2 and unlock the shortcut back up here. Now all that's left is for you to craft the Keypad Hacker.

How to get the Security Bot CPU and other Keypad materials

No more delaying the inevitable, you have to kill three Security Bots for the three Security Bot CPUs. You can fight them while they're out roaming at night or attack them in their docks during the day, just know they'll wake up after a few hits. I prefer the latter option since it means getting in a few wacks before they start fighting back.

There are three Security Bots in the Office Sector that are easy to reach early on; one in the Tram Plaza, one in Manufacturing near Grayson, one in the Data Farm. That's plenty of CPUs to work with. You'll find the rest of the materials along the way by picking up desk supplies and smashing PC cases.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Keypad Hacker material checklist

Amount

Material

Notes

3

Computation Brick

Crafted at the Workbench

1

Glow Stick

Crafted at the Workbench

2

Box of Screws

Crafted at the Workbench

3

Security Bot CPU

Dropped by Security Bots in the Office Sector

10

Circuit Board

Found by smashing PCs

6

Tech Scrap

Found by smashing PCs

4

Metal Scrap

Dismantling desks or file cabinets

3

Case Fan

Found by smashing PCs

2

Glass Scrap

Found by smashing windows

2

Keyboard

Found on office desks

2

Desk Phone

Found on office desks

1

Test Tube

Found in the Biolab or crafted

1

Bio Scrap

Found by killing and disassembling Peccary enemies

Abiotic Factor Good SoupAbiotic Factor AnvilAbiotic Factor Energy BrickAbiotic Factor Coworker

Abiotic Factor Good Soup: Initial experiments
Abiotic Factor Anvil: A weighty obstacle
Abiotic Factor Energy Brick: DIY power supply
Abiotic Factor Coworker: Making small talk

Andrea Shearon
Evergreen Writer

Andrea has been covering games for nearly a decade, picking up bylines at IGN, USA Today, Fanbyte, and Destructoid before joining the PC Gamer team in 2025. She's got a soft spot for older RPGs and is willing to try just about anything with a lovey-dovey "I can fix them" romance element. Her weekly to-do always includes a bit of MMO time, endlessly achievement hunting and raiding in Final Fantasy 14. Outside of those staples, she's often got a few survival-crafting games on rotation and loves a good scare in co-op horror games.

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