ATOMFALL when to start dlc: A Practical Timing Guide

When Should You Fit the DLC Into Your Playthrough?

An expansion entrance near the starting area can tempt you into a detour before you know what to pack. If you’re searching “ATOMFALL when to start dlc,” a good approach is to learn the base game’s survival systems and obtain its original signal tool before tackling The Red Strain’s main gate. The practical reason behind “ATOMFALL when to start dlc” is that this expansion uses base-game equipment and connects its endings to the main campaign’s finale.

That timing advice comes from the mechanics described in the supplied video review. It is not an official unlock requirement or a prescribed mission order. The available material does not establish a required character level, an exact starting hour, or a mandatory campaign milestone for entering either expansion.

Atomfall’s Steam listing for the base game and story expansions identifies Wicked Isle and The Red Strain as its story expansion packs. The supplied review provides much more practical detail about The Red Strain, so that expansion deserves the closest attention here.

Content	What the supplied material establishes	Timing detail it does not establish
Base game	Exploration, investigation, scavenging, crafting, bartering, and combat drive progress	A fixed DLC preparation schedule
Wicked Isle	The video places its entrance within the village hub and describes a separate exploration area	A required starting milestone
The Red Strain	The video describes an entrance in Slatten Coal Mines, a gate involving base-game equipment, and endings connected to the campaign finale	An exact level or playtime requirement

For “ATOMFALL when to start dlc,” think in terms of preparation and story connections. Knowing how to manage supplies and recognizing the equipment a puzzle uses gives you a more useful starting point than an unsupported hour count.

Find the Entrance Without Confusing Access With Readiness

According to player experience in the video review of The Red Strain’s exploration, equipment, and endings, the expansion is reached through an elevator shaft inside Slatten Coal Mines, near the base game’s starting zone.

Image: Steam / Rebellion

That location explains where the reviewer entered. It does not, by itself, prove that every new save can immediately activate the elevator or proceed through the entire expansion. The review does not provide a complete unlock checklist.

The reviewer describes a relatively quiet introduction: an abandoned trainyard, smaller rooms to investigate, and encounters that develop as exploration continues. However, a gentle opening does not tell you everything about the demands of the research facilities farther ahead.

The same player experience describes a single regional entrance without an Interchange shortcut. The reviewer also reports that fast travel was unavailable during the reviewed playthrough. Those details make preparation relevant even if you are mainly curious about the new area.

A good approach is to check your equipment and supplies before making the trip. If you already intend to visit storage or barter for essentials, handle those errands together so your next journey has a clear purpose.

For Wicked Isle, the reviewer places the starting access within the village hub. The supplied material offers no similarly detailed account of its unlock conditions, so there is no basis here for claiming that a particular quest must come first.

The entrance answers where to go. “ATOMFALL when to start dlc” also asks whether you are prepared to make that trip productive.

Prepare the Original Signal Tool Before the Main Gate

The most useful preparation detail concerns The Red Strain’s research-site entrance.

Image: YouTube / theRadBrad

In the review’s player experience, leads around test site Mariah pointed toward the base game’s Windfall Shipment investigation. The reviewer already possessed the original signal tool but initially used it on the wrong control box. References to an MK2 version added to the confusion.

The reviewer eventually opened the gate using the original tool. That supports a practical tip: a good approach is to obtain the base-game signal tool before trying to progress through this gate, then examine the relevant controls carefully.

It does not support inventing the control box’s coordinates, appearance, or interaction sequence. None of those details appears in the supplied material.

Situation described in the video	What the player experience indicates	A practical tip
Gate leads point toward Windfall Shipment	The reviewer was directed toward an investigation already completed	Check your existing equipment before retracing that route
Notes mention an MK2 tool	The reviewer initially thought the newer version might be necessary	Avoid assuming that every mention of MK2 describes a gate requirement
The original tool appears ineffective	The reviewer had selected the wrong control box	Reexamine nearby controls before leaving the area
MK2 is used later	The reviewer describes using it to turn applicable robots and turrets against enemies	Treat that combat function separately from the reported gate solution

This is a specific account of one reviewer’s experience, not proof that every installation still displays the same confusing leads. It nevertheless identifies a useful troubleshooting order: check what you already carry, inspect the controls, and only then consider another equipment search.

If your “ATOMFALL when to start dlc” concern is avoiding unnecessary backtracking, this equipment check is especially relevant. The reviewer’s mistaken search sent them back into the base-game areas even though they already had the tool used in the eventual solution.

Pack for New Enemies and Limited Inventory Space

Readiness also means leaving room for what the expansion asks you to carry.

Image: YouTube / gameranx

The review’s player experience describes new weapons, additional enemy types, and quest items competing for an inventory that had not received a capacity increase. Storage tubes were available throughout the new region, reducing the need to return to the Interchange just to manage equipment.

Those observations support a simple preparation tip: arrive with a purposeful loadout and some breathing room. Carrying several weapons you rarely use can make collecting new equipment more cumbersome.

Inventory consideration	What the reviewer reports	A good approach
New weapons	SMGs, a heavy machine gun, a flamethrower, and suppressed weapons appear	Leave room to examine new equipment before deciding what to keep
Flying drones	SMGs and electric grenades worked well for the reviewer	Consider carrying options suited to groups of mobile enemies
Larger robots	The reviewer found the heavy machine gun and flamethrower effective	Evaluate heavier equipment against these encounters
Quest objects	Brain jars and other required items occupy inventory space	Store surplus equipment before extended facility exploration
Local storage	Storage tubes are distributed around the region	Use storage when passing through instead of postponing every inventory decision

These are reported combat experiences, not universal damage rankings. The material does not provide weapon statistics, exact ammunition requirements, or an optimal build.

The official store description emphasizes scarce ammunition, crafting, bartering, and managing heart rate during combat. A good approach is to become comfortable with those systems before committing to an extended expansion outing. That preparation applies regardless of which weapon you favor.

For example, if your inventory is already crowded, consider visiting storage before entering another facility. If you have equipment suited to drone encounters, avoid replacing all of it simply because you discover something heavier.

The Red Strain introduces gear that invites experimentation, but the reviewer’s account also makes inventory decisions part of that experimentation. For “ATOMFALL when to start dlc,” equipment flexibility matters alongside combat confidence.

Consider the Campaign Finale Before Choosing an Ending

Light structural spoilers follow; specific ending outcomes are omitted.

The Red Strain’s story is not presented as wholly separate from Atomfall’s central mystery. In the review’s player experience, its infection narrative connects to Oberon, and the expansion includes two additional endings.

The reviewer describes both endings as involving a return to the base game’s final quest, followed by travel back to the expansion area. They do not describe a separate final dungeon replacing that journey.

Story detail	What the player experience reports	Planning implication
Connection to Oberon	The expansion links its mystery to the base-game plot	Its revelations belong in your campaign planning
Additional endings	The reviewer describes two DLC endings	Expansion choices can affect the conclusion you pursue
Final quest involvement	Both reported endings revisit the base-game finale	Allow for travel between campaign and expansion locations
Opposing questgivers	The reviewer highlights competing choices and moral questions	Pay attention to each proposal before choosing a direction

A good approach is to investigate the expansion’s story while you are still considering how to resolve the main campaign. That follows from the reported ending structure; it is not a claim that finishing the base game locks you out.

If you have already completed Atomfall, the supplied sources do not explain post-ending continuation, automatic save behavior, or which earlier save would be needed. They therefore cannot support a definitive promise about resuming DLC content after the credits.

The reviewer also preferred The Red Strain over Wicked Isle, citing its environment, enemies, and weapon variety. That is the reviewer’s assessment, not an official quality ranking or community consensus.

For someone deciding “ATOMFALL when to start dlc,” the actionable point is narrower: prepare for the expansion’s equipment demands, explore its story connections, and account for the campaign finale in your plans. There is no sourced reason here to schedule the entire expansion exclusively as a postgame activity.

FAQ

ATOMFALL when to start dlc: What is a practical starting point?

A good approach is to become comfortable with the base game’s survival systems and acquire its original signal tool before tackling The Red Strain’s main gate. This advice follows the supplied reviewer’s experience. The sources do not establish a required level, hour count, or universal quest milestone.

Where does The Red Strain begin?

The video reviewer accessed it through an elevator shaft inside Slatten Coal Mines, near the base game’s starting zone. The supplied material does not provide a complete activation checklist or exact coordinates.

Do you need the MK2 signal tool to open the research-site gate?

In the reported player experience, the original tool opened the gate once the reviewer used it on the correct control box. The MK2 version was also described as useful for controlling applicable robots and turrets later.

Should you finish the base game before playing The Red Strain?

The sources do not establish that as a requirement. Because the reviewer describes DLC endings that involve the base game’s final quest, a good approach is to explore the expansion while planning your campaign conclusion. Post-ending save and continuation mechanics are not explained in the supplied material.