If you are just starting out in Active Matter, you will quickly realize that surviving a raid is about much more than simply having a good weapon. There are a lot of small mechanics that the game doesn’t explain very well, and ignoring them can easily turn a successful raid into a frustrating death. In this guide, I will go through the things that helped me survive more raids, save my loot, and understand how combat actually works.
In this post, we will cover everything from the controls, shelter and economy to armor, weapons, stamina-like mechanics, sound, terrain, hacking, beacons, Chronogens, and PvP. I will also explain some of the less obvious tricks that can make a big difference when you are playing alone or with a squad.
Active Matter Beginner Guide – Controls, Shelter, Economy
Keep in mind that some numbers and balance details can change with updates, so don’t treat every number as permanent. The main goal here is to understand how the mechanics work and how you can use them during your own raids.
1. Set Up Your Controls Properly
Before going into serious raids, I recommend spending a little time fixing your controls.
The default Action Wheel key can feel awkward, especially when you need it quickly during combat. I personally recommend moving it to the tilde ~ key or using Alt with one of your mouse buttons.
If your mouse has extra side buttons, you can also make good use of them. For example, you can bind things like:
- Tactical flashlight or target designator
- Weapon firing mode
- Drawing your knife or axe
- Other actions you need to access quickly
I also recommend setting the look-around or review function to a comfortable key such as C.
This lets you look from side to side while moving without completely exposing yourself or stopping to turn your entire character.
There are a lot of settings in Active Matter, so it can feel annoying to configure everything at first. However, once you get used to your setup, those saved seconds can make a huge difference during a fight.
2. Understand the Shelter and Economy
The shelter can look confusing when you first start playing, but after a few raids, preparing for an expedition becomes much faster.
Useful Inventory Shortcuts
There are a couple of shortcuts that are worth learning.
Using Shift + Click lets you quickly move an entire item or stack between your duffel bag and warehouse.
You can also use Alt while holding an item to split a stack. This is especially useful when you are dealing with ammunition, supplies, or consumables.
Don’t forget about the small Refill Ammo and Repair buttons in the storage area. They are easy to miss when you’re new.
Before heading into a raid, make sure your weapon is repaired and your magazines are filled.
Expand Your Storage Early
One of the first problems you will run into is running out of storage space.
Because of that, I recommend prioritizing assignments or investigations that unlock additional storage. There is no point collecting valuable loot if your warehouse is constantly full.
If you find items that are infused with matter and don’t have a reason to keep them, send them to the Replicator so you can turn them into useful resources and funds.
Green and blue cases are also important because they provide a stable source of badges. Unlocking access to them early can make your progression much easier.
Don’t Ignore Legacy of the Fallen
There is also a daily crafting opportunity called Legacy of the Fallen.
It allows you to turn three common tokens into 1,000 Monolith tokens once per day.
If you’re progressing through the game, make sure you remember to use this whenever possible.
3. Government Equipment vs Your Own Gear
Active Matter gives you an excellent way to enter raids without risking your own expensive equipment.
The government-issued or rental loadout is useful when you want to:
- Explore an unfamiliar area
- Collect basic materials
- Learn the map
- Find routes and extraction points
- Scout without risking your expensive gear
This makes free loadouts especially useful when you’re still learning the game.
However, there is an important catch.
Don’t Forget Your Temporary Stash
Loot collected while using government equipment goes into the Temporary Stash.
If you start another raid without transferring that loot to your main stash, you can lose it.
So after a successful free-loadout run, make sure you move everything you want to keep before going back out.
Government weapons are also not ideal for serious PvP because they lack suppressors and don’t provide the same level of protection as a proper setup.
Use free raids to build up resources, then switch to your own equipment when you’re ready to fight.
A Good First PvP Loadout
For a first reliable combat setup, an AK-103 is a solid choice when combined with useful attachments such as:
- Suppressor
- Grip
- Comfortable stock
- OKP-7 sight
For armor, a Beast or Alfa shell with L-class armor can give you a much more reliable setup than going into combat with basic equipment.
You don’t need the most expensive equipment immediately. You just need something that gives you enough protection and firepower to survive mistakes.
4. Pay Attention to Weather
Weather can completely change how you should approach a raid.
Night and Fog
During night or fog, long-range optics become much less useful.
A collimator such as the OKP-7 and a flashlight can be much more practical.
However, don’t blindly leave your flashlight on.
A light beam can be visible from a surprisingly long distance, meaning that the same flashlight helping you see can also tell another player exactly where you are.
Thunderstorms
Thunder can actually work in your favor.
The noise can hide footsteps and reduce the chance that enemies hear a suppressed weapon.
If you notice a heavy storm, it can be a good opportunity to reposition or approach another player more aggressively.
Spatial Disturbances
Keep iron bolts in your quick-access slots.
When you encounter spatial disturbances, throwing a bolt ahead of you can help clear the disturbed area before you walk into danger.
It is one of those small habits that can save you from an unnecessary death.
5. Your Heart Rate Affects Shooting
One of the most important things I learned in Active Matter is that your character’s physical condition directly affects weapon handling.
There isn’t a traditional stamina bar that tells you everything.
Instead, your heart rate plays a major role.
Running, jumping, climbing and other physical actions increase your heart rate. When your pulse is high, your weapon becomes much harder to control.
Don’t Shoot Immediately After Sprinting
If you sprint around a corner and immediately try to make a precise shot, don’t be surprised if your aim is terrible.
Before taking an important shot, especially at longer range, stop for a couple of seconds.
Crouching or going prone gives your character time to settle down and allows your accuracy to recover.
I found this particularly useful when waiting for an enemy to peek from cover.
Don’t Hold Your Aim Forever
There is another mechanic that is easy to overlook: hand fatigue.
Your weapon has weight, and keeping it raised for too long causes your arms to become tired.
If you hold your sights on a target for more than a few seconds, your weapon can start shaking and your aim becomes worse.
Instead of staring through your sights forever, keep your weapon ready and only aim precisely when you expect the enemy to appear.
This is especially useful when holding an angle.
6. Injuries Can Completely Change a Fight
Damage to different parts of your body has different consequences.
If your hands are damaged, you can experience weapon shaking, slower weapon handling and slower reloads.
If your legs are damaged, your movement becomes much worse and jumping can become impossible.
Be careful when jumping from heights while carrying a heavy backpack because you can make your injuries even worse.
Healing Takes Time
Healing in Active Matter isn’t something you can instantly perform while sprinting around.
Bandages take time and can leave you vulnerable.
One useful trick is to apply healing gel before entering a dangerous situation. It can gradually heal minor injuries while you continue fighting.
Planning your healing instead of waiting until you’re almost dead can make a huge difference.
7. How Armor Plates Actually Work
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is assuming that wearing an armored shell means their entire body is protected.
That’s not how the system works.
Armor plates are divided into different sizes, such as XL, L and S, and each plate only protects the area where it is actually installed.
For example, putting a strong L-class plate over your chest doesn’t magically protect your arms.
If your arm armor slots are empty, those areas remain vulnerable.
Always check your armor configuration before entering a serious raid.
8. Choosing the Right Shell
Different shells are designed around different playstyles.
Beast
The Beast is a good option for solo players and budget runs.
It offers solid torso protection without being unnecessarily complicated, making it a reliable choice when you want to protect yourself without risking expensive equipment.
Alfa
Alfa focuses more on mobility and aggressive combat.
If you like moving quickly and fighting enemies at closer ranges, Alfa can be a useful option.
Ghost
Ghost is more suitable for players who prefer stealth and careful positioning.
It can reduce footstep noise and help with prolonged weapon handling, making it useful for scouts and snipers.
Knight
Knight focuses heavily on protection.
It provides stronger protection for areas such as the arms and legs and can help against nearby explosive damage.
The downside is mobility. You won’t move and jump as freely as you would with lighter shells.
Viper
Viper is useful for longer expeditions.
It offers good storage space while also providing comfortable weapon handling, making it a nice choice when you expect to spend a lot of time outside the extraction area.
Rhino
Rhino is built around heavy protection and carrying capacity.
Its huge XL plate makes it particularly useful for machine-gun users and players who expect to carry a lot of loot.
The extra weight doesn’t punish your movement as heavily as you might expect.
9. Understanding Ammo and Calibers
Active Matter doesn’t use a huge selection of different ammunition types for every caliber.
Instead, the caliber itself plays a major role in penetration.
Pistol Calibers
Calibers such as:
- 9×18
- 9×19
- .45 ACP
struggle against heavy L and XL armor.
If you’re using a pistol or SMG against a heavily armored player, shooting directly into their chest may not be the best idea.
Look for exposed areas such as the arms and legs instead.
Intermediate Calibers
5.45×39 and 7.62×39 are more versatile options.
They can handle lighter S-class armor fairly well and can eventually break through stronger plates with accurate shots.
Rifle Calibers
Larger rifle calibers such as:
- 7.62x54R
- 7.62×51
- 12.7×55
offer much stronger penetration.
They are much more suitable when you’re expecting heavily armored enemies.
Subsonic Weapons
Weapons such as the VSS Vintorez, ASh-12 and Vykhlop are much quieter.
The downside is that their bullets have a more noticeable drop at longer distances.
You need to compensate for the trajectory instead of simply aiming directly at a distant target.
10. Special Weapons
Active Matter also has several weapons that behave differently from conventional guns.
Melee Weapons
Melee weapons are extremely quiet.
If you can get close enough without being detected, you can eliminate enemies or creatures without creating the same amount of noise as gunfire.
Flamethrower
The flamethrower is particularly dangerous in enclosed areas.
One of its biggest advantages is that it can ignore armor plates and damage health directly.
It is also useful against certain creatures that are difficult to kill efficiently with conventional firearms.
Crossbow
The crossbow is quiet but can be harder to use reliably in open combat.
It is better suited to players who already understand the game’s combat and want to experiment with alternative weapons.
11. Sound Is One of Your Most Important Tools
If you are serious about surviving, use headphones.
Sound gives you information that you can’t always get visually.
You can hear:
- Footsteps
- Gunfire
- Creatures
- Traps
- Movement on different floors
- Enemies approaching from behind walls
I recommend avoiding unnecessary virtual 5.1 or 7.1 software effects.
The game’s own sound system can provide the information you need, and artificial processing can sometimes make directional audio harder to understand.
Listen Before You Shoot
Don’t immediately fire just because you hear something.
A distant monster scream, a triggered trap or a sudden environmental sound can tell you that another player may have moved through the area.
The more you play, the better you’ll become at understanding what different sounds mean.
12. Use Seed Fields to Protect Yourself
Seed fields aren’t only obstacles.
You can use them as an early warning system.
If you position yourself so that a seed field is behind you or along one exposed side, an enemy trying to flank you may trigger it.
Instead of needing to constantly check every directi