Project Moon left Early Access with Lobotomy Corporation on 9 April 2018, putting you in charge of a facility that farms energy out of caged Abnormalities. Each of the fifty days sets an Enkephalin quota you meet by ordering agents to perform Instinct, Insight, Attachment or Repression work on things that very much do not want to cooperate. A run of bad work results drives an Abnormality's Qliphoth Counter to zero, it breaches, and a facility that looked stable at 80 percent quota can empty out in ninety seconds.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Control Team (Asiyah) | Qliphoth Counter and breaches basics | Information Team (Yesod) | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Information Team (Asiyah) | Four work types and the Virtues mastery | Information Team (Yesod) | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Central Command Team (Briah) | Qliphoth Meltdown timers + gear | Control Team (Malkuth) or Information Team (Yesod) | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Welfare Team (Briah) | Build optimization | Control Team (Malkuth) | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Extraction Team (Atziluth) | Min-max | Control Team (Malkuth) or Disciplinary Team (Gebura) | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Control Team (Asiyah))
Malkuth's department and the first one you staff, sitting in the upper Asiyah layer. Its missions teach work results and the Qliphoth Counter, and its Core Suppression randomises the work type buttons so you cannot rely on muscle memory.
Level/Difficulty: Days 1 to 20, Core Suppression from Day 21 Key Rewards: Work result training, agent slots and the first energy quota upgrades
What to Do in Control Team (Asiyah)
- Learn Qliphoth Counter and breaches. The number above each containment cell falls on bad work results and on triggers written specifically into that Abnormality. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Information Team (Yesod) as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Observation notes are the difficulty setting. Every Abnormality lists which work types it favours and what drops its Qliphoth Counter, and a facility that reads them survives Day 30 while one that guesses does not reach Day 20.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Fourth Match Flame or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Qliphoth Counter and breaches fundamentals
- Information Team (Yesod) selected and functional
- Control Team (Asiyah) main content cleared
- Ready for Information Team (Asiyah)
Phase 2: Early Game (Information Team (Asiyah))
Yesod's department, which unlocks observation levels and therefore all E.G.O. gear. Its Core Suppression progressively pixelates the interface and the facility view, so you manage the day by memory rather than by reading it.
Level/Difficulty: Days 10 to 20, Core Suppression from Day 21 Key Rewards: Observation progress, E.G.O. unlocks and Abnormality information entries
What to Do in Information Team (Asiyah)
- Work on Four work types and the Virtues. Instinct raises Fortitude, Insight raises Prudence, Attachment raises Temperance and Repression raises Justice. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Fourth Match Flame if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Match Virtue to work, not agent to department. An agent with high Prudence handles Insight work safely while the same agent sent to do Repression on a Red damage Abnormality comes out at a fraction of their health.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Central Command Team (Briah).
- Consider whether Control Team (Malkuth) might suit your playstyle better than Information Team (Yesod).
Phase 2 Checklist
- Four work types and the Virtues integrated into gameplay
- Fourth Match Flame acquired
- Information Team (Asiyah) fully cleared
- Ready for Central Command Team (Briah)
Phase 3: Mid Game (Central Command Team (Briah))
Tiphereth's department in the middle Briah layer, split into Upper and Lower teams with ten agents across eight containment units. It receives two Abnormalities per day instead of one, which is both the reward and the trap.
Level/Difficulty: Days 26 to 35, Core Suppression from Day 36 Key Rewards: Two Abnormalities per day, ten agent slots and department wide upgrades
What to Do in Central Command Team (Briah)
- Master Qliphoth Meltdown timers. A gauge fills as agents enter containment rooms, then flags specific cells with a 60 second countdown. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Penitence. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- A Qliphoth Meltdown timer running out costs energy equal to five times the meltdown level and zeroes that cell's counter. There is no work order worth finishing that is more valuable than answering the timer.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in E.G.O. weapons, suits and gifts for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Qliphoth Meltdown timers mastered
- Penitence acquired or in progress
- Central Command Team (Briah) fully cleared
- Ready for Welfare Team (Briah)
Phase 4: Late Game (Welfare Team (Briah))
Chesed's department, the one that keeps agents alive between shifts. Its Core Suppression multiplies one to three damage types by five and rotates which ones as the meltdown level climbs, so your resistance planning has to change mid fight.
Level/Difficulty: Days 31 to 35, Core Suppression from Day 36 Key Rewards: Healing capacity, employee recovery speed and survivability research
What to Do in Welfare Team (Briah)
- Finalize your build. You should be running Control Team (Malkuth) or Information Team (Yesod) with optimized gear.
- Penitence should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Keep one agent with high Justice permanently unassigned. Justice governs movement speed as well as attack speed, so that agent reaches a breach across two departments faster than anybody already mid task.
- Core Suppressions optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Extraction Team (Atziluth).
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Penitence upgraded to max
- Welfare Team (Briah) fully cleared
- Ready for Extraction Team (Atziluth)
Phase 5: Endgame (Extraction Team (Atziluth))
Binah's department in the lowest Atziluth layer, unlocked in the last stretch of the run. Its Core Suppression is one of only two that fight you directly, putting An Arbiter on the field alongside spike traps and special meltdown types.
Level/Difficulty: Days 36 to 40, Core Suppression from Day 41 Key Rewards: Late game containment slots and the An Arbiter encounter
What to Do in Extraction Team (Atziluth)
- Extraction Team (Atziluth) tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Bad work results are not random noise. Low Temperance means low success chance, so sending an underdeveloped agent into a HE or WAW cell is the direct cause of most first breaches players blame on luck.
- The endgame loop: run Extraction Team (Atziluth), optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Disciplinary Team (Gebura) for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Core Suppressions mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Extraction Team (Atziluth) fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Working an Abnormality repeatedly to farm energy without watching its counter. Energy is worthless if the source of it is loose in the corridor two minutes later.
- Assigning Repression work to a low Prudence agent. Repression drives mental damage, and a panicked agent attacks colleagues, which converts one bad order into a chain of them.
- Treating every breach as a fight. Several Abnormalities are best handled by evacuating the department and waiting them out, and pushing agents into a losing suppression is how facilities lose an entire shift.
- Attempting Core Suppressions at the earliest unlock day. Day 21 is when Malkuth, Yesod, Hod and Netzach become available, not when a typical roster is ready for them.
- Ignoring the facility layers when placing Abnormalities. Asiyah, Briah and Atziluth departments unlock at different points, and putting a WAW threat next to your least developed team creates a permanent liability.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Observation notes are the difficulty setting. Every Abnormality lists which work types it favours and what drops its Qliphoth Counter, and a facility that reads them survives Day 30 while one that guesses does not reach Day 20.
- Match Virtue to work, not agent to department. An agent with high Prudence handles Insight work safely while the same agent sent to do Repression on a Red damage Abnormality comes out at a fraction of their health.
- A Qliphoth Meltdown timer running out costs energy equal to five times the meltdown level and zeroes that cell's counter. There is no work order worth finishing that is more valuable than answering the timer.
- Keep one agent with high Justice permanently unassigned. Justice governs movement speed as well as attack speed, so that agent reaches a breach across two departments faster than anybody already mid task.
- Bad work results are not random noise. Low Temperance means low success chance, so sending an underdeveloped agent into a HE or WAW cell is the direct cause of most first breaches players blame on luck.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Lobotomy Corporation Guides
- Lobotomy Corporation Lobotomy Corporation Overview
- Lobotomy Corporation Best Builds
- Lobotomy Corporation Tier List
- Lobotomy Corporation Beginner's Guide
- Lobotomy Corporation Tips & Tricks
- Lobotomy Corporation Weapons Guide
- Lobotomy Corporation Combat Guide
- Lobotomy Corporation Boss Guide
- Lobotomy Corporation Maps & Locations
- Lobotomy Corporation Crafting Guide
- Lobotomy Corporation Classes & Characters
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