Tides of Tomorrow — Tips & Tricks

1. First-Hour Priorities

The first hour of Tides of Tomorrow sets the trajectory for your entire run. These are the non-obvious priorities most players miss on their first playthrough:

• Choose Field Medic as your starting trait (unless deliberately pursuing the True Ending, in which case Historian is better). The ambient Plastemia rate halving makes Act 1 significantly more comfortable and gives you more medicine to give to NPCs for reputation gains.
• Talk to every NPC before leaving Driftholm. Several offer small faction rep bonuses just for conversation, and two NPCs (the elderly couple near the pharmacy ruins) give a combined +8 Reclaimer rep for listening to their story — a better early investment than most quest rewards.
• Visit Orla's clinic immediately. The medicine you find in the Driftholm Pharmacy (2× Small Medicine) is enough to help Orla and still have one item left. Do not save all medicine for yourself in Act 1 — the reputation and Fragment #4 unlock are worth far more than the meter buffer.
• Do not loot the Marauder checkpoint crate (near the East Reach) without stealth — it triggers a Marauder patrol encounter that is extremely difficult at low rep and can cause Marauder rep to drop to Hostile if you fight back. Use stealth or visit it after reaching Marauder rep ≥30.
• Before crossing to East Reach, rest at Eyla's camp. Resting lowers Plastemia meter by 5 and triggers a conversation with Eyla that gives Reclaimer +6 for free.

2. Dialogue Optimisation

Tides of Tomorrow's dialogue system is more mechanically precise than it appears. These tips maximise reputation and unlock hidden content:

• The "Listen First, Respond Second" rule — In all three faction leaders' introductory conversations, the option to ask follow-up questions before responding to their requests gives a hidden +3 rep bonus with that faction (the game rewards curiosity). Most players rush to the action option and miss this.
• The Silver-Tongued trait multiplier — If you chose Silver-Tongued as your starting trait, dialogue reputation gains are multiplied by 1.5×. Combined with heavy NPC conversation investment, this can make the Compromise Ending significantly easier to maintain — all three factions stay in the 40–69 range more naturally.
• Never choose dialogue options marked with ⚠️ faction icons on a first playthrough without knowing the cost — These options lock reputation changes that cannot be undone. The Diplomatic Token (from Maris) only resets Hostile to Suspicious — it cannot undo deliberate faction action penalties.
• The "Historian" trait reveals hidden dialogue — If you chose Historian, certain conversations with Voot and Lian unlock extra dialogue branches that provide Lore Fragment hints and Mystic reputation bonuses unavailable to other trait choices.
• Exhaust Maris's dialogue tree fully on every encounter — She updates her observations each Act and several of her comments directly hint at upcoming quest consequences. She's the closest thing the game has to a narrator.

3. Resource Management

Tides of Tomorrow tracks three primary resources: Medicine, Rations, and Silver Tokens.

Medicine

• Priority spend: NPCs first (rep gains), then self at Amber Zone or above meter 50
• Never enter Voot's Vault without 3× Large Medicine minimum
• Scavenger trait + thorough exploration = effectively unlimited Small Medicine in Acts 1–2
• Do not sell medicine to Marauder vendors — Ration exchange rates with Reclaimers are better

Rations

• Rations are the universal exchange currency — prioritise accumulation over Medicine hoarding
• Reclaimer Medical Bay (2 Rations per treatment, -40 Plastemia) is the best medicine-to-cost ratio in the game
• Maris's Diplomatic Token (8 Rations) is the most important single Ration purchase — save for emergencies
• Resting at Clean Shelters costs 0 Rations and reduces meter — always rest when safe

Silver Tokens

• Silver Tokens are primarily earned through Marauder quests and Marketland trading
• Best spend: Apex Medical Centre unlimited Small Medicine in Act 3 (critical for final chapter)
• Do not spend Silver Tokens on cosmetic items — they have no gameplay benefit

4. Plastemia Survival Tips

• Never explore Yellow Fog zones above meter 60 — the rate of increase can outpace your medicine supply at high starting values. Enter clean, leave if hitting 75.
• Complete the Filtration Accord before any major Yellow Fog exploration — the 30% global rate reduction makes subsequent zone exploration substantially safer.
• Mystic Ritual Cleansing (-50 points, free) is dramatically better than medicine once you reach rep ≥30 — 3× visits to Voot for Ritual Cleansing replaces approximately 6-7 Large Medicine items. Route your travel to pass the Mystic Caverns regularly.
• The Plastemia fog visual effect intensity is a reliable meter indicator — Light fog = under 50, moderate = 50–74, heavy = 75+. You can gauge your meter state without opening the HUD by observing the fog density around your character.

See our dedicated Plastemia Guide for complete zone maps and medicine locations.

5. Exploration Tips

• The Navigator trait reveals secret water routes that bypass Yellow Fog ocean crossings — if you chose Navigator, always check for alternate routes before swimming through open ocean.
• The Radio Tower Ruin (Northwest Cluster) is the most missable location in the game — it requires either the Navigator trait or a Power Cell item (found in the Sunken Factory) to unlock. Visit the Sunken Factory before attempting the Northwest Cluster.
• Gold Echoes only appear at specific approach angles — Gold Echo #3 (Mystic Cavern entrance) is the most commonly missed because it only appears from the eastern approach. Circle every Echo site to ensure you see all Gold Echoes.
• The Abandoned Supply Depot (northeast, Act 2) is never marked on any map — it is a pure exploration find containing 3× Small Medicine and 1× Large Medicine. Look for a half-submerged building 200m northeast of the Marketland docking point.
• Every underwater sequence has a safe re-surface point before you take damage. The game does not use underwater oxygen meters — drowning is not a mechanic. The risk in underwater areas is purely Plastemia from the contaminated water, manageable with medicine.

6. New Game+ Strategy

New Game+ in Tides of Tomorrow carries over your Tidewalker traits (allowing you to start with two traits instead of one — your original choice plus one new selection), your Chapter Select unlock, and your Gold Echo awareness (Gold Echoes glow regardless of trait choice in NG+).

Optimal NG+ Target: True Ending

• Select Historian as your new NG+ trait (combined with your first-run trait, giving maximum lore accessibility)
• Choose a Developer Preset (Reclaimer) Story-Link — ensures Fragment #3 is preserved
• Use your Gold Echo awareness to collect all 5 Gold Echoes in the first pass through each act
• Prioritise Mystic questline from Act 1 (start Voot's quest immediately on arriving Driftholm)
• Collect Fragments in order: #1 → #2 (Sunken Factory, get Power Cell for #5 in same trip) → #4 (help Orla) → #3 (Marauder checkpoint) → #5 (Northwest Cluster, use Power Cell) → #6 (Voot, Act 2) → #7 (Vault, Act 3)

7. Achievement Tips

8. Tips FAQ