Citizen Sleeper is an engaging game with a rich narrative and an immersive world. The player assumes the role of the Sleeper, an emulated human mind trapped in a mechanical body. With almost no memory of his past, in a place that is not always hospitable to the Sleepers, surviving on the Oka is not an easy task.
Planned obsolescence is one of the biggest barriers to survival. Sleepers’ bodies begin to degrade rapidly: it only takes a few cycles for their body to start shutting down (players will feel this decline as they will have fewer dice to roll when the Sleeper’s body begins to degrade). To overcome this, players need to inject a stabilizer into their body. However, it turns out that the stabilizer is not the easiest thing.
Here are a few ways to find a stabilizer, including those that require a lot of time and money. Others are one-time deals or side quest rewards. Balancing between the desire to explore history and the need for stabilizer and energy is all part of the heady joy of Citizen Sleeper!
Sabina’s surgery
The Stabilizer can be found at Sabina’s Surgery in the Bright Market. Players must complete the “Local Knowledge” clock, which can be done by taking the “Ask for Directions” or “Explore the Market” action. The first action is a critical action, so players only have one chance to complete it. The second action is repeatable, so everyone can do it as many times as needed.
By doing this, players will be able to access Sabina’s operating room. She is a doctor from the slums who, relying on some underground connections, will find a stabilizer for this unexpected Sleeper. Players must wait three cycles and then return to Sabina. She will give them one Stabilizer for free (they will need it at that point!). However, from now on, players must pay Sabina 100 cryos for an additional stabilizer.
Castor table
Castor is an interesting character. He asks the Sleeper many questions about her origin story. After players meet Kastor for the first time, they can visit him again to see what he wants. Castor wants data on Havenig and Scimitar. It might take a while to get them as he needs 5 of each, so it’s a long term task.
If players manage to get this data for Castor, they will be richly rewarded. In exchange for information about the Scimitar, Castor is willing to give out one vial of Stabilizer. He also gives Shipmind away in exchange for data on Havenage, which is also worth doing. Dice rolls 1 and 2 now seem to be much more valuable!
Gifa commune laboratories
Players must first find and become a member of the Gif community (before that, they will have to pay some cryo to cross the Founder’s Chasm). They can then talk to Riko, who needs help understanding the local ecosystem. Helping her involves several steps: players will have to collect spores, then grow mushrooms.
Riko explains that players will be rewarded with a Stabilizer for this, as the mushrooms themselves open up the possibility of finding more mushrooms. It’s a potentially rich source of Stabilizer so it’s worth the time.
Side quests
In some side quests, players are rewarded with a Stabilizer, but this depends on their choice throughout the game and how successful they are. Players can stumble upon the Stabilizer simply by wanting to explore it or by lending a helping hand; getting a vial of medicine as a reward is always a pleasant surprise.
For example, during the research “Winter Light” in the courtyard of Dragos, part of the story will be revealed and the player will receive a stabilizer as a reward. The downside is that Dragos will get so mad at the player that he won’t offer him any more work. Players will have to decide whether to take such a risk.
Bonus: home renovation
Bonus entry on this list. Players who find it difficult to find a stabilizer can use their upgrades to unlock the self-healing skill. This will allow players to use the crowbar to restore their condition, rather than relying on the stabilizer, which can be difficult to find early in the game. While it may be difficult to find Scrap early in the game, players may choose to do so rather than looking for a Stabilizer at Sabina or going down the “mushroom” path.
If players choose the Engineer class, they can unlock the Efficient Miner skill. This skill allows them to potentially receive a random item of scrap per Engineer action. Scrap is useful for many reasons, but it becomes much more valuable if players can use it to restore their fortune.
As such, if players have chosen the Engineer option, unlocking the Self-Repair skill is a great choice that can save a lot of Cryo in the long run. (They can also unlock the Sunburn skill for energy regeneration.)
Citizen Sleeper is available on PC, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
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