Meeting the water and the first choice that shapes your entire playthrough
Table of Contents
Tides of Tomorrow Prologue: First Ozen Choice and Meeting Nae
Tides of Tomorrow kicks off with character customization. Pick your look, then choose which player you want to follow. That’s it — you’re already underwater. Surface fast or you’ll drown. Don’t panic, it’s easy.
Up top, you meet Nae. She’ll walk you through the main hook: the ability to enter “Time Streams.” Through it, you’ll witness events that happened to the player you picked earlier. Later, you’ll learn this is the path of the Tidewalkers — travelers riding the current.
Then comes dialogue. Nae explains the flood, plastemia, and the Ozen resource. And here it is — the first truly important choice: leave the Ozen for the next player or take it yourself. Decided to share? You’ll get a cooperation bonus. Then the hero blacks out. A clean opening beat.
Scrap Port: Where to Find Ozen and How to Reach Ayla
You come to — and Nae is already pushing: you need more Ozen or you’re dead. In dialogues, look for options marked with a triangle icon — those move the plot. There are also replies that simply repeat the previous player’s path — boring but safe.
In this playthrough, we’re going our own way. Nae leaves, we’re on our own. Climb the platform, head left. This is where two types of visions kick in: primary (key past events) and secondary (small vignettes).
Pull the lever on the right, jump onto the moving platform — and you’re on the other side. Check the pile of trash, there’s useful scrap. Up and right next — another vision triggers automatically.
Now the chat with the guard at the entrance. Tell him you’re a Tidewalker — he’ll let you through. Inside, you meet Ayla. Use the emotion wheel and dance with her (yeah, that’s the vibe). Then follow her to the balcony. In the dialogue you can pick anything from peaceful lines to provocative ones — every choice shifts the relationship and the fallout.
Along the way Ayla shows you the donation box. You can leave items there for other players. Then — a run-in with Obin’s guard. He demands Ozen. Things heat up, Ayla becomes a hostage, and Obin himself shows up. The introduction is, putting it mildly, unfriendly.
Capture and Escape — Grenade Launcher, Boat Chase, and the Flee or Negotiate Choice
Got locked up? Not for long. Ayla comes to the rescue. Turn around and book it to the marauder docks. On the way, you’ll push through piles of junk and debris — not pleasant, but the goal is close.
Try not to make noise. Resources are scattered across the area, so eyes down. You’ll see Obin giving orders to his crew. Then his lieutenant shows up. Key moment: if the previous player pissed off the gang, the lieutenant just throws you out. If not — you might get lucky.
Use “Time Streams.” They’ll show event variations — it all depends on the path the player before you took. In one hideout behind barrels, there’s Ozen. But the find won’t go unnoticed. Obin’s lieutenant spots it. Next choice: run, or try to negotiate.
Chose to run? Obin will knock you into the water. Ayla pulls you out, and the boat chase begins. Follow the ghost trail of the previous player — that’s how you catch up to the vessel with the Ozen. Try to stop it with the grenade launcher. Or at least slow it down. We’ll see how it plays out.
Marketland in Tides of Tomorrow: Consequences of Choices After Chapter One
After the stop, Ayla says to head for Marketland. Follow the marker on the map. You’ve got a new boat.
Chapter done. The game tallies up your choices: will the Ozen stay in Scrap Port for the next player? Other decisions will echo too.
The Consequence Map in Tides of Tomorrow: How Player Choices Reshape the World
Between chapters, the game unfolds the “Consequence Map” screen — and it’s way more than a recap. In front of you is a live visualization of how your personal chain of choices has tangled with dozens of other playthroughs. Each node on the map is a story branching point: who got the Ozen, did the Marketland bridge hold, did Obin survive, did you back the Reclaimers. Next to each decision — the percentage of players who made the same call. Saw that 73% grabbed the Ozen in the prologue? Now you know why the next Tidewalkers walk into an empty port.
Three Layers of the Consequence Map: Personal and Collective Decisions
The map splits into three levels. The personal layer — your own choices, highlighted in orange. The predecessor layer — decisions of the player you’ve been watching through “Time Streams.” The collective layer pulls aggregated data from every playthrough and shapes the world’s state: water levels, faction behavior, resource availability.
Cascading and Local Decisions: What Gets Pushed to the Global World Pool
Not every choice gets written into other players’ worlds. The game draws a sharp line between two types: local — affecting only your playthrough — and cascading, which pass down the chain to the next Tidewalker.
Impact of Decisions on the Game World
How to Read the Echo of Other Players’ Decisions in Tides of Tomorrow
Ghost trails, blinking objects, NPC lines like “someone’s already been here” — that’s the echo. Reclaimers greeting you as a friend for no obvious reason? Check the map: your predecessor likely handed them Ozen or helped Taj. A hostile Obin lieutenant at the docks — flip side: your previous Tidewalker crossed the gang. The game doesn’t spell this out, but the Consequence Map decodes the mechanic: every NPC carries a reputation counter that gets inherited down the chain of playthroughs.
Key nuance: the chain isn’t infinite. Your actions ripple forward to a max of 3–4 players, then the influence dissolves into the collective layer. Want to leave a mark? Make loud choices at the pivotal nodes: prologue, the Obin conversation, the Marketland chapter finale.
Tides of Tomorrow Act 1: Surviving Without Ozen and Staying in Touch with Nae
This act opens on alarm: if you don’t farm Ozen regularly, your character dies. That’s the simple, brutal game over.
Pick up the radio. Nae will reach out. Tell her the truth about having Ozen or lie? The dialogue branches accordingly.
How to Reach Marketland and What to Tell Nae About the Ozen
Check out the telescope. You can watch the ocean through it — pretty, but not the point. Main goal: get to Marketland. Head for the marked point.
Marketland: How to Get on the Island and Find Ozen with Ayla
Dock at the marked spot. And here’s the catch: Tidewalkers aren’t allowed on the island. You’ll need another way in. Ayla’s with you — we’ll figure it out.
Where to Find the Reclaimer Hideout in Marketland’s Restricted Zone
Head right first — there’s a Reclaimer. Talk to him, he’ll sell out his own hideout (and drop rough coordinates). Up the ladders, another member of the group — get the details. Now the fun part: you’ll have to sneak into the restricted zone and slip toward the hideout undetected. Guards are awake, so don’t get spotted. Comb everything on the way: crates, trash bins, any nook. Trash sometimes hides genuinely useful resources.
Go around the workshop and push forward. A guard is interrogating a local there — walk past, then cross a small bridge. Important: if you step on it, the structure collapses. And the next player won’t have a bridge. So think it over.
Next up, a zone with red sightlines — patrols moving back and forth. Wait for the gap, slip into the vent on the left. Open the grate, then crawl through, low profile. By the way, if the previous player helped the Reclaimers, you’ll be welcomed here as a friend. You’ll run into Taj soon — talk to him and he’ll let you in.
On site, grab the scrap and use “Time Streams” — you’ll see what happened to Ayla. Then open the hatch and climb down. Ayla is unconscious at the bottom.
What Happened to Ayla and Kass: Reconstructing the Event Chain
Check Ayla herself and the docks around. The previous player may have left Ozen for you — check the stashes. Use “Time Streams” again to reconstruct the chain: what went down between the previous player, Ayla, and Kass.
In this version of the playthrough, the Ozen was stashed at the docks. But by the time you arrive, it’s gone — someone beat you to it. Talk to Ayla, she’ll ask you to find Kass. If you’ve got spare Ozen, you can leave it with Ayla. Small gesture, but it matters.
How to Reach Kass in Obin’s Tower and Fix the Ladder
Head back the same way, but at the fork go left. Guards are frisking someone on the right — better not draw attention. And yeah, keep checking the trash. Useful resources show up there often.
Knock down the ladder, wait for it to drop, climb up. Look around and find the vent in the back — that’s your route. Now through the warehouse, take the upper platforms. On the left you’ll spot a blue container. Inside — Ozen. Don’t skip it.
Rappel down, sweep the area. To keep going, fix the ladder with scrap. This matters — your decision hits the next player. On the left you’ll see Kass being led away. Use “Time Streams” — you’ll learn exactly how she stole the Ozen. If you open the door and step in, you’ll get knocked out. And hauled to Obin. So don’t play hero.
How to Survive the Talk with Obin Without Filling the Anger Meter
This guy has an anger meter. And it fills fast. Answer carefully — the goal isn’t to push him to rage, but to leave him at mild irritation. He wants Ozen. Don’t openly defy, but don’t hand everything over either.
Kass will show up soon and confess herself to stealing the Ozen. You can back her story. Key moment: if you show understanding for Obin’s actions, he’ll calm down. And the next players will have it easier. After that, you’re let go. Later, Ayla meets Kass and hands you some Ozen. A gesture of goodwill.
How to Leave Marketland and What Stays for the Next Player
Use the Ozen. Head back to the boat. Cast off. Marketland stays behind — along with its problems, its guards, and a jittery Obin. Next up — the following chapter.
Read on for a guide on how to answer all of the captain’s questions.
