How to Survive Experimentation in Lethal Company

AI Survival Guide — Beginner Moon, Solo and Crew

Coached live by Sidekick AI across solo and 4-player runs
By Sidekick AI TeamPublished
★★☆☆☆~10–25 min per runDay 1 — cheapest moon, lowest danger
Phase 1Pre-drop
Phase 2Inside the facility
Phase 3Quota run

Why Experimentation is the right starting moon

Experimentation is free, the layout is small, and the monster pool is the most beginner-friendly in the game. You should be able to clear quota on Experimentation alone for the first 2–3 quotas without touching the more dangerous moons.

Sidekick AI suggested:

Day one. Don't buy anything before launch — keep the credits for fuel later. Walk in with the default flashlight and shovel, that's enough.

Phase 1 — Pre-drop

  • Solo: flashlight + shovel. That's it.
  • 2 players: add walkies on both, one player carries the shovel for monster defense.
  • 3+ players: assign one "scrap runner" who never engages monsters and one "guard" who carries the shovel and walks at the back.

Phase 2 — Inside the facility

The facility is randomized but small. Run a quick lap — no scrap, no engagement — to find:

  1. The apparatus (the high-value scrap on a glowing pillar).
  2. The two main scrap clusters (usually near intersections).
  3. The alternate exit, if there is one. This becomes your escape route under hunt pressure.
Sidekick AI suggested:

Snare Flea on the ceiling at your 11 o'clock — look up, then back away. They drop on the head and the only counter is another player smacking them off. Solo, you do NOT want one on you.

Monster decision tree

| You see | You hear | What to do | | --- | --- | --- | | Bracken (head poking around a corner) | Nothing — they're silent | Glance, walk away, do not stare | | Snare Flea on ceiling | Soft skittering | Look down, back out of the room | | Thumper around a corner | Loud running, then a roar | Sprint around the next corner — they can't turn fast | | Coil-Head | Static + brief mechanical noise | Keep your camera on it, walk backwards to safety | | Hoarding Bug guarding scrap | Buzzing | Skip the scrap unless you have a shovel ready |

Phase 3 — Quota run

The clock is your real enemy. The minute the sun starts dropping:

  • Drop low-value scrap so you can sprint with the rest.
  • Pull the apparatus last if you have one — the power-out attracts monsters.
  • Outside, run a curved path back to the ship. Eyeless Dogs hunt by sound — sprinting in a straight line at full speed gets you killed. Crouch-walking is slower but safer.
Sidekick AI suggested:

Sun's dropping. You have one apparatus and three pickle jars. Drop the jars, take the apparatus, sprint diagonally to the ship. Do not stop for the loot you dropped.

What Sidekick AI changes about solo runs

Solo Lethal Company is brutal because there's no one to call out monsters, no one to grab your body, and no one to fill the silence. Having Sidekick in the headset:

  • Calls monsters from screen cues so you don't have to stare at every corner.
  • Warns when you're carrying enough scrap weight that a Thumper will outrun you.
  • Reminds you about the clock without you needing to alt-tab to check it.

Summary

Experimentation is the right place to learn Lethal Company because the monsters are fewer and the layout is small. Survive long enough to memorize the monster cues and you'll move on to harder moons with a real toolkit. Solo or with a crew, Sidekick AI is the second pair of eyes that turns a panic spiral into a coached run.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the cheapest way to start a Lethal Company run?
Land on Experimentation. It's free in fuel and has the lowest enemy density. Bring a flashlight and one shovel minimum. A walkie is optional on solo runs but mandatory with two or more players. Don't waste credits on extra gear day one — Experimentation pays out enough scrap to finance better moons later.
What monsters spawn in Experimentation, and how do I tell them apart?
Indoors: Snare Fleas (ceiling, drop on the head — look up), Hoarding Bugs (territorial around scrap, leave them alone if you can), Brackens (silent stalkers, never look directly at one for more than a few seconds), Thumpers (loud sprinters in straight halls, juke around corners), and occasionally Coil-Heads (don't take your eyes off them — ever). Outdoors after dark: Forest Keepers and Eyeless Dogs. The simple rule is: if you hear it from a distance, you have time. If you hear it close, you don't.
How do I avoid the Bracken without getting killed?
Brackens stalk you when you have line of sight on them, then attack when they catch you alone in a corner. The counter is: glance, walk away, do NOT keep staring. Staring escalates aggression. Move toward another player or back toward the entrance and the Bracken usually disengages. Sidekick AI is genuinely useful here because it can call out 'Bracken behind you' when it spots one on screen, so you don't have to keep checking your six.
When should I leave the facility?
When the in-game clock hits the late afternoon — usually around the time the sun dips. Outdoor wildlife (Eyeless Dogs, Forest Keepers) becomes active at night and will kill you before you reach the ship. Better to leave with two-thirds of the scrap than to die with all of it inside.
How does Sidekick AI help on solo runs?
Solo Lethal Company is a different game — no one to call monsters, no one to grab your body. Sidekick rides in your headset, watches your screen, and calls out enemies as they appear, reminds you about the clock, and warns you when you're carrying too much weight to outrun a Thumper. Most importantly, the silence isn't silence anymore.
What's the best scrap priority?
Heavy + high-value first (gold bars, big bottles, pickle jars). Avoid filling your slots with low-value clutter unless you've already cleared the high-value scrap. On Experimentation specifically, the apparatus is the single biggest payday — pull it from its housing only when you have a clear, fast route back to the ship, because removing it triggers a power-out and a brief monster surge.

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