Time Machine and Level Catch-Up
The Time Machine button takes level 4 characters from the Future to the Time Lab, and the level 4 and 5 catch-up pays extra Fusion Matter with [GUIDE] hints.
Updated 2026-10-27time machinelevellingfuturepastfusion matterguide
The first four levels of FusionFall Forever take place in the ruined Future. At level 4 you travel back to the Past, where the rest of the game happens. Two additions make that jump and the levels right after it smoother: a Time Machine button on the HUD and a level catch-up that speeds up levels 4 and 5.
The Time Machine button
When it appears
The button shows up next to your minimap when all of these are true:
- your character is level 4 or higher,
- you are still in the Future,
- you have finished the tutorial.
Computress also sends you a NanoCom message at that moment: "Level 4! The Past needs you. Head to the Time Lab in Sector V, or press the Time Machine button by your map."
What it does
- Anywhere in the Future's open world: press the button and you are taken straight to the Time Lab. You do not have to walk to Sector V.
- Inside the Time Lab: press it again, or talk to "To the Past!", to open the usual window where you choose your guide and travel to the Past.
It works the same on desktop, web and mobile (tap the button).
Rules
- You need the level 4 Nano, Eduardo, before the Time Lab lets you leave. Earn him from his Nano mission first.
- The button does not work from inside an infected zone or a lair. Walk back out into the city first.
- You travel alone. Group members are not pulled along.
- It does not work while you are knocked out or have a trade window open.
- Characters who already live in the Past do not see the button.
Choosing a guide
In the Time Lab you pick one of the four guides: Edd, Dexter, Mojo Jojo or Ben. The game asks you to confirm, and warns that once you warp to the Past you cannot return to the Future. Your guide can be changed later, so the choice is not final. See Guides and Guide Shops.
After the jump the chat greets you with "Welcome to the Past!" and names your guide.
Ultra members have a separate Past and Future switch that lets them visit the Future again. See Ultra Time Travel.
Level catch-up
Levels 4 and 5 used to be the slowest stretch of the game. There were not enough missions for the Fusion Matter the next Nano needs, and many players stopped there. Since B105 (October 19, 2026) two things help.
Bonus Fusion Matter
| Your level | Fusion Matter from one-time missions |
|---|---|
| 4 | 1.5x |
| 5 | 2.5x |
| 6 and up | normal |
The bonus applies to every mission you can finish only once. Repeatable missions and monster defeats pay their normal amount. You do not have to switch anything on. Boosters still add on top.
[GUIDE] hints
Level 4 and level 5 characters get short chat lines that start with [GUIDE]. They appear when you log in and each time you complete a mission.
- Level 4 in the Future: Computress tells you that you can travel to the Past, and how: press the Time Machine button, talk to "To the Past!" in the Time Lab and choose your guide.
- Enough Fusion Matter for the next Nano: the hint says that your Nano mission for the next level is in your mission log. If your log is full, it tells you to free a mission slot so the Nano mission can start.
- In the Past and still short of Fusion Matter: your guide names up to three characters who have a mission for you, nearest first, for example "Talk to Numbuh Five for your next mission."
Since B120 (October 27, 2026) the hints name only the character to talk to. They no longer list Fusion Matter numbers.
Other help at these levels
- The long Nano project mission lines no longer force you to finish every part in order, so more missions are open at once.
- You can hold up to eight world missions plus your Nano mission.
- Guide messages on the NanoCom name the character who has your next guide mission.
Tips
- Do the one-time missions around the Suburbs while you are level 4 and 5. They are worth far more now than they will be at level 6.
- Keep one mission slot free when your Fusion Matter bar is nearly full, so the Nano mission can start by itself.
- If no [GUIDE] line shows, complete any mission or log in again. The hints only exist at levels 4 and 5.
- New to the Past? The Past and the Future explains what is different there, and Levelling from 1 to 36 gives a route for every level.
History
- October 8, 2026: the Time Machine button and Computress's level 4 tip.
- B105 (October 19, 2026): 1.5x and 2.5x mission Fusion Matter at levels 4 and 5, and the [GUIDE] hints.
- B120 (October 27, 2026): shorter hints that name only the character to visit.
