Should You Punch Arlen in The Expanse? Answered

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is packed to bursting with impactful choices. Some are subtle with less obvious consequences, while others can come back to bite you immediately. One that might be hard to define happens early on in Episode 1, and you wouldn’t be blamed for wondering whether or not you should punch Arlen. Fortunately for you, we’ve done the research and have some helpful info.

What Happens if You Punch Arlen in The Expanse? Explained

While Arlen’s antagonistic attitude toward Drummer might make it seem like he’s meant to be punched, we’d recommend not punching him due to the consequences for disciplining him harshly.

After being punched, he’ll view Drummer with some hesitance and won’t be as quick to trust her. This can impact how quickly he comes to her aid by the end of the first episode, and whether or not he’ll listen to her in later parts of the series. This can be counteracted by being kind to his twin brother Rayen, but it’s still best to guarantee he’s as loyal to you as possible so that more positive progression options are available to you.

To be clear though, this is only if you want to be on the best terms possible with everyone. If you’d rather create some tension that carries through the rest of the story, then punching him is a quick and easy way to do so. You can then continue to needle and antagonize him back, resulting in less friendly interactions and new story permutations with him as the story goes on.

The decision is yours to make. Just remember that there are ripple effects which can be triggered by each and every one of your choices, and you might not see exactly where it leads until long after the fact.

Now that you know whether or not you should punch Arlen in The Expanse, you might have questions about other choices in the game. We’ve got plenty of other guides on each episode‘s choices, which you can find via the links down below.