Biomes & Map — Route Planning
Use landmarks, not coordinates — the alien ocean has no compass zones. Drop a beacon at every wreck, cave mouth and Metal Farm pool. The Abyss map layer (press R3 on the map screen) shows floating fast-travel points; you can dive straight down from them to ground-level destinations, which beats riding or swimming for long trips.
Shallows (Spawn)
Threat: Low · Resources: Titanium, Copper, Quartz, Salt, Water Slugs, Air Plants
Your home biome. Air Plants refill O2 for free, coral domes hide Quartz, and the cave below the lifepod holds the Portable Locker + Titanium. The Welcome Center sits at the edge — power it with a Basic Battery and grab your first Biomods there.
Coral Gardens
Threat: Low-Medium · Resources: Copper, Quartz, Salt, Coral Mash
Dense, glowing, and disorienting. Copper clusters cling to overhangs in big patches — one find usually sets you for a while. Watch for Snare Fish at cave entrances (telltale glow pattern). Fast route between spawn and the western wrecks.
The Graveyard
Threat: High · Resources: Lead, Necrolei Cyst, wreck materials
The deep graveyard floor holds wrecks, fragments and the Deepwing Brooder. Approach from below after it passes overhead. This is where you grab early Repair Tool and Flashlight fragments — bring extra O2, the surface is far.
Hot Biome
Threat: High (needs Heat Tolerance) · Resources: Gold, Thermal plants, Scout Ray chassis
Opens only after the Heat Tolerance Adaptation (Angel Comb chain). Gold deposits and thermal plants live here, plus the Scout Ray fragments. Route with the Tadpole and a Portable Oxygen Generator — thermal vents can be deceptively deadly.
Axum Ruins & Alien Structures
Threat: Medium-High · Resources: Troilite, Lithium, Conduit Crystal
Alien ruins dot the deep zones, leading to the Power Plant and Observatory. This is endgame territory for the current build: Troilite powers the reactor, and Conduit Crystal feeds the Feedback Resonator recipe. Puzzles here are alignment-plate style — check the FAQ for solutions.
Eastern Region & Metal Farms
Threat: High · Resources: Atacamite, Strontium, Metal Salvage
The eastern region holds Atacamite deposits and the Metal Farm pools (green glow) — the Strontium source and the Feedback Resonator fragment route. Anita 2 and Singh blackboxes are here. Long excursion: prep the Tadpole, drop beacons, and expect Leviathan patrols.
For any long trip: 1) beacon the destination from the map, 2) stock O2 (Air Tank + Portable O2 generator), 3) travel with the Tadpole, 4) split the run into a scan run and a materials run if it feels dangerous. See the Walkthrough for the exact order.
Next: Creature Index — leviathans and how to survive them →
FAQ
What carries between biomes
Base placement is the decision that turns biomes from destinations into neighborhoods: a forward cache with an air plant or two at the edge of a dangerous biome converts every later crossing into two short dives instead of one long one. The Axum Ruins and the eastern metal farms are the classic first forward-base candidates for exactly this reason.
How the biome threat ladder reads
The threat column is the game's real progression ladder: the Shallows are a classroom, the Coral Gardens test your air management, and everything from the Graveyard outward assumes the Tadpole and the Resonator. Plan expeditions one rung up the ladder at a time — the biomes do not punish curiosity, they punish unprepared curiosity.