Axum Ruins & Alien Structures Guide
- Threat level: Medium
- Key resources: Alien technology, Ion Cubes, Story items
- Landmark: the Welcome Center and the Blackbox chain
Layout & Navigation
The Axum Ruins biome is the story heart of Early Access — the Welcome Center (your hub) sits here, and the Blackbox chain (the main quest chain) threads through its alien structures. The buildings are hostile-environment structures: airlocks, glowing consoles and alien machinery you'll interact with to progress the plot.
Resources & Farming
Ion Cubes — the alien currency/power source — are the key loot here, found in the ruins' storage rooms. Alien technology fragments scan into blueprints for endgame modules. Follow the Blackbox chain in order: each structure unlocks the next, and skipping ahead soft-locks progress. The Sonic Resonator, acquired mid-chain, opens the blocked sections of the Hot Biome.
Dangers
The ruins are more puzzly than dangerous — Mimic Pylons hide among the alien pillars and can ambush you while you read consoles. Bring the Repair Tool: several access panels need fixing mid-chain. Stay on the quest path; off-path tunnels drop into the deeper, hostile basin.
What to bring
Standard loadout for a first pass: full O2 stack (Standard Air Tank at minimum, Portable Oxygen Generator for cave work), charged Scanner, Survival Tool, food and water for the swim, and at least one decoy if the threat rating is High or above. Drop a beacon at the entrance — the alien ocean has no compass zones, and landmarks plus beacons are the only reliable way back. If you have the Tadpole, take it: speed, cargo and a movable O2 refuge in one.
Route planning notes
Use landmarks, not coordinates, and press R3 on the map screen to check the Abyss layer — floating fast-travel points let you dive straight down toward ground-level destinations instead of swimming the whole way. Split any long trip into a scan run and a materials run; mixing them is how inventories get lost. Leviathans patrol the deep transition zones here, so learn the silhouette tells and plan your surface intervals where cover is available. Night can open safe windows: some predators patrol further out after dark, which trades visibility for room.
FAQ
Is Axum Ruins safe for new players?
Check the threat notes in the sections above: Low-rated shallows areas are fine from the first hour, while anything flagged High or needing an Adaptation should wait until you have the Tadpole, an upgraded air supply, and decoys. The Biomes index lists every region in rough difficulty order.
What should I build near Axum Ruins?
A forward base or at least a beacon chain if you farm here regularly. Power it with the cheapest stable source available (a bioreactor fed by fish and organics works anywhere), and keep a charged Repair Tool on hand — the same one that maintains your lifepod maintains base modules.
Where is the Welcome Center?
The Welcome Center — your main hub — sits at the heart of the Axum Ruins biome.
What are Ion Cubes used for?
Ion Cubes are the alien power source found in the ruins; they power late-game modules and unlock the Blackbox chain's advanced structures.