Golden cube

This article is about the miscellaneous object added by the Anomaly DLC. For the object used in an Ideoligion's Reliquary, see Relic.

The golden cube is an entity and item obtained from quests in the Anomaly DLC.

Acquisition

The golden cube can be found in Events in which you are contacted by either a friendly planetary faction^{[Which factions?]} or an anonymous AI. The quest giver will ask that you receive some unspecified cargo and refuse any questions about the shipment. Once the quest has been accepted there is a chance that the object which is given to you is the golden cube^[verify].

Alternatively, the cube can be acquired through the void provocation ritual.

Summary

While the nominal source of a variety of effects, golden cube itself is largely treated the same as other items. It can be hauled, stockpiled, carried, and caravaned with. Unlike most other items however, it cannot be destroyed without first deactivating it. Despite its high market value, the player cannot sell it under any circumstances.

Containment

Unlike most other entities, the cube does not need to be contained or suppressed. It can simply be kept as any other item while it is studied. Studying the cube provides 2 advanced knowledge, and it can be studied every 2 days.

Cube Obsession

"This person is drawn to the golden cube. If separated from the cube for too long, they'll start to experience negative effects."

When the cube spawns on the map, one colonist will gain the cube obsession health effect. Over time, while the cube remains on the map, other colonists will become afflicted as well^{[how often?]}. They will experience a series of buffs and debuffs that get more severe as the affliction progresses, and severe negative thoughts if they don't interact with the cube regularly.

Cube-Obsessed colonists will often stop their current task to 'play' with the cube.^{[how often?]} They cannot have their task changed while playing, but can still be drafted. Upon playing with the cube, a colonist will get +15 Cube Joy mood for 1 day. Colonists in later stages^[verify] of cube obsession will often aimlessly wander and think about the cube. Unlike playing with the cube^[verify], this does not provide recreation, and can easily lead to recreation- and sleep-deprived pawns.

Cube Interest progresses over time^[verify]. You always receive a notice when it reaches a new stage.

Level	Severity	Sleep Fall Rate	Global Work Speed	Other effects
Curious	>0%			Chance to play with cube.
Fascinated	>33%	×80%	×90%	Chance to wander and think about cubes. ^{[ Verify ]}
Obsessed	>66%	×60%	×80%	+4% Mental Break Threshold

Cube Sculptures

Cube-Fascinated colonists will go on periodic mental breaks ^[verify] during which they will build a sculpture related to the cube. The building speed of the sculpture is affected by construction skill. The quality can either be of any quality, starting at poor for a 0 beauty score and incrementing by 2 with each quality level. The sculpture is constructed from whatever material the colonist is standing on or by. For example, colonists standing around dirt will make dirt sculptures while those on concrete will make scrap or stone sculptures^[verify]. The sculpture, once complete, can be freely minified and moved, but it cannot be deconstructed. It must be destroyed with attacks. Be aware that this sculpture will use up a Inspired creativity inspiration, if the colonist has one.

While the cube statue is placed ^[verify] its sculptor gets +1 Cube Sculpture mood. This stacks with each cube sculpture they've created, without an apparent limit. If the sculpture is destroyed, they'll get −5 My Cube Sculpture Destroyed mood for 5 days, and they may become violent: Destroying one sculpture yields 40% Cube Anger, which has a chance of causing a Berserk mental state^[verify]. This hediff is hidden, and so its progress cannot be normally tracked.

Cube Withdrawl & Coma

"This person obsessively wants to find their golden cube. Their skin itches and their mind races, thinking of ways to get closer to the cube. Their symptoms will get worse until they play with the cube."

"This person was connected to a golden cube and then separated from it. Severing the link this way has put them in a coma."

If an obsessed colonist is prevented from playing with the cube for an extended period of time, they start going through withdrawal. When they do, they get the "Cube Withdrawal" health condition. The rate at which cube withdrawal worsens increases the more obsessed a colonist is with the cube^[verify]. There is an accompanying −15/−20/−30 Cube Withdrawl mood debuff. If cube withdrawl progresses to 100%, the colonist will fall into a cube coma.

If withdrawal reaches 100% severity, the affected colonist will immediately fall into a cube coma, multiplying their consciousness by 10%. It lasts 3-24 days, duration dependent on the colonist's obsession level. Upon waking up from the coma, the colonist will no longer be obsessed with the cube. However, nothing stops the recently woken colonist from immediately become obsessed with the cube again. Destroying the cube using shards while colonists are in this coma will wake them.

Level	Severity	Consciousness	Mood	Notification
Initial	>10%	−10%	−15	[Name] is experiencing cube withdrawl.
Moderate	>35%	−15%	−20	[Name]'s cube withdrawl has worsened.
Extreme	>65%	−20%	−30	[Name]'s cube withdrawl has worsened.

Deactivation

Once at least 4 research has been gained from the cube, you will receive a letter informing you the cube can be destroyed, but more research must be done to learn how. Although the letter says that the pawn studying it needs to study it to learn more, any pawn may study it.

"{PAWN_nameDef}'s investigation of the golden cube has revealed more. It is able to psychically influence anyone who interacts with it. Those under the cube's influence will experience extreme withdrawal if they're separated from it.\n\n{PAWN_nameDef} thinks that there may be a way to deactivate the cube, but {PAWN_pronoun} will need to study it further."

Once a total of 24-40 research has been gained from the cube, an option to permanently deactivate it becomes available which requires 1 Archotech Shard. This destroys the cube and breaks its hold over your colony. However, doing so will send any currently obsessed colonists who are not in a cube coma into Berserk Mental Breaks, even if on other map tiles. These mental breaks can be avoided by performing an anesthetize operation on the obsessed colonists immediately before deactivating the cube. ^[Mindnumb] Any affected colonists within a caravan at the time of destruction will leave the colony permanently. Colonists who are obsessed with the cube will not willingly destroy it, so this action must be performed by an unaffected colonist. Temporary pawns from quests may deactivate the cube so long as they are not currently affected^[verify]. The Cube can be easily disposed of via Caravan dumping or transport pod, but doing so does not remove a colonists obsession with it. This means that if you get rid of the cube but do not destroy it, all colonists obsessed with the cube will eventually develop cube withdrawal and fall into a coma. However, if you are willing to wait out the coma duration of 3-24 days, your colonists will wake up without an obsession with the cube.

Upon deactivation the golden cube drops 144-167 Gold^[verify].

Analysis

As with any anomalous object, care should be taken that the colony is able to reliably deal with adverse side effects brought on by the entity. The introduction of the cube may severely cut down on overall productivity, but also grant a substantial mood bonus to any colonist allowed to consistently interact with the golden cube. Colonies with many pawns who are constantly in danger of mental breaking may find a use, as the huge mood buffs will change potentially dangerous mental breaks into smaller sculpture creation breaks. However, constant sculpture making can prove troublesome as it not only wastes a pawns time, but also takes up space with relatively low value sculptures which cannot be broken without a mood penalty.

The cube itself has a considerably high beauty value (about on par with a Good quality golden statue) which can even increase the mood of pawns who are not obsessed but simply share the same room as the cube. This can quickly increase the beauty value within a room colonists frequent, such as a rec room or dining room. Keeping the cube on display may prove difficult though, as many of your pawns may attempt to play with it constantly. This may limit the display time and relocate the golden cube afterwards. Placing a dedicated 1x1 Stockpile zone or a shelf for the cube can ensure that it always returns to a specific viewing point.

Caravans are made substantially more difficult to form and maintain as any affected colonists will eventually be plagued with constant mood penalties due to undergoing cube withdrawal^[verify]. Often, you may be restricted to keeping any obsessed colonists at home while unaffected pawns can safely do quests on the world map.

If kept away from the cube for extended periods of time, obsessed colonists will begin going through cube withdrawal. Withdrawal starts as a slight reduction in consciousness and a mood reduction (similarly to a drug) and eventually escalates into a coma. Colonists who fall into this coma cannot be woken for 3-24 days or until the cube is destroyed. Allowing an obsessed pawn to play with the cube will get rid of their withdrawal.

Destruction of the cube can be both difficult and dangerous. If all of your colonists are obsessed there will be no way to conventionally deactivate the object, as affected colonists refuse to do so. Any unaffected colonists should be ready to promptly secure and subdue obsessed pawns who go berserk. Be sure to return any affected colonists to the home map before destroying the golden cube, otherwise they will permanently leave. This is likely intended to force affected pawns into the Berserk state and prevent them from avoiding this by caravanning away.

Placing an affected colonist in a Cryptosleep casket will result in them escaping the casket and beginning a berserk rage mental break normally. Anesthetized colonists will be unaffected by the cube's destruction and will not suffer from cube withdrawal, so if you can manage it, this may be the safest option. Even the slightest amount of cube fascination will result in berserk break when the cube is destroyed; the meter doesn't need to be full.

If unable to anesthetize colonists to avoid the berserk rage obsessed pawns fall into when the cube is destroyed, another option is entirely walling obsessed pawns into a 1x1 room, destroying the cube, and then waiting for the berserk rage to end. While tedious to execute and very likely to result in extremely unhappy pawns, it's preferable to the potential havoc a berserk pawn can cause.

Version history

Anomaly DLC Release - Added.