Orbit

The orbit is a new region separate from the world map introduced by the Odyssey DLC. The orbit is accessible via the World interface and the player can use the 'view planet' and 'view orbit' buttons to switch between planetary and orbital views. Locations in the orbit differ from locations on the planet and have additional challenges in order to survive and thrive.

Summary

In order to travel to locations within the orbit, pawns require either transport pods, transport shuttles , passenger shuttles, or a gravship. In addition, to prevent immediate death, pawns require some form of vacuum resistance such as vacsuits or advanced armours in order to survive the vacuum of space. It is possible to travel to the orbit without prior protection against the vacuum of space, thus extra care must be taken to ensure the gravship and pawns are space ready.

When using a gravship in orbit, players must also manage heat, oxygen, and enclosure, as such, a gravship should be well heated, well supplied with oxygen using oxygen pumps, and contain rooms fully enclosed with walls well suited against vacuum such as metal stuffed walls or gravship hulls. Unroofed areas in orbit are also exposed to being pummeled by orbital debris.

It is possible to construct a base entirely within orbit in one of the locations shown or discovered, however, doing so is challenging and requires preparation. If a gravship is damaged or has run out of fuel in orbit, it is possible to become stranded and eventually lose a colony.

Restrictions

Certain events and abilities are prevented while in orbit. These include:

• No normal raids (All raid types are set to edge or randomly placed drop pod raids)
  • Anomaly raids are also disabled, preventing entity raids. Provoke pit gate and Draw fleshbeasts rituals cannot be initiated.
• Fire and gases will dissipate extremely quickly while exposed to vacuum.
• Military assistance cannot be requested ^{[Do allies still send unsolicited aid?]}
• Weather is not possible, preventing use of tornado generators and blood rain ritual.
  • This also disables the psycast Flashstorm.
• Some permits do not function in orbit. See that page for details.
• Prisoners and slaves will never try to escape in orbit.
• Mortars are completely disabled.

Locations

Locations within the orbit vary between:

• Asteroids made primarily of vacstone
• Satellites
• Orbital wrecks
• Mechanoid platforms
• Abandoned orbital platforms
• Orbital platforms owned by factions such as the traders guild.

Analysis

Combat Considerations

Mortars cannot be fired in orbit.

Fire extinguishes extremely rapidly in vacuum.

Smoke and tox gas dissipate very rapidly in vacuum. This makes using smoke to block turrets from targeting pawns completely nonviable.

Allies cannot offer military assistance in orbit.

Raid types must be edge drop or random drop raids.

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Biomes

Temperate

Temperate forest • Temperate swamp • Scarlands

Hot

Tropical rainforest • Tropical swamp • Arid shrubland • Desert • Extreme desert • Glowforest • Grassland • Lava field

Cold

Boreal forest • Cold bog • Tundra • Ice sheet • Sea ice • Glacial plain • Orbit

Water

Lake • Ocean

Pocket map

Underground • Labyrinth • Metal hell • Undercave • Insect lair