Niobium Biome

The Niobium Biome is a late-game biome found on the magma planetoid. It is a barren, extremely hot region with no critters or plants, and its terrain is built around resources that are difficult to reach safely. The surface is covered by a layer of abyssalite over pockets of magma, while deeper sections contain veins of niobium metal encased in obsidian. The biome is also guaranteed to contain a gravitas ruin and two niobium volcanoes, which provide a renewable source of niobium.

Exploring this biome is hazardous because the heat is severe enough to melt or even evaporate many common materials. Direct contact with hot terrain and debris should be avoided whenever possible, and anything left exposed for long enough can be lost to the temperature. Since the biome has no gasses by default, maintaining a vacuum can make travel and excavation much safer, as long as care is taken to deal with any gas that has entered the area.

• The gravitas ruin should be looted as quickly as possible, since it is surrounded by magma and will deteriorate rapidly.
• The lack of default gases makes sealed or vacuum-based digging strategies especially effective.
• The biome’s main value is its niobium supply, both from natural deposits and from the guaranteed volcanoes.
• Because of the extreme temperature, durable materials and careful routing are essential for any sustained operation there.