Ocean Biome

The Ocean Biome is a unique, water-heavy biome found on the Water Asteroid. It is defined by its abundance of Salt Water, Sand, Salt, and Bleach Stone, and it is one of the most resource-rich places for early access to water-based materials. In practice, it serves as an important source of Waterweed, which can be harvested for Lettuce, and Pokeshell Molt, which is valuable for Lime. It also tends to be easier to move through than its contents suggest, because large open pockets of water dominate the terrain rather than dense solid walls.

The biome appears in several variants. The base version is warm and filled mainly with Salt Water. The Hot variant is hotter than the base version and includes both the Salt Deposit feature and the Salt Water Pool feature. The Deep variant does not include Bleach Stone but does contain the Salt Deposit feature. The Slush variant is colder than the base version and partially converts Salt Water into Brine, while the Frozen variant is much colder still, freezing all liquids into Brine Ice and removing terrain features entirely. In low-temperature parts of the Tide Pool, Salt Water also turns into Brine.

Ocean Biomes do not contain metal ores, but they are still useful for a number of reasons:

• Sand, Salt, and Bleach Stone are common and easy to obtain.
• Waterweed can be farmed for Lettuce, which supports higher-tier food production.
• Pokeshells and their molt provide an excellent source of Lime, though they become aggressive around their eggs and require careful ranching.
• Salt Water must be desalinated before it is useful for most colony needs, so a Desalinator is a key part of working this biome efficiently.
• Salt can also be produced with a Rock Crusher, and Table Salt can be used with a Mess Table for a morale bonus.

The Ocean Biome is especially valuable on the Water Asteroid, where it covers a very large portion of the map. It has no metal ore of its own, but it can still support a colony through food, salt production, and desalinated water. In cold regions, it may contain Brine instead of Salt Water, which can make water handling more complicated but also expands the biome’s long-term utility when processed properly.

Because the biome is so water-dominant, planning around liquid management is important. Salt Water is not directly usable for most industrial or agricultural purposes, so colonies should expect to filter it. At the same time, the biome’s open layout and large pools make it relatively easy to access its resources without extensive excavation, making it a strong early exploration target despite the lack of metal deposits.