LED Light

LED Light is a light-emitting building used to brighten enclosed areas and apply the standard effects of illumination to nearby cells. In Oxygen Not Included, almost any amount of light above 0 lux counts as lit for many gameplay systems, so even modest lighting can have a broad impact on work speed, decor, farming, and creature or duplicant behavior.

A lit cell grants a static +15 decor bonus regardless of how many light sources overlap it, and a Duplicant working in a cell with at least 1 lux receives the Lit Workspace status for +15% work speed. This applies to most progress-based tasks, including eating at a Mess Table, using a Lavatory, and pouring a drink from the Espresso Machine, but it does not apply to the Grooming Station or Shearing Station.

Lighting also affects several buildings and plants:

• Algae Terrariums produce 10% more oxygen when lit.
• Beach Chairs grant +8 morale instead of +5 if the chair’s cell of interest is over 10,000 lux.
• Some plants require light to grow, such as Bristle Blossoms and Gas Grass, while others require darkness, such as Dusk Caps and Bog Buckets.
• In the Spaced Out! DLC, some mutations change a plant’s light requirement.

Light is not always harmless. Duplicants generally sleep poorly in lit areas, so lamps near beds can reduce stamina recovery. If a Duplicant passes out, they may even try to sleep in darkness. Two traits alter this behavior: Loud Sleeper Duplicants ignore light while sleeping, while Nyctophobic Duplicants need light to sleep peacefully.

Very bright light can also affect stress. At 40,000 lux, Duplicants gain Bright and Cheerful; at 72,000 lux, they become Intensely Bright. Prolonged exposure to Intensely Bright light for 120 seconds causes sunburn. Light levels are commonly grouped as follows: 0 lux is Pitch Black, up to 100 is Dark, up to 1,000 is Dim, up to 10,000 is Well Lit, up to 50,000 is Bright, up to 100,000 is Brilliant, and anything beyond that is Blinding.

Natural sunlight is the strongest ambient light source in the game, shining downward from the top of the world and weakening only as it is absorbed by materials above. Unlike ordinary lamps, sunlight continues downward indefinitely unless blocked, which makes the surface and open shafts the easiest places to reach extremely high light levels.