There are nine different options for starting asteroids in Oxygen Not Included, from Terra to Oasisse, and each has its own set of advantages and challenges. Oxygen Not Included is an incredibly complex colony sim that requires players to plan carefully, perform frequent calculations, and manage life-or-death shortages and surpluses. Because of the game’s complexity, players often find themselves returning again and again to new world gen seeds and new challenges.
No game of Oxygen Not Included is exactly the same, and with options for starting asteroids, players have an opportunity to change their scenery, discover new plant and critter life, take it easy, or challenge themselves like never before. Choosing a starting asteroid in Oxygen Not Included is a way to choose the kind of game a player wants to experience, not only in terms of difficulty, but in terms of in-game goals and strategies.
In Oxygen Not Included, starting asteroids range in difficulty based on chance of survival. The main difference between these asteroids is which biomes a player has access to at the outset. This is a game that rewards careful strategizing in the early game, and understanding how the biomes on different asteroid types affect elements like temperature, atmosphere, and critter and plant life, along with access to specific geysers, vents, and necessary resources, can make all the difference in a colony’s survival.
Challenges and Advantages of Asteroids in Oxygen Not Included
Terra is the only asteroid in Oxygen Not Included with a survival rating of “ideal,” due to its abundance of resources. This is the vanilla asteroid, perfect for new players or those who are looking to experiment without excess hindrances. It contains all the necessary biomes for colony survival. Oceania follows close behind Terra with a survival rating of “probable.” It contains all the same biomes as Terra, with the addition of large pockets of saltwater. There is not a clear advantage to having that much saltwater, so Terra is the better choice for a smooth game and easy base building.
Rime and Verdante both have a survival rating of “likely.” Rime is the only asteroid type that contains all possible biomes, with the exception of the “barren” biome, which only exists in the Badlands asteroid. Rime is an excellent choice for players who struggle with temperature management, a particularly tricky mechanic in Oxygen Not Included. Verdante is also resource-rich, but it makes temperature management more difficult, as it lacks frozen biomes and has irregularly placed oil biomes.
Arboria and Volcanea both have a survival rating of “moderate.” Arboria’s main difficulty is that it lacks a swamp biome, which is often a player's source of vital resources and can make early oxygen generation very challenging. Players who struggle with temperature management in Oxygen Not Included will want to stay away from Volcanea, which is rich with volcanoes that generate massive amounts of heat.
The Badlands asteroid type is the only one in Oxygen Not Included to receive a survival rating of “moderate.” While it does not present the same kinds of dangers as Aridio or Oasisse, its lack of resources could easily be the undoing of a colony. With no swamp biome, and no forest biome, many of the life-sustaining resources a player usually begins with are nowhere to be found. On top of that, it is the only asteroid type that does not include a tide pool.
Aridio and Oasisse both have a survival rating of “slim.” Each of these asteroids begin much hotter than others, and do not offer wheezeworts. In addition, the scarcity of water they each offer forces players to dig for polluted water and set up a filtration system immediately. All of these factors contribute to difficulty in early-game farming needed for food production. Oasisse starts players off surrounded with hot sand, and has irregular oil biomes, which makes heat that much more difficult to deal with. It is often considered the most difficult starting asteroid.
Players looking for a change of scenery and a different spin on the classic Oxygen Not Included should certainly check out Rime or Verdante, while Arboria and Volcanea each present specific challenges that can be tested before moving on to much more difficult gameplay. Players looking for a real challenge in Oxygen Not Included should look no further than the Badlands, while those secretly full of self-loathing should definitely give Aridio or Oasisse a try.
Oxygen Not Included is available now on PC and Macintosh OS