Radioactive Exclusion Zone
| “ | Ravaged by thousands of years of high-intensity gamma radiation, this region of the planet is now a veritable hellhole of radioactive ash and decrepit, mutated flora. Move with great care, and pay particular attention that you maintain full detox procedure upon return. |
| — Ingame description |
Radioactive Exclusion Zone is one of the biomes of Hoxxes IV. They usually have big open spaces, connected by wide tunnels. The Radioactive Crystals, while dangerous, do produce light. The caves themselves are generally empty with very few living things around. The air is mixed with ash like dust particles. The rock forming the caves is sturdy, taking 3 hits to destroy it.
Hazards
The biome-specific hazard for Radioactive Exclusion Zone are Radioactive Crystals called Volatile Uranium, which irradiate any Dwarf or Creature who gets too close and slowly eats away at their health. It can be destroyed by directly hitting its light source with the appropriate weapon or simply smashing it with a pickaxe. There are also Spider Webs which, when passed through, will cover the player in webs, reducing movement speed and placing an effect on the screen that obstructs vision. These webs can be burned with a Flamethrower or most of the other fire sources.
Enemies
Several enemies have a unique radioactive-themed variation that appears instead of their regular counterpart. Their attacks are also affected, with some such as Glyphid Exploders, Glyphid Praetorians and Glyphid Swarmers leaving behind clouds of radiation when killed. Radioactive Exclusion Zone enemy variants can be far more resistant to radiation than creatures found elsewhere on Hoxxes. Most Glyphids can be encountered in Radioactive Exclusion Zone, including Spitball Infectors, Cave Leeches, and Glyphid Dreadnoughts. Most Glyphids also have a slight radioactive glow in the darkness, making them easier to spot
Biome Features
Radioactive Exclusion Zone contains sparse and highly irradiated flora, along with dead trees. The Cave Vine is unique to this biome, while creepy, are harmless and will at most be a mild nuisance.
| Item | Description | Statistics |
|---|---|---|
| Functional | ||
 Volatile Uranium |
Active uranium crystals that glow and deal radiation damage when something gets close. Can be disabled by digging out the crystal's glowing center. | Hardness: 1
Damage: 6 |
 Spider Web |
Thin webs that slow anything passing through them and impair the vision of dwarves. Can be burnt with the Flamethrower or other sources of fire damage. | Health: 1
x0.5 Movement Speed |
| Rocks | ||
 Inert Uranium |
An exhausted uranium crystal. | Hardness: 1 |
| Vegetation | ||
 Radipuff |
A pale green puffy flower. | Health: 30 |
| Other | ||
 Breather |
Pale green flora/fauna that breathes slowly. Can be petted. | Health: 70 |
 Tumorous Growth |
Grey tumors with green spots embedded into the cave's walls. | Health: 70 |
 Rock-Tree |
A fossilised tree that shatters when mined. | Health: 20/45 |
 Wall Eye |
Organic eyes with purple bits surrounding them covering the walls of a cave. Damaging an eye will make it close for a short while. Also found in Crystalline Caverns. | Health: 50 |
 ERR://019%T#/ |
Rare phenomenon of a jet black, helix formation with shiny studs littered around the surfaces it touches. | Hardness: 2 |
Ores
As with every biome, some of the Ores that can be found in Radioactive Exclusion Zone are determined by the mission type, such as 
Morkite and 
Aquarq.
The crafting materials found in Radioactive Exclusion Zone are 
Umanite and 
Enor Pearl, with Umanite being abundant and Enor Pearl being scarce.
Deep Dive Sentences
When Radioactive Exclusion Zone is selected as the biome for a Deep Dive, one of those sentences can be seen in the terminal:
- "Is it just me, or are the glyphids bigger here?"
- "Shouldn't we be wearing protective suits?"
- Some theories state that some of the more exotic varieties of glyphids originated here.
- "Everything the radiation doesn't kill, it makes stronger."
- "The walls have eyes...!"
- "If a glyphid bites me, what kind of powers will I get?" ,
- "Radioactive Mutant Glyphids, and it's not even my birthday!"
- "Glowing in the dark will keep me up all night."
Trivia
- Added during the Early Access period with Update 7: Alpha Launch on the 28th February 2018.
- The Breather has a similar appearance to the real-life Predatory Tunicate, an invertebrate found in the deep ocean.
| |||||
