Terrain
The Terrain of Hoxxes is the geographical makeup of Hoxxes' underground layers. With different appearances and formations, these features all serve to contribute to varied environments in each biome. The majority of terrain types are generated naturally, but some may be generated through certain actions or events.
Each terrain material has a "hardness" value typically ranging from 1 to 3, denoting the number of pickaxe hits required to break a chunk of it. Drinking a glass of Rocky Mountain before a mission reduces terrain hardness by 2 to a minimum of 1 for the duration of that mission. This effect only applies to terrain destroyed with the pickaxe.
There is no calculation of structural integrity or tensile strength for terrain in the caves of Hoxxes. This means that parts of terrain do not bend or break under the weight of creatures walking on it; as another example, a pillar of rock will stand as long as there is even a tiny bit connecting it to a floor, a wall or a ceiling, no matter the size. However, if a piece of terrain becomes completely disconnected from the rest of the cave, it immediately crumbles to dust and disappears. Dwarves who were standing on that piece of terrain fall down; other creatures, in contrast, become trapped floating in the air (unless they are close enough to terrain, in which case they might move to it and resume their usual pathfinding). The M.U.L.E. is not hindered in this scenario - it will respond to calls normally and simply walk through air until it reaches solid ground again.
Common Rock
Common Rock is found in and constitutes the majority of every biome on Hoxxes. This material is used to generate the various caves of Hoxxes. It will appear differently depending on the overall theme of the area, but is always the most basic ground material. It can be dynamically destroyed by the Dwarves through a large number of methods including the pickaxe, some weapons, explosives, and more. Hostile creatures like Glyphid Exploders are capable of damaging this rock layer as well.
It does not only vary in appearance, but in density as well. Different environments will have separate hardness for their variant of common rock.
It is named "Common Salt" in Salt Pits, "Sand Stone" in Sandblasted Corridors, "Ice" in Glacial Strata and "Petrified Wood" in Hollow Bough.
Quick reference for Common Rock hardness in the biomes of Hoxxes:
| Hardness | Biome |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sandblasted Corridors |
| 2 | Salt Pits, Fungus Bogs, Dense Biozone, Glacial Strata, Hollow Bough, Azure Weald |
| 3 | Crystalline Caverns, Radioactive Exclusion Zone, Magma Core |
Bed Rock
Bed Rock is the layer right before Compressed Granite, indicating that the player is approaching the map's boundaries.
Its surface is rough, barely reflective and taupe-colored. It's a tough material, requiring five hits from a Pickaxe before it breaks. The broken chunks are smaller compared to the Common Rock layer.
Bed Rock cannot be drilled by the Driller's Reinforced Power Drills; larger drills such as the one on the Drop Pod and a Resupply Pod can though. Glyphid Oppressors, Glyphid Dreadnoughts, and Glyphid Bulk Detonators can dig through Bed Rock. However, the Bulk Detonator's death explosion does not remove the material.
Compressed Granite
Compressed Granite marks the map boundaries. It is found in a sphere around the map, surrounding the destructible terrain around the procedurally generated tunnels and caverns. This material occurs after a thin layer of another very sturdy material named Bed Rock.
Its surface is smooth, shiny and completely black. It is an incredibly tough material, requiring five hits from a Pickaxe before it breaks, the broken chunk will be smaller compared to the Common Rock layer.
Much like Bed Rock, Compressed Granite is impervious to Driller's Reinforced Power Drills, but not the drills of the Drop Pod and Resupply Pods.
Compacted Dirt
Compacted Dirt is a naturally occurring material in the caves of Hoxxes. It serves as an obstacle preventing passage through generated tunnels and caves.
This layer has the appearance of a dense ball of dirt. It must be mined/destroyed in order for Dwarves to make it past. The hardness of Compacted Dirt is the same as the Common Rock for the biome, except for biomes which have Common Rock with a hardness of 3, where Compacted Dirt requires two pickaxe hits instead of three.
Slag
Slag does not naturally occur on Hoxxes and is only created in the aftermath of certain explosions. It appears as a tough gray stone-like material coating the crater made by a detonation. It takes two pickaxe hits to give way.
It is named "Carbon" in Hollow Bough. In Magma Core, this layer is replaced with Hot Rock.
Rockpox
Rockpox is a material occurring only in patches around Contagion Spikes. It assumes the appearance of a brown corrupted material somewhat akin to gnarled tree branches, naturally found covered in yellow bulbous growths. It has a hardness of 2, requiring two pickaxe hits to break.
If a Contagion Spike is successfully fully decontaminated by Dwarves, any existing Rockpox nearby will become Inert Rockpox, assuming a more faded and dry color along with the "branches" growing on it shriveling up. This variant has only a hardness of 1.