Adventure Zone
| DO NOT POST SECRETS ABOUT THE ADVENTURE ZONE AREAS HERE |
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Space Station 13 is a scary place. Traitors and the Syndicate try to derail operations on a regular basis, various eldritch horrors are drawn to terrorize it like moths are drawn to a flame, and sometimes there are events that just defy all logic and sense yet are still horrendously dangerous. Have you ever wondered what life was like off the station?
As it turns out, things aren't better off of this space-faring metal nuthouse. They're much, much worse. Welcome to Hell.
What is the Adventure Zone?
The Adventure Zone is a Z-level with special areas that can only be accessed through Telescience. It is where the game sheds its "wide open sandbox" masquerade and becomes straight-up survival horror. Tombs devoid of sentient life are the norm, replaced mostly by numerous, violent monsters (called "Critters" according to the game) that comprehend nothing other than ending you as quickly and relentlessly as possible. The environments themselves aren't any more merciful, containing many a deathtrap waiting to claim the lives of any foolish explorers who wander into them.
Scared yet? You'd have to be a complete madman not to be... though this being Space Station 13, you probably are a complete madman, so by all means, read on.
The Dungeons
Accessing the Adventure Zone isn't hard, all you need is an understanding of Telescience's mathematics. Most of the Zone will produce interference unless you target the exact spot to teleport to; this is indicated by a GPS left on-site, so finding an adventure area isn't the issue. Survival is.
Mars Outpost
Difficulty: Easy
A long-since abandoned outpost on Mars from NanoTrasen's early days, an accident caused by the remarkably-similar-to-SS13 crew caused all the personnel to perish. Nothing notable remains, save for the trademark horrible dust storms and the vault containing the gold they dug up from the planet. Can you retrieve it?
The first area you should tackle to ease you into gameplay off of the station, the Mars Outpost is more like a tutorial than anything, showing you that you must do things outside of the norm to proceed. Short, simple and contains very few enemies.
Io Moon
Difficulty: Average
Also known as the Lava Moon, this scorching-hot rock is more like a spherical volcano than anything else, with nothing but stone and lava making up the landscape. A NanoTrasen research team came here to study an alien ruin filled with futuristic technology, but they mysteriously abandoned their outpost shortly after unearthing it. Can you finish their expedition?
This is where your experience with the Adventure Zone truly begins, with an unforgiving climate and monsters attacking you right out of the gate. Bring clothing capable that can resist the horrible heat, or you won't last long.
Biodome
Difficulty: Average
An attempt by NanoTrasen to turn a hostile planet's environment into a livable one, things were actually going quite well until one of the crew members was revealed to be a part of the Syndicate, who was tasked with recovering alien artifacts that the crew dug up in tunneling expeditions meant to expand the dome. Eventually he discovered a power in the artifacts that no man should have, resulting in horrible things that science can't even begin to explain. Can you figure out what happened and put the crew's souls to rest?
Easily the largest area in the Adventure Zone, the Biodome features two different paths for you to follow, each with its own atmosphere and dangers.
Meat Station
Difficulty: Average
Its name lost to time, this derelict space station is more organic than machine, and even now it slowly spreads to take over completely. How exactly this monstrosity came to be is unknown. Can you figure it out?
This disgusting place looks like it came straight out of the Silent Hill series. As you'd expected from what can reasonably be called the inside of a living being, most of the danger will come from the environment itself.
Theta Outpost
Difficulty: Hard
A research expedition launched at the same time as the Io Moon expedition and for the same reasons, this team suffered a much more grisly fate than its counterpart, having unearthed a horrible beast from its local alien ruins that slaughtered everyone outright. Can you finish what they started and put down this monster?
This area, also known as the Ice Moon, is one of the most unforgiving areas in the Adventure Zone. Monster volume is very high here, compounded on by the freezing cold temperatures and slippery ice. Be ready for a ride if you decide to venture here.
Solarium
Difficulty: Hard
A strange space station filled with mysteries upon mysteries, it is most certainly not a NanoTrasen outpost, so how it ended up with NanoTrasen technology is very suspect. All sorts of secrets lie around this place. Can you uncover them all?
This is it, the big one. The Solarium is an incredibly difficult area, filled with secrets that usually take the entire SS13 crew to work out. Don't expect to be going here without a mass agreement by the other players.
Why should I go adventuring?
Okay, I know what you're thinking. "All of these places are so dangerous! Why would I ever want to go there!?" And to answer your question: loot, dear boy. There are a number of cozy secrets tucked away in the Adventure Zone, including some unique Medals (some of which have cosmetic rewards!) and some kick-ass items that would be hard or even impossible to acquire otherwise, all of which you can then flaunt to the rest of the crew when you eventually make it through the area.
Preparation
Between the climates, Critters and traps, there are an obscene number of ways you can die miserably on these Telescience expeditions. You can't make it through these horrible places by just waltzing in, preparation is paramount.
- Bring meds! We cannot stress this enough. A major part of surviving in the Adventure Zone is being able to reverse the damage that will be done to you.
- Bring weapons! Critters tend not to submit to fists very fast, and you want to avoid damage as much as possible. Either firearms or blunt objects, preferably both.
- Bring tools! You never know when you might need a full toolbox and some sheet metal out here.
- Bring friends! While it's possible to solo each area on your own, they are really meant to be done as a team, not to mention having
meatshieldspartners makes things so much easier... just make sure none of them are traitors with an objective to kill you.
Important Tips
- Critters don't care at all about indirect forms of damage, and they can't have chemicals or the like injected into them. Only direct damage will fell them.
- Some enemies are immune to firearms. Bring something heavy and blunt to defeat them with.
- Don't wander into lava. It is instant death. Obvious, but it needs to be said.
- Don't mindlessly wander into pits either. Some of them won't kill you, but most of them will.
- Some items found in one area can be useful in an entirely different one.
- If you've gone exploring the Debris Field Z-level, you've probably come across an object called a "secure safe". All of the Adventure Zone areas have these as well; they always contain valuables, and they sometimes contain weapons too. Knowing how to crack them is a great skill to have here.
- Theta Outpost-only tip: bring an exosuit with Explosion protection. You'll be glad you did!
- Don't get discouraged! The Adventure Zone is not merciful, and you will die. A lot. But don't give up. Learn from your mistakes, keep track of the important things you found, and try again next round.