Radioactive Biome

The Radioactive Biome is a high-radiation region that appears on certain asteroids and planetoids. It contains naturally radioactive tiles and creatures that emit radiation; entering or working inside the biome exposes Duplicants and machinery to significant ionizing radiation and the associated risks (radiation sickness, contaminated materials). The biome frequently contains valuable resources and critters whose behaviour and products are tied to the radiation mechanics, so it is often desirable to harvest or process parts of the biome despite the hazard.

Radiation in the biome behaves like other radiation sources in the game: it emits rad/sec from specific tiles or entities and has a radius of effect measured in tiles. Radiation sources with large radii or very high emission rates in or near the Radioactive Biome include Research Reactors (stable and meltdown states), Corium fields, Crashed Satellites, and concentrated liquid or solid radioactive elements. Radiation from projectiles, radbolt impacts, Shine Bugs, and other localized emitters also contributes to the biome’s overall hazard. Radiation strength is commonly grouped into hazard tiers: Completely Safe (0 rads/cycle), Mostly Safe (>0–100), Barely Safe (100–200), Slight Hazard (200–400), Significant Hazard (400–2000), Extreme Hazard (2000–4000) and Maximum Hazard (above 4000 rads/cycle). Duplicants absorb radiation based on the tile they stand on; natural tiles in the Radioactive Biome can themselves be radioactive.

Most built materials and structures block radiation to varying degrees, and material blocking ratings are documented in the Radiation Absorption reference. Notably, Airflow Tiles, Mesh Tiles and Solar Panels do not block radiation at all, so passing radiation through them is possible. Radiation emitted by natural tiles and many sources propagates through air and structures according to their shielding values.

Managing exposure and working safely in the Radioactive Biome relies on both avoidance and mitigation:

• Personal protection: Lead Suits reduce absorbed radiation by 66% (so a Duplicant wearing one absorbs 34% of the incoming dose). Eating Seafood grants a temporary Radiation Resistance that reduces absorption by another 20% for two cycles; when stacked with a Lead Suit a Duplicant will absorb 14% of the dose. The Basic Rad Pill provides a negative radiation dose of -100 rads per cycle for one cycle. Duplicants with the rad eater trait can convert up to 150 rads of absorbed radiation into calories.
• Behavioural mitigation: Using a bathroom while on shift removes 100 rads from a Duplicant’s absorbed dose; scheduling bathroom breaks appropriately can therefore remove roughly 200 rads per cycle in practice. Avoid direct contact with radioactive tiles and minimize time spent standing on them.
• Task management: If a location contains dangerous critters, such as Beetas in this biome, reducing interaction is often better than wholesale extermination. Beetas will sting Duplicants (even those wearing Atmo Suits) and are a significant nuisance; however, they are also efficient at extracting certain natural resources from tiles — Beetas can remove a given resource from natural tiles at 100% efficiency, whereas a Duplicant will do so at 50% efficiency. Because Beetas are not available in care packages, players commonly leave parts of the biome untouched until they need the resource to avoid constant critter interaction.

Environmental and engineering notes relevant to Radioactive Biome work:

• High-temperature operations that require non-freezing coolant sometimes favor gases like Hydrogen because gases have no upper temperature limit and will not boil away in extreme heat (for example when working near Magma Biome heat sources). Radiant Gas Pipes have different trade-offs compared to Radiant Liquid Pipes (gas pipes carry less mass and use half the material mass but transfer less heat overall), so consider conduit choice when designing heat-exchange or processing setups near radioactive materials.
• When building infrastructure near or through the biome, choose shielding and routing carefully: some tiles block radiation well while others do not. Use dedicated maintenance corridors and shielding where duplicated exposure would otherwise be high; avoid routing non-shielded walkways or transparent structures through irradiated zones.

Because radiation sources and intensities vary widely, preparation and redundancy are essential: plan for decontamination, protective gear, medical support for radiation sickness, and means to isolate or process radioactive materials safely. The Radioactive Biome offers unique resources and mechanics, but it requires deliberate engineering and operational discipline to exploit without incurring heavy losses.