Morb

Morbs are wild critters associated with polluted oxygen and the disease Morbius Crohn. They are usually harmless, but they become a hazard once they enter their morbing state or when Duplicants are exposed to their bites. Morbs can also be spawned from a filled, unemptied Outhouse that is not disabled, and some other special events can produce them as well.

In normal behavior, Morbs are not hostile and will flee when attacked. They wander in one direction until blocked, then turn around and head back. They can jump over 2-tile-high walls or across a 1-tile gap, and like other critters they can be trapped permanently by doors and Mesh Tiles. Because they are wild critters, they do not suffer overcrowding or unhappiness, which makes it possible to keep many of them in a small chamber without reducing their output.

Morbs periodically emit a cloud of 200 g of Polluted Oxygen containing 200 germs of Slimelung when several conditions are met: the tile must not be a vacuum, must not contain liquid, atmospheric pressure must be below 1000 g, and the Morb must have arrived on that tile during its last movement. If the space above them is not blocked, they display an emission animation, but the animation is not required for the emission to happen. When a Morb begins morbing, all Morbs in the same room also begin morbing. In that state they become aggressive toward Duplicants and try to bite them, infecting them with Morbius Crohn. If untreated, an infected Duplicant will turn into a Glorb after 3 cycles. Morbs created from infected Duplicants are permanently morbing and can spread the disease further by biting their creator back.

A Morb can be spawned when an Outhouse is filled, left unemptied, and not disabled. After about 2 cycles, a Morb appears near it. This can be reset by reloading the game or by disabling and re-enabling the Outhouse, so refilling is not required for repeated spawns. Crashed Satellites can also produce Morbs when rummaged.

Morbs are most useful as a source of Polluted Oxygen. Their output is highly variable, but they can be farmed effectively in a closed room with enough room to move. A chamber sized for an Outhouse works well, and at least 2 tiles of running space are required for any production at all. About 5 tiles of running space is considered optimal, while cramped spaces reduce output significantly. Jumping-only stables are less efficient than open running space. Since Morbs are not affected by overcrowding, a large number can be kept together to increase total production.

• Keeping Morbs in a sealed chamber helps maximize Polluted Oxygen collection and prevents uncontrolled spread.
• Duplicants wearing Atmo Suits cannot be bitten, making them immune to infection from morbing Morbs.
• To stop Morb-related infection risk entirely, remove access to the rooms they inhabit so Duplicants never enter them.
• Their Polluted Oxygen can be paired with Pufts for renewable resource chains, including Algae production through Algae Distillers.