Oxygen Not Included — Complete Walkthrough & Base Layout Guide

> Game: Oxygen Not Included (Klei Entertainment) > Release: July 30, 2019 (v1.0) > Current version as of writing: v744825 (28 July 2026) with all DLCs > DLCs: Spaced Out! (2021), Frosty Planet Pack (2024), Bionic Booster Pack (2024), Prehistoric Planet Pack (2025), Aquatic Planet Pack (June 2026), Neutronium Cosmetics Pack (2025) > Platform: PC (Windows / macOS / Linux)

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Phase 0: Game Setup & World Selection

Difficulty Settings

For your first real run, start on Terra asteroid with these settings:

World / Asteroid Selection

The Terra asteroid is the recommended starting point — it has all basic resources, no extreme temperature biomes, and no special hazards beyond slime biome. In order of difficulty:

• Terra — The tutorial asteroid. Everything you need in moderate abundance.
• Rime — Cold start. Harder because water freezes and plants die. Good second run.
• Marinea — Flooded world. Swimming is required. Save for when you understand fluid mechanics.
• The Badlands — Hot start with very little water. Forces you into water-positive strategies early.
• Oceania — Lots of water but very little algae. Teaches electrolyzer setups early.
• Arboria — Little water, no algae. You must ranch or wild-plant for oxygen.
• Verdante — Lots of wild plants but little algae. Pacu everywhere.

Verdict: Terra for your first 3 colonies, then Marinea or Rime.

Duplicant Selection (Priority System)

You get three duplicants on Cycle 1 and can print more every 3 cycles. Selecting good duplicants is the single most impactful decision you make.

#### S-Tier Traits to Roll For

• +7 Digging — Digging is the most-used skill for the first 50 cycles
• +7 Construction — Second-most used
• +3 to all stats (if you see it — very rare)
• Interests in: Digging, Building, Supplying

#### Must-Avoid Negative Traits

• Narcoleptic — Dupe passes out randomly for se
• veral seconds; can drown in standing water
• Anemic — Moves at 50% speed; agonizingly slow
• Flatulent — Produces natural gas intermittently; not terrible late-game but catastrophic in a sealed base early
• Irritable Bowel — Will interrupt work for bathroom breaks constantly
• Allergies — Will destroy your productivity near certain plants
• Binge Eater — Can eat your entire food supply in one sitting if morale drops
• Destructive — Breaks things when stressed instead of just crying
• Mouth Breather — Consumes oxygen at \+100 g/s (500 g/s instead of 100 g/s). This is worse than it sounds.

#### Acceptable Starters

The "Perfect" Starting Trio:

• A primary digger (Digging \+7, Exosuit Training is a bonus)
• A builder/researcher (Construction \+7, tends to Research interest)
• A farmer/cook (Farming interest, Cooking skill)

Asteroid Seed Selection

You can type in a seed number when creating a world. Good beginner seeds for Terra:

• 262915083 — Very balanced, lots of starting water, close copper \+ iron volcanoes
• SNDST-G-515159155-0 — Classic seed, good geyser placement
• 446822397 — Cryofalls close to start, easy early cool slush geyser

Or just random — Terra is forgiving enough.

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Phase 1: Cycle 1–10 — First Days

Your survival window is 3 cycles of oxygen, 10 cycles of food (from the ration box), and 0 cycles of messing around. Every cycle counts.

Cycle 1 — Immediate Priorities

BEFORE you unpause:

• Assign priorities. Open the Priorities tab (top-right). Set all 3 dupes to max priority on:
• Digging (toggle to ↑↑ for the digger)
• Building (↑↑ for the builder)
• Toggle Life Support, Operating, Supplying, and Tidying to priority 5 across all dupes
• Build a basic barracks. Layout: 2 tiles tall (tall enough to stand), 4 tiles wide with a cot for each dupe. Use the "Sweep" command on any debris in this area.
• Build an Outhouse. Place it 2 tiles from a wall (leave room for the door).
• Build a Wash Basin. Place BEFORE the outhouse entrance (dupes path: toilet → wash basin).

PAUSE, then queue these dig orders:

• Expand the starting area to a 12×8 rectangle (this is your "starting room")
• Dig a straight line right or left toward the nearest water source (you can see it in the world overlay)

Do NOT build:

• A Research Station yet (you have no power)
• A Manual Generator yet (it wastes dupe labor early)

Cycle 2–3 — Setup

• Build 3 Cots (not Cot Beds — those need metal and Gnat Swarms are not a problem yet)
• Build a Ladder to reach higher and lower tiles
• Build a Pitcher Pump over the nearest water pool (Pond/Lake)
• Put a bottle emptier next to it that feeds into the Super Computer area
• Dig a latrine room — 3 tiles wide, 2 tiles tall: Outhouse \+ Wash Basin \+ door
• Room must be enclosed (3 walls \+ door) for the "Plumbed Bathroom" room bonus later
• Put the outhouse at one end, wash basin at the other, dupes walk: outhouse → basin → door
• Build a Research Station (50 kg raw mineral)
• Build a Super Computer (250 kg raw mineral)

Research Order (Critical Path)

Power Setup (Cycle 1–10)

Power sequence:

• Cycle 2: Run a Manual Generator to power the Research Station. 1 tireless researcher \= 1 generator.
• Cycle 4: Build a Coal Generator (once you've dug to a coal vein).
• Cycle 5–6: Build a Smart Battery (once researched). Wire it:
• Smart Battery → automation wire → Coal Generator
• This makes the generator turn off when batteries are full

WARNING: Do NOT connect Coal Generator directly to a regular battery without a Smart Battery. A coal generator with a regular battery will burn coal constantly, emptying your supply in 20 cycles.

Food Setup (Cycles 1–10)

• Day 1–3: Muckroot (ration box \+ whatever you dig up)
• Day 3: Plant 5 Mealwood in Planter Boxes (3 seeds found in starting biome, 2 from digging)
• Day 5: You should have \~5–8 Mealwood plants producing (40–60 kg/cycle total)
• Day 6–8: Build a Grill and make Liceloaf (Mealwood → Liceloaf \= higher quality)
• Day 10: 10 Mealwood plants \= sustainable for 3 dupes (10 plants × 8 food each per meal \= 80 meals)

Critical: Do NOT dig up all Muckroot/Hexalent fruit. Leave 3–4 of each for emergencies.

Oxygen Setup (Cycles 1–10)

• Cycle 1–5: You're breathing the starting oxygen. It's \~25–30 kg per tile.
• Cycle 3: Build a Terrarium (near your main ladder or barracks). Put it next to a water source (or bottle emptier).
• Terraria are inefficient but they buy you time.
• One terrarium supports \~1 dupe.
• Cycle 4–5: Build an Algae Deoxidizer (on the main ladder shaft or in a dedicated oxygen room).
• One Deoxidizer fully supports 5 dupes.
• It consumes 1 kg/s algae and produces 500 g/s oxygen \+ 253 g/s polluted oxygen.
• Cycle 7: If algae is running low, dig toward the Slime Biome (the green/yellow biome). Slime → Algae processor (Distillation research).

Pro tip: Place Deodorizers every 4–6 tiles along the path between the slime biome and your base to catch the polluted oxygen. Each one is 1 refined metal \+ 2 sand (or regolith).

Temperature Management (Cycles 1–10)

• The starting biome is \~22°C — comfortable.
• The Algae Deoxidizer outputs oxygen at 30°C (slightly above ambient). This is fine.
• Do NOT dig directly into the caustic/jungle biome (purple/red) — it's 45–60°C and the hot CO₂ and chlorine will leak into your base.
• First heat lesson: Avoid digging too far in any direction. Each new biome you crack open releases its atmosphere into yours.

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Phase 2: Cycle 11–30 — Establishing Infrastructure

Population

• Accept every printing pod duplicant that has NO severe negative traits.
• Target population: 6–9 dupes by Cycle 30
• Diminishing returns rule: On Terra, one dupe can typically support 2 dupes' worth of oxygen via an Algae Deoxidizer. Past 10 dupes, you need electrolyzers.

Bathroom Loop (The Infinite Water Hack)

Build two Lavatories and two Wash Sinks:

`` ┌─────────────┬─────────────┐ │ Lavatory │ Lavatory │ │ │ │ └────↓────────┴─────↓───────┘ │ Pipe to Water Sieve │ ↓ ↓ ┌─────────────┬─────────────┐ │ Wash Sink │ Wash Sink │ │ (after loo) │ (after loo) │ └─────────────┴─────────────┘ ↓ Polluted Water → Water Sieve → Clean Water → Lavatories → ... ``

The loop: Lavatories output Polluted Water (11.7 kg per use). Sieve it back into clean water. The system is net-positive (Lavatories output more PW than clean water they consume: 11.7 kg out vs 5 kg in per use). Eventually it backs up, but by then you'll have a plan for the overflow.

DO NOT let wash sink output go into the same pipe as the lavatory — wash sinks output to the same sieve but reduce the water volume slightly.

Food Expansion

• 10 Mealwood plants \= 3 dupes fed
• 20 Mealwood \= 6 dupes fed (but need fertilizer or you'll run out of dirt)
• Plan: Transition to Bristle Blossom (domesticated, 20 kg water/cycle each) or Mushroom (slime-based, no water).
• Mushrooms are easiest: 4 slime per plant per cycle, no water, 2400 kcal per harvest
• A mushroom farm of 20 plants feeds 5 dupes
• When to transition: Around Cycle 20–30, when dirt runs below 50 tons. You want to stop Mealwood before your dirt is gone.

Ranching Basics

Hatches are your first ranch animal. They eat raw minerals and poop coal. Coal is fuel for your generators. Build a ranch:

• Build a room 4 tiles tall, 16 tiles wide (max ranch size \= 96 tiles)
• Put a Grooming Station inside
• Put a Critter Feeder inside (fill with 1 ton of Sedimentary Rock, Sandstone, or any basic mineral)
• Capture a wild Hatch (three head hits to capture):
• Build a Hatch trap from the Critter tab, place it where you see Hatches roam, wait until one gets trapped
• Put 2–3 Hatches in the ranch, set Grooming to max priority

Payoff: 2–3 tamed Hatches produce enough coal to power 1 coal generator permanently. A full ranch of 8 Hatches produces \~300 kg coal per cycle.

Power Upgrade

• Coal Generator × 2 with Heavy-Watt wire to the power spine
• Transformers: Never let a Heavy-Watt wire go through your living quarters (-25 decor). Put a Transformer (Small or Large) at the edge of your power plant and connect it to a normal wire that runs through your base.
• Cycle 20–30 priority: Find a Natural Gas Geyser or Hydrogen Vent. If you find one, research Natural Gas power production.

Research Push

By Cycle 30 you should have:

• ✅ Smart Battery / Power automation
• ✅ Liquid Piping (pump, vents, bridges)
• ✅ Refined Metal (Rock Crusher → refine 200 kg of ore into refined metal)
• ✅ Suit technology (at least Atmo Suits unlocked, not built yet)
• ✅ Insulation (ceramic \+ insulated tile)

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Phase 3: Cycle 31–80 — Early Mid-Game

The Great Transition — From Algae to Electrolyzer

Algae runs out around Cycle 30–50 on Terra. You need the SPOM (Self-Powered Oxygen Module) — the single most important build in ONI.

What a SPOM does: Burns water → electrolyzer → separates oxygen (for dupes) from hydrogen (for power).

What you need:

• Electrolyzer (researched: Ventilation)
• Gas Pump × 2
• Gas Filter or Gas Element Sensor \+ shutoff valve (the filter-less design)
• Hydrogen Generator (to burn the hydrogen output)
• Atmo Sensor (for pressure control)
• Water supply (at least 1 kg/s continuous)

Minimum viable SPOM: `` ┌──────────────────────────────┐ │ Electrolyzer │ │ ┌────┐ │ │ │ H2 │ │ │ └────┘ │ │ Oxygen here │ └──────────────────────────────┘ Pump O2 ──→ Gas Filter ──→ O2 to base │ ↓ H2 to Gen → Power ``

Better: The Full Rodriguez (see Base Layouts section below).

Water Management

Your water will become a crisis around Cycle 40–50 if you don't plan for it.

Water sources to tap:

• Cool Steam Vents (110°C steam) — the most common geyser. Needs active cooling to condense.
• Cool Slush Geyser (-10°C polluted water) — an absolute blessing. Dump it through a sieve and it comes out 0°C clean water.
• Salt Water Geyser — Sievable to pure water \+ salt.
• Water Geyser (95°C clean water) — Rare but ideal.
• Steam Vents (500°C) — Avoid until you have steel and active cooling.

Cool Steam Vent taming: `` ┌────────────────────────┐ │ Steam Vent (110°C) │ │ ┌────┐ │ │ │Steam │ │ │ └────┘ │ │ ┌──────────────────┐ │ │ │ Water (100°C) │ │ │ └──────────────────┘ │ │ │ Pump │ └────────┴────────────────┘ Insulated walls around the vent chamber Radiant pipes with cool PWater running through them → The steam condenses and drips as 95°C water ``

The Crude Way (Cycle 30–50, before proper cooling):

• Build a 3-tall box around a cool steam vent using insulated tile
• Pump water is from the pool it forms into your main water tank
• Let it mix with the rest of your water to bring the overall temp down
• It'll slowly pressurize the steam until condensation happens naturally (at \~20 kg/tile it stops steaming)

Cooling — The First Loop

Materials: You need refined metal for radiant pipes and a Thermo Aquatuner. Copper ore works in a pinch but gold amalgam is better.

The cooling loop basics: `` Polluted Water ←─ Aquatuner ←─ (in a pool of polluted water or steam) ↓ Radiant pipes through your base ↓ Returns at 14°C ``

The Thermo Aquatuner cools liquid by 14°C each pass. Put it in a pool of polluted water (the pool heats up; the PW evaporates into steam eventually). This buys you 50+ cycles before you have to build a steam turbine.

Cycle 50 cooling priority: Cool your base to 22–25°C using a loop that runs through the main ladders on each floor.

Atmo Suits

Build your first Atmo Suit Dock by Cycle 50. You will lose dupes to scalding and slimelung without them.

Atmo Suit checkpoint layout: `` ┌──────────────────────┐ │ Base (safe side) │─┐ │ │ │ ┌──── Atmo Suits │ Door │ ├──┤ │ │ │ └──── Atmo Suit Docks └──────────────────────┘─┘ │ ↓ Exit to dangerous biomes ↓ ``

• Place 4–6 docks in a row
• Connect oxygen piping to the back of each dock
• Dupes wear suits before leaving the base
• Suits protect from: scalding, slimelung, zombie spores, hypothermia
• Exosuit Training is a skill you MUST unlock for any dupe that leaves the base

Ranching Expansion

Dreckos — Ranched for Reed Fiber (needed for Atmo Suits!) and Plastic (for steam turbines).

Drecko Ranch:

• Room must be 4 tiles tall (dreckos climb walls)
• Fill with Mealwood planters (they graze from the top tile)
• Shearing Station for Reed Fiber from Plant Fiber Drecko

Pacu — Ranched for free food. One tamed Pacu in a 1-tile water pool with a feeder produces infinite eggs (and thus food). Seriously overpowered.

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Phase 4: Cycle 81–200 — Mid Game

Steel Production

Steel unlocks the mid game. You need it for:

• Thermo Aquatuners (must be steel to survive their own heat)
• Steam Turbines (200 kg steel each)
• Anything in >125°C environments

Steel recipe: Iron Ore \+ Lime \+ Refined Carbon in a Metal Refinery

The Steel cycle:

• Set Metal Refinery to Steel
• Run 1 batch of Steel (100 kg iron ore \+ 20 kg lime \+ 20 kg refined carbon)
• Wait for the coolant loop to cool the refinery output
• Repeat until you have 1200–2000 kg of steel

Coolant for the Refinery: Polluted water. Run it through a 5-tile pool of water via radiant pipes to sink the heat. Once the pool hits 90°C, replace the coolant.

Steam Turbine Cooling (The "SAUNA")

The standard mid-game build: `` Steam Turbine ┌────────────┐ │ Turbine │ ← Inlet: 5 ports for steam │ │ └─────┬──────┘ │ Steel Aquatuner in steam chamber ┌─────┴──────┐ │ Steam │ ← 1 tile of water \+ temps above 125°C │ Chamber │ │ Aquatuner │ └────────────┘ ``

How it works:

• Aquatuner heats the steam to 125°C+
• Steam rises into the turbine
• Turbine consumes steam, outputs 95°C water (goes back to the chamber)
• Turbine generates power (up to 850 W)
• Aquatuner uses \~1200 W but the turbine recovers \~850 W \= net \~350 W per tuner

This is the core of ALL mid-game cooling. Any loop that needs cooling (your base, your industrial brick, your metal refinery) connects to this aquatuner as the heat sink.

Industrial Brick

Build an isolated, insulated "industrial zone" that contains:

• Metal Refinery
• Kiln
• Glass Forge
• Oil Refinery
• Polymer Press
• Rock Crusher
• All power generators

Why isolate: These machines generate massive heat (especially the Kiln, Glass Forge, and Refinery). If inside your main base, your base cooks to 50°C within 20 cycles.

Layout: `` ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ INDUSTRIAL BRICK (insulated walls) │ │ │ │ Refinery Kiln Glass Polymer │ │ │ │ Hydrogen │ │ Natural Gas Coal │ │ Generators Generators │ │ │ │ Coolant loop from Aquatuner → │ └──────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``

Oil Biome Access

Around Cycle 60–90, dig down to the Oil Biome (the dark brown/black biome below the caustic biome).

What's there:

• Crude Oil — turns into Petroleum for Plastic or Power
• Diamond — best material for window tiles
• Leaky Oil Fissure — infinite oil source (but very hot)

What to bring:

• Atmo Suits (mandatory for every dupe)
• Insulated tiles for the ladder shaft (keep heat out)
• A liquid pump (gold amalgam at minimum, steel preferred)
• A liquid reservoir for oil storage

Phase change: Crude Oil → Petroleum at 399°C in an Oil Refinery or 403°C with a Thermal Aquatuner on the pipe.

Plastic Production

Two routes:

• Polymer Press — 1200 kg Petroleum → 100 kg Plastic (in 9 seconds, with heat output). Needs steel or ceramic for the pipes near it.
• Drecko Ranching — Glossy Dreckos (fed on Mealwood) produce Plastic equivalent to shearing. \~10 Dreckos \= 1 Polymer Press sustained.

Route 1 is faster. Route 2 is better for bases that are water-constrained or want zero heat.

Space Biome Access (Surface)

By Cycle 100, you should breach the surface.

What's up there:

• Regolith — best filtration medium for Deodorizers (renewable)
• Solar panels (unlimited daytime power)
• Space scanner (for telescope research)
• Meteors — they'll destroy anything not roofed

Surface base:

• Build a Bunker Door roof that closes during meteor showers (detected by space scanner)
• Solar panels behind the bunker doors
• Meteor showers last \~60 seconds, happen every few cycles

Rule of thumb: 4 solar panels \= one full Smart Battery charged per cycle. That's \~2000 W of daytime power.

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Phase 5: Cycle 200+ — Late Game & Taming the World

Geyser Taming — Full Tier List

Sour Gas Boiler (Advanced)

The most complex build in ONI. Converts excess water \+ heat into natural gas for massive power.

Pipeline: ``` Water → 125°C → Electrolyzer → H₂ → stuff → O₂ → base → Excess O₂ → off-gassing → ...smarter to just use it.

╔══════════════════════════════╗ ║ Sour Gas Boiler pipeline: ║ ║ Petroleum → heat to 540°C ║ ║ → becomes Sour Gas ║ ║ → cool to -161°C ║ ║ → becomes Methane \+ Sulfur ║ ║ → Methane → Natural Gas ║ ║ → Natural Gas Generators ║ ╚══════════════════════════════╝ ```

Verdict: This is a "need 50 kW of power" build. For a normal colony, you don't need it. 2 natural gas geysers \+ 4 hydrogen vents \+ solar \= 10+ kW easily.

Heat Death Prevention

The biggest silent killer in ONI. Even the most careful base will slowly heat up over time from:

• Lit equipment (each light is 2–5 W of heat)
• Generators (especially coal and petroleum)
• Batteries (350 W of heat each!)
• Machinery
• Duplicant body heat (tiny but cumulative)

Signs you're heading toward heat death:

• Base temp has risen from 22°C → 35°C by Cycle 100
• Plants are "wilted" (too hot) — usually Bristle Blossom first
• Water in your main tank is 35°C+
• Dupes are getting "Hot" status debuff

The fix is always the same: Build a ST/AT (Steam Turbine \+ Aquatuner) loop. One pair can cool 3–4 base floors indefinitely.

Infinite Food (Mid-Late Game)

The endgame food chain, ranked by ease:

• Pacu — 1 tamed Pacu in 1 tile of water \+ Algae feeder → infinite eggs → infinite cooked fish filet (Surf'n'Turf with BBQ)
• Hatches — Produce meat and coal. Stone Hatches eat igneous rock (infinite from volcanoes).
• Slicksters — Eat CO₂, produce Petroleum. Paired with petroleum generators \= clean CO₂ disposal.
• Dreckos — Reed Fiber \+ Plastic. Also produce meat.
• Grubfruit — High-quality food but needs sulfur and lots of player management.
• Pepper Bread — Highest food quality (requires Pincha Pepper \+ Sleet Wheat).

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Phase 6: Endgame & Winning

The "End" of ONI

ONI doesn't have a traditional end screen. The game technically ends when:

• Temporal Bow — Research all technologies, build a Temporal Bow, and shoot it through a portal. Complete satisfaction of the research tree.
• The Great Escape — Build a rocket and escape the asteroid. This was the original "win condition."
• Survive 1000 cycles (not a real win, but a bragging-rights milestone)
• Print a colony of 50+ dupes (another artificial milestone)

Most players consider the game "won" when their base is self-sustaining on all resources (food, oxygen, water, power) with no player input.

Rocketry (Spaced Out! DLC)

In the base game (non-DLC), rocketry is simpler:

• Build a Telescope at the surface to discover space POIs
• Build a Rocket Platform
• Build a research module rocket
• Send duplicants to explore nearby asteroids
• Drill for rare resources

Base game rocket tiers:

The Actual Endgame

The cycle 500+ state of a healthy base:

• All geysers tamed and stable
• 20+ dupes, all with exosuits
• 10+ kW power grid (solar \+ nat gas \+ hydrogen)
• Base temp: 22–25°C everywhere
• \+200,000 kcal of food in reserve
• Active cooling on all hot industries
• Surface bunkers covering solar panels
• Rocket infrastructure if DLC

At this point, the game becomes about optimization. There is no "final boss" — you set your own goals.

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Base Layouts

The Standard Oni Guide Base Layout

This is the most common design. Each floor is 4 tiles tall (96 tiles for max room bonus).

`` ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ SURFACE ║ ║ [Solar Panels] [Bunker Doors] ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ TOP ← Ladder shaft → ← Fire Pole → ║ ║ ║ ║ ┌───────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ║ ║ │Atmo │ │ Space │ │ Bedroom │ ║ ║ │Suits │ │ Scanner │ │ (8 cots) │ ║ ║ └───────┘ └──────────┘ └────────────┘ ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ FLOOR 1 — Bedrooms & Washroom ║ ║ ║ ║ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ║ ║ │Mess Hall │ │ Barracks │ │Bathroom │ ║ ║ │(Great Hall)│ │(8 cots) │ │(4 wash) │ ║ ║ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └─────────┘ ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ FLOOR 2 — Farming & Cooking ║ ║ ║ ║ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ║ ║ │Farm (20 │ │ Farm (20 │ │Kitchen │ ║ ║ │mealwood) │ │ bristle) │ │+ Mess │ ║ ║ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └─────────┘ ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ FLOOR 3 — Research & Suit Storage ║ ║ ║ ║ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ║ ║ │Research │ │Atmo Suit │ │Exosuit │ ║ ║ │Room │ │Staging │ │Forge │ ║ ║ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └─────────┘ ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ FLOOR 4 — Power Plant & Industrial ║ ║ ║ ║ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ║ ║ │Nat Gas │ │Coal Gen │ │Trans- │ ║ ║ │Generators│ │Batteries │ │formers │ ║ ║ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └─────────┘ ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ FLOOR 5 — Ranching ║ ║ ║ ║ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ║ ║ │Hatch │ │Drecko │ │Critter │ ║ ║ │Ranch (8) │ │Ranch │ │Drop-off │ ║ ║ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └─────────┘ ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ BOTTOM — Industrial & Water Storage ║ ║ ║ ║ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ║ ║ │Water │ │Polluted │ │Oil │ ║ ║ │Reservoir │ │Water │ │Refining │ ║ ║ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └─────────┘ ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════╝ ``

Room Bonuses Reference

Spacing is 4 tiles between floors, with the ladder \+ fire pole in a 3-tile column on one side.

Fire Pole Placement

Always put the fire pole right next to the main ladder. Dupes going down use the pole (much faster), going up use the ladder.

Ladder Shaft Design

`` Tile Ladder Space Fire Pole Tile ┌─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┐ │ │ █ │ █ │ █ │ │ │ │ █ │ █ │ █ │ │ └─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┘ L A D D E R ``

• 3 tiles wide for the ladder/pole gap
• Leave 2-tile-wide gaps between floors for decor
• Each floor has a ladder hop (2-tile gap) so duplicants can climb faster

Marinea (Aquatic) Base Considerations

Building on the Marinea asteroid is fundamentally different:

• Swimming is movement. Dupes can swim through flooded areas, but it's slower than walking. Build swimming corridors and breathing stations at key junctions.
• Rubber is your mid-game goal. Gum Palm → Latex → Vulcanizer → Rubber → 4 kW insulated wire and submersible buildings. Prioritize this chain.
• Use pools as rooms. Critters like Seaquine need access to water pools, not dry rooms. Pool size matters more than room size for aquatic critters.
• Dry pockets are a premium. Reserve dry land for beds, research, and food preparation. Everything else can be underwater.
• Breathing stations are your SPOM equivalent. Place them like oxygen vents — every few floors in your main pool shaft.
• Rubber boots first. Before sending dupes into deep water without suit support, craft rubber boots to keep morale and efficiency up.
• Wide Hydroponic Farms replace standard farm tiles for aquatic plants. Kelpole and Flue Coral grow in these.

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SPOM Designs (Self-Powered Oxygen Module)

The Mini SPOM (Cycles 30–50)

`` ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░ │ Insulated tiles │ ┌─────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ H₂ pocket │ │ │ │ ┌──────────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ Electrolyzer │ │ │ │ │ └──────┬───────┘ │ │ │ │ │ Sensor │ │ │ │ ┌──────┐ │ ┌──────┐ │ │ │ │ │Pump 1│ │ │Pump 2│ │ │ │ │ │ O₂ │ │ │ H₂ │ │ │ │ │ └──┬───┘ │ └──┬───┘ │ │ │ └────┼─────┴────┼────────┘ │ │ │ O₂ │ H₂ │ │ ↓ Base ↓ H₂ Generator│ └─────────────────────────────────┘ ``

How it works:

• Electrolyzer outputs O₂ \+ H₂
• H₂ rises to the top (lighter gas)
• Pump 1 (top) has a Gas Element Sensor set to H₂ → only pumps when it detects H₂
• Pump 2 (bottom) has an Atmo Sensor set to > 500 g → pumps when enough gas
• The H₂ feeds one Hydrogen Generator → powers the entire module plus extra

Power math: Electrolyzer uses 120 W. Two pumps 480 W total. Hydrogen Generator produces 800 W. Net \= \~200 W surplus. A SPOM is self-powered!

The Full Rodriguez (Mid Game)

Named after its shape on the gas overlay. This is the standard for bases of 10–20 dupes.

`` ┌──────────────────────────────┐ │ ┌───┐ ┌───┐ ┌┐ ┌───┐ │ │ │Elec1│ │Elec2│ │ │ │Elec3│ │ │ └───┘ └───┘ └┘ └───┘ │ │ ┌───┐ ┌───┐ ┌┐ ┌───┐ │ │ │Elec4│ │Elec5│ │ │ │Elec6│ │ │ └───┘ └───┘ └┘ └───┘ │ │ O₂ out H₂ up │ └──────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ↓ ↓ Gas Filters H₂ bank → Generator ``

Better: Look up "Full Rodriguez SPOM" on YouTube for building this step-by-step. It's too detailed for text.

The Hybrid SPOM (With Cooling)

`` ┌──────────────────────────────┐ │ Steam Turbine │ ← Coolant loop passes through this │ ┌────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Aquatuner │ │ ← Cools the O₂ output │ └───────────┬────────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ SPOM core (see above) │ │ │ │ │ O₂ → Radiant pipes │ ← Active cooling on O₂ output │ (through base floors) │ └──────────────────────────────┘ ``

The key insight: The SPOM outputs O₂ at 70°C (electrolyzer temperature). With this design, you can cool the O₂ to 20–30°C before it reaches your base, eliminating the need for a separate base cooling loop until Cycle 200+.

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Common Mistakes (Top 15)

1\. Digging Everything at Once

The #1 new player killer. Cracking open a new biome releases its atmosphere into yours. A hot slime biome (50°C polluted oxygen) will leak into your 22°C base, causing heat death before Cycle 30\.

Fix: Use insulated tiles to wall off biomes. Only breach them when you have exosuits and a plan.

2\. Running a Coal Generator Without a Smart Battery

A coal generator connected to a standard battery burns coal continuously to keep it full. A smart battery turns the generator off when full.

Fix: Smart Battery \+ automation wire on EVERY generator.

3\. Not Storing Gases Properly

Hydrogen floating around? CO₂ pooling at the bottom? Chlorine in your base? Each gas takes up space that could be O₂.

Fix: Carbon Skimmers in the basement (for CO₂). Gas pumps on atmo sensors. Let hydrogen drift to the top of the base and suck it out.

4\. Running Out of Water

You start with \~60 tons of water. A single dupe \+ toilet uses \~30 kg/cycle. An Algae Deoxidizer uses 1 kg/s (600 kg/cycle). You will run out.

Fix: Find and tame a Cool Steam Vent or Cool Slush Geyser before Cycle 40\. Transition to SPOM (electrolyzer) which is water-positive with the H₂ burning.

5\. Ignoring Heat

The game does not tell you that every machine produces heat. Coal generators produce 9 kW of heat. Batteries produce 1.25 kW each. By Cycle 60, your base can be 10–15°C higher than starting.

Fix: Active cooling loop by Cycle 50\. Insulate hot machinery.

6\. Overpopulating Too Fast

That Cycle 20 dupe with Farming interest and no negative traits? Seems fine. But now you need more oxygen, more food, more beds, more toilets — FOREVER.

Fix: Cap at 8 dupes until SPOM is running. Then expand slowly. Each new dupe should fill a specific role.

7\. Not Using Priorities

Dupes will do whatever task is closest to them unless you set priorities. Your digger will end up sweeping debris instead of digging.

Fix: Use the Priority tab (P key) heavily. Toggle individual tasks for each dupe. Use "Yellow Alert" (Ctrl+Y) for urgent builds.

8\. Building Widely Instead of Deeply

Building a base that is 40 tiles wide and 2 tiles tall means dupes spend 80% of their time traveling.

Fix: Build vertically. 16-tile-wide floors, 4 tiles tall, connected by a central ladder shaft. Travel time drops 60%.

9\. Not Using Doors Properly

Duplicant traffic path is king. A door in the wrong place means every dupe walks an extra 5 tiles every trip.

Fix: Use mechanical doors (auto-open) in high-traffic zones. Pneumatic doors (auto-close faster) in ranches and farms. Manual Airlocks only for quarantine zones.

10\. Letting Clean Water and Polluted Water Mix

PW in your clean water tank \= germs in your water supply \+ food poisoning.

Fix: Keep reservoirs separate. Pipe PW directly to sieves or fertilizer makers. Never let it near your drinking water.

11\. Running Out of Sand for Deodorizers

Deodorizers eat sand at a surprising rate. If you're filtering polluted air through them, you need a sand supply.

Fix: Rock Granulator converts sedimentary rock into sand (infinite if you have a volcano). Or use regolith from the surface.

12\. Ignoring Morale

Duplicants with low morale will eventually break down (stressed). Low morale is caused by bad decor, bad food, bad sleep.

Fix: Build attractive floors. Put paintings and plants in walkways. Keep cots in proper Barracks (+2 morale). Give them a Great Hall (+6 morale). Cook higher-quality food.

13\. Running Long Ungapped Lead Wires

Wires have a "load limit" — regular wire: 1,000 W. If you draw 1,200 W through it, it overheats and breaks.

Fix: Use transformers to break circuits into smaller 1,000 W loads. Heavy-Watt wire carries 20,000 W but kills decor through walls — bury it behind tiles.

14\. Not Using Fire Poles

Dupes climbing down ladders are 3× slower than using a fire pole.

Fix: Run a fire pole down your main ladder shaft immediately (Cycle 3–5). One steel beam for the pole is 1,200 kg metal ore — worth it.

15\. Thinking You Need to Win

There is no "Game Over" screen. If a dupe dies, you can print another. If crops die, plant different ones. ONI is about recovery, not perfection. The only way to lose is to give up.

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DLC Guide

DLC #1: Spaced Out! (Paid, 2021)

What it adds:

• Multiple asteroids (teleport between them)
• Rocketry overhaul (modules, fuels, destinations)
• Radiation system (Radiation lamps, Radbolts, Wheezewort mutant)
• Uranium processing
• Beeta ranching (honey bees)
• New biomes: radioactive ocean, marsh islands

First run recommendation: Skip Spaced Out! for your first colony. The multi-asteroid system adds complexity without adding depth. Play base game first, then enable Spaced Out! for your second colony.

If you do play Spaced Out! — the starting asteroid (Swamp Start or Forest Start) has different resource distribution than Terra. The Colonized Clusters ("Classic") is easier than the Base Game ("Monomorphic") clusters.

DLC #2: The Frosty Planet Pack (Paid, July 2024)

What it adds:

• New starting asteroid: Frozen Forest (everything starts at -20°C to -40°C)
• Thermium — new super-conductive material
• Anti-entropy thermo-nullifier — guaranteed on the new map, helps with cooling
• New critter: Frosty Pips (related to Pips, adapted to cold)
• New plants: Frigid Pepper plants, Iceleaf, Chillgrass
• New biome: Frozen Wastes (extreme cold, special ice formations)

First run recommendation: Play Frosty Planet for your 2nd or 3rd colony. The cold start is very different from Terra and requires mastering insulation and heat generation instead of heat removal. Building a "hot room" inside a base becomes a key skill.

DLC #3: The Bionic Booster Pack (Paid, December 2024)

What it adds:

• Bionic Duplicants — robot dupes that don't eat, sleep, or breathe
• Powered by batteries (need recharging)
• Immune to diseases and temperature
• Higher base stats but need maintenance
• Charging stations — power required to recharge bionic dupes
• New circuits — integrated circuits, robotic modules
• Bionic-specific traits — different from organic dupe traits

First run recommendation: Use for a gimmick colony or mix 1-2 bionic dupes into your main colony. Bionic dupes are excellent for dedicated roles like cooking (never needs sleep) or surface work (immune to radiation/heat/cold). They are NOT replacements for organic dupes because they require power infrastructure.

DLC #4: The Prehistoric Planet Pack (Paid, June 2025)

What it adds:

• New starting asteroid: Primordial Jungle (lush, warm, lots of flora)
• Ancient critters: Megafauna, primeval creatures
• Prehistoric plants: Fronds, massive tree-like crops
• Fossil-based materials: Bone, ancient amber (new refining chain)
• New resource: Primordial biomass (used for bio-power generation)
• Dinosaur-like critters — large, can be domesticated

First run recommendation: This is the most "new player friendly" DLC start after Terra. The primordial jungle is lush with resources and forgiving with temperature. Start here if you want a different feel but similar difficulty.

DLC #5: The Aquatic Planet Pack (Paid, June 2026)

Price: \$9.99 Release date: June 11, 2026 Store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4310080/Oxygen_Not_Included_The_Aquatic_Planet_Pack/

What it adds — the "splashiest" DLC yet:

• New starting asteroid: Marinea — a flooded world where dry land is scarce. Duplicants must learn to swim for the first time in ONI history. The planet features kelp forests, coral reefs, beaches, and abyssal trenches.
• Two new Duplicants: Kai and Minnow
• Minnow — A normal printed dupe with the Freediver trait (+4 to all attributes while swimming). In new saves Minnow joins with \+4 all attributes and the Ancient Knowledge trait (3 starting skill points).
• Kai — A survivor duplicant roaming the asteroid that you must find and recruit (similar to finding a special dupe in the world).
• 4 new biomes:
• Beach — Sandy shoreline, shallow pools, starter-friendly
• Reef — Coral structures, rich with life
• Kelp Forest — Dense underwater forest, Kelpole plants
• Abyss — Deep, dark trenches where Glo Squids prowl

New Critters:

New Plants & Resources:

New Buildings & Mechanics:

Free Update Included (all versions):

• Flatulent dupes now produce bubbles when farting underwater
• Improved liquid visuals across the game
• 4 kW wires (non-insulated variant also available)
• Various QoL and bug fixes

First run recommendation: Play this DLC as your first "alternate" run after mastering Terra/base game. Marinea is a fundamentally different experience — you build with pools and fluid dynamics as a primary challenge instead of an afterthought. The swimming mechanic changes base layout completely. Not recommended as a first colony, but excellent for a 2nd or 3rd playthrough.

Bonus: Neutronium Cosmetics Pack (Paid, November 2025)

Price: \$4.99 Release date: November 20, 2025

What it adds:

• Cosmetic blueprints only (no gameplay changes)
• Neutronium-themed restyling options for buildings, jet suits, and atmo suits
• A new swanky Duplicant cosmetic

First run recommendation: Only if you want cosmetic options. Does not affect gameplay.

Which DLCs to Enable for a First Run

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Mod Recommendations

Quality of Life Mods (Essential)

Information Mods (Highly Recommended)

Vanilla-Plus Mods (Adds Content, Still Balanced)

Difficulty Mods (For Veterans)

How to Install Mods

• Launch ONI
• Main Menu → Mods → Open Steam Workshop → Subscribe to mods
• Restart ONI
• Main Menu → Mods → Enable all → Start game

Note: Spaced Out! has its own mod filter. Some mods are labeled "Spaced Out only" and won't work in base game.

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Useful In-Game Numbers

Oxygen

Power

Food

Geyser Outputs

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Conclusion

Oxygen Not Included is a game about systems, not survival. Every duplicant death, every crop failure, every flooded base is a lesson — not a punishment. The colony that survives 1000 cycles didn't avoid mistakes; it learned from them.

Start on Terra. Pick good dupes. Build a SPOM. Manage heat. Don't dig everything at once. And when your crops die because you forgot about heat, don't restart — fix it. That's the game.

Remember: The three most important entities in the game are:

• Your water supply — runs out first, hardest to recover from
• Your oxygen system — dies second, kills everything fast
• Your cooling system — kills you slowest but most painfully

Master those three, and you'll survive anything the asteroid throws at you.

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Happy colonizing, and may your oxygen last longer than your sanity.