Biomes

**Biomes** are the different environments you can encounter in the TerraTech world. Each one has different features, including resources specific to them. There are currently 6 biomes you can find as of stable Version 1.4.6.

## Grasslands

Grasslands are home to grassy rolling hills with a lot of Trees, as well as average amounts of Plumbite and Titanite. This is also the biome that you start your journey in, and where many of the early GSO missions are set.

The most common enemy techs here are GSO techs, similar to those found in early-game missions. Invaders cannot be directly spawned in the Grasslands.

### Resources

* Due to the abundance of Trees in Grasslands biomes, they are a great source of energy once you have a Furnace Generator to burn  Fibrewood, or for farming  Rubber for Venture or Better Future crafting.
* Grasslands contain  Plumbite,  Titanite, and  Luxite, though not as abundantly as Mountains.
* Erudite is exclusive to Grasslands. Since Erudite is the second-most valuable mineral in the game, and its crystals are quite abundant compared to other rare resources, setting up Auto Miner/Delivery Cannon combos in the Grasslands can be a good early money boost.

### Copse

This variation consists of large fields with rolling hills and small clumps of Trees.

### Rocky Ridge

This variation has steep rocky ridges with grass tops and more treacherous terrain than the regular Grasslands. However, rock patches are common and Plumbite and Titanite are plentiful here. The grass is slightly darker as well.

### Woodland Valley

This area contains rolling grassy hills with a wide flat valley below. Medium to large patches of Trees and rocks are spread across the landscape. This is less of a proper biome variation and more of a small area within.

## Desert

Deserts are barren stretches of sand, featuring few Trees and rock patches. They are also flatter than grasslands, making them more suitable for ground travel and making bases, but not as much as the Salt Flats. Their relative open-ness makes it easy to spot and engage with enemy techs.

### Resources

* Resources are sparse in Deserts. Located within are spread out Cloud Trees,  Luxite shards, and groups of rocks which contain  Oleite and  Ignite. While rocks groups are spread far apart, the rock clusters that do exist are frequently large, containing upwards of 8 rocks.
* Because Oleite is found exclusively and commonly in deserts, it is easy provide good fuel for Furnace Generators, and making money by selling Ignite, is viable with Autominers, as it is the 3rd most valuable mineral in the game.

### Dunes

With slightly steeper hills than the regular Desert, the naturally formed dips and ramps are the perfect place to use Venture techs, but not the best for making a base.

### Small Dunes

This Desert variation contains small sand dunes in a ripple pattern.

### Mesas

This variation contains many flat-topped plateaus of varying size. The ground around and on the top of the plateaus is relatively smooth and a good place for stationary bases.

## Mountains

Mountain biomes are very steep, requiring ground techs to have good clearance and traction to traverse. They are also full of Resources, so exploring them is worth the risk.

Since Mountain terrain contains many valleys, it is easy for enemy techs to get stuck, making them very easy to eliminate.

### Resources

* Trees are not as plentiful as in Grasslands, but far more common than in Deserts.
* Mountains contain many dense patches of rocks, making them a great place for mining  Plumbite and  Titanite.
* Mountains are the only biome in which  Rodite (an uncommon crafting material for mid to late-game crafting) is found; however, the terrain often makes it difficult or impossible to fully utilize the maximum of four Autominers per seam, hindering resource extraction efficiency.
* Geothermal Vents are extremely abundant here, providing enormous amounts of easy power with the use of GeoCorp Geothermal Generators.

### Terraced Hills

This variation is similar to the Desert Mesa biome, the differences being that the ground around the terraces is a lot more rugged, the tops of the terraces are not as flat, more resources can be found here, and terraces can be found "stacked" on top of each other, while the plateaus in Deserts are not.

### Steep Slopes

This variation involves gradual to steep slopes that climb to jagged peaks. The slopes are stacked into broken graphite-like layers at varying levels that create some medium cliffs and gorges where they converge with other layers.

## Pillars

The Pillars biome is mostly flat and contains tall, hexagonal pillars that create narrow passageways. Some pillars lean over at an angle, and the biome features the same Trees as those found in Mountains (specifically Salami Trees). This is one of the rarest biomes, and is usually small in comparison to Grasslands or Deserts.

Dotted around the biome are small, red-petaled flowers with a cyan inside. Similar to those in Grasslands, these flowers are a simple terrain decoration and have no function. However, prior to Version 0.8.2, they seemed to emit a beam of purple light into the sky.

### Resources

* Resources are located on dark hills in dense patches. These are Trees and black, rocky spikes labeled "Crystal Spires" that contain only  Ignite,  Erudite and  Celestite.
* The abundance of the 3 most valuable resources makes the Pillars the best biome for a quick resource rush. However, these rocks do not reveal underground seams when destroyed, unlike other outcrops in their specific biomes, which limits the value of resource farming.
* The More Information entry of Crystal Spires states the following: "A dense spire of rock with a crystal seam. These are formed deep in the planet['s] core. What could have caused them to emerge on the surface?"

The ground appears to be made up of a mix of the Desert/Mountain ground pattern. Terrain variations include "clearings" and dark, dome-shaped hills.

## Salt Flats

Salt Flats are large stretches of treeless, nearly level ground. As such, these are the best places for ground travel, making bases, farming enemy techs for parts, and the Speed Demon Achievement.

### Resources

* Resources are harvested primarily from tall, oddly shaped rocks. These yield  Carbite,  Plumbite, and  Titanite.
* The Salt Flats are one of the 2 only biomes in which  Celestite (the most valuable mineral) is found.

This is arguably the best biome to have a main base in not just because of the benefits of flat terrain, but also the fact that fuel for Furnace Generators (Carbite) is plentiful, as well as being the primary location of Celestite. While it is not as common as Erudite in Grasslands, it is very easy to set up the maximum of four Autominers per seam.

## Glaciers

The terrain here is quite rugged and mountainous, with long jagged ridges running through the entire biome. It can be very difficult to traverse, so it's not recommended for new players or techs that are not very good off-road to go here. Wheels such as the GeoCorp Krusher Wheel or the GeoCorp Jaws Wheel excel here with their extreme grip counteracting the slip of the ice.

### Resources

* Resources are the same as those of the Salt Flats, save for the Celestite, so  Carbite,  Plumbite, and  Titanite will be found with the same frequency.
* Of the two biomes, the Salt Flats are more optimal for resource harvesting because Salt Flats are far easier to traverse, and they are the primary source of Celestite.

## Wasteland

Wastelands are a desolate, grey landscape with dead trees and mechanical detritus everywhere, reminiscent of an obliterated civilization. The landscape is flat with very mild hills, second only to the Salt Flats, making it easily traversable for even the largest techs.

### Resources

* Natural resources are entirely nonexistent here, as both the trees and rocks yield no usable resources. The environment has no resources to speak of and all resources must be brought in from other biomes.
* Scrap Piles, a unique terrain item, exclusively spawn here. They drop a random set of Components rather than natural resources and can respawn, making them invaluable for both crafting-focused and selling-focused players. However, Scrap Piles can only be destroyed by specifically using the Reticule Research Precision Ray, an Electric-type melee weapon, which is often unavailable until later in the game where Reticule Research is unlocked.
* Geothermal vents spawn in small, relatively dense clusters of 2-3 making the biome slightly appealing for base-building if one is already set with resources.

## Achievement

*Main article:* Achievements

Another World

*Discover a mysterious alien **biome** (Campaign only)*

Completion criteria

Encounter the **pillars biome**.

## Trivia

* Currently, tech spawns are not limited to biomes with the exception of the invaders (cannot spawn in grasslands).
* The Salt Flats used to have the same sand texture as Deserts.

## Version History

* **0.7.5.2:** Added new Ice biome. Wrap up warm and try not to slip.
* **0.7.4.6:** Added a rare occurring 5th “Pillars” biome.