Glacial Strata

Glacial Strata
Details
Rock Hardness	2 (Medium)
Crafting Materials	Magnite (Abundant)
	Umanite (Scarce)
Unique Hazard(s)	Blizzard, Cold Vent, Cryo Bomb, Crevasse, Unstable Icicle
Unique Enemy Type(s)	Ice Enemy Variations, Naedocyte Shocker

“	At least one of our xenogeologists quit in a rage when research started on this region. Instead of having conventional polar ice caps, and in violation of all physical laws we know of, the continental plates of Hoxxes rest on top of a planetwide permafrost layer several miles deep. As always, DRG recommends a "don't ask" approach when dealing with the peculiarities of Hoxxes' makeup.	„
	~ Ingame description

Glacial Strata is one of the biomes of Hoxxes IV. Glacial Strata consists of a planetwide layer of permafrost. The ice making up the caves is durable, taking two hits for it to give way.

Hazards

Glacial Strata will require temperature management to prevent freezing. When a Dwarf's temperature meter reaches its lowest point, the Dwarf will freeze solid, immobilizing them and forcing them into third person. Dwarves can unfreeze themselves by alternate mashing their move left (Default A) and right keys (Default D), but it is much slower than two subsequent hits from a teammate's pickaxe.

Glacial Strata is home to quite a few unique hazards which can leave an unprepared miner trapped or downed at a moments notice.

• Green stalactites filled with algae can be found on the ceiling of many caves. They're similar to Unstable Crystals in the Salt Pits, and will deal large amounts of damage to anything they fall on.

• Crevasses may open up under areas that players have recently passed over, possibly temporarily trapping less mobile dwarves. Crevasses can be particularly dangerous if opened during swarms.

• Ice vents occasionally blast cold air capable of rapidly decreasing a dwarf's temperature meter.

• Smooth ice will cause the player to slip around, resulting in a reduced ability to stop and reverse direction.

• Heavy snow will impede the player's movement, preventing them from running in it. Heavy snow will also reduce fall damage when landed in, helping dwarves safely drop down from small cliffs.

• Blizzards, similar to the Sandstorms, reduces movement speed of Dwarves and creatures, while also reducing visibility for the Dwarves. Blizzards also gradually deplete the temperature meter until they pass.

Enemies

Several enemies have a unique ice-themed variation that appears instead of their regular counterpart. Their attacks are also affected, e.g. Glyphid Frost Praetorians spew frost that can freeze Dwarves solid, instead of the corrosive acid which appears in every other biome. Glacial Strata enemy variants are far weaker to fire than creatures found elsewhere on Hoxxes, but are highly resistant to temperature reductions. Naedocyte Shockers are exclusive to the Glacial Strata and the Dense Biozone.

Biome Features

Item	Type	Description
Functional
Oasis	Supportive	Warm heat vent with lush red vegetation growing in close proximity. Raises a dwarves temperature meter quickly when they are near.
Cryo Foamer	Supportive	Cyan colored plants containing a liquid. When damage sufficiently, it will burst and the liquid inside will immediately freeze horizontally, forming a stable platform to stand on.
Cryo Bulb	Hazardous/Supportive	Blue bulb plants that explode when damaged, releasing icy gas. This gas will freeze any dwarves or enemies nearby before dissipating.
Cold Vent	Hazardous/Supportive	Cracks in the walls periodically releasing blasts of freezing air that lowers a dwarves temperature quickly.
Smooth Ice	Hazardous/Supportive	Slippery ice making dwarves slip and slide, impairing movement. Sliding speed is not restricted to a dwarf's movement speed.
Unstable Ice	Hazardous/Supportive	Large green icicles jutting out of the ceiling which fall down if damaged or an explosion occurs nearby. They shatter on impact.
Deep Snow	Hazardous/Supportive	Large piles of deep snow that impedes the movement of any dwarf walking through it. However, the deep snow will also reduce fall damage if landed on.
Blizzard	Hazardous	Impairs vision and slowly freezes all Dwarves in the cave, while also reducing movement speed of creatures and Dwarves. Fog will become much more dense seconds before a blizzard hits. Blizzard interval is unpredictable.
Crevasse Crack	Hazardous	Once stepped on will break into a crevasse trapping any unfortunate dwarves that fall inside. Rock platforms do form inside the crevasse for easier escape.
Other
Icicle	Neutral	Small horizontal stalactites jutting out of the ceiling.

Ores

As with every biome, some of the Ores that can be found in Glacial Strata are determined by the mission type, such as Morkite and Aquarq. The crafting materials found in Glacial Strata are Magnite and Umanite, with Magnite being abundant and Umanite being scarce.

Media

The following video is outdated footage of the developers demonstrating the various features of the biome.