Hazard Protection and Life Support — Why You Keep Dying
Most early deaths aren’t combat — they’re the environment. Your exosuit has two separate gauges that block different things and are refilled by different resources. Telling them apart is where survival starts.
| Gauge | Protects against | Refilled with |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard Protection | Heat, cold, radiation, toxins | Sodium, Ion Batteries |
| Life Support | Drain from movement | Oxygen, Life Support Gel |
The four hazards and their thresholds
Your exosuit deploys protection automatically when required. The approximate trigger values:
| Hazard | Protection activates above/below |
|---|---|
| Heat | over 60 °C |
| Cold | under −20 °C |
| Radiation | over 4 RAD |
| Toxic | over 40 Tox |
(The source itself notes that all environmental hazard values are approximate.)
When protection hits zero, your shields start taking damage. Protection isn’t health — it’s the buffer that buys you time.
Recharging it
Walking indoors just works
The cheapest method by far. Hazard protection recharges automatically inside a building, your starship, or a cave. Not merely paused — actively refilled.
So while exploring, noting where the caves and structures are saves real resources. Camera mode makes them easier to spot.
Sodium
Out in the open, Sodium is the answer.
- It comes from yellow plants, and it’s found on every world.
- Hit the scanner and nearby Sodium is marked.
- Recharge from the exosuit inventory or through the quick menu.
Sodium Nitrate is far more efficient. A refiner turns 2 Sodium into 1 Sodium Nitrate, and it is six times as good at charging. Half the volume, six times the effect — worth refining before any long trip purely for the inventory space.
Ion Batteries
Crafted from Cobalt and Ferrite. Cobalt comes from caves. (Exact quantities aren’t stated in the sources.)
Since caves recharge your protection anyway, mining Cobalt while you’re in there gives you the batteries to use outside.
Storms and extreme planets
Most planets get occasional storms, and protection drains much faster during one. Take shelter if you can.
No multiplier is published. The sources only ever say “much faster” and “even quicker” — treat any specific number you see elsewhere with suspicion.
Extreme weather planets are a separate category, and your exosuit warns you on arrival.
- Baseline hazard levels are much higher
- Storms are more frequent
- Hazard Protection upgrades are strongly recommended before exploring them
The chance of extreme planets depends on star colour:
| Star colour | Extreme planet chance |
|---|---|
| Blue | 0.6 |
| Red | 0.25 |
| Yellow · Green | 0.2 |
Blue systems are more than half extreme. Warping to one unprepared is a bad time.
Storms do have an upside. Extreme weather planets produce Storm Crystals — highly valuable, and harvestable only while a storm is active. Find them with the Analysis Visor.
One more thing worth knowing: many hazards are worse at night. If a planet that felt fine in daylight starts eating your protection, that’s why.
Life Support
This one drains from movement, not environment.
| Activity | Drain |
|---|---|
| Walking | Low |
| Sprinting | Medium |
| Jetpack | High |
| Personal Forcefield | High |
| Interplanetary space | Extremely high |
Drain is increased on Dead planets, and it doesn’t tick at all inside an Exocraft, space station, or other habitable structure. Exactly what happens when the gauge empties isn’t stated in any source I could verify, so refill before finding out.
Recharge values per resource
On Normal difficulty:
| Resource | Per unit |
|---|---|
| Oxygen | ~2.5% |
| Dioxite | ~6.25% |
| Cactus Flesh | 5% |
| Processed Sugar · Fresh Milk · Steamed Vegetables etc. | 20% |
| Honey Butter · Sweetened Butter | 40% |
| Life Support Gel | 100% |
Higher difficulties cost more. On Survival and Permadeath, resource demand for recharging rises by 50%. A full refill costs 40 Oxygen on Normal and 60 Oxygen on Survival/Permadeath.
Where to get it
- Oxygen — from oxygen-rich plants, found on every world. Use the scanner.
- Scanning plants with the Analysis Visor reveals bonus materials, frequently Oxygen. Harvest with the mining beam.
- Life Support Gel — crafted from Di-hydrogen. One unit fills the gauge completely.
- Oxygen Capsules — crafted from Carbon and Oxygen.
For long trips, a few Life Support Gels beat carrying dozens of Oxygen by a wide margin.
Practical habits
- Remember where the caves are. Free protection recharge, plus Cobalt.
- Carry Sodium Nitrate, not Sodium. Half the space, six times the charge.
- Don’t push your luck at night. Many hazards worsen after dark.
- Prepare before blue systems. Extreme planet chance is 0.6.
- Buy survival upgrades from Technology Merchants on stations and planetary shops.