[DLC Suggestion] "The Gravitas Ruins" - A 3rd Game Branch (The Vertical Descent)

[SamLogan]

Hello to the Klei team and the community!

I'm posting today to propose a concept for a major DLC. My core argument is that this should be a third standalone game branch, alongside "Vanilla" and "Spaced Out!". This idea came to me while playing the "Ronivan's Legacy - Industrial Revolution" mod, which is overflowing with incredible concepts. A huge homage to Ronivan for their fabulous work, and to Sgt_Imalas for their fabulous compilation.

 

Why a new branch instead of just a content pack?

My main argument is that if Klei just keeps adding content packs, the game risks becoming completely indigestible. The current game, with both Vanilla and Spaced Out!, is already incredibly deep.

The solution, in my opinion, is to frame this new concept as an "Industrial Revolution" in the form of a third standalone game branch.

A standalone branch solves the "bloat" problem. It creates the design space to remove core systems (like geysers and rockets) to make room for new, equally deep systems (like industrial drilling and rift extraction). This allows the new industrial theme to be fully explored without breaking the balance of the other two branches.

This new branch, which I call "The Gravitas Ruins", also answers the question: "What happens after the end of Spaced Out?"

 

---

 

The Hook: The Inheritance of Failure

The Duplicant who

traverses the Temporal Tear at the end of the Spaced Out storyline crashes

. Their Pod is destroyed. They awaken, alone, on the Top Level of a massive, abandoned Gravitas complex—an asteroid artificially excavated into multiple deep levels.

This DLC doesn't focus on space exploration, but on Vertical Reconstruction. The goal is to repair this derelict outpost, descend level by level while choosing your path, master heavy industry, and manage the toxic legacy left behind by Gravitas.

---

 

The Central Concept: The Non-Linear Vertical Asteroid

This DLC introduces a new world structure that fundamentally changes progression.

• The Non-Linear Vertical Asteroid: No more multi-asteroid travel. The game takes place on a single massive asteroid featuring several "Depth Levels" (managed as parallel instances, like in SO), complete with strategic branches.

• Progression via Elevator: Access to lower levels is blocked by massive, broken "Freight Elevators". Repairing them (by completing industrial objectives) is the major progression milestone that replaces the rocket.

• Increasing Difficulty: The deeper you go, the darker it gets (total darkness) and the more extreme the temperature becomes (core heat or the chill of an ice core).

• A New Solo Start: You begin alone with "The Time Traveler" Duplicant.

• Genetics & Cloning: The Printing Pod is destroyed. You must explore to find "DNA Samples" (of Duplicants or critters) in the ruins. These samples, in various states of decay, are used in the "Cloning Pod" (once repaired) to re-introduce life, impacting their stats and traits.

• The Toxic Legacy: Manage "Smog" (a new gas) and machine "Wear & Tear" (Maintenance).

• Renewable Resources: Geysers are dead. Mass resources come from Industrial Drill Rigs.

• Industrial Power & Oxygen (Your new ideas): The power progression is rebuilt. Repair a damaged Gravitas Fission Plant for massive power, burn industrial byproducts for fuel, and use new Cryogenic Separators to get oxygen from polluted air.

• Industrial Agriculture: Farming is replaced by "Incubators" and "Automated Greenhouses" (machines) that produce synthetic foods.

• "Critter-Tech": Critters (cloned) are active components in your early-game machines (Pip Wheels, etc.).

• The Final Goal: Reach the deepest level and repair the "Rift Stabilizer".

---

 

The Narrative Flow: The In-Game Experience

Here is what a typical game playthrough would look like:

Phase 1: Level 1 - The Ruined HQ (Surface)

• The Start: 1 Duplicant ("The Time Traveler") in a ruined HQ.

• The Crisis: Repairing essential machines (all at 90% Wear) with "Spare Parts" just to survive.

• Objective 1: Explore the ruins to find your first "DNA Samples" of a Duplicant and a Pip (likely "Standard" quality) in abandoned labs.

• Objective 2: Find and repair the "Cloning Pod" (an early-game machine).

• Objective 3: Stabilize the base with "Critter-Tech" (Pip Wheels) and basic "Automated Greenhouses".

• The Gate: The main Freight Elevator to Level 2 is broken. It requires Steel.

Phase 2: The Crossroads - Sub-Levels 1.A and 1.B

• The Choice: You find two broken "Service Elevators" leading to different branches.

• Branch 1.A - "The Forgotten Forges": A hot, Smog-filled sub-level.

  • Resources: Iron and Coal deposits.

  • Technology: Contains the ruined Blast Furnace and Steel Mill (to produce Steel). The Coke Oven required for this process also produces flammable Coke Oven Gas as a new fuel source.

• Branch 1.B - "The Polymer Labs": A cold sub-level with Crude Oil.

  • Resources: Oil and Sulfur deposits.

  • Technology: Contains the ruined Oil Refinery and Plastics Synthesizer.

  • Bonus: You find "High-Quality Drecko DNA Samples" in a cryo-storage unit.

Phase 3: Level 2 - The Core Labs (or The Ice Core)

• The Descent: The main Elevator is repaired. You go down.

• Atmosphere: Extreme heat (or cold), high pressure, total darkness.

• The Objective: Find the components to repair the Gravitas Fission Plant (for massive, late-game power) and the Cryogenic Separator (for high-volume, clean oxygen).

• The Challenge: The "Smog" produced on the levels above tends to "sink" to this floor, making it toxic.

Phase 4: Level 3 - The Rift Heart

• The Final Project: Reach the central chamber at the asteroid's core.

• The Endgame Loop: Repair and activate the "Rift Stabilizer". Manage the "Instability" (leaks, intrusions) while sending out "Extraction Probes" (the "idle" gameplay) to get the rarest materials and "win".

---

 

The Detailed Gameplay Pillars

These new mechanics support the narrative flow:

1. The Inheritance of Failure (Pollution & Maintenance)

• Wear & Tear: The core mechanic. Machines (especially Gravitas tech) have a Wear bar. As they wear down, they lose efficiency, produce more heat/Smog, and risk breaking.

• "Mechanic" Role: A new skill required to perform "Preventative Maintenance" using "Spare Parts".

• "Smog" Pollution: A new, heavy gas that irritates Duplicants, slowly corrodes machines, and accumulates on lower levels.

2. Subterranean Industry (Resources & Production)

• Industrial Drills: No geysers. You must repair Gravitas Drills on "Deposits". These extract "Raw Gravats" (a mix of the target resource and debris).

• Multi-Step Refining: "Gravats" must be processed in an Ore Scrubber.

• Steel Production Chain: A full chain: Coke Oven (Coal -> Coke, produces flammable Coke Oven Gas as a byproduct) -> Blast Furnace (Ore + Coke -> Liquid Iron) -> Steel Mill (Iron + Additives -> Liquid Steel).

• Assembly Lines: Machines (e.g., Exosuit Forge) that are automated via conveyor and require an "Operator".

3. Industrial Power & Atmospherics (Your new ideas)

• A New Power Curve: The progression is rebuilt:

  1. Early Game: Critter-Tech (Pip Wheels).

  2. Mid-Game: Gas Turbine (burns the Coke Oven Gas byproduct from steelmaking).

  3. Late-Game: The Gravitas Fission Plant. A massive, multi-block ruin. Repairing it provides immense power (10kW+) but it requires constant Mechanic maintenance, produces hazardous waste, and risks a meltdown if its complex cooling systems fail.

• A New Oxygen Curve:

  1. Early Game: Damaged Oxygen Diffusers.

  2. Mid-Game: Industrial Electrolyzer. A massive, power-hungry machine. It produces huge amounts of O2/H2 from water but also generates Smog and suffers from Wear & Tear.

  3. Late-Game: Cryogenic Separator. This machine inhales the entire atmosphere (including Smog and CO2) and cryo-distills it into pure Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Nitrogen (a new high-tier coolant).

4. Agriculture & Cloning (Food & Population)

• The Cloning Pod: The central building for population. It requires power and a "DNA Sample" to print.

• DNA Quality: You find samples of varying quality:

  • Degraded: Clones a Duplicant with 2+ guaranteed negative traits.

  • Standard: Clones a normal Duplicant (like the current Pod).

  • High-Quality: Clones a Duplicant with 1+ guaranteed positive trait.

  • Pristine Template: (Very rare) Lets you choose interests/traits.

• Critter DNA: The same system applies to critters. You must find Pip, Shove Vole, etc. DNA to (re)introduce them to your base.

• Synthetic Agriculture: No more farm tiles. Farming is mechanized via "Automated Greenhouses" (producing raw "Plant Components") and "Food Synthesizers" (combining them into "Synthetic Rations").

• "Critter-Tech": These cloned critters are components for "low-tech" machines: Pip Wheels (power), Shove Vole Crushers (rock grinding).

---

 

Conclusion

This "Gravitas Ruins" approach offers the best of all worlds:

1. A Powerful Lore Hook: It ties directly into the end of the Vanilla game.

2. Focused Gameplay: It replaces (extensive) space exploration with (intensive) industrial descent.

3. A Clear Progression: The goal is simple: "go deeper".

4. High Replayability: The non-linear branches and the DNA system make every playthrough unique.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope this vision of an ONI focused on heavy engineering, logistics, and reconstruction excites you as much as it excites me.

 

Edited October 30, 2025 by SamLogan

[Sebastiangperez]

In another post i said that they already made some kind of mechanics for bring some missions and stuff with the prehistory DCL and the Asteroid impact , maybe they can bring that kind of stuff.