Suggestion: Improve Oxygen Masks for Early-Game Use

[june999]

Currently, Oxygen Masks feel almost useless in the early and mid game compared to Atmo Suits. Many players just skip them entirely and rush for Atmo Suits instead.

The main issue is:

Oxygen Masks do not provide enough protection.

Right now, Oxygen Masks only supply oxygen, but they do not protect against eye irritation from dangerous gases such as Chlorine or Polluted Oxygen.

This makes exploring the Slime Biome or Chlorine pockets still very uncomfortable, and the Oxygen Mask does not feel like a meaningful early-game option.

Suggestion: Add basic eye protection to Oxygen Masks.

Oxygen Masks could:

• Completely prevent eye irritation from irritating gases;
• Keep all their current downsides:
  • No CO₂ filtering;
  • No temperature protection;
  • No liquid protection;
  • Keep the movement penalty.

This would make Oxygen Masks a proper early exploration tool while keeping Atmo Suits clearly superior.

---

Expected benefits:

• Oxygen Masks become a viable early-game choice;
• Players can explore dangerous areas before unlocking Atmo Suits;
• The equipment progression becomes smoother:
   
  Oxygen Mask → Atmo Suit → Jet Suit

The goal is not to replace Atmo Suits, but to make Oxygen Masks a useful stepping stone instead of a completely skipped item.

[Genryu_Strike]

Actually, just a way to recycle the masks that isn't melting them is enough of an upgrade.

[speckle21]

idk, i found them pretty useful because they're early in the tech tree and relatively easy to make. They also don't need power to run the docks so that's a load off. I mostly used them to help dig downward into the radioactive biomes. carbon dioxide, natural gas, or chlorine would often settle down there making breath-holding rather limited. Also oxygen masks, don't have a speed penalty. so for early game construction it goes quicker than atmo suits.

Maybe i'm just a sucker for punishment but i like the oxygen masks as is. They fill the niche of "easy way to extend breathing time when digging just outside the base." 

Although if i really wanted to be greedy, i'd ask for a way to upgrade their capacity or allow dupes to carry multiple masks to get even more time. 

[MinhPham]

Actually my issue with oxygen mask is the O2 storage too small, it only enough for 200s which is not a lot compare to no mask at all

[BLACKBERREST3]

I would also like to see more equipment like goggles and an o2 tank. kind of surprised that didn't come with the aquatic dlc.

The penalty is so low, I just ignore eye irritation

[Shinkarr]

On 6/21/2026 at 11:55 PM, MinhPham said:

Actually my issue with oxygen mask is the O2 storage too small, it only enough for 200s which is not a lot compare to no mask at all

This! And they also give Low Oxygen debuff which adds stress. And on high stress difficulty it's dangerous.