Atmospherics is the heart of Stationeers — and the thing that kills most new players. This guide covers the fundamentals of building a sealed, breathable, survivable base: sealing rooms, making breathable air, managing pressure and temperature, the core gear, and the common ways crews suffocate.
Seal the room first
Atmosphere leaks through any gap. A breathable room needs fully sealed walls, floors and ceiling, plus an airlock — two doors with a buffer between them so you don’t vent the whole room every time you step outside. If pressure won’t hold when you fill the room, you have a leak somewhere — check walls, frames and any unfinished tiles.
What makes air breathable
Your crew needs oxygen at a survivable pressure (roughly 50–100 kPa of breathable mix) and a comfortable temperature. Too little pressure and they can’t breathe; pure oxygen is a fire and health risk, which is why most players run an oxygen/nitrogen mix rather than pure O₂. You also have to remove the CO₂ your crew exhales, or it builds up and poisons them.
The core atmospherics gear
- Gas Sensor — reads pressure, temperature and gas ratios so you know what’s actually in a room.
- Active Vent — moves gas into or out of a room to hit a target pressure.
- Pressure Regulator / Back Pressure Regulator — hold a pipe or room at a set pressure.
- Filtration unit — separates unwanted gases (CO₂, pollutant, volatiles) from a mix using gas filters.
- Pipes & tanks — store and route gases around your base.
Manage temperature
Gas carries heat, and temperature is as deadly as pressure. On cold worlds you’ll heat incoming air; on hot worlds you’ll cool it with radiators and pipe-based heat exchangers. Wall heaters and the furnace help early; later, automate climate with an IC10 thermostat so a room holds its target temperature on its own.
Common ways crews die
- Opening a door to vacuum with no airlock — the room empties instantly.
- Running pure oxygen and starting a fire.
- Ignoring CO₂ buildup in a sealed room with no scrubbing.
- Letting temperature drift to a lethal high or low.
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