Overworld

The overworld represents the area surrounding your colony. Using the overworld, you can create independent settlements to support your colony and send out expeditions to points of interest.

Settlements
Settlements are available once you construct the Ark launcher, which allows you to construct settlements in remote areas on the overworld. In order to support them, however, you require colony terminals, each of which can support one remote settlement. Settlements are a decidedly late-game affair, although saving up for them early on can greatly accelerate progress, as with expeditions.

Expeditions
Expeditions are missions your colonists can undertake once the expedition center is constructed (not available at Vanaar in campaign mode). Each vessel assigned to the expedition center (assigned an unique color and callsign) can investigate points of interest around the colony or explore to find new ones. These range from dropping agricultural scanners, through retrieving stranded colonists and cargo pods, to destroying creep nests and confronting splinter colonist groups.

To send out an expedition, open the tab in the lower-right (or hit X, the default hotkey), then clock on a point of interest or target area to dispatch the vessel. Note that some points of interest may be hazardous to investigate and result in injury, death, or contamination for the colony.

Performance

 * The success of any excursion is determined by four factors:
 * The staffing at the expedition center (the lower the efficiency, the lesser the chances of success),
 * the size and health of the crew (10 crewmen at 100% health give maximum performance),
 * ship integrity (self-explanatory, anything below 100% and you're putting your men at risk.
 * Upgrades can greatly increase performance. They are researched at any tier 2 research center and require the ship to be present at the expedition center to be installed.
 * policy_exp_medbay.png Medical bay: Allows the crew to gradually heal without returning to the colony.
 * policy_exp_scanners.png Scanners: Increases the detection range of all expedition vessels by 45%.
 * policy_exp_shields.png Energy shield: Reduces hull damage taken by 40%
 * policy_exp_thrusters.png Thrusters: Increases each expedition vessel's combat effectiveness by 65%.
 * policy_exp_bombs.png Zorium bombs: Increasse the vessel's combat effectiveness by 65%, consuming 1 Zorium when used.

Types

 * Several expedition types are available
 * Recovery and rescue missions add a variable amount of resources and other items to your storage upon return, with the possibility of a new colonist arriving with them (usually requiring healing).
 * Combat missions are risky, as fighting Creep and Plague nests can result in the vessel returning to base to repair and heal, bringing the infection along.
 * Confronting alien guardians, rebels, and separatists, on the other hand, can result in colonists being wounded or killed. Check the enemy combat rating before embarking.
 * Sorties where you aid other colonists, such as by resupplying, medevac, or destroying creep and creeps result in a commendation for service, which translates to rewards from the colony ship. Simple recovery missions, like retrieving cargo pods, do not give commendations.

List

 * Creep Spore Nest (Combat): We've discovered a nest that produces creep spores from time to time. Destroying it should significantly reduce the chance of future creep infections.
 * Hovering Guardian (Combat): Scanners have identified what appears to be an ancient guardian robot here, an artifact of the civilization that once inhabited Aven Prime. It appears to be floating in the air, so it is clearly still functional.  Our scanners have not been able to determine whether it still guards anything of value.
 * Plague Nest (Combat): We've discovered a nest that is a source of plague spores. Destroying it should significantly reduce the probability of plague spores reaching our colony.
 * Splinter Group Detected (Combat): Scanners have detected a radical separatist group at this location. They have ignored repeated communication attempts, and may be armed.  They call themselves "[name]" and we have detected [several] members.
 * Walking Guardian (Combat): Scanners have identified what appears to be an ancient guardian robot here, an artifact of the civilization that once inhabited Aven Prime. Signs of movement indicate that it is still functional.  It is unclear whether this robot still guards anything of value.
 * Zealot Group Detected (Combat): Sensors have detected an armed zealot group at this location, part of the ongoing insurrection in the area. They call themselves "[name]" and we have detected [several] members.
 * Zealot Group Detected (Combat): Sensors have detected an armed rebel group at this location. It consists of breakaway colonists who have declared open rebellion against the Aven Expedition.  They vow never to surrender.  They call themselves "[name]" and we have detected [several] members.
 * Agricultural Scanner (Exploration): We'd like you to send an expedition team here to place a bio-scanner that will gather soil analysis data and beam it to the Colony Ship.
 * Crashed Vessel (Exploration): An expedition vessel from one of your former colonies crashed here and is waiting to be recovered. Your crew might be able to repair this and send it back to the orbiting colony ship.
 * Field Analysis (Exploration): We've detected an interesting species of native plant. We'd like you to send out a team to analyze it.
 * Ruins Detected (Exploration): There appear to be some sort of ancient alien structures here, remnants of the civilization that once inhabited Aven Prime.
 * Unidentified Debris (Exploration): Scanners have located what appears to be debris here, including clear signs of human activity. This warrants further investigation.
 * Distress Signal (Explore): We've identified a weak distress signal at this location. We recommend immediate investigation.
 * Broken Rover (Recovery): One of our scout rovers has malfunctioned and now sits idle at this location. The Commissioner would like you to recover the rover so it can be returned to the orbiting Colony Ship for repairs.
 * Cargo Pod (Recovery): There is an abandoned cargo pod at this location. You can send an expedition vessel here to acquire its contents.
 * Dead Sandworm (Recovery): Scanners have detected a larval sandworm that died shortly after it hatched. The Expedition would like you to collect samples for analysis.  Since the worm died recently, it should also be possible to recover its meat.  We are hoping that its mother is not nearby.
 * Derelict Trade Vessel (Recovery): A trade vessel suffered a malfunction and was forced to land due to rapid fuel loss. The pilot is waiting to be rescued, and the contents of the vessel are also available for you to recover.
 * Stranded Explorer (Rescue): We've pinpointed a distress signal from an explorer named [colonist name] who was stranded during a violent and unexpected storm. This individual should be rescued as soon as possible.
 * Landing Site (Resupply): We are planning a new colony at this location in the future, and a Prometheus Lander has touched down. We need you to drop 40 nanites, 80 water, and 80 units of food at this location.
 * Supply Drop (Resupply): A group of explorers has run out of supplies. We need you to bring them 30 food and water to allow them to continue their mission.

Strategy

 * Expedition center is expensive to maintain early on and may take many sols to return the investment (if it ever does)
 * Agricultural Scanner is a totally safe expedition that permanently and noticeably boosts output of all farm buildings
 * Commendations don't seem to have a noticeable effect on anything other than commendation missions (which give tiny rewards)
 * Failure of a combat expedition will kill and/or wound some or all of the colonists on the ship, but there don't seem to be any long-term effects, so trying multiple times is fine
 * Colonists will complain about dead friends after a failed mission, but that doesn't seem to affect their morale or any other stats

Trivia

 * Possible names for splinter and rebel groups include:


 * Possible names for zealots include: