Zone of Contamination Impressions

[acada]

OK I need to change my previous comment a little bit. It seems like I have chosen the worst path down. If I had taken the elevator line, there is nice place to start the exploration. But I took the hopper, followed by gas pocket and turned wrong into another gas and panic took better of me. 

Man those mines can be scary. Wel done, well done.

[Shadox]

Went in for the first Time today. Wanted to go in blind, but not on my Day 668 Loper so a new one (with scurvy potential :D) had to be made for that.

So far i absolutely like it. It feels like the opposite of FA (which i also like.. alot) While FA is flat and ultra large, you can see your path miles away on good weather, this one has lots of hills and (to me) unclear paths. Its very exciting to explore, and i already found the Boots. Hopefully i find the Respirator soon too, since i had to sprint through alot of Green mist. I also like that huuuuuuuuuge cave system also leading to FA West. Its very nice to have that connection, and that cavesystem feels even bigger than HRV ones. Im not finished with this area, not even close, but i like every bit so far It feels very thrilling and dangerous to explore

[Dan_]

I'm almost done with BE and ZoC, and I love this region. It is very very distinct to the airfield and most other zones, it kinda has a mix of Desolation Point derelict industry + HRV mountain pathways + Toxicity and a few unique buildings. 

I'll echo the comments about game being more scarce, but it's not so bad if you extend a bit with Rabbits and Birbs. I bagged a couple does and that plus the food loot has sustained me well so far. Need to finish BE and kill the bear to repair me coats a bit and stockpile Idle Camp with some steaks but pretty cool zone overall. 

Spoiler

Going in blind is a bit tough, after the wolves had taken a chunk of my health I stumbled through a blizzard only to find the Old Corral, kept praying that my fire was gonna keep going through the night and had the thrill of almost losing a character again. Little did I know that the concentrator was 2 minutes away following the pipes. Those prepper pies do come in handy for situations like this, topped up condition and slept in hourly increments. Another wolf struggle would've claimed me for sure.  

 

[hozz1235]

On 12/9/2023 at 3:22 PM, hozz1235 said:

I love the lightable lanterns in the mine.

Too bad we can't take them!

[Semple Fi]

On 12/7/2023 at 5:54 PM, artmunki said:

.

And I just found this ...

The color of the rock around it, and The pointer shows up…. I’m thinking this is a momento cache that I haven’t found the note for yet…

Edited December 14, 2023 by Semple Fi
AuToCorRecT!!!!!!!!

[Sherri]

Having now spent 1-2 weeks in the Zone of Contamination, I think I can dare to say that this region might have worse weather even than Pleasant Valley! Thick fog, brutal winds and bitter cold. Clear skies are very rare, and if you do get it, it doesn't last long! Don't wait for warmth AND blue skies. The second it's clear, get sprinting to your destination. 

Discovered some more settled areas and they are really really nice. Especially one cooking-focused area that I really love.

Managed to bag a deer and several bunnies, none of which were poisoned. Whew. Although I'm not hurting for food, on Voyager this region is *stocked*. 

Had to camp out for several days in a cave while waiting for an aurora to progress the Tale. It was worth it- cleared my cabin fever and found some goodies in the area. 😁

[Sherri]

Also noticed:

• Have found 0 skill books in this region so far.
• Haven't seen a bear or moose.... yet.
• Very little ammo.

[Leeanda]

Weirdly I expected a lot of glimmer fog and to have to let my son carry on for me but mostly I've had blue skies or aurora's.. the occasional blizzard but only one short glimmer fog which I slept through luckily..

Overall what I've seen I love...    the mine is huge in itself, I haven't fully looted everywhere but if the glimmer fog gets added to the settings I'll be back to have a really good nosey around..

[Dan_]

56 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

Weirdly I expected a lot of glimmer fog and to have to let my son carry on for me but mostly I've had blue skies or aurora's.. the occasional blizzard but only one short glimmer fog which I slept through luckily..

Yeah, the weather seems nice to me. It does feel like glimmer fog is more prevalent here than in the airfield . There are blizzards for sure, but it's not that bad overall and I managed to light a couple of maglens fires in the 20 or so days I've been at the ZoC. 

[Leeanda]

12 minutes ago, Dan_ said:

Yeah, the weather seems nice to me. It does feel like glimmer fog is more prevalent here than in the airfield . There are blizzards for sure, but it's not that bad overall and I managed to light a couple of maglens fires in the 20 or so days I've been at the ZoC. 

My son ended his run at forsaken because of the glimmer fog,it was really bad ,and the constant blizzards in between.. on his run in zoc he didn't get it once lol..   I think weve both been really lucky lol..😁

[hozz1235]

11 hours ago, Sherri said:

Haven't seen a bear

Spoiler

I killed one around Desperate Elevation.

 

[xanna]

13 hours ago, Sherri said:

Also noticed:

• Have found 0 skill books in this region so far.

I have found one, so they do exist, but that's far far fewer than any other region, let alone region of this size

[mfuegemann]

After completing the tale and exploring the region into every corner, I just left. I do think, I will not return. Chemical hazards and poisoned wolfs are not goot for my Astrid.
The region was a great setting for the tale but as a region to survive in, it is second pick at best. Too many risks for almost no reward.

[Kranium]

I really like it. I'd recommend doing what some others do in the mines, that is, marking paths & gas with spray paint (or whatever else floats your boat). There's a lot of canisters to be found within the mines, once you really start combing through everything. I'd still enjoy a way to make your own canisters, however, mostly for multiple return trips on longer runs. (perhaps a recipe that unlocks later on, IDK. Use charcoal + cloth + tin can?)

 

I'm on "Customloper", BTW. Found plenty of ammo, skill books, more loot than I expected. Found a bear, no moose (yet?). Enough wildlife to survive, just need to travel a bit. Makes life harder. Good trade-off for having so many huge lootable shelters. Some areas feel like DP, others like HRV. Nice. A lot of "paths to nowhere", which can be frustrating, but is also more realistic. I'm OK with that.

 

Because chemical boots aren't repairable, I run through chemical spills in bare feet. Cheesy, but I blame the devs for that

 

I do wish we could map the mines & caves. Weird that we can't. Easy to do IRL. I make line drawings on a piece of paper when I play these days, because of this lack. I mean, it works but it's immersion-killing.

 

Anyway, great addition. Oh yeah, the new tale was really good, if not a bit confusing at times. (missed signals, retracing earlier explorations, finding stuff before the story... IDK how to make all of that perfect tho)

[hozz1235]

15 hours ago, Kranium said:

Because chemical boots aren't repairable, I run through chemical spills in bare feet.

I found a total of 3 pairs - each around 60% condition.  I wore them quite a bit and they hardly decayed.  Seeing as how this is the only zone in which they are useful, I'd say use 'em!

[Sherri]

On 12/15/2023 at 11:35 AM, xanna said:

I have found one, so they do exist, but that's far far fewer than any other region, let alone region of this size

I did later find some inside the mine!

[acada]

I finished the Burried Echo. I immediatelly departed from the ZoC to the Vacant Depot, which I like. The ZoC has an uneasy feeling for me. All those spillages, fumes, poisoned wolfes. I thought I would go somewhere nice with sea, sun, deers etc. But I just remembered, that there are 10 maple saplings curing in the ZoC. Damn it seems like I am going back right away. Plus I think that I did not discovered midst of the map. It seems like there was path or two. Sigh.

[DaGnome91]

Actually, I like the region, a lot ! My preference goes for the "left/bottom" part of the map, which is more nature-oriented : from the Old Corral, just following the riverbed to the swamp area and then up either to Trasnfer Pass further west or back south to to Welkin's Window in the mountain range. Both sides of the riverbed have what you need to survive : ptarmigans, rabbits, deers, wolves (standard) and a bear for hunting ; rose hips, burdock, OMB, reishi mushrooms and birch bark for healing. Throw some birch and maple saplings along with cattails and acorns, and you're set ! 3 caves, one of which hosts a bear, and 2 loading cave-systems to evade glimmer fog (or even benefit from it), you can stand a siege just staying in this zone in which you can encounter poisoned wolves only near the Unquenched Extraction. The mine itself proposes several ways to access a workbench easily (no need for canister if you're unburdened).

The rest of the map is also very nice : the right side of the map around Boss's Settlement can also provide food and some tools ! If you want, you can just make a run to Idle Camp for some clothes, food supplies and tools...

Finally, the center of the map is heavy with chemical spills, which can be used to evade the poisoned wolves (they run away from them) if you're equipped with the rubber boots and the filtering mask. The buildings are full of tools, metal scrap, cloth, and wood.

All in all, the zone might be full of danger if you go head-on, but it's nicely balanced ! Congrats @Admin, this is a really great zone.

[twyn1]

After finishing Buried Echoes, I stayed in the ZoC for a little while, just trying to get a lay of the land and ideas of where I would set up a place to stay. Idle Camp is actually quite nice, with decent storage, the 6-burner stove, tons of stuff to break down and useable beds.  It's not so massive and creaky as the mine buildings, or dark/unappealing (I'm not a fan of long-term stays in caves/mines). If you go uphill from the camp, rather than towards the mine building, there are safe trails with plenty of food opportunities & places for those who play at levels where cabin fever is an option. If you need a work bench, just pop over to the mine buildings for a day or two. This Zone likely will never be a favorite area to stay, but it's not as eerie/disturbing as my first impression.

[Dan_]

I set up final camp by the river cave, near Miner's Footpath. The river It's the only place with warm outdoor shelter nearby and enough game to sustain the character longer term, west side best side is my motto for this map. I appreciate how it isn't an empty vastness like the airfield, but then FA has killer safehouses to counter that, the cabin at Drift Island is just TLD perfection distilled to a high concentration. ZoC has points of interest are  only a short stone throw away from each other, which is nice in my books. My only complaint so far is a perceived lack of birch saplings, I think I only found 5 so far in the days I've been here, maybe need to go off the beaten path a bit more to locate those other elusive saplings. 

[hozz1235]

30 minutes ago, Dan_ said:

maybe need to go off the beaten path a bit more to locate those other elusive saplings

Don't forget, your map (charcoaled areas) will show you where there are unharvested resources (doesn't always work so well with Reishi - some tend to show on map even after harvested).

[Dan_]

1 hour ago, hozz1235 said:

Don't forget, your map (charcoaled areas) will show you where there are unharvested resources (doesn't always work so well with Reishi - some tend to show on map even after harvested).

That's actually pretty clever advice. I have most of the middle of the map filled and all points of interest/caves, but there's plenty of dark spots and unmapped unnamed trails, gonna start paying more attention to those and using the map. Also, mapping the vista spots, haven't done that even though I've mapped the Boss' lookout before getting the polaroid. 

In your experience, can you conceivably find 10 birch saplings in this region? I got the ones near the wall of the waterfall closest to the pond by Unquenched Extraction and a single one standing before the river crossing just before it. I need to comb the upper and lower parts more carefully to see if I can find an extra 5. I want to stay here at the zoc for 100 days, but I only brought 15 arrows and some extra arrowheads, I'm down to 6 arrows now after 35 days and a lot of killing. 

Oh, and spoilers about particularly easy to spot birch stands would be appreciated. Thanks Hozz!

Edited December 20, 2023 by Dan_

[JohnCaper]

I think ZoC gave me the diabetus. I survived on soda (pop here in Canada) for several days. 

[hozz1235]

1 hour ago, Dan_ said:

In your experience, can you conceivably find 10 birch saplings in this region?

I'm pretty sure I got them all; unfortunately, I don't remember where I got them or how many I got.  I do know there were a lot more maple saplings.  You could always hop over to FA to grab some extra for arrows.

Also, if you want full spoilers, there is a map here.

[DaGnome91]

On 12/20/2023 at 8:16 PM, Dan_ said:

That's actually pretty clever advice. I have most of the middle of the map filled and all points of interest/caves, but there's plenty of dark spots and unmapped unnamed trails, gonna start paying more attention to those and using the map. Also, mapping the vista spots, haven't done that even though I've mapped the Boss' lookout before getting the polaroid. 

In your experience, can you conceivably find 10 birch saplings in this region? I got the ones near the wall of the waterfall closest to the pond by Unquenched Extraction and a single one standing before the river crossing just before it. I need to comb the upper and lower parts more carefully to see if I can find an extra 5. I want to stay here at the zoc for 100 days, but I only brought 15 arrows and some extra arrowheads, I'm down to 6 arrows now after 35 days and a lot of killing. 

Oh, and spoilers about particularly easy to spot birch stands would be appreciated. Thanks Hozz!

Up the big southern waterfall, go south again, you'll find a small zone with several big birches, birch bark around and several birch saplings. Then north, after the highest point of the waterfall, in or near a chemical spill, you'll find some more birch saplings. I found some more near Scaffholder's Hideout and around Harrowed Residence... and I think there are also some in both moutain passes. I can't say exactly how many there are in the whole map, but I'd say something around 20, and almost the same number of maple saplings. This is in Voyageur.