Deep Rock Galactic is a co-op mining shooter where a team of dwarves digs for valuable minerals on the alien planet Hoxxes IV. The planet is split into biomes, and each one is a different kind of underground region with its own caves, plants, creatures and mix of minerals. Knowing how they differ helps you plan your missions and stay alive once you're underground.
Biome
Items
Crystalline Caverns
Large silicate crystals fill naturally lit caves where Jadiz is common and electricity can arc across paths.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Jadiz
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Bismor
- Common Rock Hardness
- 3 pickaxe hits (hard)
- Cave Features
- Large, open chambers connect through tunnels. Huge purple silicate crystals jut from the walls and can block sightlines; bright Blue Crystals provide natural light.
- Hazards
- Electrocrystals shock and slow dwarves or creatures on contact and arc electricity between crystals with clear line of sight. Spider Webs slow movement and obscure vision. Rain dims flares but gives dwarves full resistance to fire and heat damage.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- -
Salt Pits
Red salt walls, glowing white crystals, fragile platforms and ceiling crystals define these Enor-rich caves.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Enor Pearl
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Bismor
- Common Rock Hardness
- 2 pickaxe hits (medium)
- Cave Features
- Open chambers and tunnels are lined with large red salt crystals and small spiky ground crystals. Glowing white salt crystals light the caves, which have no vegetation.
- Hazards
- Unstable crystals hang from the ceiling and can fall when hit or shaken by an explosion. Unstable salt platforms crack and collapse if dwarves stand on them too long.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- Q'ronar Younglings are hostile creatures exclusive to this biome.
Fungus Bogs
Mushroom-filled caves pair common Croppa with toxic spores, sticky ground and explosive plants.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Croppa
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Jadiz
- Common Rock Hardness
- 2 pickaxe hits (medium)
- Cave Features
- Large caverns are packed with Xenofungi, including giant caps that can be used as platforms. Dense grass and hanging vines can block views across the cave.
- Hazards
- Poison Spores Fungus releases harmful vapors when dwarves approach. Sticky Goo slows dwarves and Glyphids, while steam geysers erupt and explosive plants can set off nearby plants in a chain reaction.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- Silicate Harvesters are neutral critters also found in Dense Biozone and Radioactive Exclusion Zone.
Radioactive Exclusion Zone
Ashy open caves glow with radioactive uranium and contain radiation-adapted Glyphid variants.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Umanite
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Enor Pearl
- Common Rock Hardness
- 3 pickaxe hits (hard)
- Cave Features
- Wide, open rooms connect through broad tunnels. Ash-like dust hangs in the caves, where sparse irradiated plants, tumorous growths and Wall Eyes can appear.
- Hazards
- Glowing Volatile Uranium emits damaging radiation nearby and can be disabled by exposing its glowing center. Spider Webs slow movement and obscure vision. Several Glyphid types have radioactive variants, some of which leave radiation clouds when killed.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- Radioactive Glyphid variants include Exploders, Praetorians and Swarmers. Silicate Harvesters are neutral critters also found in Dense Biozone and Fungus Bogs.
Dense Biozone
Twisting coral caverns combine common Bismor with hazardous cacti and glowing plant life.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Bismor
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Umanite
- Common Rock Hardness
- 2 pickaxe hits (medium)
- Cave Features
- Huge, twisting cave-coral rooms contain grasses, Elevator Plants and small glowing green blossoms on the walls.
- Hazards
- Ejector Cacti shoot spikes, Cave Urchins damage dwarves on contact, and Trapatactus plants fire spikes when approached. Spider Webs slow movement and obscure vision; explosive plants can trigger nearby plants.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- Naedocyte Shockers are hostile and also occur in Glacial Strata. Silicate Harvesters are neutral critters also found in Fungus Bogs and Radioactive Exclusion Zone.
Glacial Strata
A permafrost biome where blizzards, icy hazards and cold-adapted enemies surround Magnite deposits.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Magnite
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Umanite
- Common Rock Hardness
- 2 pickaxe hits (medium)
- Cave Features
- The caves are carved through a planetwide permafrost layer. Smooth ice, deep snow and green algae-filled icicles shape how miners cross the terrain.
- Hazards
- Blizzards cut visibility, slow movement and lower temperature. Cold vents and cryo plants can freeze dwarves; crevasses may open beneath recent paths, and unstable icicles can fall from the ceiling.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- Ice-themed enemy variants include Frost Praetorians. Naedocyte Shockers are also found in Dense Biozone.
Hollow Bough
A petrified forest cave with red thorn vines, wasp nests and abundant Jadiz.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Jadiz
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Bismor
- Common Rock Hardness
- 2 pickaxe hits (medium)
- Cave Features
- Large rooms have petrified-wood walls and floors, patches of dried grass and giant tree-like structures. Thick red thorny vines cross the dark caves.
- Hazards
- Creeper and Bloated Vines damage on contact. Stabber Vines extend bladed arms at dwarves, and Deeptora Bough Wasp Nests release hostile wasps until the nest is destroyed. Goo Sacks and thorn plants can also hinder or damage miners.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- Stabber Vines are hostile plants; Deeptora Bough Wasp Nests spawn hostile wasps. Both are unique to this biome.
Azure Weald
Pink and blue glowing caves hide Croppa, neutral cave fauna and pillars that protect anything nearby.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Croppa
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Umanite
- Common Rock Hardness
- 2 pickaxe hits (medium)
- Cave Features
- Large open chambers connect through tunnels filled with pink and blue bioluminescent plants. A Magic Hole can create low gravity and increase movement speed for a short time.
- Hazards
- Glowing stone pillars give dwarves and creatures in their light 50% damage reduction, lasting 15 seconds after they leave the area. Enemies can gain the same protection, and the effect remains after the pillars are destroyed.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- Mobula Cave Angels and Hexawing Gniffers are neutral creatures unique to this biome.
Magma Core
Deep, hard caves glow with molten rock, hot floors and lava geysers around abundant Magnite.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Magnite
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Croppa
- Common Rock Hardness
- 3 pickaxe hits (hard)
- Cave Features
- Large rooms can have two-level plateaus and circular depressions in the terrain. Hot rock, magma flows and eruptions add a constant orange glow.
- Hazards
- Hot Rock burns dwarves and spreads when explosions break natural terrain. Lava Geysers erupt at intervals and can explode when destroyed; quakes slow movement and can split the ground into magma-filled cracks.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- -
Sandblasted Corridors
One-hit sandstone opens huge dry caves where sandstorms and wind tunnels complicate mining.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Enor Pearl
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Magnite
- Common Rock Hardness
- 1 pickaxe hit (soft)
- Cave Features
- Huge, dry caverns and long corridors cut through soft sandstone. Fossilized bones and occasional dead trees appear among the nearly bare walls.
- Hazards
- Wind Tunnels blast dwarves across the cave. Sandstorms slow dwarves and reduce visibility; Explosive Spores can burst when damaged.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- Nayaka Trawlers are hostile burrowing creatures. Deeptora Honeycombs release hostile insect swarms when approached.
Ossuary Depths
Fossil bones bridge uneven Bismor-rich caves where Ossirans and hidden Pit Jaws pose a threat.
- Abundant Crafting Mineral
- Bismor
- Scarce Crafting Mineral
- Magnite
- Common Rock Hardness
- 2 pickaxe hits (medium)
- Cave Features
- Uneven terrain shifts between flat floors, inclines and sudden climbs. Bone piles, enormous fossil ribs and skulls create natural bridges; small rock ledges line many walls, and vegetation is absent.
- Hazards
- Spider Webs slow movement and impair vision. Pit Jaws can hide beside small bone piles, and Scrab nests appear on walls and floors.
- Biome-Specific Creatures
- Ossiran Scrabs and Ossiran Pit Jaws are hostile and naturally occur here; warning missions can add them to other biomes. The Ossiran Bone Collector is a non-hostile seasonal-event creature.
What Are Biomes in Deep Rock Galactic?
Hoxxes IV is split into several continents, and each one has its own biome. A biome sets the shape of the caves, which minerals are common, and which plants and creatures you'll meet. Some plant life helps you and some hurts you, so two missions on the same planet can feel nothing alike.
Biomes also change how you see and move. Some caves are lit by glowing crystals, while others are close to pitch black. Each one brings its own risks, and a few are far more dangerous than the rest.
Where to Find Each Mineral in Deep Rock Galactic Biomes
Every biome is rich in one mineral and short on another, so where you dig shapes what you bring home. Magnite is plentiful in Glacial Strata and Magma Core, and Umanite is plentiful in the Radioactive Exclusion Zone. Croppa is plentiful in Fungus Bogs and Azure Weald, Jadiz in Crystalline Caverns and Hollow Bough, Bismor in Dense Biozone and Ossuary Depths, and Enor Pearl in Salt Pits and Sandblasted Corridors.
Morkite and Aquarq aren't tied to any one biome. The mission type decides whether you find them. Don't judge a rock by its shine, either: in Crystalline Caverns the big crystals are worth little, and the valuable minerals are scattered between them.
The Hardest Biomes and How to Survive Them
Three biomes have the most dangerous conditions on Hoxxes IV: Magma Core, Glacial Strata and the Radioactive Exclusion Zone. Each one attacks in its own way, so each needs its own kind of care.
In Magma Core, the air is scorching hot, and lava geysers, earthquakes and explosive plants keep the caves unpredictable. Breaking open a geyser's core causes a big explosion, so don't do it with your team standing close.
In Glacial Strata, each dwarf has a temperature gauge, and a dwarf who gets too cold freezes solid. Struggling free alone is slow, but a teammate can free them much faster, so stay close and keep an eye on each other.
In the Radioactive Exclusion Zone, glowing uranium crystals give off radiation that hits anyone nearby and slowly drains health. Digging out a crystal's glowing core shuts it down, and breaking the crystal works too.
Storms, Quakes and Blizzards
Several biomes have hazards that come back at intervals, and most give you a short warning first. Fog thickens before a sandstorm in Sandblasted Corridors, and in Glacial Strata the view starts to shift before a blizzard arrives. Lava geysers in Magma Core rumble before they erupt, and the quakes there slow dwarves down for a short while.
Once the first storm or quake hits, the rest follow a rhythm. In Sandblasted Corridors and Glacial Strata, storms are spaced several minutes apart, while Magma Core quakes come much more often. The first one arrives at an unpredictable time, so keep watch from the moment you land.
Sandblasted Corridors also has wind tunnels, where holes in the walls blast gusts of wind. A strong enough gust can launch a dwarf far enough to be fatal, so give those holes plenty of room.
Hazards That Repeat Across Biomes
Some hazards show up in more than one biome, so learning them once pays off. Explosive plants appear in Magma Core, Fungus Bogs and Dense Biozone, and one blast can set off its neighbors. Shoot from a distance when you can, and keep your team clear of a cluster.
Spider webs slow you down and block your view. Fire burns them away, and most shots break them too. Glyphid eggs in Fungus Bogs and Dense Biozone release a swarm of small Glyphids when damaged, and nearby eggs can burst in turn.
Rain is the odd one out. It dims flares and other lights in Crystalline Caverns and Dense Biozone, but while it rains, dwarves become fully immune to fire and heat.
FAQ
Which Deep Rock Galactic biome is the deepest?
Magma Core is the deepest, followed by Glacial Strata and then the Radioactive Exclusion Zone. Sandblasted Corridors sits closest to the surface of all of them.
Do biome hazards slow down enemies too?
Many do. Sandstorms and blizzards slow creatures a little, and they slow dwarves more. Sticky goo in Fungus Bogs slows dwarves and Glyphids, the alien bugs you fight, down a lot, and the electric crystals in Crystalline Caverns slow both of them too.
What do the glowing pillars in Azure Weald do?
They're a cluster of glowing blue stone pillars with floating lights swirling around them. Anything inside the glow takes much less damage, and the effect lingers briefly after leaving. Enemies can gain the same protection, so the pillars can work against you. Breaking the pillars doesn't end the effect, so where they stand matters as much as whether they're still there.
Which biome is the newest?
Ossuary Depths, which arrived with Season 6, Relics of Hoxxes. Its caves are full of fossilized bones and skulls, and Ossiran predators hunt there. Pit Jaws can lurk near the bone piles, where they're hard to spot.