Science lab

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L science lab
See Cost 5

Science labs are mysterious, expansive underground facilities. To gain access, you'll need to either unlock the id reader with a science id card or electrohack, or break through with explosives or tools such as a jackhammer or pickaxe.


Labs are composed of multiple underground levels of rectangular rooms that are laid out in a rough grid pattern. Ordinary rooms of the lab include:

  • Closet with cleaning supplies (ammonia, bleach, mops).
  • Counter and computer, which can be hacked to access research logs and download map of the nearby surface. Beware that turrets often spawn on the counters.
  • Chemistry workroom; usually it's mundane (for a secret government lab, at least) and has assorted chemicals and chemistry gear, but there's a 1 in 3 chance it'll be a mutagen workroom, where mutagens, mutagenic serums, purifiers, and mutagen recipe books can spawn.
  • Teleportation lab: work-counter in the middle and a teleporter somewhere on the floor.
  • Room filled with pits of goo. There is always a refrigerator in the corner, which can contain odd things including riot helmets and lighters.
  • Common bionics storage; access to both storages is controlled by a linked computer pair and hacking one will unlock the other.
  • Cloning vats filled with bodyparts (mutated arm, mutated leg, misshapen fetus).
  • Vivisection lab containing a dissection machine.
  • Dormitory, containing beds and dressers. Researchers have been known to have recreational gear and/or reading material here.
  • Rooms containing research subjects in concrete and reinforced glass cells. A central computer outside the cell section can be hacked to purge the specimens in all cells.
  • A data analyser which can be used to analyse black boxes.

Additionally there are rooms that are locked behind computer controlled metal doors:

  • Barracks and armoury; the armoury is not accessible via the barracks. To gain access to the armoury, you must either drop down from the level above using stairs or a hole or break through with explosives or tools such as a jackhammer or pickaxe.
  • Prisoner containment and containment cells.

The lowest floor of a lab contains a finale with a special room:

  • Weapons testing facility with energy weapons, mininukes, cutting-edge Rivtech armor, or just random guns.
  • Netherworld access facility with trapped sub-prime monsters and Resonance Cascade activation terminal.
  • Rare bionics storage.
  • CVD machine.


Enemy encounters in labs are relatively uncommon, although stronger, more powerful enemies can be found, including:

Notes

Navigating labs and remaining orientated can be difficult. Remember that ordinary lab tiles are a light blue, while tiles containing stairs down to the next level appear in a darker blue.

On map-gen, there is a chance that a lab will become an ice lab. Ice labs are characterised by having a lower ambient temperature immediately on entry, that also decreases significantly with lower levels. Full winter survivor gear, thermal electric gear and/or Internal Climate Control are required to explore the lowest levels of these labs. Additionally, ice labs make great cellars as the low temperatures fully prevent food spoilage.


See also:

Lorith's Lab Guide