Biomes

Not only a rural area, but the heartland of food production. Farms stretch to the Horizon, little villages, and buildings in between. An open field, long range weapons work well here.

The dense bamboo forests on some planets are a result of having the plant find ideal living conditions. Despite being dense, the bamboo can be burned down very easily. But it will still offer some protection.

Like on the Rocky Desert, there are stone pillars covering the landscape – but somewhat denser! Also jump jets can help and also safe time if a direct path is blocked. By the high amount of cover, agile Mechs can have a benefit in battle.

The open Bog/Marsh is a little cooler than regular temperate zones. It can have dense mists and fog. Long-range weapons are very useful here.

The broadleaf forests are a lush biome with many different tree species, and quite some color spectacle under different sun classes with all the leaves coloring in nature's adapted palette. Tactically, the biome has denser forest patches and open areas in between.

What was once a beautiful forest is now reduced to ashes. Still glowing tree trunks, charcoal on the ground - it is a hot area, and the leftovers of the catastrophe are offering some cover.

This is an alien wasteland. Very hot environment with strange pointy rocks covering the rocky ground. Be aware; do not exit your vehicle without an environmental suit and breathing equipment! Sights can also often be hindered by smoke from the ground or by thick fog.

A nice place to spend your holidays - but sadly we have some more serious business here. Like Italy on earth, this biome has pine trees and sand, and sometimes even some nice beaches. It is a little warmer, but still not tropical.

The tides are low - and the coral reefs are exposed, and we have a mission to run. There is almost no cover, but at least you can enjoy the colorful corals while doing the mission.

The Crystals can be shattered, even the large ones. Accept also night missions on this biome to enjoy the full beauty of the strange reflecting properties of the crystals!

The Volcanic biomes are somewhat hotter than regular ones. Here the Volcanoes erupt now also in broad daylight. Wonders of nature!

The deep desert is a hot place, take care of your heat management! There are old fossils, cacti and dead bones – otherwise nothing special and mostly wide open landscapes

The desert moon has a foggy atmosphere – otherwise it is a regular desert with a rocky surface and with huge boulders floating above your head.

The Drylands are a dead place, not much vegetation but some dead trees, and what grows there is dry and brown. The temperature is on the hotter end of the scale, so bring some extra cooling.

A land of fire and ice! Due to the heat of the volcano, the ice is forming strange structures, but everything can be broken apart with some applied destruction. There are also hot springs and exhausts of gas; those push up your temperature. Better stay away.

An alien, hot world – bring a Mech well equiped with heatsinks, or you will face heat problems. Hot-running Energy weapons are not recommended.

Fight on an icy comet hurling through space! The comet has a jagged terrain, and gas is evaporating from exhausts all over the place. The temperature is low, and there are many rocks scattered all over the comet.

On some planets, lichen grow to enormous sizes. They basically form lichen forests, with large cups raising into the sky. Lichen forests are mostly found in colder climates.

A mediterranian landscape – expect a little more heat from the biome, but nothing major. There is no larger vegetation and line of sights are quite open.

The Melting Glaciers are a maze-like cold place. The glacier’s shards can block passages, and are not marked on the battle-grid map – explore and find a way through the labyrinth if needed. You can walk onto the shards to surprise enemies or jump onto them. If you bring jump jets, we will have an advantage. Think 3-dimensional! Other areas are open-spaces with wide shooting ranges. Temperature is cooler than temperate zones, expect snow.
Tip: Glacier shards can be destroyed with 300 damage if necessary, e.g. if they are blocking a way to a mission objective (very rare cases) - this is a workaround and intended as last resort;)

Some moons are colonized, and large arcologies are built with the rest of the city's infrastructure mostly being underground. A large arcology can provide good cover since those massive hardened buildings can be destroyed.

Moons with gray rocks and dust are common in solar systems across the Inner Sphere. There is nothing exceptional, just rolling hills of moon rock and much open line of sight.

A cold moon covered in Ice and under the lower gravitiy, ice formations grow in twisted and strange forms. Damage breaks all ice, the larger formations need some hits though.

The red moon has large pillars of hard moon rock rising from the surface, so it can help to use the cover provided by the environment.

The war-torn landscape of No Man’s Land has burning fires – if you step into one you will get heat, be aware! You can use them also as traps for enemy Mechs to make them have heat troubles or use you flamers effectively to easier shut down an enemy in combination with the blazing fires!

The war-torn and destroyed no man's land during winter is a cold place with many obstacles. Jump jets can certainly help to traverse the chaos. Things on ground can explode and death is just a frozen snowflake away.

The Old Forest biome features huge trees and dense forest patches. Space inside the wilderness forest patches can be very tight. Light Mechs and slimmer builds can maneuver more easily inside the forests. LRMs and other long range artillery can have a hard time to reach a target. The tall trees can be shot (~30 damage each) to clear a way if needed. 
If you pilot a VTOL, don’t get to close to the trees tops – you have been warned.

A wetland with swamp trees and reeds. You can also find lakes and  water ponds there, which provide some extra opportunities for cooling. Choose your spot well and throw those energy blasts on the approaching enemies!

The Rocklands can be tricky. Areas are covered with large rocks – most of them can not withstand a Mech’s weight and break, but not all of them! If you move into the rockfields, expect a bumpy ride! Like we heard in many war stories from across the Inner Sphere, an enemy Mech also can get stuck if a pilot is not experienced – here that can happen to bad pilots on (very) rare occasions. If you want to play it safe, stay outside the rock fields or bring jump jets. But you can use the rocks also in a tactical way to lure enemies into and hinder them.

The Rocky Desert’s stone pillars provide good cover and with an agile Mech, you can use that to your advantage. You can bring jump jets to jump in and out of cover.

An open Landscape – nothing special here besides the flowers and haystacks. Buildings can be destroyed, haystacks burn. Don’t hurt the local people to much!

A wide and open savanna biome with some acacia trees and grass and small shrubs covering the ground. The temperature is a little over standard, so some extra cooling always helps.

A dry, hotter place with many cacti and desert shrub plants. There are some larger Saguaro cactus species offering some cover, but lines of sight are normally quite open. Just bring some extra water for your breaks!

The commercial sector of a spaceport is a volatile battleground. Many buildings and structures are everywhere, and there are many neon billboards and signs. You can walk into and break all buildings, so surprise your enemies by crushing through. There are even underground tunnels to use as strategic locations and to cross beneath enemy positions.

The Toxic dump is a grim place destroyed by human greed and industrial exploitation. Poison smoke plumes, acid residues, bad rain – no one wants to live there. There is rubble laying around, which can be bumpy to navigate through, better stay out of those areas if possible. The worn down structures can be destroyed if in the way.

Tropical forests have higher temperatures, take care of good cooling. The Tropical forest also features dense tree areas, which can block line of sights.

A cold desert, the tundra has good cooling but can also have bad weather. There is not much cover, but you can find rivers that slow all Mechs down when underwater.

Astrobiology was always sure about that life also emerges on other planets in the galaxy. A result of this is the Xeno Jungles, with a wide array of alien life forms and plants forming a dense forest. The good news is that they are quite porous; you can break through everything easily.

An alien world – the large fungi have strong roots creating cover and tight spaces. In night missions, the glowing fungi can help with orientation.

Yucca specimen can grow to large sizes on exoplanets and habitable moons in the galaxy. The Yucca Forest has all the benefits of a regular forest, with patches of dense vegetation to use as cover.