The terrain that covers the planets you colonize greatly affects your colonization and exploitation prospects. For instance, forests tend to absorb pollution better, but depending on their type, can degenerate quite rapidly.
Land Biomes
There are 9 land biomes in total. There are three categories of biomes with three biomes in each. There are hot biomes, temperate biomes, and cold biomes.
Hot Biomes
- Only spawn on planets with maximum temperature slider set to 35 degrees celcius or warmer on the planet generator.
- Found near equator of planets meeting temperature requirements.
Rainforest
- High vegetation and soil fertility.
- Agriculture quickly leeches soil fertility.
- Usually covered with jungle trees, rocks, or mountains.
- Adjacent jungle tiles make for great wood cutting production
- Tiles covered with vegetation that are adjacent to other tiles covered with vegetation increase the supply bonus to wood cutting mills.
- Provides a strong bonus to countering emissions.
Savanna
- Medium soil fertility.
- Mostly wide plains with open tree stock.
- Prone to desertification.
- Vegetation provides a weak bonus to combat emissions.
- Soil fertility is consistently between 40-50%.
Desert
- Barren.
- Makes for great placement of solar farms.
- Soil fertility is consistently less than 30%.
- Chance to become a "dry desert" with 0 fertility. s
Temperate Biomes
- Only spawn on planets with maximum temperature slider set to 15 degrees celcius or warmer.
- Can be found between hot biomes (if they exist) and polar biomes. Cooler planets may spawn temerate biomes along the equator.
Subtrope
- Tends to have high soil fertility
- High level of vegetation.
Temperate
- Medium vegetation rate
- Less trees than Subtrope, but more than Savannah.
- Medium soil fertility
- Friendly balance of resources and space to build.
- Provides a bonus to countering emissions.
Drylands
- Low level of vegetation.
- Low soil fertility.
Cold Biomes
Found near the poles of most planets, however it is possible to find a planet that is entirely in the cold biome temperature range. Temperatures do not reach 15 degrees celcius on cold biome planets, and for the most part, stay in negative celcius temperatures.
Bog
- High level of vegetation.
- Medium soil fertility.
Taiga
- Medium level of vegetation.
- Low soil fertility.
Tundra
- Low level of vegetation.
- Low soil fertility.
Montane Biome Modifier
Desert, Dryland, and Tundra biomes can have the montane biome modifier, applying a negative fertility factor to the tile. Montaine tiles also have their own texture indicating that this is a rockey area of the planet. Temperature of the tile adversely wwwimpacts the fertility of montane tiles.
Water Tile Biomes
There are four noteworthy tiles that do not fall under a specific biome name, howerver are unique in their own nature, as a biome themselves. They can occur at any latitude. These tiles are created when elevations of the land mass is at or below sealevel.
- Ocean
- Can spawn corals.
- Can spawn fishing zones.
- Deep Ocean
- ditto
- Coast
- Can't be built on unless it is an ocean district, or a shellfish cultivator.
- Near Shore
- These tiles are the best place to build wind mills, as there is enough land to build on while also taking advantage of the extra wind that can be found on the coast. Wind turbines built on near coast tiles receive a 50% increase in energy production.