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The eight decks of the U.S.S. Aethelgard: a XENO // BREACH guide
The U.S.S. Aethelgard has eight decks, and a XENO // BREACH run takes them in order: Docking Bay 7, Cargo & Mess, Crew Hab-Ring, Security Brig, Xeno-Medbay, Bio-Hydroponics, Command Bridge and The Hive Reactor. Each deck is a bigger map than the one before, starts with a nastier hive already in its rooms, and stacks its own difficulty on top of the wave count. Here's what's on each, with the numbers from the game's deck data.
How a run moves through the ship
- Each deck has three levels, Upper, Main and Lower, joined by turbo-lifts.
- Each deck has five sectors. Locked gates between them open for free at waves 2, 3, 5 and 7, or earlier if you pay 400, 650, 950 and 1,250 points.
- From wave 3 you can move on. Walk into the rift once the wave is clear, or press NEXT DECK in Tactical Command.
- The wave count carries over. Leave Deck 1 after wave 3 and Deck 2 opens with a short prep phase, then wave 4. Your points, skill trees, forged weapons and squad come with you.
How the decks get harder
Two things push difficulty up. Waves raise it everywhere. On top of that, each deck adds its own push:
| Per deck you go deeper | Effect |
|---|---|
| Base toughness | +10% health for every hive creature. Deck 8 is +70% over Deck 1. |
| Wave arrivals | +16% more health again for each deck, on top of +10% per wave |
| Reinforcements per wave | 10 + 4 per wave, plus 3 more per deck |
| Enemy mix | Each deck counts as two waves further on, so tougher types show up sooner |
| Arrival rate | Reinforcements come 0.1 seconds faster per deck, but never more than one batch every 1.4 seconds |
| Boss health | +20% per deck, on top of +14% per wave |
The mix shift matters most. Corrupted Mech-Loaders join the ordinary reinforcements once the mix reaches wave 5. On Deck 1 that means wave 5. From Deck 2 on, it's every wave.
Bosses follow the wave count, not the deck. Every third wave is a boss wave: a shielded siege beast on wave 3, a Corrupted Mech-Loader on wave 6, an Apex Ravager on wave 9, The Hive Empress on wave 12 and a Swarm Broodmother on wave 15. From wave 6 on, each boss wave adds a second Mech-Loader.
The decks at a glance
| Deck | Map (tiles) | Rooms | Weapons in its pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Docking Bay 7 | 62 × 46 | 12 | 5 |
| 2 Cargo & Mess | 64 × 48 | 13 | 7 |
| 3 Crew Hab-Ring | 66 × 48 | 14 | 6 |
| 4 Security Brig | 68 × 50 | 14 | 7 |
| 5 Xeno-Medbay | 70 × 52 | 15 | 7 |
| 6 Bio-Hydroponics | 72 × 52 | 16 | 7 |
| 7 Command Bridge | 72 × 54 | 16 | 7 |
| 8 The Hive Reactor | 74 × 54 | 16 | 8 |
A tile is 16 pixels. The lower level of each deck is about 90% the size of the main one.
Deck 1: Docking Bay 7
Dropship hangar, airlock corridors and lower cargo holds. This is where you learn. The rooms hold Xeno Drones, Acid Spitters, Breached Security (they shoot, and drop sidearms and shotguns), Bile Bursters, Mitosis Morphs, hatchlings, Hive Egg-Sacs and a Swarm Broodmother. A Mono-Lance always waits by the door. A Shard Slinger, Plasma Javelins, a Shock Baton and a sidearm make up the rest of the deck's weapon pool. Free to play.
Deck 2: Cargo & Mess
Supply vaults, the crew mess hall and cryo-storage below. Three rules arrive here. Blind Echolocators hunt by sound alone. Hive Sirens shriek and alert the deck. Spore-Cyst Pods burst into clouds that block sight and hurt to breathe. Corrupted Marines fire three-round bursts. Its weapon pool includes a Shrapnel Cannon, a Stasis Web Launcher and a Vibro-Blade. This is the last free deck.
Deck 3: Crew Hab-Ring
Officer quarters, an observation deck and maintenance shafts. Watch for three newcomers. A Void Swarmer comes for your suit lamp. Phantom Stalkers use optical camouflage and stay nearly invisible until they pounce. A Cargo Mimic-Morph sits among the loot pretending to be a crate. Four Acid Spitters make this deck ranged-heavy. Its weapon pool has the Mag-Rail Bow, the Grapple Tether Gun and the Phosphor Flare Gun. Flares pull Void Swarmers away from you.
Deck 4: Security Brig
Containment cells, the marine armory and a tactical command wing. This is the deck that shoots back. It has six Breached Security, four Corrupted Marines and three Carapace Shielders, whose fronts bounce bullets, so flank them. Two heavy guards need their poise broken. A Hive Synapse Node heals and frenzies the creatures around it. Any wound breaks its prayer. Its weapon pool includes the Boltcaster, the Grav-Pulse Emitter and the Grav-Hammer.
Deck 5: Xeno-Medbay
Quarantine wards, a genetics lab and a cryo-morgue. It's a breeding ground. The rooms start with three Hive Egg-Sacs, two Swarm Broodmothers, four hatchlings, four Bile Bursters and three Spore-Cyst Pods. Fire helps here, and the deck's weapon pool has it: the Drakon Incinerator, the Photon Laser Beam and the Bio-Toxin Sprayer.
Deck 6: Bio-Hydroponics
Overgrown bio-domes, skywalks and service catacombs. Fourteen kinds of creature are listed for this deck, the widest mix on the ship: a Void Swarmer, Echolocators, Sirens, Phantom Stalkers, heavy guards, mimics and more. Launchers join the weapon pool here: the Valkyrie Rocket Pod, the Plasma Frag Launcher and the Cluster Dart Launcher.
Deck 7: Command Bridge
The bridge, gunnery catwalks and deep ordnance bays. This is the most heavily armed deck. Eight Corrupted Marines, four Breached Security and four Carapace Shielders hold it, with three heavy guards and two Phantom Stalkers. The rewards match: the Helios Charge Laser and the Gauss Railgun are both in its weapon pool.
Deck 8: The Hive Reactor
The nest, grown inside the main fusion core. It's the largest map, at 74 by 54 tiles. It starts with four Hive Egg-Sacs, two Broodmothers, three Phantom Stalkers, four Bile Bursters, four Acid Spitters and two Synapse Nodes. It also has the biggest weapon pool, eight weapons, including the Helios Charge Laser, the Photon Laser Beam and the Drakon Incinerator.
After Deck 8
There's no Deck 9. Right now, the rift on The Hive Reactor takes you back to Docking Bay 7 with your wave count still climbing. The game is in active development, so expect this part of the run to change.
FAQ
Can I skip decks?
No. Decks come in order, one rift at a time.
Which decks are free?
Docking Bay 7. The full game, all eight decks, is a one-time $4.99, and the game offers it when the rift out of Deck 1 opens.
Should I take the rift as soon as it opens?
Not on your first runs. Each wave you clear on an easier deck pays points and a skill point. Each deck you descend makes every later wave tougher.
Start at the top: play XENO // BREACH free, and read your first run before you board.
