Assurance is the moon you move to when Experimentation stops paying. It is still free, still survivable, and it introduces the first entity that actively works against you outdoors.
What spawns here
| Entity | Base spawn chance | Threat |
|---|---|---|
| Manticoils | 50% | None |
| Roaming Locusts | 23% | None |
| Baboon Hawks | 10.31% | Real |
| Maneater | 4.29% | Real, and escalating |
| Tulip Snakes | 1.5% | Minor |
The Baboon Hawk figure is the one that matters. At 10.31% it is not guaranteed, but it is common enough that you should plan the walk back around it rather than hope.
What changes on this moon
Baboon Hawks are the first outdoor entity that changes your route instead of just existing near it.
They live in troops, and they only turn hostile when your crew is smaller than their group. A troop of four facing three divers will attack. The same troop facing five divers will posture and back off.
The practical consequence is that splitting up on Assurance is worse than splitting up on Experimentation. On Experimentation, two divers alone outside are fine. On Assurance, two divers alone outside are outnumbered, and that is the trigger.
Baboon Hawks also steal scrap. If one kills you or you drop something on the surface, a hawk can carry it back to its nest. Losing a haul this way is recoverable but annoying, and it is another reason to keep the group tight on the walk back.
Maneater at 4.29% is present but not dominant here. It is worth knowing that this entity becomes permanent once it has cried for a cumulative 17 seconds, so hearing one is a clock, not an ambient noise. On Assurance you will usually have time to leave before that clock runs out.
How to run it
Move as a group of at least four when you are on the surface. If your crew is three people, treat the surface as hostile and keep the trip short.
Do not stop outside to argue about routes. Hawks escalate while you stand still, and the discussion is faster on the ship before you land.
Pick up dropped scrap immediately. If someone dies on the surface, the priority is recovering the item before a hawk reaches it, not looting the facility further.
Keep the same indoor habits you built on Experimentation. The facility is not the reason Assurance is harder; the walk is.
What to carry here
A flashlight each. Unchanged from Experimentation, and still the purchase that matters most.
One shovel, carried by whoever walks at the front. Hawks can be fought, unlike most of what you meet indoors. One person with a shovel at the front of the group handles the surface.
A Radar Booster, 60 credits, once the quota grows. It is not needed on day one. By the time Assurance is your second stop in a cycle, the extra awareness on a hawk-heavy surface starts paying for itself.
Do not buy a weapon for everyone. The instinct after your first hawk fight is to arm up, and four shovels is 120 credits plus carried weight on a moon where the real answer is staying together.
When to skip it
Assurance stops being the right answer when its scrap output no longer touches the quota, or when the weather is bad enough that the hawk risk on the surface stops being academic.
At that point Vow is the natural next step. It is still free, and it pays better.
Do not jump from Assurance straight to a paid moon on the strength of one good run. One good run on a cheap moon is not evidence that your crew handles pressure.
Related guides
- Vow moon guide — the third free moon, and where Maneater becomes the main problem.
- How to beat Baboon Hawk — the outnumber rule and the leader’s rest window.
- How to beat Maneater — the 17-second crying clock and why it never resets.