How to keep colonists alive in Surviving Mars Surviving Mars Guide & Walkthrough

Last update: 20 March 2018

Keeping your colonists alive is a very important aspect of the game. This is quite a simple task, but you can easily forget about a few things. This chapter is a short compendium-reminder.

Comfort

Aside from food, oxygen and water, this is the most important parameter. Without the proper buildings increasing comfort in the dome, you won't see the birth of the first Martian. What makes this parameter even more important is the fact that colonists suffering from low level of comfort can flee from the colony. You can find more about the comfort and other parameters in the Colonists chapter of this guide.

To increase the comfort in the dome, you just need to construct public buildings (they also provide specific services) - diners, spacebars or shops - as well as places where colonists can rest, passively and actively - decorations and open-air gyms that increase comfort. More on the public buildings and decorations can be found in the "What to build in domes?" chapter.

Oxygen

Oxygen is another very important element of the game - without it you won't be able to accept any colonists to the colony (technically you will, but they will die). Construct several MOXIEs, as well as oxygen tanks. Thanks to this, you will have some oxygen stored in the event of a crisis. You can also increase the level of oxygen production through hydroponic farms. More on what to grow in order to get oxygen can be found in "Extracting and processing raw materials" chapter.

Food

Getting food is easier due to the fact that you can get some of it with the transport of colonists. You can also use the sponsor's funds and order food separately. However, for the majority of the time you will be producing your own food using farms. Remember to process food properly - construct diners and grocery stores in domes. For more information about the topic look into "Extracting and processing raw materials" chapter.

Water

Without water, similarly to the case with the oxygen, you won't be able to properly invite new colonists. With the help of water extractors and moisture separators you can acquire water. You should also build a couple of water towers - thanks to that you will have some water stored in case of a crisis. You can reduce water usage in domes with the help of specific spire and crops. More information about the spire and crops can be found in "Expanding the base" and "Extracting and processing resources".