Outworld Station Guide

Enhanced Containment system flow from unlocking in the Command Tree through captured asteroid processing to refined inorganic materials

The Mid-Game Resource Wall and How to Break Through It

Around Station Level 12, your factory hits a wall. You need more Titanium, more Nitrox, more rare gases, but your existing mining outposts are tapped out and the nearest asteroid belt is four sectors away. The Enhanced Containment upgrade, added in v1.1, gives you a way around this: capture small asteroids, dock them to your station, and extract their inorganic resources directly.

I unlocked this upgrade at Station Level 13 and it saved me from having to build a third remote mining outpost. Here is exactly how it works and which asteroids to prioritize.

If you are still building up your main production lines, start with our Assembly Line Ratios Guide to make sure your base factory is running at full efficiency before adding containment systems.

Unlocking Enhanced Containment

The Enhanced Containment upgrade appears in the Command Tree at Station Level 13. It requires Advanced Materials (Production Tree, Level 11) and Logistics III (Logistics Tree, Level 12) as prerequisites. The Containment Bay module itself is built like any other station module – press B, go to the Infrastructure tab, and select Containment Bay.

Important placement tip: The Containment Bay needs clear space on your station hull. If your station is tightly packed, you may need to expand first. The module is 2 tiles wide and 1 tile deep. Place it on an outward-facing hull section for easy asteroid docking.

For efficient station expansion, see our Station Layout Guide.

How to Capture Asteroids

Once the Containment Bay is built, the capture process works through your ship fleet:

Asteroid Types and What They Produce

There are three capturable asteroid types in v1.1:

Which one to capture first: Gas asteroid, without question. The v1.1 recipe changes made Nitrox a critical ingredient for Diamond, Nitronic Acid, AND the alternative Superalloy recipe. A single Gas asteroid produces 12 Nitrox per minute – enough to feed two Diamond Synthesizers and one Nitronic Acid processor combined. See our v1.1 Recipe Changes Guide for the full breakdown of new recipe requirements.

Yield upgrades: The Tech Tree has two upgrades that boost asteroid extraction:

• Advanced Containment (Level 15): +30% extraction rate
• Deep Core Analysis (Level 17): Unlocks third resource on Gas and Mineral asteroids

Containment Bay Management

Each Containment Bay module can hold up to 2 asteroids. If you want more, build a second bay. A single bay with two Gas asteroids produces 24 Nitrox/min – enough to support a mid-to-late-game factory.

Resource routing: The Containment Bay has 4 output slots. Pair each slot to a different production line. I have two slots feeding my Diamond line and two feeding my Nitronic Acid processors. This keeps the resource flow stable without splitters.

Power draw: A Containment Bay with one asteroid draws 3 MW. Two asteroids draw 5 MW. Factor this into your power budget. Our Multi-Source Power Grid Stability Guide covers power planning for mid-game expansions.

Advanced Containment – Unlocking Third Resources at Level 15

At Station Level 15, research the Advanced Containment upgrade. This does two things:

• +30% extraction rate on all asteroids
• Unlocks a third extractable resource on Gas and Mineral asteroids

Gas Asteroid third resource: Helium-3 at 4/min. This is a late-game fuel for high-end ship thrusters and the Space Elevator.

Mineral Asteroid third resource: Platinum at 3/min. Platinum is used in advanced electronics and Endgame module production. Before Advanced Containment, Platinum was only available from deep-space mining expeditions. This upgrade makes it a passive income.

The Advanced Containment research costs 5,500 Tech Points and takes 8 minutes. It is worth rushing if you are at Level 15 and still have active asteroid slots.

Common Mistakes with Enhanced Containment

Mistake 1: Capturing a Mixed asteroid first. Mixed asteroids seem efficient because they produce both gas and minerals, but the rates are too low to matter. 5/min of random gas is not enough to make a difference. Always start with a dedicated Gas or Mineral asteroid.

Mistake 2: Not upgrading the Station Scanner. Capturable asteroids only show up within scanner range. The base range is 200 units. Upgrade to Long Range Scanner (Level 12 tech) to extend to 500 units. Without it, you might not see any capturable asteroids at all.

Mistake 3: Letting the Containment Bay fill up. Each asteroid has internal storage of 200 units. When full, extraction stops. Pair the output to a storage container or production building immediately after docking.

Mistake 4: Building the bay in the wrong spot. If placed on a covered hull section, the asteroid docking animation clips through your station modules. Place it on an outward-facing edge.

Enhanced Containment vs. Remote Mining Outposts

How does Enhanced Containment compare to building a traditional remote mining outpost?

Verdict: Enhanced Containment is faster and cheaper for mid-game resource gaps. Remote outposts are better for long-term, high-volume production. Use containment as a bridge to close the gap between mid-game shortages and late-game outpost infrastructure.

For setting up proper remote mining, see our Remote Mining Outpost Guide.