Exotic Minerals Expanded
Exotic Minerals were introduced with Below & Beyond…
but they were never truly integrated into the surface economy.
This mod changes that.
Exotic Minerals Expanded adds meaningful, balanced, late-game surface applications for Exotic Minerals — giving you real reasons to visit the underground and harvest asteroids.
No longer an underused resource.
No longer an afterthought.
Exotics now matter.
My other mods
I focus on enhancing gameplay by increasing player agency and choice.
This mod is part of my Surviving Mars: Relaunched collection:
View the full mod collection
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• 7 New Technologies (1 per Tech Field)
• 8 New Building Upgrades powered by Exotic Minerals
• Early-game Exotic access via StoryBit unlock
• Integrated Underground Anomaly reward
• Configurable upgrade costs (Low / Normal / High / Extreme)
• New late-game Social/Biotech content: Telepaths
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When Below & Beyond introduced Exotic Minerals, the resource had enormous potential — but very few practical uses on the surface.
Mining underground or harvesting asteroids rarely felt necessary, because Exotic Minerals were barely integrated into the surface economy.
Exotic Minerals Expanded addresses that gap.
The goal is simple:
connect Below & Beyond systems to the core colony simulation in a way that feels balanced, meaningful, and consistent with the original design philosophy of Surviving Mars.
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Below & Beyond content should connect to the surface via Exotic Minerals.
Every new upgrade:
✔ Feels impactful
✔ Is balanced for gameplay
✔ Respects the 3-upgrade building limit
✔ Encourages player choice
This mod is not a cheat mod — it is a systems integration mod.
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Exotic Energy Synthesis
Power Accumulators slowly generate power from stored reserves.
Exotic Shielding
Major output boost for Stirlings & Fusion Reactors.
Exotic Harmonic Actuators
Triboelectric Scrubbers gain extended cleaning range and self-maintenance capability.
Exotic Thermal Distributors
Subsurface Heaters protect a larger area while reducing water consumption at standard ranges.
Asteroid-Derived Targeting Models
MDS Lasers gain extended range and dramatically reduced cooldown.
Exotic Logistics Mesh
Faster shuttles contribute to Global Temperature.
Persistent Biosphere Seeding
Forestation Plants continue contributing past 40% vegetation.
Exotic Cognitive Lattice
Sanatoriums may create a new special trait: Telepath.
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After visiting the Sanatorium, colonists may develop the Telepath trait.
• Passive productivity bonus
• Telepaths amplify each other when working together
• Nearby colonists benefit from their presence
• Project Morpheus can occasionally create Telepaths
Telepaths introduce a new social dynamic to your colony.
Clusters of Telepaths can transform workplace productivity, while their presence subtly benefits the entire shift. Managing where Telepaths work can become a strategic decision — especially in high-value industries.
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Each upgrade has configurable build cost:
• Low (0.5x)
• Normal (1x – Default)
• High (2x)
• Extreme (4x)
Scale Exotics consumption to match your difficulty preferences.
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New Game Required
(New techs and early anomaly injection will not appear mid-save.)
Not Compatible With:
• "No Below and Beyond" Game Rule
(Exotic Minerals will not exist.)
Terraforming Disabled Game Rule:
• Forestation Plant upgrade will not appear
• Shuttle temperature contribution will not apply
Warning: Do NOT disable mid-game.
Upgrades modify building templates and colonist traits. Removing the mod may break saves.
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This mod was designed to integrate cleanly with existing game systems.
• No heavy polling loops
• No continuous background scanning
• Upgrades apply effects only when active
• Lightweight runtime hooks where necessary
The mod has been tested for stability and save compatibility across long play sessions.
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This mod exists to close the gap left when Below & Beyond development ended.
Exotic Minerals are now:
• A strategic resource
• A surface economy driver
• A meaningful late-game decision
If you enjoy system cohesion and meaningful tech progression, this mod is for you.
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Version 1.0 – Initial Release.
Version 1.01 – Balance changes:
• Moved the Exotic Logistics, Resonant Tribo-Harmonics, Exotic Field Containment, and Persistent Biosphere Seeding technologies earlier in the research tree.
• Moved the Asteroid-Derived Targeting Models technology slightly later in the research tree.
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Feedback welcome.
