Timber Hearth is the home planet of the Hearthians and where the player begins their journey. It has an mainly rocky composition accented with forests, ridges, and waterfalls. The terrain has little variation out of plains and large craters, one of which forms the area of the village.
Locations
Geyser Mountains
There are four small Geyser mountains and one large Geyser mountain, the four smaller mountains serve as a way to enter the underground water current underneath Timber Hearth's crust. The largest Geyser mountain serves as the entrance to the Nomai Ruins of Mining Site 2b, and is most likely the player's first encounter with Nomai Architecture (including gravity lifts!)
Nomai Ruins
Ash Twin Tower Receiver
The Ash Twin Tower receiver is intended to be the first warp receiver the player finds, though the function is not supposed to be revealed until you visit Brittle Hollow and consequently the White Hole Station. The Nomai used the warp receiver to transfer ore from Timber Hearth to the Ash Twin Project with ease.
First Encounter Mural
In the reservoir under the bridge, the player can find Nomai writing discussing where to locate a mine in light of having encountered native fauna on Timber Hearth. They describe the creatures as four-eyed and semi-aquatic, implying the species they encountered was that of the player, millennia ago. A mural depicts three of the creatures emerging from a pool while two space-suited Nomai look on.
Mining Site 2b
Mining Site 2b is the first significant site of Nomai Architecture in the game, and is where the Nomai had to move the mining site to after discovering Mining Site 2a was home to "4-eyed semi-aquatic creatures", the Nomai drawings show this to be an ancestor of the Hearthians. Mining Site 2b is where the Nomai mined the ore to construct the impenetrable core of the Ash Twin Project, as it was the only metal strong enough to temporarily withstand the heat of a Supernova. It is accessible via an entrance located within the largest Geyser Mountain on Timber Hearth.
The Village
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with The Village.
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- Please see the Discussion page for reasoning.
Backer Graveyard
Behind a building near the launch tower (<100m) are three gravestones naming financial backers of the game's development. The area is only accessible via flight.
Fenced-Off Ghost Matter
DANGER! Inside this fence is a pocket of ghost matter - a strange and impossibly cold substance that's invisible to the naked eyes. The good news is that you can detect ghost matter with a camera. Moving through ghost matter is uniquely painful and will probably kill you. Don't complain to me if you hurt yourself fooling around. - Hornfels
A small fenced-off area that serves to introduce the player to ghost matter, and teaches them how to spot it with a camera. Arkose can be found throwing rocks into it.
Geyser Cave
Accessible through the mouth of the village geysers is one of many underwater caves that run beneath the surface of Timber Hearth. Aside from connections to that cave system, there's nothing here besides some trash.
Launch Tower
The Launch Tower is a hollowed out tree with a launch pad on top and the starting point for the player's ship. The tower base contains miscellaneous spaceflight equipment (including the pilot chair from Feldspar's inaugural launch into space) and Rutile. The launch pad is accessible by a lift that can only be activated once the player gets the launch codes.
Mica's Model Ship Station
Just off the path from the launch tower, Mica can be found idling by the controls for a miniature version of the player's ship, which can be used to practice the flight controls, though the scale and third-person perspective make it more finicky than the actual ship.
Observatory
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with The Observatory.
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- Please see the Discussion page for reasoning.
The Observatory (or the Museum) is where the player goes to obtain launch codes at the start of the game. The exhibits introduce objects and concepts that will be relevant to the player's travels, including:
- A recently recovered Nomai bust
- A rock shard that appears to move on its own when not being observed
- A live alien anglerfish specimen
- A gravity crystal
- An incomplete Nomai skeleton
- A piece of wall with Nomai writing on it
as well as models and notes about gravity, the perpetual expansion of the universe, and the end-of-life cycle of stars.
This is where the player receives the launch codes from Hornfels, and where they become paired with the memory statue.
Scout-Launcher Platform
A platform near the ghost matter patch with a stationary scout launcher and signage telling the user what they can expect to see if they fire the scout in certain directions. The player can use this to get a feel for scout use before they get access to their space suit, and to get a feel for the layout of locations on Timber Hearth.
Zero-G Cave
At the end of a mine shaft (which is actively being used for mining by Tuff) is a cave at the center of Timber Hearth that effectively has zero gravity. The player can use a borrowed space suit to test jetting around in zero-g and conduct repairs on a broken piece of machinery to get a taste for repairing their own ship in space.
Accessible via mine shaft, the Zero-G Cave is an effectively zero-gravity cave at the center of Timber Hearth that Gossan (who greets you at the entrance) uses to train Hearthians in extra-vehicular space flight. In the cave is a broken piece of machinery on which the player can practice zero-g repairs, much like they might have to if their ship is damaged in space.
Quantum Grove Crater
The Quantum Grove is an area on Timber Hearth that contains both a shard of the Quantum Moon (Grove Shard) and also a quantum poem made by Gabbro. There is a total of 24 positions of the poem, with one being "The quiet shade/ Across old bark/ In the ancient glade/ It's always dark". This area is the easiest and closest quantum shard (bar the Museum Shard) to discover, unlocking the Quantum Frequency for your Signalscope. Whilst this Shard does not have any quantum rules that need learning, once it unlocks the frequency it makes it easier to discover the other Quantum shards across the solar system, so you can start your "Quantum Pilgrimage"
Youngbark Crater
Initially, the player finds a note from Tektite stating that they saw smoke coming up from Youngbark Crater and is going to investigate. Also, they made it clear to not break the scout launcher, which is being used to keep a look out for fires[Source Needed 1].
Upon arriving at Youngbark Crater the player is greeted with a Dark Bramble Seed, which unbeknownst to the Hearthians is beginning to infect the planet.
Speaking with Tektite yields that the seed is clearly not from this planet and it is most likely from the Dark Bramble. More importantly they believe it needs to be destroyed as soon as possible. Tektite states that they want to drag the scout launcher over to the site and shoot a scout into it, before sicking Marl and Hal on it. Thankfully for the player, this seed leads directly to Feldspar's camp.
Outside of this information this area seems to only serve the purpose of:
- Introducing the player to how space works in the Dark Bramble
- Give the players a reason to go the Dark Bramble
- An easy way to find Feldspar
Inhabitants
- Arkose
- Hal
- Hornfels
- Galena
- Gossan
- Gneiss
- Marl
- Mica
- Moraine
- Porphy
- Rutile
- Slate
- Spinel
- Tektite
- Tephra
- Tuff
Texts and recordings
Nomai Ruins | |
Ash Twin Tower Receiver (dependent on in-game time, arrival time is always one hundred-thousandth of a second earlier than departure time)
Departure Time: XXX.XXXX Arrival Time: XXX.XXXX Return warp status: CHARGED. Step onto warp platform when ready. |
First Encounter Mural COLEUS: After closer observation, mining site 2a wouldn’t be safe for the native life dwelling in some of this cave’s pools, so (unfortunately) we’ll have to mine one of the other sites.
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Mining Site 2b - Ore purpose OENO: I’m still amazed by how much ore the Ash Twin Project requires!
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Mining Site 2b - Last of the ore
YARROW: My gratitude for the latest shipment, Oeno! This ore should be the last we’ll need for the Ash Twin Project.
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Quantum Grove Crater |
Quantum poem (Line order is different every time the player looks away. There are 24 different variations)
Across old bark The quiet shade It's always dark In the ancient glade |
The Village | |
Fenced-Off Ghost Matter
DANGER! Inside this fence is a pocket of ghost matter - a strange and dangerous substance that’s invisible to the naked eyes. The good news is that you can detect ghost matter with a camera. Moving through ghost matter is uniquely painful and will probably kill you. Don’t complain to me if you hurt yourself fooling around. - Hornfels |
Museum - Anglerfish This anglerfish specimen was found attached to the landing gear of one of our ships that flew close to Dark Bramble. It appears well-suited to living in dark places with minimal atmosphere. |
Museum - Attlerock's gravity Watch closely... these balls move on their own! The ground is perfectly level, so what do you think causes this spooky motion? The answer is the moon! As it orbits our planet, the Attlerock’s gravity pulls on objects from different directions. In fact, it’s pulling on you right now! |
Museum - Feldspar's pilot seat This pilot seat, used by pioneering astronaut Feldspar, is all that remains of our inaugural flight into space. Although it’s been argued such a distinction requires a breathtakingly liberal definition of flight, that day will nevertheless always be remembered as landmark achievement in Hearthian history. |
Museum - Gravity crystal This crystal was taken from a Nomai ruin on Brittle Hollow. It seems to create a local gravity distortion, and was most likely used to traverse steep surfaces. Try it out! |
Museum - Moving rock The strange rock moving around in this grotto appears to react to conscious observation. The level-headed among us realize there must be some sort of optical illusion at play, but Gabbro claims the rock “exists in all possible states until it is observed” (whatever that means). Whatever is actually happening, both sides of this debate agree the effect is extremely creepy. |
Museum - Nomai pottery
Aside from the dwellings and structures they built, the Nomai also made art. This decorated pottery was discovered on Brittle Hollow. Some ancient Nomai art depicts strange animals, foreign celestial objects, and other subjects that can’t be found in our solar system, which makes us wonder whether the Nomai originated elsewhere in the universe or simply had vibrant imaginations. Were the Nomai born in our solar system? Or were they born among other stars and planets - and if they were, how and why did they come here? These are just some of the questions we hope to answer through further xenoarchaeological expeditions. |
Museum - Nomai skeleton What you see here are parts of the Nomai skeleton. We can tell from their skulls that they possessed antlers and, quite unusually, only three eyes. The Nomai body was most likely adapted for living exclusively on land. The differences in the Nomai’s anatomy, such as their shockingly fragile bone structure, show us that Hearthians couldn’t have descended from Nomaian ancestors. It’s not clear where the Nomai originated from, or why they disappeared. We hope to find more clues to this puzzle as we explore our solar system. |
Museum - Nomai statue This remarkably intact statue was carved by the Nomai, an ancient species who dwelled in our solar system thousands of years ago. The statue provides us with our most detailed look yet at the Nomai, who appear to have been covered with a layer of fur. Note the decorative jewelry that has been carved as part of the antlers. Although their artifacts and structures have been found on almost every planet in this solar system, we still have no idea where this species came from or what happened to them. |
Museum - Nomai technology The Nomai technology brought back from space by our astronauts has been a great boon to Outer Wilds Ventures, allowing us to modify expedition gear in exciting and useful ways. For example, the Little Scout now boasts a warp retrieval capability that allows astronauts to recall their scouts almost instantly. This has dramatically reduced the number of scouts lost to the depths of space. |
Museum - Nomai writing This piece of Nomai writing was essential to deciphering their unique language. Although this text is linear, Nomai text often branches off from a central point. Interestingly, each branch tends to be written by a different author. CASSAVA: We’re nearly ready! Filix and I have finished construction, and she says calibrating the device won’t take long.
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Museum - Outer Wilds Ventures founding members Outer Wilds Ventures founding members. Clockwise from top left: Hornfels, Gossan, Slate, and Feldspar. |
Museum - Outer Wilds Ventures additional members Big thanks to these additional founding members of Outer Wilds Ventures, without whom we would never have gotten off the ground: Matthew Steinhauer Ben Etherington QwertyuiopThePie Jordan Frith Tom Cummings Sean "sharktemplar" Farrell Steven Ursell Ryan / Ohmwrecker |
Museum - Outer Wilds Ventures exploration Outer Wilds Ventures, Timber Hearth’s first and only space program, was founded to explore the farthest reaches of our solar system. Feldspar was the first Hearthian to be intentionally launched into space. They completed the first orbit around Timber Hearth and later made the first of what would be many landings on our moon, the Attlerock. |
Museum - Sky Shutter This projector is linked to our "Sky Shutter" satellite, which is currently orbiting Timber Hearth. The satellite is equipped with two onboard cameras. See if you can take a snapshot of our village! |
Museum - Sun life cycle Stars like our sun generate light and heat by fusing hydrogen into helium. As it grows older, the star runs out of hydrogen and starts to contract. As the star’s core contracts, it gets hotter, causing the outer layers to expand. The star has become a red giant. When the core is hot enough, it starts to fuse helium into carbon. If a star is massive enough, it will continue to fuse carbon into even heavier elements like iron. Ultimately, the star will collapse under its own gravity and then explode in a violent event called a supernova. Based on Chert’s observations, this will one day be the fate of our own sun. |
Observatory - Notes part 1 Hornfel’s Observations This is incredible! At first I thought the points of light in this image were stars, but they’re not... they’re galaxies! And this image covers just a tiny patch of the whole sky, which means the universe contains at least a thousand times more galaxies than we previously imagined. I... I think I need to sit down. |
Observatory - Notes part 2 Hmmm, this is odd. According to my redshift calculations, every single galaxy in this image is moving away from us. In fact, the farther away a galaxy is, the faster it appears to be moving away. It’s almost as if the entire universe is expanding. But if that’s true, was everything closer together in the past? And how far back can we extrapolate? Did the universe have a beginning? At this rate of expansion, it won’t be long until all of the galaxies are too far away for us to see. I need to hurry and take more observations! |
Scout-Launcher Platform I saw smoke coming from Youngbark Crater up north and figured I should go check it out. You can use the scout launcher, just please don’t break it while I’m gone. – Tektite |
Zero-G Cave Hey! Come say hi to your old flight coach before your launch. I’ve got zero-g training set up if you want a refresher. -Gossan |
References
- ↑ This cite is used when information is lacking empirical evidence. Please remove it if the information is found.