Western Hive (Village)Report
English：Western Hive · Locations
An island ringed by acid water off the coast of Vain, and the capital of the Western Hive. No shops, no beds, nothing that treats an acid burn — just a swarm of patrolling drones and the Queen in her Hill Hut. There is usually only one reason anyone makes the crossing.
The Western Hive is the capital of the Western Hive faction: a village sitting on an island off the coast of Vain.
One point of confusion worth settling first. The Western Hive is both a people and a place. The faction is the caravan civilisation whose traders you meet all over the wastes; this island is its one political centre, where The Queen sits. Vain also holds five Hive Villages, and those are the ones with shops. This island is not one of them.
An island that has prepared nothing for you
The water around the island is acidic. Vain's red central river runs the same way here, and the water damages human and Shek characters. Hivers are not troubled by acid, so they had no reason to build a remedy for it — the island has no shops, and no place at all to recover from the harmful water.
That is the single sentence worth remembering about this place. You cannot patch up here, cannot buy bandages here, cannot sell the load off your back here. Whatever you carried across is all you get.
The settlement is five structures: one Hill Hut plus four hive buildings. For a government that rules very nearly the entire hiver population of the world, that is a disproportionately small capital.
What happens when you land
The first thing that meets you on the beach is a swarm of Soldier Drones on patrol. There are a lot of them, but the Western Hive is neutral towards the player, so as long as you keep your hands to yourself the patrols will leave you alone.
Walk into the Hill Hut and you will find The Queen seated on a strange throne, surrounded by Royal Soldier Drones. They gasp, hurry over, and demand that you leave —
and if you refuse, they still do not turn hostile. That is the one piece of slack this island gives you: you may walk in, look, and stand there. There is exactly one thing that flips the switch — any harm done to the Queen brings every drone nearby down on you at once.
The garrison
| Unit | Combat stats | Gear |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Soldier Drone | 50 | Polearm (Ancient), Rag Loincloth, Basic First Aid Kit |
| Soldier Drone | 40 | Same |
| The Queen | Strength 80, combat 40, unarmed 35 | None |
The Royal guard sounds grand, but it carries exactly the same kit as the ordinary drones outside — the only difference is ten points of combat stat. They are the only thing on the island tougher than a Hive Village garrison.
The Queen
The Queen does not speak; she screeches. She looks organic, but the game counts her as a machine: bandages do nothing for her. She still starves — a caged Queen with no food will die of it, even though her hunger bar is hidden.
Worth noting: for all the Holy Nation's loathing of hivers, there is no bounty on the Queen's head. Nobody is taking her for the money.
Is it worth the trip?
As a supply stop this place scores below zero — nothing to buy, nothing to heal with, and the water bites. Vain's actual trade stops are the five Hive Villages, with their Hive Traders and robotics shops.
People cross anyway, usually for one of three reasons:
- to see The Queen with their own eyes (pure tourism; the only cost is the walk)
- to take her, and wipe the Western Hive off the map
- to get close enough to see what those five buildings actually look like
The Map of Vain will not help. That map reveals every Hive Village at 100%, and the island capital is not on its list. You find this one on foot.
What happens if you touch the Queen
This is one of the highest-leverage single targets in the game. Take her out and the entire Western Hive branch of the world changes track.
| What you do | What follows |
|---|---|
| Kill or imprison The Queen | This island itself becomes Deadhive Overrun |
| ″ | Every Hive Village and Distant Hive Village is overrun by Fogmen |
| ″ | Fog Deathyards begin spawning in Vain, Dreg and Okran's Gulf |
| ″ | Hive Bandits and Lost Princes start wandering a dozen-plus zones |
| ″ | The Farm Trader and Materials Trader events stop happening for good |
| Kidnap her (not kill) | Hive Attack: nine squads of nine Soldier Drones march on your base |
Off the island: Vain
Step off the island and you are in one of the prettiest and most lethal regions in the wastes. The ground in Vain has a red cast, an acid river runs down the middle, and the sky delivers red rain — the rain does not burn; the water on the ground does.
The wildlife threat is two animals: Beak Things and Gorillos. Beak Things are fast enough that even maxed athletics will not outrun them, and they eat their prey alive. The usual advice is a combat level of 40 before entering Vain at all.