Saturation Diving Abyssal Hollow Progression Guide

How do you prepare for Abyssal Hollow?

Treat preparation as a four-part gate: pressure, oxygen, light, and recovery. If any gate is unknown or barely passes, shorten the objective. Deeper access does not mean the crew is ready to spend time there.

What is the minimum equipment requirement?

The minimum is positive margin at the deepest planned point, not a fixed item name. Compare Standard, Reinforced, and Atmospheric suits using current pressure ratings, and tanks using current capacity and drain.

Gate	Pass condition
Suit	Rating remains above target depth after route changes
Oxygen	Work time remains after travel, reserve, and contingency
Light	Crew can navigate without lighting every open lane
Repair	Engineer can restore a retreat-critical system
Formation	Captain and Spotter keep one exit lane identified

Use the suit and tank chart and progression guide.

How should lighting be managed?

Light the next decision point, not the entire hollow. Keep one reference light on the return landmark, sweep only the intended lane, compare contact movement, and reduce unnecessary light during an uncertain encounter.

How do you respond to environmental hazards?

Convert a collapse, cold section, or visibility loss into an immediate route decision. Captain chooses hold or retreat, Engineer checks whether systems can sustain the delay, Spotter searches one alternative, and Salvager drops cargo that threatens mobility.

Which monsters are the biggest route risk?

Large or pressure-linked encounters are dangerous because they can remove the open-water lane. Review the monster overview before entering.

What is the safest first-clear strategy?

Complete one objective cluster, return through the same cover chain, and leave optional mining for later. Continue to Black Mound only after Abyssal Hollow can be extracted without spending the emergency reserve.