Cleared ground in the Deep North can gradually fill with snow again. Restoration follows snowfall and respects overhead shelter and active shield coverage.
When does snow return?
While an area is loaded, exposed ground accumulates snow during snowy weather.
Snow builds up gradually.
The weather’s snowfall strength determines the restoration rate.
Blizzards and snowstorms receive an additional threefold buildup multiplier.
Weather without snowfall adds no snow.
Restoration stops when the ground reaches its original local snow depth. It does not create an ever-growing layer.
Changes are applied in batches, so the surface may update in small steps rather than continuously.
What happens while you are away?
When an area loads again, the system checks ordinary weather since its last recorded snow checkpoint.
Weather during the unvisited period | Result |
|---|---|
Snowfall or a blizzard occurred | Eligible exposed ground can return to its original snow depth. |
No snowfall occurred | Cleared ground keeps its existing snow depth. |
This catch-up deliberately treats even a short snowfall as enough for full restoration. An area may therefore look fully snow-covered when you return, even though restoration would have been gradual while you stayed nearby.
Large jumps in world time, such as sleeping through the night, use the same catch-up rule.
Existing areas without a recorded checkpoint begin tracking when first encountered by the system. Earlier weather is not guessed.
What protects cleared ground?
Solid overhead cover and active shield-generator coverage prevent restoration beneath them.
Overhead pieces the game treats as leaky do not provide this protection. Shield protection follows the shield’s actual current radius.
When you remove protection from loaded ground, it becomes eligible for future snowfall. Snow accumulated while it was protected is not suddenly dumped onto it.
For an area returning from being unloaded, the system checks the protection present when it loads. It does not reconstruct previous roof layouts or past shield fuel and coverage.
Does restoration undo landscaping?
Snow restoration changes the snow layer. It preserves terrain height and other ground-paint information.
Digging, raising or levelling terrain is not reversed by this system. However, exposed cleared surfaces can become covered with snow again.
The feature applies specifically to Deep North ground, including the Deep North portion of an area crossing a biome boundary.
Keeping an area clear
Use suitable overhead cover or maintain active shield coverage over the ground you want to protect.
Clearing exposed snow is temporary: later snowfall can fill it again. If restoration is not immediately visible, allow time for snowfall, area loading and the next restoration batch.