Icarus Walkthrough — Start to Endgame

Icarus is a session-based survival game from RocketWerkz (DayZ creator Dean Hall) where players drop from an orbital station onto a terraformed alien planet for timed prospect missions. Each drop is a race against the clock — gather resources, complete objectives, and return to your dropship before the timer expires or lose your character permanently. Between drops, you spend earned currency on Workshop gear that persists across missions. The Open World maps added permanent bases, and the game has evolved significantly since launch with biome additions and talent rework.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. Follow this path to avoid common traps that stall most players.

Quick Progression Summary

Phase 1: Getting Started — Forest Biome

The most forgiving biome with moderate temperatures, abundant wood, and basic wildlife (deer, rabbits, wolves, bears). Most starter prospects take place here. Resources are plentiful but spread out — iron deposits are common in rock faces and cave entrances.

Level/Difficulty: Beginner prospects Key Rewards: Iron, Copper, basic leather/fur, abundant wood and stone

What to Do in Forest Biome

1. Learn prospect missions. Prospects are timed missions lasting hours to days (real-time) with specific objectives: scan locations, hunt exotic creatures, mine rare veins, or survive extreme weather events. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
2. Pick Construction Spec as your starting build. It's the most forgiving option.
3. Always bring Oxite on your first drop into Arctic prospects — without it, you can freeze to death before building any shelter. Oxite provides 10 minutes of cold resistance when consumed.
4. Acquire your first equipment upgrade — Compound Bow or whatever's available.
5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

• Understand prospect missions fundamentals
• Construction Spec selected and functional
• Forest Biome main content cleared
• Ready for Arctic Biome

Phase 2: Early Game — Arctic Biome

Freezing temperatures (-30C to -50C) that drain health without Fur Armor and shelter. Blizzards reduce visibility to near zero and cause rapid hypothermia. Rich in Platinum deposits and exotic ice fauna. Bring Oxite for emergency warmth and build Tier 2+ shelter immediately upon landing.

Level/Difficulty: Mid-level prospects (Tier 2-3 gear) Key Rewards: Platinum Ore, Arctic-exclusive fauna drops, high-value Exotics veins

What to Do in Arctic Biome

1. Work on orbital station. Between drops, you access the Orbital Workshop where you spend Exotics and credits on persistent equipment (Workshop items). This system becomes critical from here on.
2. Farm for Compound Bow if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
3. Tier 2 wood houses survive storms but Tier 1 thatch does not — prioritize upgrading your shelter walls to wood within the first 20 minutes of any prospect.
4. Complete all objectives before pushing to Desert Biome.
5. Consider whether Solo Build might suit your playstyle better than Construction Spec.

Phase 2 Checklist

• orbital station integrated into gameplay
• Compound Bow acquired
• Arctic Biome fully cleared
• Ready for Desert Biome

Phase 3: Mid Game — Desert Biome

Extreme heat during the day with cold nights. Sandstorms reduce visibility and damage exposed players. Water is scarce — bring Rain Reservoirs or find oasis points. Rich in Titanium deposits and contains unique desert fauna with valuable drops.

Level/Difficulty: Mid to high-level prospects Key Rewards: Titanium, Desert fauna materials, rare mineral veins

What to Do in Desert Biome

1. Master talent trees. Three talent trees (Solo, Construction, Combat) provide passive bonuses that persist permanently. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
2. Start working toward Hunting Rifle. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
3. Skinning knife gives double animal resources compared to pickaxe or bare hands. Craft one as soon as you have iron — the extra leather and fur accelerate your armor progression.
4. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
5. Start investing in weather survival for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

• talent trees mastered
• Hunting Rifle acquired or in progress
• Desert Biome fully cleared
• Ready for Riverlands

Phase 4: Late Game — Riverlands

A temperate biome centered around large river systems. Good for fishing (a reliable food source) and contains alluvial gold deposits. Wildlife is moderate — river predators (crocodile-like fauna) guard water access points. Less extreme weather than Arctic or Desert makes this a comfortable mid-game area.

Level/Difficulty: Early to mid-level prospects Key Rewards: Gold deposits, fish (reliable food), river fauna drops

What to Do in Riverlands

1. Finalize your build. You should be running Solo Build or Construction Spec with optimized gear.
2. Hunting Rifle should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
3. Fill canteens at rivers before heading inland — dehydration kills faster than starvation, and finding water in the Arctic or Desert biomes is much harder than in forests.
4. resource extraction optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Styx Map.

Phase 4 Checklist

• Build fully optimized
• Hunting Rifle upgraded to max
• Riverlands fully cleared
• Ready for Styx Map

Phase 5: Endgame — Styx Map

An Open World map with no time limit, allowing permanent base construction. Players build persistent outposts with full crafting infrastructure. The Styx map contains all biome types and is the best option for players who dislike the timed prospect system. Mission boards in Styx provide objectives for Exotic currency.

Level/Difficulty: All levels (permanent base) Key Rewards: Permanent progression, all biome resources, Open World mission board rewards

What to Do in Styx Map

1. Styx Map tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
2. Abandon prospects before the timer expires or your character is permanently lost with all Workshop gear they carried. Set an alarm for 30 minutes before deadline.
3. The endgame loop: run Styx Map, optimize gear, push harder content.
4. Experiment with Combat Medic for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
5. This is where resource extraction mastery separates good players from great ones.

Phase 5 Checklist

• Endgame content on farm
• Best-in-slot gear acquired
• Styx Map fully cleared
• Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

• Forgetting to return to the dropship before the timer expires — this is permanent character death with all gear. Always track the prospect timer and head back with time to spare.
• Dropping into Arctic prospects without cold protection — hypothermia kills in under 2 minutes without Fur Armor or Oxite, and you'll die before crafting any shelter.
• Ignoring Workshop gear between missions — players who spend all Exotics on cosmetics instead of Workshop tools start every new prospect at a massive disadvantage.
• Building Tier 1 thatch shelters and expecting them to survive storms — lightning and wind destroy thatch instantly, killing you inside what you thought was safe shelter.
• Fighting bears with melee weapons early game — their charge attack one-shots players in Tier 1 armor. Use a bow from elevated ground or lure them into water where they move slowly.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

1. Always bring Oxite on your first drop into Arctic prospects — without it, you can freeze to death before building any shelter. Oxite provides 10 minutes of cold resistance when consumed.
2. Tier 2 wood houses survive storms but Tier 1 thatch does not — prioritize upgrading your shelter walls to wood within the first 20 minutes of any prospect.
3. Skinning knife gives double animal resources compared to pickaxe or bare hands. Craft one as soon as you have iron — the extra leather and fur accelerate your armor progression.
4. Fill canteens at rivers before heading inland — dehydration kills faster than starvation, and finding water in the Arctic or Desert biomes is much harder than in forests.
5. Abandon prospects before the timer expires or your character is permanently lost with all Workshop gear they carried. Set an alarm for 30 minutes before deadline.

For detailed build optimization, see Icarus builds. For quick wins, check tips & tricks.