Zrbite
General Information
| Zrbite |
 This is an alloy of Alien origin, part gold part Alien Bio-material. When utilised as a power source, small quantities will generate more power than a nuclear unit of 10 times the size. It is beyond our technical ability to replicate this material as most of its constituents are Alien in origin. |
Source: Terror From The Deep Ufopaedia
|
| Zrbite | ||
|---|---|---|
| Size (h x w) |
1 x 2 | (Bigobs image needed) |
| Weight | 3 | |
| D. Threshold | 20 | |
| Sale Price | $5,000 | |
| Research | ||
Zrbite is the source of the alien power and is a near equivalent to the Elerium-115 used in the previous alien war.
Although constructed from different materials, its usage is identical in that it powers all alien weapons and craft. X-COM can make use of this rare alien commodity to manufacture advanced equipment as well as use it as a fuel for hybrid submarines such as the Leviathan. Zrbite cannot be manufactured and can only be recovered from Alien Submarine Assaults or Colony Assaults.
In the battlescape view, Zrbite can be identified as a small yellow bar at the base of what ever object is occupying the same tile. In the inventory view, Zrbite appears as a 1 × 2 crystal. It can be picked up if an Aquanaut is standing over it. These crytals are fragile and can easily be destroyed by explosives. All crystals that survive the mission are be converted into 50 units of Zrbite at the base.
This item only appears in Terror from the Deep. For the UFO: Enemy Unknown equivalent, refer to Elerium-115.
Obtaining Zrbite
Zrbite cannot be synthesized; it can only be obtained from Alien Submarine Assaults or Colony Assaults. Selling Zrbite is therefore not recommended until you have amassed a reasonable stockpile or have found a regular source of Zrbite.
The best way to accumulate Zrbite is to assault intact alien submarines rather than shoot them down, as the detonation of the Ion Beam Accelerators have a tendency to destroy the Zrbite. However, unlike Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense, Zrbite is not exclusively stored in the sub's power source and may be found in different locations around the ship. This will some of the Zrbite intact on medium or larger ships.
One example of this is the Cruiser. As Zrbite is stored in the tail of the ship, it will not get destroyed now matter how damaged the Cruiser gets when it is shot down. Because this is a very common alien sub, it provides reasonably low risk way to obtain Zrbite.
Another method is to find an Alien Colony and attack the Fleet Supply Cruisers as they land. Leave the base intact to attract more supply ships. This results in an unlimited source of Zrbite. However, these alien subs are challenging as the enemy crew will be supplemented with Disrupter Pulse Launchers. The high risk does provide a suitably high reward in the form of 150 Zrbite and a lot of gear and experience.
Notes
- Researching Zrbite will open up the Research for the Disrupter Pulse Launcher and its ammunition. If you collected the weapon or ammunition samples after you researched Zrbite, they will automatically become available on the completion of the current research project.
