ATMOSFAR PACE Bases: Drones, Turrets and Safe Looting

PACE is the old industrial power on Tycos. Its facilities are scattered across the middle layer of the map, with a major foundry on Pearl Island where the opening tutorial takes place. They are not dungeons with a boss at the end. They are workplaces that were abandoned mid-shift, which is exactly why they are full of the materials you need.

What a PACE site looks like

The ATMOSFAR map and regions guide describes the middle layer as the salvage layer: drier plains, rock, caves and PACE ruins. The facilities themselves range from small roadside structures to the Pearl Island foundry. Common features include:

• Flat loading yards with crates and panels.
• Gantries and catwalks above the yard.
• Fixed turret emplacements covering the open approach.
• Interior rooms with circuit boards, records and artefact cases.
• Drones circling the perimeter or hovering near a doorway.

Not every site has every feature. A small relay station may have one drone and no turret. A foundry may have several turrets and a steady drone patrol. Treat every site as if it has both until you have walked the perimeter.

Why PACE sites are worth the risk

The ATMOSFAR resources guide lists PACE facilities as a source of structural scrap, pipes, panels, circuit boards, artefacts, research drives and reactor cores. That is four different progression currencies in one place:

A full scrap hold is nice. A hold full of circuit boards and artefacts changes what you can build. That is why the risk is worth managing rather than avoiding.

The two defences

Guard drones

PACE's security drones still patrol the old facilities. They do not tire and they do not negotiate. The ATMOSFAR creatures guide covers the full counter list; the short version is:

1. Stun first. Use a stunner or the Striker's turret. A hand tool is not a weapon here.
2. Extract during the reboot. The stun window is the whole fight. If you waste it, the drone comes back.
3. Do not trade shots. Trying to out-shoot a drone with a hand tool is how new players lose their first PACE run.

Drones patrol rather than guard a fixed point, so the safest entry is usually the side of the facility they have just left. Watch one full circuit before you move.

AA turrets

AA turrets are fixed emplacements with effectively unlimited ammunition and proximity fuses. They are the single deadliest thing to a small Wasp. The beginner guide puts it plainly: one good burst can knock a Utility or Scout-class craft out of the sky.

The counter is not a better ship. The counter is not flying:

• Land outside the turret arc.
• Approach on foot or from below.
• Do not fly a Hauler through a turret arc just because the route is shorter.

If you are already in the air when a turret locks on, break line of sight behind terrain and get out of range. Do not circle to look for the source.

A safe PACE looting routine

This is the routine that works for a solo player in the current build.

1. Scout from a distance. Circle the site at altitude outside turret range, or approach on foot from high ground. Count drones and turrets before you commit.
2. Land short. Put the Wasp behind a ridge or a building, not in the loading yard.
3. Walk the perimeter. Find the side with the fewest turret arcs. Mark the exit route.
4. Deal with the drone first. Stun, extract, move. Do not start a fight in the open yard.
5. Loot in priority order. Circuit boards and artefacts first, then drives and records, then bulk scrap. Bulk scrap is heavy and replaceable; knowledge is not.
6. Leave before the respawn. Do not stay to strip the last pipe if the drones are already coming back.

Bring a stunner, spare charge and empty inventory space. The scrap guide explains which pieces your handheld extractor can process and which ones need the Cloud Cruiser's material processor. Large pieces are not worth dying for on the first trip.

Where to put your camp

The ATMOSFAR camp hub guide recommends camping near a PACE site, not on top of it. That is the right balance:

• Close enough that the flight is short and you can return to offload.
• Far enough that patrolling drones do not wander into your turrets or your refinery.
• Behind terrain if possible, so an AA turret does not have a clean line to your parked ship.

A camp on the facility itself sounds efficient and is usually a mistake. You will log in to a drone inside your base, or a turret arc pointed at your landing pad.

What to do with drives and records

PACE facilities contain drives and records that advance both knowledge and the story. They are research currency, not vendor trash. The crafting guide notes a launch-patch bug where research drives could be lost, and recommends putting one in ship storage before doing anything risky.

The practical rule: as soon as you extract a drive, put it in the ship or the research desk storage. Do not carry it through the rest of the facility while you look for more scrap. A drive in your inventory is a drive you can lose.

Is there a PACE security base frequency?

Players sometimes ask for a "PACE security base frequency" or a code that disables the base defences. There is no documented frequency, code or terminal in the Early Access build. The official material does not state one, and the in-game defences are handled by stealth, stun and positioning rather than by a password.

If a future patch adds a security terminal, it will appear in the patch notes. Until then, treat any specific frequency number as unverified.

FAQ

What does PACE stand for in ATMOSFAR? The game uses PACE as the name of the old industrial faction and its facilities. The official material does not expand the acronym, so this guide does not invent one.

Can you destroy PACE turrets? The documented counter is to avoid their arc and approach on foot. The game does not present turret destruction as the intended route through a site.

Do PACE drones respawn? Treat them as a persistent patrol. Clear a path, loot quickly and leave; do not expect a site to stay empty forever.

Where is the best PACE site for beginners? Pearl Island contains a PACE foundry and the opening tutorial. It is the natural first site because the game teaches the approach there.

Is there a PACE security base frequency? No documented one. Official not stated.

Sources

• ATMOSFAR on Steam — store description and Early Access notes.
• ATMOSFAR Steam news hub — patch notes and fixes.
• ATMOSFAR official site — Apog Labs announcements.

Related reading: ATMOSFAR Creatures and Threats and ATMOSFAR Camp Hub Guide.

Source note: mechanics in this guide follow the Early Access build available on 3 November 2026, cross-checked against the ATMOSFAR Steam page and Apog Labs patch notes.