ATMOSFAR Wasp Guide: Utility, Hauler and Striker

The Wasp is ATMOSFAR's small flying craft: part pickup truck, part helicopter, part survival tool. It can zip through the sky and hover in place, which makes it the vehicle you use for almost everything except long-distance hauling. Each class has a distinct body, flight model and set of abilities.

The three classes at a glance

A fourth class, the Scout, is planned for the Rime update. It is described as the fastest and most fragile Wasp, with scanners for resources and danger. It is not in the Early Access launch build, so any guide that gives you Scout routes today is guessing.

Utility Wasp: your camp on wheels

The Utility Wasp is the first Wasp most players rely on. It carries the portable Camp Hub, and the hub is what powers every camp device. Without a Utility Wasp, a field camp is a pile of furniture.

What it does well:

• Deploys and powers a camp anywhere you can land.
• Charges tools and backpack batteries through the hub.
• Carries a small amount of cargo and one passenger comfortably.

What it does badly:

• The fuel tank is small and consumption is high relative to the other classes.
• It is slow. Do not plan a region crossing around a Utility Wasp unless you enjoy refuelling.
• It is not a combat craft. AA turrets can knock it out of the sky in one burst.

Use it as a short-range shuttle: camp to wreck, wreck to camp, camp to Cloud Cruiser. If you need to go far, dock it on the Cruiser and take something faster.

Hauler Wasp: the crane you will learn to love

The Hauler exists because the world is full of things you cannot carry. Its retractable magnetic crane lifts heavy scrap, vehicles and modules, and its cargo slots hold the bulky pieces that would otherwise need multiple trips.

• Large scrap: hull sections, industrial tanks and debris-field wreckage are Hauler work.
• Reactor cores: cores weigh hundreds of kilograms and are radioactive. The Hauler's crane is the intended way to move one without dropping it.
• Vehicle recovery: a stranded Wasp can be lifted and brought home rather than abandoned.

The Hauler is slow and burns fuel. That is the price of doing the job at all. Plan the route, clear a landing zone, and do not try to dogfight in it.

Striker Wasp: speed and stun

The Striker is the combat-oriented Wasp. It has the fastest acceleration in the game and a turret that can fire multiple projectile types. In the alpha build the fighter class also had a flare dispenser and a barrel roll; treat those as design intent rather than a promise for every EA patch.

Its job is not to win a war. It is to:

• clear animals off a landing zone,
• stun PACE drones long enough for you to extract them,
• escort a Hauler through a dangerous stretch,
• and get you out of a bad situation quickly.

The Striker is still a light craft. Ground-based AA turrets are effectively unlimited and can destroy a Utility or Scout-class vehicle in one good hit; a Striker survives by not being there when the turret fires.

Upgrading a Wasp

Wasps are modular. The store page and dev blogs describe three core assemblies:

• Hull — the shell. It absorbs impacts and protects the internals. A better hull means fewer repair stops.
• Engine — thrust and acceleration. A stronger engine makes a heavy load bearable and shortens escapes.
• Hovers — lift and hover stability. Better hovers make landings softer and low-altitude work safer.

You can also fit utility parts: landing legs, floodlights, a horn and position lights. These are not cosmetic in practice. Lights help co-op partners find you in cloud, and a horn clears animals before you set down.

Cosmetic paint jobs are supported. They do not change performance.

What to upgrade first

1. Hovers if you crash landings often. Repair bills and fuel penalties add up.
2. Engine if your routes are long or your Hauler is overloaded.
3. Hull if you fly near PACE sites or through storms.
4. Utility parts as needed; lights are cheap and useful.

Upgrades consume materials, so the practical answer is usually "whatever your current scrap supply supports." Do not strip a working Wasp to build a marginal upgrade.

Fuel and maintenance

All Wasps burn liquid hydrogen. The tank size sets your range; the engine and load set your consumption.

• Refuel after every trip, not before the next one.
• A damaged Wasp burns more fuel and handles worse. Repair it with the welder before a long flight.
• Dirt and cosmetic wear do not affect performance. A water hose cleans the hull; it is optional.
• Docking on the Cloud Cruiser lets you refuel from the ship's tanks and charge from its power. Charging costs power units, so a pad full of empty Wasps is a real load.

The fuel chain is covered in the hydrogen refinery guide.

The old Wasp highway

PACE left behind aerial ring gates — the "Wasp highways" — that once gave craft a temporary speed boost. In the current build they are dormant. They are useful landmarks and occasionally mark a route between islands, but do not expect them to launch you.

Which Wasp should you fly first?

For a new player: Utility. It enables the camp loop and teaches you to plan fuel.

For a builder: Hauler. It unlocks large scrap and reactor-core transport, which is the gate to serious ship expansion.

For a fighter: Striker. It is fun, but it does not solve the economy. Buy it after your camp and fuel loop are stable.

In co-op, the ideal squad is one of each: Utility for the camp, Hauler for the loot, Striker for the trouble.

Early Access footage from Tycos. Screenshots: Apog Labs / SHUEISHA GAMES.

FAQ

Can you own all three Wasps? Yes. The Cloud Cruiser's Wasp pads exist so you can carry multiple craft. You will need the pads and the power to charge them.

Do Wasps get destroyed permanently? They can be wrecked, but the game treats them as repairable property. A destroyed Wasp is a recovery problem, not necessarily a permanent loss.

Is the Scout in the game? Not at Early Access launch. It is listed for the Rime update, along with the third region.

Can you paint a Wasp? Yes. Paint is cosmetic and does not change stats.

What is the best Wasp for long-distance exploration? The Striker for speed with minimal cargo, or the Hauler if you need to bring loot home. The Utility is a short-range workhorse, not an explorer.

Sources

• ATMOSFAR on Steam — store description, system requirements and Early Access notes.
• ATMOSFAR Steam news hub — patch notes and developer posts.
• ATMOSFAR official site — Apog Labs announcements and media.

Related reading: ATMOSFAR Cloud Cruiser Guide: Build, Power and Modules and ATMOSFAR Hydrogen Refinery Guide: Fuel From Crystal.

Source note: mechanics and figures in this guide follow the Early Access build available on 30 October 2026, cross-checked against the ATMOSFAR Steam page and Apog Labs developer posts.