The Golden Wastes is a region on Eos south of the first two Andromeda Initiative settlements on the planet, Site 1: Promise and Site 2: Resilience. It consists of a large central lake and the surrounding area. To the southwest is the Fairwinds Basin, and to the southeast it surrounds the Four Giants. It is one of the few regions of Eos with relatively low radiation levels, and is safely traversible with the ND1 Nomad or for short periods of time on foot.
A vehicle trail from the Initiative settlements runs in a semicircle around the Golden Wastes, and leads to places the colonists deemed worth checking out or studying. The usually flat sandy/rocky terrain has sparse vegetation, mainly desert shrubs. Local wildlife include shemrys, challyrion, and kaerkyn. There are two mining zones around the lake, rich in aluminum, graphite, iron, and vanadium. There are more than a few Remnant structures around the lake, and some are even vaults that lead to underground installations. The kett have an interest in the Remnant structures and have erected a research lab around one of the monoliths in the area.
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“Make no mistake — this is a one-way trip.” — Spoilers for Mass Effect: Andromeda follow. |
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The three Remnant monoliths on the Golden Wastes are part of the planetary terraforming network. Once Pathfinder Ryder has interfaced with all three monoliths a vault entrance emerges on the small island on the lake, and from there Ryder resets the vault, eliminating much of the ambient radiation and making the world livable again.