Does Radition Spread?

[[TWB]Sauerkraut]

So I've noticed that most official blog posts and the wiki say that after the explosion the radiation spreads, which means the radiation zone gets bigger.

Some say that the radiation zone just increases right after the explosion, but then stops and stays there.

I'm not really new to the game, I understand how it works, but so far I only have 1 saved game.
After the explosion, I noticed that the radiation zone expanded VERY rapidly, but then didn't notice any expansion after that. Luckily my pod spawned just outside the zone, less than 100m away. I was half expecting the radiation to eventually overtake my pod, but it never did. Therefore it was never a problem and I didn't have to rush to get a radiation suit. I built my base, cyclops, and seamoth before I even thought about repairing the reactor, just because I didn't need to.

Some say that reloading the game stops the spread or something like that, and I was wondering if that's what has been happening to me.

IN CONCLUSION: Does the radiation zone expand, infinitely, or does it have a boundry?

EDIT: I've already repaired the reactor, so this doesnt affect me at all, I was just wondering.

[Cougarific]

The radiation zone has never expanded for me after the initial explosion.

But the pod can drift or be pushed into the zone after the explosion (which may explain why some people think it expands).

I think but am not 100% sure that the only variable is how long it takes for the radiation to dissipate.

Once I repaired the reactor pretty quickly and the rads cleared in like 2 days.

Ever since then though, it's been 3 days 10 hours. So I either lowered the time by clearing it quickly once, or it was changed in development.

[[TWB]Sauerkraut]

It was 3 days 10 hours for me too, but I just started playing recently and in any vids i watched when it was first released it was 2 days.

So probably changed by devs.

[Khelonos]

Presently the radiation doesn't spread beyond a finite area but on their trello pages they mention the possibility of one day making radiation more dynamic. Spreading and affecting biomes.

[NotThatHarkness]

In several different saved games I've noticed that the radiation boundaries are pretty consistent. I've also noticed that it takes a few hours after the explosion before the radiation reaches its maximum area of coverage. I've also had the pod spawn inside the radiation zone.

From my experiences with the game, I'm currently under the impression that after the Aurora's explosion that the radiation spreads fairly rapidly to cover a finite area. That is the radiation zone has limits, but takes some hours after the initial explosion to reach the boundaries of that area.

[Silk_Sk]

I don't think it expands continually, but on my second game, my pod was within the radiation zone after the explosion and I didn't survive long. I thought that meant it was possible to spawn inside the zone and made a ticket. But as people have said, it is possible for the pod to drift within the zone.

However, I did see a dev on the checkins and changes site make a note about investigating the possibility of pods spawning inside the radiation zone, likely in response to the complaints. Either way, it's being addressed.

[Cougarific]

They're fixing the pod spawing in rad zone thing but it is possible to nudge the pod out of the zone - IF you can survive the rads long enough.

When it spawned inside the zone for me luckily I had 1 Med Kit on hand, it was just enough to keep me alive long enough to jump out and push it away from the Aurora.

[NotThatHarkness]

I don't even wait. If the pod looks too close to the Aurora, the first thing I do in a new game is move it further out. However, that's not something new players would know to do.

I've never seen the pod drift.

[Cougarific]

Yah I was thinking I should clarify that - talking about the player accidentally bumping the pod as they're swimming or driving around. That would cause "drift" in that it wasn't done intentionally.

[[TWB]Sauerkraut]

So we can conclude, based on what I and most other people have said, that:

Directly after the explosion the zone expands fairly quickly into a finite radius, then stops and can't expand farther beyond that.

Also, that it is possible to spawn within the boundaries of the radiation zone after the explosion occurs, and that it is also possible that the player may bump into the raft accidentally causing it to drift into the zone.
That could explain why some people say to rush a rad suit, when in reality you don't need to. If you spawn too close you can just push the pod away.

Lastly that in the FUTURE, radiation may change and become a bit more "dynamic" as n13green explains it.

[M4NS14Y3R]

It's a gamebreaking bug btw. On my latest playthrough I was like 35 minutes in the game before the explosion happened. No matter many medkits, no matter what, except for protection suit can save vs radiation in this situation. No matter the medkits you just cannot dive and find lead in time. Because radiation zone was like 50-80 meters from pod.

Imagine someone starts a new game and dies in 30 minutes.

[Zourin]

Just about every new game I've made, the pod sat on the edge of the rad zone or was inside the rad zone after the explosion.

I vaguely recall a time when the spawn locations were more varied, but now it's always the south-end shallows closest to the ship, right at the deep-end boundary/radiation border

[Khelonos]

@zourin

I think that might just be poor luck. I've started hald a dozen new games recently and only once has the pod been close to the rad zone. Like 2-3 seamoth lengths outside it.