Neptune

Neptune
Astrographical
Star, position:	Sol, VIII
Satellites(s):	Nereid ; Thalassa ; Triton ; 11 others
Physical
Diameter:	49,244 km
Gravity:	1.14 g
Length of day:	16 hours, 6 minutes
Orbital period:	165 years
Atmosphere:	Hydrogen (H1) ; Helium (2He) ; Methane (CH4)
Societal
Demonym:	Neptunian ; Neomuni
Population:	Human; Cabal; Vex
Government:	Neomuna

There is more information available on this subject at Neptune on the English Wikipedia.

"Huh, Cabal Cruisers keep returning to Neptune's orbital path. I wonder if they are hiding something in its gravity well."

— Crow

Neptune is the eighth planet of the Sol System. It is also a living consciousness, and one of the Nine. An ice giant, it has fourteen moons, including the Hive-occupied moon of Nereid ^[1], Triton, where the Neomuni established a small radio telescope array and turned it into a listening post, and Thalassa, an asteroid-like moon explored by the Neomuni. The hidden city of Neomuna is located on an ocean below its outer cloud layer.

Overview

Neptune's Patrol area takes place in the city of Neomuna, with all its areas being part of it. There are three main public areas, each with a Lost Sector, five private areas explorable in Patrol, and a few more accessible in Missions, including parts of the Vex Network. The main landing zone is Strider's Gate, an enemy-free area where the location vendor, Nimbus, is located. After completing the Lightfall story, players can also land at the Hall of Heroes and at Límíng Harbor.

Player power level is capped to 15 lower than the current maximum when in this location, resulting in stronger, more resilient enemies.

The main enemy factions are the Shadow Legion and the Vex Sol Collective, although the Taken appear in specific activities.

The Terminal Overload Public Event takes place in one of the three public areas, overriding all other Public Events for the day. Players can also land on its node.

The Vex constantly attempt to invade the city, and one of the public areas is designated weekly as the Vex Incursion Zone. In here, enemies will be more powerful, with Hobgoblins constantly perched around the area on floating platforms. While it is harder to fight in the area, one can also find Strand sources that will empower a character with Strand abilities with a very short cooldown for 30 seconds. The highly rewarding Supernumerary Blitz Public Event can only happen there.

The planetary resource consists of Cloud Accretions.

History

Golden Age

According to an audio log recorded by Chioma Esi, the surface of Neptune was terraformed at some point.

The Collapse

Immediately prior to the Collapse, the Ishtar Collective AI Soteria foresaw the imminent arrival of the Black Fleet using its Vex-derived powers of prediction, and against the orders of Clovis Bray I prematurely launched a fleet of ECHO colony ships with a heading for the Andromeda Galaxy.^[2] Before Clovis Bray managed to contain the AI within a pillory installation and retake control of the fleet, Soteria split off a submind of itself within a single colony ship, which would eventually become caught in the gravity well of Neptune and crash into its surface.^[3] A second colony ship, the Exodus Indigo, would subsequently land on Neptune during the Collapse when following a distress signal broadcast by the submind, bringing with it several high-ranking Ishtar Collective scientists such as Maya Sundaresh and Chioma Esi. These survivors of the Collapse would go on to found the city of Neomuna, which remained hidden for centuries thanks in part to Neptune's erratic magnetic field.

At some point during the Collapse, Savathûn, the Witch Queen killed the Disciple of the Witness Nezarec and stole the Veil from his Pyramid, hiding it away on Neptune so as to keep it from the Witness. As a result of her deception, the Witness chose to leave the Sol System and withdraw its Black Fleet to intergalactic space.

City Age

After Empress Caiatl and the Imperial Cabal arrived in the system, increased Cabal traffic around Neptune's gravity well was detected with an unknown purpose.^[4]

Neptune would become a focus of Vanguard attention thanks to the conclusion of Season of Plunder, as Osiris had gained visions of a city hidden upon its surface, gleaned from his time as the puppet of Savathûn. Despite all the searching performed during Season of the Seraph, nothing was detected upon Neptune, until Rasputin confirmed the existence of the city, and that the information was kept hidden in a vault in the Cosmodrome.

With the advent of Lightfall, Neptune has become the subject of an invasion by the Shadow Legion, seeking to take a paracausal artifact from Neomuna, known as the Veil. This artifact was hidden on Neptune by Savathûn, with the people of Neomuna using its powers to create technology such as the CloudArk. The shimmering city of Neomuna has now become scarred with damage, with an unquantified section of the city demolished by the parking of Calus's flagship, the Typhon Imperator.

Locations

Neomuna

Ahimsa Park
- Gilded Precept (Lost Sector)
- Typhon Imperator
Límíng Harbor (Landing Zone)
- Maya's Retreat
- Radiosonde
- Thrilladrome (Lost Sector)
Striders' Gate (Landing Zone)
- Hall of Heroes (Landing Zone)
Zephyr Concourse
- Esi Terminal
  - Irkalla Complex
    - Veil Containment
- Hydroponics Delta (Lost Sector)
Vex Network
- In.gress
Cirrus Plaza (Crucible map)

Trivia

It is not explained how Neomuna withstands the immense pressure of Neptune's interior.
The surface of Neptune is depicted in-game as "sand" made of diamonds and surrounded by an ocean, likely inspired by a theory that Neptune's surface consists of liquid carbon and solid diamonds.
The massive storm located outside Neomuna is known as the 'Cerulean Front' and has been present for around 80 years before the events in Lightfall.