Aridia

Aridia is a planet in the Solana Galaxy featured in Ratchet & Clank, Up Your Arsenal, and the 2016 re-imagined game. It is a sparsely-inhabited desert world covered in sand and mud. Ratchet and Clank visited the planet on multiple occasions, exploring Outpost X11 in Ratchet & Clank (and its re-imagining) and Outpost X12 in Up Your Arsenal.

Ratchet and Clank first came to Aridia's Outpost X11 in search of Skidd McMarx, who had crash-landed on the planet. From there, they were able to obtain a Z3000 Hoverboard from Skidd. In Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet and Clank went to Outpost X12 to join the Galactic Rangers in a battle against the tyhrranoid invasion, obtaining the Warp Pad for their efforts.

History[]

Ratchet & Clank[]

Ratchet and Clank received coordinates to Aridia from the Plumber on Novalis, showing footage of pro-hoverboarder Skid McMarx and his agent crash-landing after their ship was shot down. Despite doubting that Skid knew Captain Qwark, the two traveled to Aridia to help him.

Ratchet and Clank talking with Skid McMarx.

Upon arrival, they found Skid stranded, unable to return to his crashed ship, the Solarship Radical, due to a sandshark infestation. In the mission "Help Skid get to his ship", they cleared a path for him. As a reward, Skid gave them a custom Z3000 Hoverboard.

While exploring Outpost X11, Ratchet and Clank used the Swingshot to traverse a buildingath to find a Trespasser. They also navigated an industrial section with conveyor belts to find Skid's agent, who promised them a Sonic Summoner if they won the hoverboard race in Blackwater City and returned the prize to him.

Re-imagined[]

The 2016 re-imagined game is primarily an unreliable retelling of events by Qwark.

The re-imagined game primarily describes Captain Qwark's account of events. As Qwark is an unreliable narrator, and contradictory events are in-universe fiction (though those which correspond still apply). Please see Project:Bulletin board/Canon for the wiki's coverage of canon.

In Qwark's retelling of events, the story is largely the same, though some details differ. Skidd McMarx had opened the McMarx Sports Shack in Outpost X11, but the blarg attacked the grand opening after Skidd accidentally received their plans for a hydroharvester. During the attack, Skidd fled but could not cross the sandshark-infested valley to reach his ship, the Solarship Radical, due to a sprained ankle.

Ratchet and Clank arrived in "Locate Skidd McMarx", saved him from the sandsharks, and received a McMarx 4000 Hoverboard. They then rescued his agent from blarg forces in "Find Skidd's Agent", reuniting the pair, after which they offered Ratchet the chance to compete in the hoverboard race on Rilgar in Skidd's place, before leaving the planet. Finally, in "Locate the gadget inside the McMarx Sports Shack", they retrieved a Hydrodisplacer from within the shack.

Qwark also mentioned that Neftin Prog had twice attempted to render the population of Aridia colorblind, with Qwark stopping him both times.

Up Your Arsenal[]

After searching the crash site on Zeldrin, Ratchet and Clank received a transmission from the Galactic Rangers. The Rangers claimed they were having a "birthday party", but the sounds of battle in the background gave them away. Ratchet agreed to help them regardless.^[1]

In "Help the Galactic Rangers", Ratchet traveled to Outpost X12 on Aridia to lead the charge in Operation: DEATH VALLEY. He defended the Ranger base, pushed back the tyhrranoid assault through Red Rock Valley, assassinated several 'noid commanders, and reactivated turrets to establish a defensive perimeter. After successfully leading the attack on the tyhrranoid base, the Rangers awarded him with the Warp Pad as thanks for his assistance.

Geography[]

Aridia is a desert planet defined by vast expanses of sand and mud. Civilization is concentrated in outposts built across islands and rugged terrain, with sparse native vegetation.

Outpost X11[]

Outpost X11, seen in Ratchet & Clank, is a partially-built facility set within a rocky canyon. A large mud lake dominates the center, with sandy paths clinging to the cliff edges. The area is filled with construction equipment, highlighting its unfinished state.

The outpost consists of several key areas. To the south is a circular valley infested with sandsharks, where the Solarship Radical crash-landed. The main compound features two primary paths from its entrance. The left path is a linear route that requires the Swingshot to cross and culminates in a tall chamber containing the Trespasser. The right path is an industrial section with wide conveyor belts that leads to a large, sub-level construction site. Navigating this area grants access to the northern shore of the mud lake, where Skid's agent and a large supercannon are located. An automated shuttle facilitates transportation from the north and south sides of the mud lake.

Re-imagined differences[]

The 2016 re-imagined game is primarily an unreliable retelling of events by Qwark.

The re-imagined game primarily describes Captain Qwark's account of events. As Qwark is an unreliable narrator, and contradictory events are in-universe fiction (though those which correspond still apply). Please see Project:Bulletin board/Canon for the wiki's coverage of canon.

The layout is largely unchanged in the re-imagining, though the compound is named the "McMarx Sports Shack". The crashed "Solarship Radical" is no longer present, and a large rocket positioned near the landing pad is used instead. The supercannon is replaced with a bolt crank that operates construction cranes. The Hydrodisplacer is found instead of the Trespasser, and the transport shuttle is replaced with a teleporter system.

Outpost X12[]

Outpost X12, visited in Up Your Arsenal, is located on the opposite side of the planet.^[2] Its landscape is flatter, consisting of six main islands connected by bridges over wide chasms. The four central islands are situated in a large canyon known as Red Rock Valley.^[3] The outer two islands house the opposing bases: the Galactic Ranger base to the east and the tyhrranoid base to the west, each situated beneath an immense black tower. The islands feature a mix of natural rock plateaus, many of which are navigated using grav-ramps, and various metal structures and bridges.

Multiplayer[]

The Outpost X12 area from the campaign serves as a multiplayer map in Up Your Arsenal, supporting Siege, Capture the Flag, and Deathmatch modes. While the layout is nearly identical to its single-player counterpart, it includes several modifications to accommodate competitive play. Each base is more accessible, with three tunnels leading in instead of one. For defense, each base contains a Morph-o-Ray and a powerful, player-controlled turret, whereas the area behind the base hides a Mine Glove and Holoshield Glove.

Node and weapon placement are key to the map's strategy. The first node on the path through the main tunnel from each base unlocks a Minirocket Tube, a Lava Gun, and two Turbosliders. To the right from tunnel exit is a node that provides a hovership, Lava Gun, and Charge Boots upon capture. To the left is another node containing an anti-vehicle missile turret and a squad of drone bots, capturing this node releases a Morph-o-Ray and a Minirocket Tube.

The map features numerous strategic points and shortcuts. A round metal platform in the center of the map houses another player-controlled turret, accessible only by Swingshot or Hovership. Players can use versa-targets to Swingshot across gaps, bypassing te destructible bridges. At the northern end of the map, two tall crevices serve as sniper nests, each containing a Flux Rifle and providing a clear vantage point over the battlefield. These also provide a ramp for Turbosliders to cross when the bridges are down.

Behind the scenes[]

The planet's appearance from space changed drastically between games. In Ratchet & Clank, it is a reddish-brown desert world. In Up Your Arsenal, its space model strongly resembles a mirrored Tabora, but with purple oceans.

Citations[]

References[]

Video games

Insomniac Games (2002). Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Sony Computer fEntertainment. PlayStation 2.
Insomniac Games (2004). Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal [Game]. PlayStation 2.
Insomniac Games (2016). Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 4.

Bibliography

Greg Off (2004). Ratchet & Clank Up Your Arsenal Official Strategy Guide [Book]. BradyGames. ISBN 0744005000.

[1] Up Your Arsenal script § "Supernova Taxi"

[2] Off 2004 p. 134

[3] Up Your Arsenal menu § "Operation: DEATH VALLEY, Part 2 - Ambush in Red Rock Valley"

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