Game Objective

In Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium, players take on the role of corporations competing to transform Mars into a habitable planet. Each player attempts to raise the three terraforming metrics – temperature, oxygenation, and ocean coverage – while developing their own network of projects, harvesting resources, and achieving milestones and awards. The victory condition is to obtain the highest number of victory points at the end of the game, which are accumulated through:

• Milestones achieved (milestones)
• Awards earned (awards)
• Contributions to terraforming (land, water, and oxygen points)
• Other scoring criteria specified in the rulebook (see the rulebook for details on this section).

Setup

The rulebook does not provide complete details on game assembly. Below are only the information available in context:

• Choose one of the two boards: Hellas or Elysium. Each map has different placement bonuses and exclusive sets of milestones and awards.
• Set up the chosen board by placing the ocean areas, placement bonus lines, and milestone and award spaces as indicated on the map.
• Distribute project, event, automation, and other cards according to the game’s standard distribution rules (see the rulebook for details on this section).
• Prepare resource, production, and victory point tokens, as well as milestone and award markers.
• Distribute the initial amount of megacredits, resources, and cards to each player according to the start‑game rules (see the rulebook for details on this section).

Game Flow

The rulebook does not describe the turn structure, rounds, or specific phases of Terraforming Mars: Hellas & Elysium. To learn how the game progresses, consult the full rulebook.

Actions and How to Play

The rulebook does not detail the actions available to players, nor the rules for tile placement, card purchase, or resource production. For information on each action, card types, abilities, and choices, consult the full rulebook.

End of Game and Scoring

The rulebook does not specify the end‑game trigger or the exact count of victory points. However, the following milestones and awards are integral to scoring:

• Hellas
  • Milestones: DIVERSIFIER, TACTICIAN, POLAR EXPLORER, ENERGIZER, RIM SETTLER
  • Awards: Cultivator, Magnate, Space Baron, Excentric, Contractor
• Elysium
  • Milestones: GENERALIST, SPECIALIST, ECOLOGIST, TYCOON, LEGEND
  • Awards: Celebrity, Industrialist, Desert Settler, Estate Dealer, Benefactor

For complete details on point calculation, victory and defeat conditions, consult the rulebook.

Tips for Winning

• **Leverage placement bonuses**: In Hellas, place heat tiles in the Hellas Sea or the south pole to gain heat production bonuses. In Elysium, use the four volcanic sites to place lava tiles and gain heat production bonuses.
• **Focus on milestones**: Marks such as ENERGIZER (6 energy) or GENERALIST (increase all productions) can provide significant victory points. Plan your cards and actions to meet the requirements of these milestones before other players achieve them.
• **Maximize awards**: In Hellas, the Contractor award rewards the majority of construction tags. In Elysium, the Benefactor award rewards the highest terraforming rate. Focus on strategies that align your cards and production to win these awards.