The short answer
A broken vessel is a state change—not an instant exit.
Players inhabit fragile wooden vessels that splinter, collapse, and burn. When one breaks, the Living Spark escapes and must find another host before fading completely.
The official feature list confirms vessel possession and swapping. It also states that a Spark can guide the team in the dark and search for another host with a new set of abilities.
Three survival states
Know which problem the crew is solving.
Act
You have a fragile body, usable abilities, and exposure to damage, fire, and corruption.
Recover
Your body is gone, but you remain in the run long enough to guide allies and search for a host.
Adapt
A new vessel can return you to action with a different set of abilities and constraints.
Crew implications
Treat bodies as resources and Sparks as rescue timers.
The language below is a tactical reading of the confirmed system; exact fade time and vessel statistics are not yet documented here.
- Announce the break: the crew needs to know that its action economy and rescue priorities changed.
- Keep a host route visible: a Spark is more useful when the crew can point it toward a replacement instead of improvising in the dark.
- Re-evaluate after possession: do not assume a new vessel preserves the old role or abilities.
- Watch corruption separately: the Rot is described as changing bodies, voices, and emotes as the crew goes deeper.
Still being mapped
Do not turn unknowns into a tier list.
This first version does not rank vessels, publish unverified ability tables, or claim a best possession route. A useful next update would record each vessel's name, patch version, observed abilities, source, and repeatable test.
Primary source: official GRAIN ROT Steam page ↗