OKB Zero

OKB Zero was a secret Soviet weapons design bureau operated in 1984 by XOF. It featured heavy security and at some point was used to house Metal Gear Sahelanthropus.

History

OKB Zero was originally a citadel built during the time of Alexander the Great, but it was left in ruins following one of Genghis Khan's campaigns. Its occupants changed numerous times and it was expanded on more than one occasion. Ultimately, it fell into the hands of the Russian Philosophers.

Phantom Pain Incident

See also: Hospital Escape and Phantom Pain Incident

The Red Army was using it as the headquarters of its Afghan invasion force. Later, XOF commander Skull Face used his connections with the Philosophers to develop Sahelanthropus there.

At some point during his research for XOF, Huey was stationed in OKB Zero and had enough time there to learn the layout of the base. Soviet forces in the area were cooperative with XOF and even set up checkpoints on the way to the OKB Zero. Ultimately, though, they were betrayed by Skull Face and killed by the Russian strain of the vocal cord parasites.

Soon after, Venom Snake of the Diamond Dogs private military was sent to infiltrate OKB Zero, now swarmed and heavily fortified by XOF units and surveyed by a Hind, to confront and capture Skull Face, who was visiting the facility at the time. Ultimately, Snake was captured on the facility's helipad by XOF and taken to the Serak Power Plant.

Name

"OKB" is a designation the Soviet Union used for weapon design bureaus. However, the numbers that follow "OKB" are always above 1. It is unclear if the number "zero" was introduced by The Soviet and Chinese Philosophers to indicate that the facility was secret or if it was simply made up by Skull Face.

Behind the scenes

DD logo seen at OKB Zero.

OKB Zero is a location in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The helipad is inaccessible outside of the mission "Skull Face", as the door to the helipad is closed. Diamond Dogs' logo can be seen on some of the structures near the helipad in OKB Zero. These models and textures are those of structures supposedly unique to Mother Base and FOBs

Green smoke at OKB Zero at night.

At night, OKB Zero seems to be covered in green smoke. The reason for it is unknown.

Originally, the player, when being escorted by Skull Face, was supposed to go directly into OKB Zero via a jeep and be given a "tour" of the facility. It also intended that mass production assembly lines of Sahelanthropus would have been included before emerging at Serak Power Plant's internal elevator. However, because of Konami's insistence that The Phantom Pain be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in addition to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam versions, the path was altered so Skull Face instead has Venom Snake escorted from OKB Zero down a path passing by the Soviet Base Camp and then through Serak Power Plant, with OKB Zero itself being left unfinished in terms of development. The only hints to the original plans were the Jeep being just outside the elevator prior to Skull Face, XOF, and the then-recently captured Venom Snake boarding it.

The ancient building bears historical and physical resemblance with the real life Herat Citadel.