Barren (Old)

Barren is one of the Planets in Astroneer. Despite being categorized as a planet, it is also the moon of Terran. It has low gravity and no weather events. As the name suggests, there are few resources on the surface, meaning that it is difficult to start a base with little or no resources from other planets. Despite the planet's bare surface, there is an abundance of Research Items and Discoveries scattered across the planet. While it may be easy to overlook, it may be a good idea to colonize barren right after leaving Terran. The sheer amount of artifacts and discoveries, low-gravity, and abundance of resources makes this an easy and profitable place to explore. Due to its low gravity, certain winds caused by bugs, which in some locations may be near-constant, may pick up Crates, Research items, and even rovers. However, this bug can be exploited, as unlike storms, they are reliably active and unable to hurl debris at the player or discolor the screen. These winds may often pick up any number of research items nearby and, if they are gathered before reaching a certain height, they can be researched or simply set in a pit from which the player can contain them without allowing them to drift away.

The average time it takes for a day/night cycle to pass is about 3 minutes, and its average circumference is about 14 stacks of tethers; it takes about 5 minutes to circumnavigate. Due to its seemingly small size, one may decide to use a rocket to land elsewhere on the planet and walk back to a larger base. Often, players underestimate the size of the planet, however small, and become hopelessly and permanently lost on the unmarked surface of Barren with no fuel left.

Resources
Common Uncommon Rare Unavailable Atmospheric
 * Laterite
 * Resin
 * Sphalerite
 * Compound
 * Organic
 * Quartz
 * Clay
 * Malachite
 * Graphite
 * Ammonium
 * Lithium
 * Astronium
 * Wolframite
 * Hematite
 * Titanite
 * Argon (50 ppu)

Locating Resources and Establishing a Home Base
The Resin and Compound found in varying quantities on Barren will provide ample material for building a base without relying on the transportation of resources from other planets. Resources that will be required for shipment to some other planets, such as Terran, include Lithium, Wolframite, and Sphalerite, as these resources are most commonly found on Barren. Argon is also recommended for shipment back to Terran. The caves of Barren have 2-3 levels of resources: on the surface, the landscape is randomly littered with Sphalerite, Quartz, Laterite, and rarely Wolframite but in the caves, at a certain depth, Resin, Compound, and Organic will line the cave walls in great amount. The Soil Centrifuge is also a useful structure, especially for acquiring an excess amount of common materials to use in order to make a suitable home base on Barren.

Escaping if stranded
Barren may seem like a hopeless situation when looking at only the surface, but it is in fact possible to escape. Bases can be built from the resin found underground in bulk, and the materials needed for making the Solid-Fuel Thruster can be found underground with some ease. A good strategy is to dig down around your established base in search of caves and/or resources, though a natural cave entrance is usually preferred even though they can be hard to locate. The Soil Centrifuge is also a useful structure, especially for acquiring an excess amount of common materials for making an escape from the desolate moon.

Biomes

 * Craters: Barren has gigantic craters that can be found all over the surface; there is high chance for crashed satellite parts to congregate around or inside of them. Typically, two or three gargantuan craters generate on the surface. These can often be wider than the mountains.
 * Mountains: While this is not a fully-fledged biome, this is easily visible from the surface of Barren. Though few in number, naturally-generating mountains can be found on occasion. It is inadvisable to land here, because building proves difficult on the hilly landscape.


 * "Spiky Forests": Found next to mountains, these rocky formations are known for their spikes and mushroom like "trees". It is possible to find artifacts in or around them.

Trivia

 * Due to the low gravity of barren, land vehicles drive slower, are much harder to control, and tend to flip. This effect decreases the larger and heavier the rover is.
 * The atmosphere is exclusively composed of Argon (50 ppu).

Désertique