How To Play Guide For Astroneer

Welcome to the How To Play Guide For Astroneer!

Greetings! This guide will cover everything you need to know to get started, including information on the biggest topics like Resources, Modules, Vehicles as well as various others! Let's get started!

About Astroneer
Explore and exploit distant worlds in Astroneer, the game of aerospace industry and interplanetary exploration. The sudden development of technology for rapid space travel enables fast and inexpensive journeys to the stars. Exo Dynamics, the dominant conglomerate in the new field, has opened flights to daring citizens of Earth. As an Astroneer, you must find a way to dig out a life on one of a multitude of harsh new Worlds. Blast through the terrain to uncover precious Materials you can use to fuel your quest to become a wealthy baron in the stars. Along the way, discover oddities, raise questions, and uncover Research topics.

Astroneer is a game about wonder, discovery, mystery, and grand endeavor in a new age of expansion on the fringes of humanity. You will land alone, or with a small crew of friends, on a planet to call your own. Harsh but bountiful, the universe will beckon you to explore, exploit, and ultimately to reshape as you desire. Excavate and deform the land, uncover precious Resources, jury-rig Modules to suit your taste and needs, and create industrial scale extraction and manufacturing Modules. The worlds in Astroneer are diverse, from huge spherical planets with atmospheres and vast landscapes to strangely shaped small asteroids floating nearby. Each of the Planets are procedurally generated and can be totally reshaped by your Tools. Excavate vast underground tunnels or create megaliths on the surface; the world is your Play-Doh.

The basics
You've landed on a unique landscape with lots to do and see. Once you get your footing, you'll have a chance to move around and start using your Deform Tool to start digging.



Moving (walking and, less intuitively, driving around) is always relative to the camera, which you can rotate around your character by dragging while holding the right mouse button.

The Backpack
Once you've figured out the basic movements and camera controls you'll want to fetch some Resources so you can build your grand spatial empire. While you're out you're going to need to keep an eye on 2 things so you don't die; your Oxygen and your Power. The Oxygen is the horizontal blue bar at the top of your backpack (see right), and the Power is the vertical yellow bar in the centre. Each of the bars will start to go down as you use them, the Oxygen when you're not connected in some way to the Habitat or to Vehicles, and power will decrease when you use the deforming tool (and while collecting Resources). To increase power, you'll need to build a way to generate it, but more on that below.

The will bring up the backpack, which is also your inventory. You have 10 (or 11 if crafting something) slots, and once you start using your deforming tool you'll collect "nuggets" of a resource, which will then pop into your backpack inventory (or on the ground nearby if your inventory space is filled). The top right and left give you better spots for tools, but you can also place Resources you don't want to lose or get rid of so easy.

Under the inventory space is a basic 3d Printing (crafting) spot, where you can begin to make some basic tools for survival.
 * Small Generator - 1x Compound - Will provide power to a module with 1x Organic.
 * Tether - 1x Compound - Allows you to transport Oxygen and Power (if you have a power source) from a Vehicle or Habitat. (NOTE: 1 Compound yields 11 tethers)
 * Beacon - 1x Compound - Dropping or placing a Beacon will put a marker down, that you can see and find later.
 * Small Battery - 1x Lithium - Small expansion of power, if you use lots will give you more options.
 * Tank - 1x Titanium - Have more access to Oxygen with an additional tank.
 * Small Solar Panel - 1x Compound - Good for powering basic Modules or providing extra power while in daylight.

Resources, building, and expansion
Let's start with collecting a few basic Resources which you'll need to expand your Habitat. Start by collecting Resin and Compound, which are usually very nearby your starting point and also the basic Resources for building, both of which can be quickly found either in Nodes or inside the ground (see images left and right). Use your Deform tool to mine them up.

Collect 3 resin so you can build a Module. Collect at least that and then pop out the Conduit from your starting Habitat by clicking on it. A holographic Conduit will appear where you clicked, prompting you to insert 1 Resin to begin construction. Either click the holographic Resin with a Resin in your backpack or drag one directly to the spot. Once the small circular platform is complete, place two more Resin onto the circular platform to build a larger platform. Use the left and right arrows to select a Module to build. Place the required resources on the platform and click the flashing button to begin printing.

Now, you should begin focusing on Power collection. To start, use your Backpack's Printer to make a Small Generator. The generator will provide power to your base Modules when you supply it with Organic, a resource you can obtain from digging up plants and foliage. The generator will continue using up Organic even if nothing is consuming power, so don't waste it! Collect one Compound, print a Small Generator, and attach it to your Habitat.

Once you have your large platform complete, a good structure to build is the Smelter. The Smelter will let you use ore to create refined metals, metals integral to making other modules. Smelt Malachite found around the world (usually underground) to make Copper. Once you've smelted two, you are ready to make a Printer. The Printer lets you print larger objects than your backpack will allow. Then, use 2 Compound to make a Research module. You'll need access to Artifacts now. Artifacts can be opened by placing them into the Research module. When opened, you will receive either a resource or the blueprint to a new object.

If you have trouble finding Artifacts, go read the Artifact page to read on common locations to find them.

If you have any extra Compound, you can make Tethers with the 3D Printer in your Backpack, then place them using. Clicking the tether will allow you to reposition it. Tethers will link to each other and provide power and oxygen to players within range. Read more on how Tethers work on the Tether page.

Trading with the Trade Platform
If you've managed to research a few Artifacts, you may have come across the Trade Platform. The Trade Platform allows you to, as the name implies, trade resources with the space station. Although you will always be on the losing side of the trade, the Trade Platform allows you to acquire resources that would otherwise be very difficult to find naturally. Just drop the resources you would like to trade into the Trade Platform's eight slots and use the arrows to decide what you will get back. Click the flashing button to send off the ship, and, a bit later, the ship will return to the platform with your side of the trade. Check the Trade Platform page to see every item's value.

Power Sources and Energy Levels
Nearly all of the Modules need some sort of power to function, so building a power source is key for growth and survival. Starting with the Small Solar, which you can build on your person, that will give you a minimal amount of power, but later on, the Solar Panel will grow your power a bit more rapidly, at least while the sun is up. In the same regard, the Wind Vane and the Wind Turbine will provide power without the need for sunlight. Having and using Batteries will be a huge help later on.

To Infinity And Beyond
Ready to explore the infinite beyond? First, you will need the Vehicle Bay, which is a module that requires 2 Aluminum to build. Select the Shuttle or Spaceship, costing 4 Compound and 4 Copper respectively, and then insert the materials. The ship will be printed, but it is not ready for takeoff yet. First, use 2 Compound to make a 1-Seat, and then collect some Hydrazine and place it on the ship's tank to fuel the ship. When your ship is fueled, press TAB to board the ship and then the flashing button to takeoff to orbit. From there, you can either select a blue landing spot to land, or press the flashing button once more to view the solar system. Once zoomed out, click on a planet in your white ring to fly to the planet, allowing you to land on and explore that planet and its making.