Hazards

There are a number of naturally occuring hazards any intrepid Astroneer might encounter in their explorations - and most are fatal.

Many can be found across all the planets, while a few are native to only one world. Some can be dealt with, others must simply be avoided.

Dust Storms
Dust storms are wandering weather events that blow deadly rubble across a very large area. Two hits from a gale force projectile like these will kill an astroneer. Their high winds will slow an astroneer to a crawl, leaving very little time to run for cover. When caught by surprise in open ground, away from habitats or vehicles, digging a makeshift trench or burrow and waiting the storm out is often the best, if not the only hope for survival.

Tumbleweeds
Tumbleweeds can be found blowing around in the wind on Arid planets. Getting hit by a single one is not fatal, but getting caught in the middle of a tumbleweed storm can easily inflict multiple hits.

Exploders
Exploders look like another form of decoration until you get near or disturb them. Upon filling in terrain at their base, or digging them up, they will explode (hence their name). This explosion can be fatal if standing too near its radius, but they can be safely dug up if done at a distance. They can be found everywhere in caves and always have Artifacts at their root, making these a bountiful source of research early on. Large Exploders seem to produce energy spores, since the area around them always contains blobs of harvestable power.

Needlers
These white, mushroom-like entities, can also be found in caves in many places. If an Astroneer draws too close to the plants they will extrude needles. These needles can damage Astroneers, but one hit is typically not fatal (needles extrude in quick successions, multiple hits will quickly kill an Astroneer). It is possible to dig the plant up to render it inert.

Pumpkins
These gourd shaped pumpkin flora release green clouds of gas that will follow Astroneers a short distance if they get too close. Like the Exploders, they also guard Artifacts and the area around them will contain harvestable energy blobs. Similarly to Needlers, they can be dug up to prevent them from producing gas.

Worms
The indigenous hazard on Radiated planets is a species of worm, affectionaly nicknamed the Sarlacc, that bury themselves in the ground and wait for Astroneers to fall in. Travelling the surface, specially after dark, can prove to be a dangerous endeavour for the untrained astroneer as these inconspicuous predators lurk everywhere. Falling into a worm hole will mean instant death for an astroneer and complete absorption of its body, making all the Equipment stored in the backpack unrecoverable. Worms will devour anything, from artifacts to resource stacks or even whole vehicles, making them an excellent base dumpster for unwanted materials. There is currently no method to dispose of them, their bedrock nests can be excavated with a drill but the worm will not die from it.

Lure Plants
Carnivorous plants that hang from cave ceilings and will ensnare and kill an astroneer if they manage to catch one with their dangling lures. They can be dispatched by digging around their bulb with the deform tool. This will cause them to drop to the floor and explode, usually leaving behind a stack of organic and on rare occasions batteries or tethers (presumably from digesting previous explorers).