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 one is native to only one world. Some can be dealt with, others must simply be avoided.

Storms
Main Article: Storm

The storm is a very notable hazard in Astroneer. It travels as a big cloud, making it possible that a player finds it on the first day, or as late as 20 days. It can kill the player, knock away unsecured resources, and even flip over certain vehicles. It appears as a large churning cloud. When the Storm hits, debris will appear. It moves quickly.

Worms
The indigenous hazard on Radiated planets is a species of worm, a reference to Star Wars' Sarlacc pit. It lays passively in the ground and waits for Astroneers to fall in. Travelling the surface, especially after dark, can prove to be a dangerous endeavor 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 hard to recover. 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. If you destroy the bedrock under them, you can recover your Research- and normal items.

Coal deposits can also be found near the worm, which can be very useful (see Radiated for more details).

Hostile Flora
Different planets have various types of flora. Hostile ones, however, are one of the constants during exploration in caverns. Hostile flora also spawn within the surface of Exotic, making them an even larger threat.

Exploders
Exploders can be found in caves and are plentiful. They are harmless until you 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 a player is standing too near its radius, but they can be safely dug up if done from a distance. There is a high chance of finding an organic Research Item at their root, making these a bountiful source of research early on. Exploders come in multiple sizes, ranging from small ones no higher than your legs, to behemoths as tall as the trees of the towering forest or the mushrooms in the mushroom forest. Large Exploders produce spores, the area around them always contains blobs of harvestable organic.

Acid Pots
These pumpkin-shaped flora release green clouds of acidic gas if they get too close. These clouds will follow Astroneers a short distance before dissipating. Presumably, the cloud wears away the Astroneer's suit, causing high damage if they do not flee. Like the Exploders, they also commonly bear an organic research item below them, and the area around them will contain harvestable organic blobs. Similarly to Exploders and Spikers, they can be dug up to prevent them from producing gas.

Spikers
This giant tooth fungi is a danger toward the Player, and getting too near will cause them to release dangerous spikes around them which could kill the astroneer in two to three hits. Destroying the large one will provide player with two Seeds, while the small one only gives one. Oddly enough, the large Spiker can be safely jumped and stepped on due to the lack of spikes on the cap.

Spiker Seeds

Spiker seeds are found by destroying a Spiker. They look similar to a small Spiker but do not attack the player. They can be placed into any empty attachment slot. Also you can plant them wherever you want, but it will attack the player once its grown.

Seeds can be planted by simply dropping them onto the ground and will slowly mature into full-grown Spikers. No special location is required; they can be planted in all types of Terrain, both underground or on the surface. Dropping a Seed anywhere will initiate its growth phase. A full germination cycle from seed to mature plant with functional spikes takes 4 minutes. Growing Spikers can not be destroyed by digging around them, but will become vulnerable again once fully mature and will drop 2 more Seeds if they are uprooted. Spiker seeds will quickly disappear if they are not picked up. Spikers grown in this manner behave exactly like wild ones, stabbing players who come too close and dropping more Seeds on death.

Cavern Lure
Cavern Lures are 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 Terrain Tool. This will cause them to drop to the floor and explode, sometimes leaving behind 1-3 Research Samples.
 * During one of the streams, Cavern Lure was once referred to as a "Red Dangler".
 * Cavern Lures are notably similar to the Barnacles from the Half-Life series.

Tumbleweed
A formation of a giant lethal ball of spikes 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 stampede can easily inflict multiple hits. If you are quick, you can get them with the Terrain Tool, and sometimes they will drop organic resource which conveys the fact that this object is indeed a flora. The inhibitor mod is a great way to get rid of them. They generally spawn far enough away that you can stay put to avoid them, however they also usually spawn in sight, which makes it look like they are waiting for you.

Dangers