In a pure survival game like Astroneer, there is no plot to drive the action. Instead, you are pulled along by a desire to improve your technology and to solve the mysteries of the world and there is no greater mystery than the gateway chambers. These ancient artifacts can teleport you from one to another. And once you activate your first gateway, you learn of an even deeper mystery: the gateway engine at the planet's core.
Reaching this engine is no mean feat. You have to be prepared not just for the main task, but for the hazards and potential contingencies. Here are the ten things you will need to ensure success in a trip to the core.
Updated January 6, 2022, by Jamie Pellikaan: Astroneer continues to be a successful sandbox space adventure allowing you to explore a variety of planets and colonize them. Reaching a planet’s core, where an important artifact lies dominant, remains an essential task to truly understanding a planet’s secrets.
While it is not ridiculously difficult to reach a planet’s core, the right tools are essential for getting the job done. Each planet presents its own unique challenges and having a large variety of equipment at your disposal will allow you to overcome anything that comes your way. Here's what you'll need.
14 A Vehicle
A vehicle offers many benefits wherever you go, whether you're going to another planet or traveling to the core. It not only helps you move quickly, but it's also an oxygen source, a platform, and even an emergency battery. Plus, it protects you from falls. This is especially important when going to the core as you'll tunnel into numerous voids and chambers that create deadly drops.
Because you'll spend all your time tunneling in tight quarters, a simple tractor and trailer might be the best choice, especially since they're cheap and easy to replace if you die. However, a rover obviously gives you more flexibility and options.
13 An Oxygen Tank
As you journey to the planet core, you will be tethered to your vehicle and only able to make short forays away. They will be especially short if you don't have an oxygen tank.
There are many things you can and should count on crafting when and if you need them, but since an oxygen tank is crafted with a refined resource (glass) that has limited alternative applications, it's best to just go ahead and craft your oxygen tank before you head out.
12 A Portable Oxygenator
As careful as you are with your vehicle, there is a good chance that you'll be separated from it at some point. In fact, there will be some places you need to go where you can't take your vehicle. A portable oxygenator (PO) is your backup plan. It gives you the time you need to find your vehicle again or pursue other contingencies (more on this later).
The PO is very high up the tech chain, both in terms of unlocking it and being able to make the nanocarbon alloy you need to craft it, but it's worth it. It will save your life often. Plus, there are some places you won't be able to take your vehicle, and having your PO will give you time to do what need there.
11 A Source Of Power
You need power for virtually anything you do in Astroneer, and if you're heading to the core, you'll need a decent amount of it. Obviously, solar panels aren't going to help, so you're going to be relying on wind power and generators. It's good to have a mix of both.
Generators can be a reliable backup, but it's unlikely that you'll find enough organic resources to rely on them primarily. Now that you're high up the tech tree, you might consider an RTG (radioisotope thermoelectric generator) for your vehicle, but you'll still need personal power.
10 A Battery
If you use an RTG for your vehicle, you don't need an extra battery for that application. However, the PO has one limitation (besides the initial cost): it requires a lot of power. This means that you'll want to make sure you not only have power, but you also have a reserve.
Even having a generator running won't be enough to supply your PO, so unless you like standing in the terrifying dark while you try to build up your oxygen reserves, it's a good idea to have a battery. As always, a battery also makes it easier to improve the effectiveness of renewable power like wind.
9 A Drill Mod or Drill
As you travel to the core, you will encounter harder and harder soils. At this point, the standard-issue terrain tool is insufficient and you simply won't be able to make it. In order to reach your destination, you will need some type of drill. The easiest way to get where you're going is to put a drill on the front of your vehicle.
This is where a rover might come in handy. However, putting a drill on the front of a tractor makes it harder to power the rover and have room for cargo. Whether you're using a drill mod or vehicle-mounted drill, level two or higher is recommended.
8 Basic Resources
Although the interior of the planet contains a wealth of advanced minerals, it becomes increasingly devoid of the basic resources you need to craft some of the most essential materials. This includes resin and compounds for making things like oxygen filters, generators, printers, and platforms.
Even quartz will get hard to find for a while. Organic material will be available, but limited. If you are going to be prepared for contingencies like getting separated from your vehicle, it's a good idea to bring this stuff with you.
7 Field Shelter
There may not be dinosaurs on the way to the core, but there are plenty of other dangers. If you find yourself separated from your vehicle and you're running out of resources to keep your PO running, you might need some literal breathing room to assess your options and get ready to move on.
A field shelter is great for this. It supplies oxygen and power, and it only takes one spot in your pack when packaged. And, once you solve your issue and are prepared to resume your journey to the core, you can repackage it and take it with you in case you need it again.
6 Aluminum
Aluminum is a great thing to bring if you want to be really prepared. It gives you the ability to make a soil centrifuge with a relatively low material investment. With aluminum, it only takes five compounds and four resins to get to the soil centrifuge. If you properly use your printer slot, you can carry all this with you, along with power, battery, drill mod, and oxygenator.
Once you have the centrifuge, you can produce virtually unlimited organic, resin, and compound to reprovision yourself to resume the journey. Or you can set up a miniature research base or refinery to take advantage of the rich data and mineral resources on the way to the core.
5 Activating Resource
At the core, you will find the gateway engine, which is a bizarre structure, unlike the normal gateways you encounter on or above the planet's surface. While those gateways require power to be activated, this one requires resources. The type of resource depends on the planet whose core you're approaching. For Sylva, you'll find the resource you need nearby.
Other planets are more complicated, and it might be better to come prepared. On the other hand, once you're properly provisioned, it might not be so bad to turn around and head back to your base to make what you need.
4 Cargo Space
While digging around a planet to find its core, you are bound to come across some interesting items you will want for yourself. You will need space for all your newfound items and resources so ensuring you have the proper cargo room is important before you begin an expedition to a planet’s center.
Make sure you have the proper storage container or space available since certain items can only be stored in certain containers. For example, a small canister can only hold soil.
3 Worklight
You won’t know the conditions of the center of a planet till you reach it, and being able to see the space around you is essential in working your way down. Worklights allow you to illuminate a given area and are more powerful than the lights on your tether.
You can craft a work light at a small printer or backpack and cost one copper to create. While it needs a power source to operate they don’t actually consume any energy to stay powered up during your dig.
2 Tether
An essential item to have during your Astroneer playthrough, the tether can help transfer oxygen to you while you dig to find a planetary core. These items can be crafted in your backpack and even produce some light for you while you explore the surrounding area.
You can even link tethers together and have them clinging to walls and ceilings. They only need to be within distance of each other and don’t need to be within eyesight to connect.
1 Terrain Tool
This tool gives you everything you need to properly dig to a planet’s core and it's something you should already have in your possession. The terrain tool allows you to dig and excavate the land around you meaning you can quickly create tunnels, ditches, and anything else you need.
The Terrain tool even allows you to flatten, lower, or raise the terrain around you meaning you can create a safe and stable passage to the core of any planet you find yourself on.