Advanced Crafting Materials — Astroneer Guide

Master Astroneer crafting! Learn to build essential backpack gear, base modules, vehicles, and advanced tech. Your ultimate Astroneer crafting walkthrough.

Hey there, fellow explorer! So, you're diving into Astroneer and wondering how to turn all those shiny resources into something useful? That's where crafting comes in, and it's pretty central to everything you'll do. Think of it as your alien toolkit! Basically, you use your Backpack Printer or other Printer modules to whip up all sorts of objects. You start with a few basic blueprints, but the real fun begins when you start researching new tech. That's how you'll unlock more advanced modules and discover which resources are worth hunting down. It can take a bit to get the hang of it all, but don't worry, we'll get you crafting like a pro. ### Backpack Equipment Right off the bat, your Backpack Printer has some handy items. You'll definitely want to craft Tethers early on. They're like lifelines, letting you explore further from your starting Shelter and creating paths over tricky terrain or down into caves. Canisters are also super useful for carrying extra goodies. For a bit of juice for your early base, Small Solar Panels and Small Wind Turbines are your best bet before you can get your hands on better power solutions. As you progress, keep an eye out for the Portable Oxygenator to extend your breathing range, or the Packager which lets you pick up and move modules – a real lifesaver when you decide to relocate! ### Base Building Once you've landed, getting a basic setup going is key. A Research Chamber is a must-have, and once you've gathered enough bytes to unlock it, a Smelting Furnace will be your next big goal. For your initial supplies, you'll find plenty of Resin and Compound lying around your landing site. Crafting those Tethers we talked about? They'll let you explore those tempting deep caves without worrying about your oxygen supply. Speaking of caves, digging deeper into the planet is where you'll find the resources needed to build better modules and eventually, your first Small Shuttle. Once you have that, you can start thinking about visiting other planets! For that, you'll want to craft a Solid-Fuel Thruster to get going. Don't forget to grab any Research Samples or Research Items you find and pop them into your Research Chamber to keep unlocking new tech. ### Vehicles Need to cover more ground? Astroneer has a whole fleet of vehicles for you! The Tractor and Trailer are made with the Small Printer. For something a bit more robust, the Buggy and Medium Rover require a Medium Printer. And for serious exploration and interplanetary travel, you'll need the Large Printer to build the Large Rover, Small Shuttle, Medium Shuttle, and Large Shuttle. ### Smelting This is where raw materials get an upgrade. The Smelting Furnace doesn't make new items, but it transforms basic Resources into more advanced ones. For example, you can take Laterite and smelt it into Aluminum. ### Base Power Your starting Shelter has a built-in RTG to get you started. But to power more modules, you'll want to find those Small Wind Turbines and Small Solar Panels as you explore. Keep researching, and you'll unlock even better ways to keep your base humming.