Beginner Tips for Exploration — Outer Wilds Guide

New to Outer Wilds? Learn the ropes with essential beginner tips covering exploration, using your Signalscope, and preparing for your first space flight. Get ready for adventure!

Alright, so you've just booted up Outer Wilds and you're probably wondering where to even begin. Don't worry, we've all been there! Before you blast off into the unknown, your home planet, Timber Hearth, is actually your first playground. It's designed to gently introduce you to the game's mechanics, so take your time and soak it all in.

Exploring Home

Think of your time on Timber Hearth as a hands-on tutorial. You'll meet your fellow Hearthians, learn about the tools you'll be using, and get a feel for the world. It's a great way to get comfortable before the real adventure begins.

Speak with the locals

Your first stop should be chatting with the folks around the Outer Wilds Ventures crater. Each of them has something important to teach you:

• Gneiss will introduce you to the Signalscope. This is your go-to tool for finding all sorts of mysterious signals across the solar system. Seriously, you'll be using this *a lot*.
• Galena and Tephra offer a fun little game of Hide-and-Seek using the Signalscope. It's a great way to practice tracking down those signals.
• Arkose will explain the dangers of ghost matter. It's invisible and deadly, but thankfully, your Scout Launcher can help you detect it.
• Mica has a miniature spaceship model you can pilot. This is your chance to get a feel for ship controls before you hop into the real deal. Aim for those landing pads – it's good practice!
• Gossan is waiting by the entrance to the "Zero-G" cave. They'll explain that a satellite inside needs fixing, which is your introduction to moving around in zero gravity. Grab the space suit at the bottom of the cave elevator to breathe and navigate the cave.

See the sights

After you've chatted with everyone, head over to the Observatory. You'll find a few more locals there who can offer some fascinating insights into the world of Outer Wilds. The ground floor also houses a museum filled with intriguing artifacts from across the solar system. Don't worry if most of it doesn't make sense yet; you'll come back to it with new knowledge later!

You'll also find a gray stone slab with purplish-blue spiral patterns – this is Nomai writing. Use your translator to read it. You'll see these symbols all over the solar system, so learning to read them is key.

Don't forget to use your Signalscope on the strange blue "museum shard" you'll find in a separate room. You'll also see cool game mechanics demonstrated here, like the purple-blue glowing "gravity crystal." On the very top floor, there's a working map of the solar system – super helpful!

Finally, you need to get the Launch Codes from Hornfels. He's standing with Hal near a Nomai statue head. Once you have the codes, the statue's eyes will light up, and you'll see a brief cutscene showing flashes of your recent memories. It's a cool way to see how the game tracks your progress.

Now, head back down to where Slate was roasting marshmallows. Use the Launch Codes to enter the small lift, and it'll take you up to your ship. Take a moment to check out your vessel. It's small, but it's packed with useful gear:

• A space suit that grants you turbo boosters.
• An oxygen tank (refillable on your ship or at living trees).
• Fuel for your boosters (refillable on your ship or at traveler camps).
• A medical kit to recover health.
• Marshmallows for roasting over a campfire to recover health.

Finding Those Off World

As Gneiss mentioned, some of your friends are already out exploring the solar system, and one might even be missing. Your Signalscope isn't just for mysterious sounds; it can also help you locate the other astronauts by the unique instruments they're playing. You might also spot smoke rising from their camps.

Remember, all explorer camps (current and past) are great spots to refill your oxygen, find spare fuel tanks, and grab some marshmallows.