Astroneer is a space sandbox where you land on worlds to mine resources, collect research, and build. The base game's solar system is open to everyone, and Aeoluz comes with the Glitchwalkers expansion. Each world has its own surface, resources, and quirks, and that's what makes moving between them interesting.
Edition
Base game
Sylva
The starting world, with balanced sunlight and wind and a forgiving first base location.
- Type
- Terran
- Atmosphere
- Average, transparent with a slight blue tint; temperate, with intermittent white clouds.
- Primary resource
- Sphalerite
- Secondary resource
- Malachite
- Atmospheric gases
- Hydrogen (75 PPU); Nitrogen (100 PPU).
- difficulty
- Easy
- Hazards
- Bouncevine grows on mountain slopes; Popcoral, Daggeroot, and Hissbine appear underground. Deep surface ravines can cause falls.
- Travel notes
- The starting planet and third from the Sun; Desolo orbits Sylva. Sun and wind are both medium, so either power source can support a base.
- Edition
- Base game
Desolo
Sylva's airless moon, with Wolframite and a very short day-night cycle.
- Type
- Terran Moon
- Atmosphere
- None; Desolo has no atmosphere.
- Primary resource
- Wolframite
- Secondary resource
- Sphalerite
- Atmospheric gases
- None.
- difficulty
- Easy
- Hazards
- Surface geysers and Daggeroot are common; Popcoral also appears. Glitched Storms can occur here, and low gravity can make rover travel less stable.
- Travel notes
- Sylva's moon and a common early shuttle stop for Wolframite. Its 1 minute 55 second day-night cycle is short, so batteries help if you rely on solar power.
- Edition
- Base game
Calidor
An arid, sun-rich world with Malachite, Wolframite, and easy-to-reach cave entrances.
- Type
- Arid
- Atmosphere
- Normal; dry and sun-blasted, with dunes, mesas, and canyons.
- Primary resource
- Malachite
- Secondary resource
- Wolframite
- Atmospheric gases
- Hydrogen (50 PPU); Sulfur (100 PPU).
- difficulty
- Medium
- Hazards
- Wheezeweed and Spinelily are found on the surface; Glitched Storms can also occur. Dunes and canyon edges can complicate ground travel.
- Travel notes
- Second from the Sun. Very high sunlight and low wind make it the strongest solar-power world; broad, sloping cave entrances ease underground access.
- Edition
- Base game
Vesania
A lush, rugged planet with Lithium, Titanite, three gases, and strong winds.
- Type
- Exotic
- Atmosphere
- Thick and lush, above heavily forested hills and large canyons.
- Primary resource
- Lithium
- Secondary resource
- Titanite
- Atmospheric gases
- Hydrogen (100 PPU); Nitrogen (75 PPU); Argon (50 PPU).
- difficulty
- Medium
- Hazards
- Popcoral, Lashleaf, Cataplant, and Thistlewhip are hazardous flora; surface geysers and Glitched Storms add risk. Steep hills and large boulders also make travel risky.
- Travel notes
- Fourth from the Sun; Novus orbits Vesania. High wind helps power bases, but rovers handle the steep, uneven terrain poorly without a paver.
- Edition
- Base game
Novus
Vesania's cratered moon, with Hematite, Lithium, and a fast day-night cycle.
- Type
- Exotic Moon
- Atmosphere
- Thin and foggy above a purple, sparsely forested surface marked by craters.
- Primary resource
- Hematite
- Secondary resource
- Lithium
- Atmospheric gases
- Hydrogen (25 PPU); Methane (75 PPU).
- difficulty
- Medium
- Hazards
- Popcoral, Lashleaf, Cataplant, and Thistlewhip are hazardous flora; many surface geysers are permanently active, and Glitched Storms can occur.
- Travel notes
- Vesania's moon, with a day-night cycle of about 3 minutes 30 seconds. High sun and wind support power, but short daylight makes storage useful.
- Edition
- Base game
Glacio
The outermost base-game planet, with icy plains, strong wind, and Titanite.
- Type
- Tundra
- Atmosphere
- Thin and windswept; icy plains sit below glaciers and steep terrain steps.
- Primary resource
- Titanite
- Secondary resource
- Hematite
- Atmospheric gases
- Argon (100 PPU).
- difficulty
- Hard
- Hazards
- Volatile Cataplant and Popcoral can explode; surface geysers, Glitched Storms, and glacier drops add risk.
- Travel notes
- The outermost planet in the Sylva System. Very high wind offsets very low sunlight; open ice plains are rover-friendly, but steep steps may need a drill or paver.
- Edition
- Base game
Atrox
The harshest base-game world, with no primary minerals and the base game's only Helium supply.
- Type
- Radiated
- Atmosphere
- Choked and greenish-yellow above dark hills, deep ravines, and broken mountains.
- Primary resource
- -
- Secondary resource
- -
- Atmospheric gases
- Helium (25 PPU); Methane (100 PPU); Nitrogen (50 PPU); Sulfur (75 PPU).
- difficulty
- Very Hard
- Hazards
- Deadly Attacti and Spewflowers, plus Wheezeweed, Spinelily, and Volatile Cataplant; Glitched Storms can occur. Broken terrain is difficult to cross by rover.
- Travel notes
- The closest planet to the Sun and the base game's only source of Helium. Both wind and sunlight are low, so bring generators or RTGs for reliable power.
- Edition
- Base game
Edition
Glitchwalkers
Aeoluz
The Glitchwalkers planet, with Hacked Storms, firewalls, and all six condenser gases.
- Type
- Glitch
- Atmosphere
- -
- Primary resource
- -
- Secondary resource
- -
- Atmospheric gases
- Hydrogen (100 PPU); Argon (100 PPU); Methane (100 PPU); Nitrogen (100 PPU); Sulfur (100 PPU); Helium (100 PPU).
- difficulty
- Varies
- Hazards
- Hacked Storms are more dangerous than base-game Glitched Storms; Firewalls obstruct deeper regions, and the terrain is dangerous.
- Travel notes
- Enter the separate Glitchwalkers level after completing the base-game mission A Core Concept and the Is This Thing On? mission chain.
- Edition
- Glitchwalkers
What Are the Planets in Astroneer?
Every planet in Astroneer is a whole world you can land on. You get there by shuttle, which sets down in a landing zone, and from there you can dig, build, and explore. Sylva is the starting world, and the rest of the base game's solar system is there to visit after it.
Two of these worlds are actually moons. Desolo orbits Sylva, and Novus orbits Vesania. Both are about half the width of the other worlds, and the full-size base game planets all share the same size and gravity.
Glitchwalkers adds Aeoluz, the largest world the developers have made so far. It brings new biomes, reworked caves, and hacked storms that you won't find anywhere else.
How Planets Are Built: Layers, Biomes, and Resources
Every planet has the same basic plan of five layers: the surface, the caves, the mantle, the outer core, and the inner core. Caves can run from the surface all the way down to the outer core, and on some worlds the layers blend together.
The surface of each planet is split into biomes, which are regions with their own soil, plants, resources, and research items. Biomes with the same name on different planets are separate areas, so the mountains on Sylva are not the same as the mountains on Vesania.
Resources follow a pattern. Some are universal and show up on every planet, while most of the rest appear on just two worlds, so you may need to travel for what you're missing. Primary resources sit between the first underground layer and the mantle. Secondary resources turn up in surface mountains and in caves between the mantle and the outer core.
Research items and samples change from planet to planet as well, in how they look, how many Bytes they're worth, and how long they take to research.
How to Travel Between Planets Through Gateways
Shuttles get you to a planet, but gateways are how you move around the solar system. Each planet has gateway chambers, and each chamber has to run on a set amount of power for 30 seconds to switch on. Once one chamber is active, you can reach that planet's core, where the gateway engine is. The power needed is lowest on Sylva and highest on Atrox.
The engine needs one specific resource, which you use to make a Geometric Triptych. Placing that triptych in the engine activates it and reveals an Odd Stone, which lets you teleport to the active chambers on the network.
You repeat the chamber and engine steps on each planet to bring it onto the network.
Power, Day Length, and Flight on Each World
Power works differently on each planet. Each world has its own day and night cycle, and its sun and wind levels vary, so some planets suit solar power and others suit wind. Since those power sources depend on the conditions, a setup that runs well on one world can struggle on another. Medium Generators and RTGs don't rely on sun or wind, so they're a safer pick on dim, low-wind worlds.
Flight is limited too. Jump jets and jetpacks only work up to a height just above the cloud layer. Go higher, and gravity fades away, so you can lose items or suffocate.
Glitched and Hacked Storms
Storms are hazards that slowly hack you while you're inside them. Once the hack is complete, you start to suffocate, so you need to get out in time.
Glitched storms appear on every base game planet except Sylva. They show up on your compass as a challenge with puzzles to solve, and they disappear and resurface in a new spot on the planet, so you have to track them down.
Hacked storms appear only on Aeoluz, and they are more dangerous. You need to build up protection against them, which grows as you collect storm data and feed it into a D-Cipher, and it's needed to move forward in the Glitchwalkers story.
Which Planets Matter Most
Atrox and Aeoluz stand out the most, though for different reasons. If research is your goal, Atrox is the one to plan around, since it has the highest-value research items and samples. It's also the base game's only source of helium, which the Chemistry Lab needs to make Nanocarbon Alloy. The planet is hard going, though, because its terrain is tough to cross with rovers and its plants are dangerous.
Aeoluz matters if you want the full Glitchwalkers story, since it's the center of the expansion. It's the largest planet the developers have made, and it's where the hacked storms and their gateway challenges are.
How to Reach Aeoluz in Glitchwalkers
Aeoluz needs the Glitchwalkers expansion, plus a bit of base game progress. Complete the mission "A Core Concept" in any save, and that unlocks a follow-up mission called "Is This Thing On?" in your Mission Log. Finish that chain, and Aeoluz opens as its own separate level rather than part of your base game world.
Your starting shelter on the planet, Frank's Shelter, is the hub for storm protection and counterhacking.
FAQ
Do I need Glitchwalkers to visit the other planets?
No. Every base game world is open to every player, and the storm gear that came with Glitchwalkers, including the RUBY module and storm data nuggets, is part of the base game too. Only Aeoluz needs the expansion.
How do I collect storm data?
Place a RUBY module on a powered platform or vehicle close to a storm hot spot. It gathers storm data nuggets from the hot spot, and those nuggets help with storm protection and research.
What is a Counterhack Key?
A Counterhack Key is made in the D-Cipher from storm data. You need one to repair a hacked gateway chamber on Aeoluz.
How do I get helium in Astroneer?
You collect helium with an Atmospheric Condenser on Atrox or Aeoluz. Each helium canister has a ring on top that shows how much gas is left.