Core Keeper is a mining and survival game set in an underground world built around a central Core. That world is split into biomes, and each one shapes how you play, from the materials you can gather to the enemies you'll face. Knowing how the biomes fit together helps you decide where to go next.
Region
Regions
The Undergrounds
The starting region around the Core supplies Copper and the first ore-tier workbench.
- Distance from the Core
- Up to about 150 tiles from the Core
- Ores
- Copper
- Workbenches
- Copper Workbench
- Notable enemies
- Orange Slime; Red Slime; Shrooman; Shrooman Brute
- Bosses
- Glurch the Abominous Mass; King Slime
- Sub-areas
- -
The Clay Caves
This orange cave region contains Tin, roaming larva, and the Larva Hive.
- Distance from the Core
- About 150 to 400 tiles from the Core
- Ores
- Tin; Gold; Copper
- Workbenches
- Tin Workbench
- Notable enemies
- Larva; Big Larva; Caveling Skirmisher; Caveling Spearman; Clay Burrower
- Bosses
- Ghorm the Devourer; The Hive Mother
- Sub-areas
- Larva Hive
The Forgotten Ruins
Stone ruins hold Iron ore, Cavelings, Malugaz, and the Moss sub-biome.
- Distance from the Core
- About 150 to 400 tiles from the Core
- Ores
- Iron; Gold; Copper
- Workbenches
- Iron Workbench
- Notable enemies
- Caveling; Caveling Brute; Caveling Shaman
- Bosses
- Malugaz the Corrupted
- Sub-areas
- Moss
Azeos' Wilderness
This forest region has Scarlet ore, Caveling hunters, and the Mold sub-biome.
- Distance from the Core
- About 400 to 1,170 tiles from the Core
- Ores
- Scarlet; Tin; Gold; Copper; Iron
- Workbenches
- Scarlet Workbench
- Notable enemies
- Caveling Gardener; Caveling Hunter; Purple Slime; Snare Plant; Infected Caveling (Mold); Mold Tentacle
- Bosses
- Ivy the Poisonous Mass; Azeos the Sky Titan; Druidra the Wild Titan
- Sub-areas
- Mold
The Sunken Sea
A water-covered outer region with Octarine ore, sea bosses and the sunken Forlorn Metropolis.
- Distance from the Core
- About 400 to 1,170 tiles from the Core
- Ores
- Octarine
- Workbenches
- Octarine Workbench
- Notable enemies
- Tentacle; Bubble Crab; Blue Slime; Searpent; Core Sentry (Forlorn Metropolis); Caveling Scholar (Forlorn Metropolis)
- Bosses
- Morpha the Aquatic Mass; Omoroth the Sea Titan; Atlantean Worm; Crydra the Ice Titan
- Sub-areas
- Forlorn Metropolis
The Desert of Beginnings
Sandy paths and lava areas lead to Galaxite, the Molten Quarry, and desert bosses.
- Distance from the Core
- About 400 to 1,170 tiles from the Core
- Ores
- Galaxite; Tin; Gold; Copper; Iron
- Workbenches
- Galaxite Workbench; Ancient Forge (Molten Quarry)
- Notable enemies
- Bomb Scarab; Caveling Assassin; Lava Slime (Molten Quarry)
- Bosses
- Igneous the Molten Mass; Ra-Akar the Sand Titan; Core Commander; Nimruza, Queen of the Burrowed Sands; Pyrdra the Fire Titan
- Sub-areas
- Molten Quarry
The Shimmering Frontier
A blue crystal region at the far edge of the outer ring, home to Solarite ore and alien defenses.
- Distance from the Core
- The outer edge of the 400 to 1,170 tile ring
- Ores
- Solarite
- Workbenches
- Solarite Workbench
- Notable enemies
- Crystal Snail; Orbital Turret; Mimite; Nilipede
- Bosses
- -
- Sub-areas
- -
The Passage
A deep region past the outer ring with Pandorium ore, Sulfur Worms and the slime boss Urschleim.
- Distance from the Core
- 1,170 to 1,350 tiles from the Core
- Ores
- Pandorium
- Workbenches
- Rift Statue
- Notable enemies
- Sulfur Worm; Colossal Amoeba
- Bosses
- Urschleim
- Sub-areas
- -
Breaker's Reach
The far northern region with Relucite ore, Geobots and the Void sub-biome.
- Distance from the Core
- Past 1,350 tiles from the Core, on the north side of the world
- Ores
- Relucite
- Workbenches
- Metalcrafter's Table; Relucite Smithing Table
- Notable enemies
- Geobot Miner; Geobot Patroller; Geobot Scourer; Void Caveling; Void Caveling Shaman; Void Caveling Brute; Void Larva
- Bosses
- S.A.H.A.B.A.R.; Oblidra the Void Lord
- Sub-areas
- Void
What Are Biomes in Core Keeper?
Biomes are the separate areas that make up the underground. Each one has its own look, plants, creatures, bosses, and ore, so stepping into a new biome feels like arriving somewhere new. The starting area is the Undergrounds, also called the Dirt biome, and it's where you spawn right next to the Core.
The ore matters most. The metal you mine in one biome is what you use to craft tools for the next, so rushing ahead without it leaves you under-equipped. That's why it pays to explore in a sensible order instead of heading straight for the far edge of the map.
How the Biomes Are Laid Out Around the Core
The Core sits at the center of the world, and the biomes spread out from it in rings. The three closest are the Undergrounds, the Clay Caves, and the Forgotten Ruins, which sit right beside one another. Everything else lies beyond the Great Wall, an unbreakable, wavy structure that initially surrounds those three inner biomes.
Difficulty climbs as you move outward, so the enemies get tougher the farther you travel from the Core. The Shimmering Frontier forms a crystal ring around the outer biomes, while the Passage and Breaker's Reach sit at the farthest edges of the map.
How to Move From One Core Keeper Biome to the Next
The Great Wall is the big gate. It keeps the outer biomes locked until you've made progress, and Azeos' Wilderness, the Sunken Sea, and the Desert of Beginnings all sit on the far side of it.
The Passage lies beyond those three, and you'll want late-game gear before you dig into it. Breaker's Reach lies in the far north, past the Passage.
Which Core Keeper Biomes Matter Most
The three inner biomes matter most early on. The Undergrounds teaches the basics, and the Clay Caves give you tin and gold, the metals you need for the tools to mine the Forgotten Ruins. The Forgotten Ruins is where you find iron, so it's the natural next step once your early tools are ready.
Azeos' Wilderness, the Sunken Sea, and the Desert of Beginnings form the middle of the game. Each brings its own ore and enemies, and together they prepare you for the bigger challenges further out.
The Passage and Breaker's Reach belong to the late game. The Passage is built for experienced players, with unusual threats and its own resources. Breaker's Reach is a mechanical biome, and its robot enemies are fast and aggressive, so fights there are harder than in earlier biomes.
The Shimmering Frontier doesn't fit neatly into one stage. Its crystal ring runs around the outer biomes, and its pockets show up as you get closer to it.
Why Biomes Change From World to World
Biomes aren't fixed. When you create a new world, its seed decides where each biome sits around the Core and sets the order of the outer biomes. The starting area always stays at the center, but the rest can land in a different arrangement from one world to the next.
That means a route that worked in one world may look different in another. Don't count on the layout from a previous world, even if the names are the same.
FAQ
Are Molten Quarry and Oasis separate biomes in Core Keeper?
No. They are sub-biomes inside the Desert of Beginnings. Molten Quarry is a volcanic area full of lava, and Oasis is a green, fertile pocket. Smaller zones like these sit inside other biomes too, including the Meadow in the Undergrounds, Larva Hive in the Clay Caves, the fungus-covered Mold area in Azeos' Wilderness and the Forlorn Metropolis dungeon in the Sunken Sea.
What is Biome Chaos in Core Keeper?
Biome Chaos is a world setting that controls how far biomes in the same ring can spill into one another. Higher settings make the mix more uneven and unpredictable, and the Extreme setting produces the wildest layouts.
What is Solarite used for?
Solarite is the ore from the Shimmering Frontier. It's used for top-tier gear such as the Solarite Sword and Solarite Crossbow, made at the Solarite Workbench and Solarite Anvil.