The Planet Crafter is a survival game where you reshape hostile worlds into places that can support life, a process called terraforming. The game has several worlds to do it on, including Planet Prime, the moons Aqualis, Selenea and Skeo, and the Humble and Toxicity planets. Almost everything you do depends on materials: you mine ores, collect gases and water, gather organic items, and craft them into the tools, machines and rocket parts that push terraforming forward. Knowing what each material does and where it comes from keeps your base running and your progress moving.
Showing 69 of 123 items.
Material type
Raw Ores and Minerals
Iron
An early ground ore that keeps shelter construction and first recipes moving.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime, Humble, and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Prime, Selenea, and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make Vehicle – Rover and Circuit board, and more.
Silicon
A pale mineral at the center of the electronics crafting chain.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime, Humble, and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Prime, Selenea, and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make Microchip - Torch and Vehicle – Rover, and more.
Aluminum
A light ore that helps turn basic materials into stronger alloys.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Prime, Selenea, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make Microchip – T2 Torch and Circuit board, and more.
Magnesium
An early mineral that carries basic tools into advanced builds.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime, Humble, and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Prime and Selenea.
- Used For
- Used to make Microchip – T2 Torch and Microchip - Torch, and more.
Sulfur
A yellow deposit with a long trail through farming and lab chemistry.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime, Aqualis, Humble, and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Prime.
- Used For
- Used to make Microchip – T2 Torch and T3 Mutagen, and more.
Uranium
A radioactive ore that marks the move into powerful rods and quartz.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Prime and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make Vehicle – Rover and Rocket Engine, and more.
Zeolite
A crystalline mineral that becomes important in high-tier recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime, Humble, and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Selenea.
- Used For
- Used to make Circuit board and Cosmic Quartz, and more.
Phosphorus
A moon mineral needed for the later rocket and fertilizer chain.
- Content
- Free Update
- Worlds
- Aqualis
- How to Get It
- Found at resource sites on Aqualis. A Harvesting Robot can collect it.
- Used For
- Used to make T3 Fertilizer and Quasar Quartz, and more.
Titanium
A common metal that anchors Super Alloy and equipment recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime, Humble, and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Prime, Selenea, and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make Super Alloy and T1 Exoskeleton, and more.
Selenium
A moon mineral used in upgraded engines and colored quartz recipes.
- Content
- Free Update
- Worlds
- Selenea
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Selenea with an Ore Extractor.
- Used For
- Used to make T2 Rocket Engine and T2 Magnetic field protection rocket, and more.
Obsidian
A dark volcanic mineral that enters late-stage crafting.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime, Humble, and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Selenea and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make T6 Backpack and Cosmic Quartz, and more.
Cobalt
A blue ore that keeps oxygen capsules and alloy recipes moving.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime, Humble, and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Prime, Selenea, and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make Oxygen capsule and Super Alloy, and more.
Osmium
A rare ore that sets up advanced rods, energy cells, and quartz.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime, Skeo, Humble, and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Prime, Selenea, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make Osmium Rod and Magnetar Quartz, and more.
Iridium
A metallic ore refined into rods for engines and equipment.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Prime and Toxicity with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers and drone containers on Prime, Selenea, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make Explosive powder and Iridium Rod, and more.
Uraninite
A Humble ore that opens up the advanced crushing chain.
- Content
- Planet Humble DLC
- Worlds
- Humble
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Humble with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Humble.
- Used For
- Crushed in a T3 Ore Crusher to recover ores.
Dolomite
A Humble mineral needed before richer ores can be processed.
- Content
- Planet Humble DLC
- Worlds
- Humble
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Humble with an Ore Extractor.
- Used For
- Feeds Ore Crushers and can be processed into Uraninite.
Amber
A Skeo resin deposit used to unlock later research materials.
- Content
- Free Update
- Worlds
- Skeo
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Skeo with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Skeo.
- Used For
- Used to make Magnetar Quartz and Lucia butterfly larva, and more.
Bauxite
A Humble ore needed to reach the richer crushing recipes.
- Content
- Planet Humble DLC
- Worlds
- Humble
- How to Get It
- Mined from resource veins on Humble with an Ore Extractor. Found in containers on Humble.
- Used For
- Crushed in T2 and T3 Ore Crushers to recover ores.
Ice
A frozen resource that becomes drinking water and early farm supplies.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime and Selenea
- How to Get It
- Found in containers on Prime and Selenea.
- Used For
- Used to make Water bottle and T2 Vegetube, and more.
Material type
Refined Materials and Rods
Fabric
A woven textile made from Silk for clothing and vehicle upgrades.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Prime and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make Vehicle – Rover and T2 Agility Boots, and more.
Rocket Engine
The standard propulsion part behind rockets and several advanced builds.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Advanced Craft Station. Found in containers, trade rockets, and satellites on Prime, Aqualis, and Selenea.
- Used For
- Used to make Vehicle – Rover and Insect spreader rocket, and more.
Circuit board
A midgame electronic component that signals advanced crafting.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Advanced Craft Station. Found in containers, trade rockets, satellites, and drone containers on Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make Blueprint microchip and T7 Backpack, and more.
Bioplastic nugget
A lab-made polymer that bridges organic materials and electronics.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea and Humble
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Prime, Selenea, and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make Circuit board and Quasar Quartz, and more.
Osmium Rod
A dense metal bar forged from rare osmium ore.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Advanced Craft Station. Found in containers, trade rockets, and satellites on Aqualis, Selenea, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make Insect spreader rocket and T2 Magnetic field protection rocket, and more.
Super Alloy Rod
A reinforced form of Super Alloy for advanced construction.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Advanced Craft Station. Found in containers, trade rockets, and satellites on Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make Map information rocket and T3 GPS Satellite, and more.
Super Alloy
A six-mineral alloy that opens up the more expensive recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Advanced Craft Station. Found in containers on Prime, Selenea, and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make Rocket Engine and Super Alloy Rod, and more.
Explosive powder
A reactive powder that opens explosive recipes and late upgrades.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Prime, Selenea, and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make T3 Agility Boots and T5 Jetpack, and more.
Fuse cartridge
The base cartridge from which multiplier fuses are built.
- Content
- Free Update
- Worlds
- Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Quartz craft station. Found in containers on Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to craft multiplier fuses, and more.
Iridium Rod
A refined metal bar used as a component in engines and equipment.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Advanced Craft Station. Found in containers and trade rockets on Prime, Selenea, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make Rocket Engine and T4 Jetpack, and more.
T2 Rocket Engine
An upgraded propulsion core for later rockets and travel equipment.
- Content
- Free Update
- Worlds
- Selenea
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Advanced Craft Station. Found in containers and trade rockets on Selenea.
- Used For
- Used to make T2 Insect spreader rocket and T2 Magnetic field protection rocket, and more.
Uranium Rod
A refined radioactive component for power systems and high-tier builds.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Advanced Craft Station. Found in containers, trade rockets, and satellites on Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make T5 Exoskeleton and T4 Exoskeleton, and more.
Smart fabric
A flexible crafted textile used for customizable furniture.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Selenea
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Selenea.
- Used For
- Used to make Pool table and Customizable sofa, and more.
Fusion Energy Cell
A compact power source for high-energy equipment and travel.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Aqualis and Selenea
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Advanced Craft Station. Found in containers and satellites on Aqualis and Selenea.
- Used For
- Used to make Interplanetary travel rocket and Large explosive device, and more.
Explosive
A placeable charge that opens blocked passages and clears debris.
- Content
- Free Update
- Worlds
- Selenea and Humble
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers and drone containers on Selenea and Humble.
- Used For
- Breaks destructible objects and opens blocked routes.
Material type
Quartz
Magnetar Quartz
A powerful crystal found in Rainbow Caves and used by later technology.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Aqualis, Selenea, Skeo, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Quartz craft station. Found in containers and drone containers on Selenea, Skeo, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make T7 Backpack and T6 Backpack, and more.
Cosmic Quartz
An endgame crystal that ties the quartz set into system-level progress.
- Content
- Free Update
- Worlds
- Aqualis and Selenea
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Quartz craft station. Found in containers on Selenea.
- Used For
- Used to make T7 Backpack and T5 Exoskeleton, and more.
Solar Quartz
A late-game energy crystal found in caves and valuable containers.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab or Quartz craft station. Found in containers, satellites, and drone containers on Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make T7 Backpack and Cosmic Quartz, and more.
Quasar Quartz
A crafted crystal that links biological ingredients to energy technology.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Quartz craft station. Found in containers, satellites, and drone containers on Aqualis, Selenea, and Humble.
- Used For
- Used to make Cosmic Quartz and Growth multiplier fuse, and more.
Blazar Quartz
A selenium-backed crystal for advanced gear and quartz crafting.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Quartz craft station. Found in containers, trade rockets, satellites, and drone containers on Aqualis, Selenea, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make T6 Backpack and Cosmic Quartz, and more.
Pulsar Quartz
The core energy crystal behind fusion power and portal travel.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab or Quartz craft station. Found in containers, satellites, and drone containers on Prime, Aqualis, Selenea, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make Cosmic Quartz and Fusion Energy Cell, and more.
Material type
Organic and Biological
T2 Mutagen
A stronger lab solution for uncommon species recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Selenea, Skeo, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Selenea, Skeo, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make Insect spreader rocket and Golden butterfly larva, and more.
Phytoplankton
A water-collected sample that supports aquatic life recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Collected with Water life collector.
- Used For
- Used to make Buyu fish eggs and Common larva, and more.
T3 Mutagen
A late-stage culture for higher-tier larvae and amphibian eggs.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Selenea, Skeo, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Selenea, Skeo, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make Afae frog eggs and Buyu fish eggs, and more.
Fertilizer
An early nutrient blend that moves biological crafting forward.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Selenea and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Prime and Selenea.
- Used For
- Feeds animal and seed recipes, and more.
Bacteria Sample
A lab culture that starts several biological production chains.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Aqualis, Skeo and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found at resource sites on Skeo.
- Used For
- Used to make T3 Mutagen and Silkworm, and more.
T3 Fertilizer
A high-grade plant nutrient for advanced biological recipes.
- Content
- Free Update
- Worlds
- Selenea and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Selenea.
- Used For
- Feeds later plant, animal, and multiplier recipes, and more.
Tuska Plant
A crop plant grown from its matching seed for specialized farming.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Grown from a Tuska Seed when planted.
- Used For
- -
T4 Mutagen
The strongest mutagen tier for rare larvae and advanced species.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Selenea, Skeo, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Selenea, Skeo, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make T2 Insect spreader rocket and Rare larva, and more.
Common larva
A starter insect larva that appears after insect life begins.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Incubator or Biolab. It also spawns outdoors when the insect stage begins, except on Humble’s surface.
- Used For
- Used in incubator recipes for early species, and more.
Tree bark
A gathered plant fiber needed by tree and biomass recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Collected with a T2 Biodome and can also appear in random container loot.
- Used For
- Used to make Soleus tree seed and Linifolia tree seed, and more.
Mutagen
A basic biological reagent used across fish, frog, and butterfly recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Selenea, Skeo, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Selenea, Skeo, Humble, and Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make T2 Mutagen and Bee larva, and more.
Rare larva
A less common insect larva for stronger incubator recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab or Incubator. It also spawns outdoors when the insect stage begins, except on Humble’s surface.
- Used For
- Used in incubator recipes for rare species, and more.
Uncommon larva
A wild insect larva gathered for early animal production.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Aqualis, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Spawns outdoors when the insect stage begins, except on Humble’s surface. It can also be found at resource sites or collected by a Harvesting Robot.
- Used For
- Feeds bee larva and silkworm recipes.
T2 Fertilizer
A stronger nutrient mix for late animal and egg recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Selenea and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Biolab. Found in containers on Selenea.
- Used For
- Feeds larvae, eggs, and advanced fertilizer recipes, and more.
Golden Plant
A golden bloom grown from a rare seed.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Grown from a Golden Seed when planted.
- Used For
- -
Algae
A pond crop that feeds lab samples and advanced plant recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Aqualis and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Collected with a T1 or T2 Algae Generator. It also grows around Toxicity.
- Used For
- Used to make Fertilizer and Bacteria Sample, and more.
Pestera Plant
Its matching seed grows a flowering plant used for oxygen production.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Grown from a Pestera Seed when planted.
- Used For
- -
Lirma Plant
A flowering species cultivated from Lirma Seed to support oxygen generation.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Grown from a Lirma Seed when planted.
- Used For
- -
Nulna Plant
This planter crop grows from Nulna Seed and contributes to oxygen production.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Grown from a Nulna Seed when planted.
- Used For
- -
Silk
A farmed fiber from the Silk Generator for textile crafting.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Aqualis
- How to Get It
- Collected with a Silk Generator. It can also appear in random container loot.
- Used For
- Used to make Fabric and Quasar Quartz, and more.
Ancient animal bones
A Skeo fossil sample that yields an animal trait when analyzed.
- Content
- Free Update
- Worlds
- Skeo
- How to Get It
- Found at specific locations on Skeo.
- Used For
- Processed in a Genetic Extractor to obtain an animal trait.
Flour
A cooking ingredient made from Wheat for baked goods.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Cooking station.
- Used For
- Used to make Croissant and Cookie, and more.
Chocolate
A Cocoa-based cooking ingredient for baked food and desserts.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Cooking station.
- Used For
- Used to make Cookie and Birthday cake.
Shanga Plant
A flowering plant grown from Shanga Seed for terraforming oxygen.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Grown from a Shanga Seed when planted.
- Used For
- -
Birthday cake
A decorative birthday treat that cannot be eaten.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- All worlds
- How to Get It
- Crafted at the Cooking station.
- Used For
- Decorates a base and cannot be eaten.
Material type
Gases and Liquids
Nitrogen cartridge
A stored gas supply for circuit boards and late laboratory recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Collected with Gas Extractor and T2 Gas Extractor.
- Used For
- Used to make Circuit board and T3 Mutagen, and more.
Oxygen capsule
A pocket oxygen refill for expeditions away from a shelter.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at a T1 or T2 Craft Station. It can also be collected with Gas Extractors.
- Used For
- Refills oxygen and supports advanced oxygen recipes, and more.
Water bottle
A portable drink that restores thirst during exploration.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime, Selenea, Skeo, Humble and Toxicity
- How to Get It
- Crafted at a T1 or T2 Craft Station. It can also be collected with Lake or Atmospheric Water Collectors.
- Used For
- Restores thirst and appears in biolab, farm, and aquarium recipes, and more.
Methane cartridge
A bottled gas supply for mutagens and other laboratory recipes.
- Content
- Base Game
- Worlds
- Prime
- How to Get It
- Found around Prime. Collected with Gas Extractor and T2 Gas Extractor.
- Used For
- Used to make Microchip – T2 Deconstruction and Mutagen, and more.
How Materials Work in The Planet Crafter
Most materials start in the world around you. You can mine ores by hand with your multitool, pick up items from storage crates and derelict ships, and set up drills and ore extractors to gather them over time. Basic items are crafted at a Craft Station, and the more advanced recipes need an Advanced Craft Station.
Materials matter because of terraforming. Machines such as drills, heaters and vegetubes raise oxygen, heat and pressure, and each one costs materials to build. What you carry decides what you can build next, so it pays to gather a stock of each type before you start a big project.
Raw Ores and Minerals
Raw ores are what you dig out of the ground, and they're the starting point for nearly everything you make. Cobalt is the one to keep stocked, since it goes into oxygen capsules and several quartz types. Iron, titanium and the other metals feed the refined materials covered in the next section.
Other ores and minerals feed the quartz types. Osmium, zeolite, obsidian, amber, selenium and phosphorus each go into at least one quartz type, and sulfur goes into solar quartz. Iridium and uranium matter most later on, since pulsar quartz and rocket engines both need them. Ore extractors can pull ores from the ground for you, which frees you to build instead of digging.
Super Alloy, Rods and Other Refined Materials
Refined materials are made by combining raw ores at a craft station, and super alloy is the one you'll use most. It's crafted at the Advanced Craft Station from cobalt, iron, magnesium, silicon, titanium and aluminum, and you'll also find finished super alloy in storage containers. Because so many late-game items call for it, keeping a stock saves a lot of crafting time.
Rods are refined pieces made from a single material, and there's one each for iridium, osmium, plastic, super alloy, tungsten and uranium. Recipes often call for the rod form rather than the raw ore, such as the iridium rod in a rocket engine. That makes rods a step you'll want to plan for before a build.
Quartz: Pulsar, Cosmic and Other Types
Quartz comes in pulsar, solar, blazar, quasar, magnetar and cosmic types. Most are crafted at the Quartz craft station, while pulsar and solar can also be made at a Biolab. Quartz is late-game material, and each type feeds top-tier gear rather than early builds.
Cosmic quartz and solar quartz both go into the T7 backpack, and cosmic quartz also goes into the T5 jetpack, the T5 exoskeleton and energy multiplier fuses. Blazar and magnetar feed the T6 backpack. Together, these types are what let you upgrade your character's gear past the basics.
Pulsar quartz is the one to plan for. It goes into fusion energy cells and the Extraction Platform, it's needed to open the Portal Generator, and it's one of the ingredients in cosmic quartz. Quasar quartz feeds the T5 oxygen tank and a growth multiplier fuse, and solar quartz feeds the energy multiplier fuse.
Gases and Liquids: Oxygen, Methane and Water
Gases are the air you breathe and the ones you collect into cartridges. Oxygen keeps your character breathing, and you can craft oxygen capsules from cobalt at a Craft Station. Methane and nitrogen come in cartridges that gas extractors collect.
Methane goes into pulsar quartz and mutagen, while nitrogen goes into solar quartz, circuit boards and T3 mutagen. Both gases are worth collecting early, because so many later recipes depend on them.
Water comes from ice. Put ice into a Craft Station to make water bottles, which you drink to keep your character going. Water collectors such as the Lake Water Collector and the Atmospheric Water Collector gather water for you.
Organic Materials: Algae, Phytoplankton and Tree Bark
Organic materials are the living and plant-based items that help you grow life on the planet. Algae and phytoplankton both come from water. An Algae Generator has to sit on water, and it grows algae underneath itself for you to collect by hand or with drones. Phytoplankton comes from a Water Life Collector placed on a lake or pond, and it's one of the ingredients in some animal eggs.
Bacteria samples, fertilizer and mutagen are the next layer. Algae is a key ingredient in both bacteria samples and fertilizer, and fertilizer and mutagen are made at the Biolab. Mutagen also goes into Incubator recipes.
Tree bark is used for tree spreaders and for tree seeds made with the DNA Manipulator. Keeping a steady supply of it is what lets your plant growth keep up with your terraforming.
Rockets and Satellites: Launch Platform and Interplanetary Travel
The Launch Platform is the base for rockets that boost terraforming. Each rocket needs a rocket engine, which takes an iridium rod, uranium and super alloy.
The Asteroid Attraction rocket boosts heat and the Magnetic Field Protection rocket boosts pressure. The Plant Rocket boosts plant biomass, the Seed Spreader boosts oxygen, the Insect Spreader boosts insects, and the Animals Spreader is for animal life. Each boost is permanent and applies to terraforming machines you already have as well as ones you build later, and launching more of the same rocket adds to the boost.
The Interplanetary Travel Rocket is how you move between worlds. Once you've finished terraforming a world, you can build one to fly to the next. It carries your gear, inventory and recipes, and you need a second rocket to come back. It's crafted with blazar and solar quartz along with rods and a rocket engine.
Satellites and mapping rockets show you what's around you. GPS satellites improve your map's geolocation, and the Map Information Rocket marks the spots where ores can be extracted.
Toxicity Materials: Toxic Goo, Spores and Purification
Toxicity is a planet damaged by past industry, so most of its materials are about cleaning it up. Toxic goo and toxic spores are gathered from the planet, and a harvesting robot can collect them for you. You feed them into a Detoxification Machine, which pulls microplastics and toxins out of goo, and chlorine dioxide out of spores.
Progress on Toxicity is tracked as purification, and the Refinement craft station turns the machine's outputs into what you need to raise it. It makes purified water, purification capsules and purification gel, which feed Toxicity's cleanup gear, purifiers and purification rocket.
Tungsten is the Toxicity ore. You mine it with ore extractors, and the Refinement station turns it into tungsten rods for Toxicity's higher-tier purifiers.
Which Materials Matter Most
Cobalt and super alloy are the two to keep on hand from the start. Cobalt goes into oxygen capsules and quartz, and super alloy runs through rocket parts and many higher-tier recipes. Running short on either one slows down the rest of your builds.
For the late game, pulsar quartz is the one to plan toward, since fusion energy cells, the Extraction Platform and cosmic quartz all depend on it. Iridium and uranium are the supporting pair, because pulsar quartz and rocket engines both need them.
FAQ
Where do you find tungsten in The Planet Crafter?
You'll first find tungsten in chests on Toxicity. Later, ore extractors can gather it automatically, so you aren't relying on chest finds to keep your purifier builds going.
Why isn't my Detoxification Machine processing toxic goo?
Check the output side first, since a full output stops the machine. Goo and spores belong in the input side, and if drones are bringing them in, check the machine's demand setting too. If microplastics pile up and crowd out the other outputs, separate machines for goo and spores can help.
How do you get tree bark in The Planet Crafter?
Tree bark comes from a T2 Biodome. Once it's built and powered, it produces bark over time for you to collect.
Where do you get uranium and iridium?
Launching the Asteroid Attraction or Magnetic Field Protection rocket draws asteroids that shower the area with uranium and iridium. That makes those two rockets useful for more than their heat and pressure boost.