How do you get the initial silicon ore?

[dumpster cat]

So I need silicon ore to make the constructor, but I need the constructor to make the drill to get the silicon? I literally walked around half of the planet and only found one single iron ore node, nothing else. There are no surface silicon deposits either?

How could the devs have made such an incredible mistake?

[Graf Schokola]

use the survival tool and look for:

silicon rocks - mountains
iron rocks - wide graslands
copper rocks - woodland

all - steppe at equator

[LordPunisher]

Did you visit wrecks and took whatever could be taken? Also, I am not sure if its available with the survival tool, but you can make silicon, iron and copper from stone, but its not very efficient.

So I am not sure what I did different and I am way part that stage now, but I never had the trouble you mention.

[dumpster cat]

The survival tool is the handheld laser you start with, how can you craft silicon with it? I'm aware you can convert crushed rock into silicon in the survival constructor, but that requires silicon to make in the first place.

Also, I looked at every single rock I came across in all of the biomes mentioned above, no silicon ore anywhere to be found. As I said, I only found one iron ore deposit. (Edit: I probably spent 45 minutes bunny-hopping around the planet, nothing that said silicon when I pointed the survival tool at it.)

[Balboa Albosa]

You should get a constructor at the wrecking in the main questline.

[kevin398_727]

silicon rocks laying on the surface have white dots on them you can see them from a mile away.they are moderately flat and gray with dots, the only rocks like that.each type of rock has a different shape.

[margalus]

Find a desert area, mountain or forest. Press V and put your camera in 3rd person. Roll your view so you are looking down and then use the mouse wheel to scroll your view way out. Then walk around those areas I mentioned looking for black rocks with white polka dots. The are long rocks that are low to the ground. In the desert you don't need the 3rd person view to see them, but in vegetation you do.

[TE5LA]

Silicon is plentiful. Iron is harder to find. Gold ore seems crazy rare. Have found only three gold
rocks so far on the server.

[mad viper]

for the initial silicon to make a drill you can also kill normal rocks(crushed rock) and you can make that into silicon , it takes alot of crushed rock to make a few silicon bars but common rocks are everywhere.

[dumpster cat]

ok yes but *how* do you make the crushed rock into silicon without the portable constructor? there is no information anywhere in-game or on the wiki about how to do that. I don't have the recipe for silicon bars in the built-in constructor in my inventory

[margalus]

You need the constructor first.

[TE5LA]

I don't recall it being that difficult to build the portable constructor. Silicon wasn't difficult to find, but of course, this depends on server settings.

[Docsprock]

Silicon can be found in Mountains, Low Mountains, and Sand.

[Gordholm]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1436626207

Screenshot of a surface rock containing silicon ore. you need to find at least one of this stones to be able to craft your own mobile constructor.

but if you start a new game and skip the robinson protocol you will get some more equipment. like the mobile constructor a drill and a pistol

[PhEONix]

"The constructor is to die for"

I just tried skipping the Robinson Protocol - it made absolutely no difference to my inventory - no constructor. I'm certain you USED to get them in early versions.


BUT..... I got extra stuff when I accidentally died.

{frowns & looks puzzled}

Maybe it is new, but you only need Iron (3) , Copper(1) and Silicon (2) ore to make the portable constructor in your 'survival construcor' [Tab]

Silicon rocks are to be found at water...

USE DRONE [F5] to fly over AND under water - it takes the glare off the water and they are MUCH easier to find that way. They look like seagulls use them as latrines.

Grab the other rocks too - because, once you get your constructor you can convert crushed stone to Iron/Copper/ Silicon.

Using your drone on land also means you can 'fly' out to a rock and simply switch back to normal mode with [F5]
(saves you the return trip!) ;o)
Fly up with [spacebar] to take a look around you.

(Also try [V] to adjust to 3rd person view.... then hit [Alt] (should hear a 'click') then you can scroll your mouse wheel to zoom in/out and look around too. (VERY handy & great for screenshots and tutorials - as you don't have the drone graphics around your screen)

Another few rocks and you can get the T1 drill - and bust the rocks in a couple of hits.

I'm gonna record a vid and see how fast I can do this & get that constructor ... (and maybe a shotgun)


Ha! Trouble finding enough Iron, and died standing in cold water because I had to take a phone call in the middle of everything.
plenty copper on the plain and silicon in the water.

... lost a bit of time fiddling with Excel to attempt to create a chart explaining "heirarchy of needs" as part of a tutorial while I was recording and, with running camtasia, Empyrion and Excel all at once it was very slow (and I managed to jam it up altogether)
... and I lingered to explain the odd thing here and there

- so not my fastest, but reasonably satisfactory at medium difficulty.

took me 1:20 to get together

- Portable Constructor
- Shotgun & Cartridges
- Drill
- Biofuel
- Chainsaw
- A couple of Meds
- and some food and plants

... AND a mystery motorbike and second constructor I am certain I didn't ask for... but it wasn't there till after I died, I'm pretty sure.
Maybe that was for reaching level 3 or something, I couldn't say. I'll have to watch the video to determine exactly what happened.

Yep!... just had a rapid fast forward through the video and it was when I went back for my back pack and grabbed everything, Shazzam! There was the extra constructor and motorbike AND a heater thingy.

| guess you could say "I'm dying for a constructor"... and there you go.
(free motorbike with every ressurection - and we'll even throw in a heater!)

I was VERY surprised to realise I was well on the way to getting enough ingots to spawn a cheap HV - I might go back and play that out - just to see if that is indeed achievable just from gathering scattered rocks.
I'm always moaning about the emphasis on mining in this game, but it was only yesterday, when I was short of silicon that I started diving.
Which still astonishes me - because I was a professional diver - but maybe because I associated it with needing O2 and had decided to put that off till I was space bound, then promptly forgot about lakes as a source of resources - which is a MAJOR oversight on my part as there are other goodies to be had. (mind the squids!)

[HAILOU]

the crashed shuttle has some ore in the lockers you grab that and make the portable constructor then with rocks stones whatever you can make ore 5 stone for an ore