Astroneer, How to reach any planet core, quick!

This is a guide that explains how to quickly reach the core of the planet. You can do this early in game, as soon as you have unlocked one of the gateways on the planet of which you want to reach the core. If you do not know what the core or gateway is, you should probably play the game before reading this guide.

I. Prerequisites Needed

This section contains spoilers in that it reveals some secrets of the game. If you have NOT played this game, and completed it, you should NOT read this guide. Okay, warning aside, I did take the time to hide some information with spoiler tags. So please keep reading to find out what you need to get to the core quickly.



Not so fast. You will need to print a Research Chamber, why? Because you will also need to have gathered 8600 Bytes (or more) to unlock these catalog items:

• Small Printer (unlocked at start)
  
• Large Platform A (500 Bytes)
  
• Smelter (250 Bytes)
  
• Tractor (1000 Bytes)
  
• Trailer (1500 Bytes)
  
• Solid-Fuel Thruster (500 Bytes)
  
• Small Shuttle (1500 Bytes)
  
• Chemistry Lab (1600 Bytes)
  
• Drill Strength 1 (2500 Bytes)

To activate any planet core, you must have activated at least one of the surface gateways on the planet of which you want to reach the core.

Activating the two or six gateways per planet , you need power. You must connect power to activate each one, and keep providing enough power so that it can complete the sequence, and then it will be illuminated in a way that you will immediately know it worked.

So let's say you've got at least one gateway activated, and now you want to reach the core , and activate that too. Here's what you'll need, presuming you have COMPLETED THE FIRST SEVEN MISSIONS. If you did, skip to the "Complete your components" section.

If you DID NOT complete the first seven missions, you have to:

• Find and scan resources and/or place research items into a research chamber, to
  
• Earn enough Bytes to unlock the items in the catalog (see above list)
  
• Once you have unlocked the items, and before you can print them
  
• You must collected enough of the materials (see Materials section) to
  
• Print the items presuming you have enough power to do this

When you have done the tasks above, found all the materials, then you must create the following items:
1. Small Printer (print from your backpack with 1 compound, or complete the mission)
2. Small Platform A (Unlock it, print it with 1 resin, or complete the mission)
3. Medium Printer (Unlock it, print it with 2 compound, or complete the mission)
4. Large Platform A (Get 500 Bytes, unlock it, print with 3 resin, or complete the mission)
5. Smelter (Unlock it, print it with 2 resin, 1 compound, or complete the mission)

When you're ready, read the next section.

II. Resource Materials needed

Even if you have completed the first seven missions, you will still need to find (and smelt) some of these material resources, specifically Wolframite, Quartz, Clay and Laterite.

Complete list of Resources you need to have or find:

• Compound - 8+ for the Printer(s), Smelter, Research Chamber,Trailer, and Small Gen.
  
• Resin - 7+ for Oxygen filters, Smelter, Small Platform A, Large Platform A or B
  
• Organic - 1+ smelted into Carbon, to make Tungsten Carbide.
  
• Wolframite - 1+ smelted into Tungsten, to make Tungsten Carbide.
  
• Quartz - 3+ smelts into Glass, plus you need two more with you at the core
  
• Laterite - 6+ smelted into Aluminum, for Tractor, Trailer, Thruster and Shuttle
  
• Clay - 1+ smelted into Ceramic, for the Drill Strength 1
  
• Ammonium - 1+ for the Solid-Fuel Thruster

Refined Resources table Image clipped from Astroneer Wiki here[astroneer.fandom.com]

Additional, but optional materials:

• Graphite - used to print Packagers (+1000 Bytes to unlock)
  
• Malachite - smelted into Copper for Worklight
  
• Sphalerite - smelted into Zinc, for Small Battery, Tool Mods, etc

Once you have these, and have met the requirements in the previous section go to the "Complete and print the components" section.

III. Prepare your base operation

[If you completed seven missions from the Mission Log, skip this section.]

The first 7 missions are:

• Planetfall! - Gifts Oxygenator and Small Printer
  
• Astroneering Bas(e)ics - Gifts 1 Tether bundle, +500 Bytes
  
• Breathing Space - Gifts 1 Small Canister, +500 Bytes
  
• Resourcing - Gifts 1 Medium Storage, 2 Medium Platform A
  
• Landfilling - Gifts +500 Bytes
  
• Printing Up - Gifts 1 Large Platform B
  
• Lights in the Distance - Gifts +500 Bytes if you find a gateway

Presuming you have found all the required materials, you will need some of them to create the following items:

• Small Printer (print from your backpack with 1 compound)
  
• Small Platform A (print it with small printer, 1 resin)
  
• Medium Printer (print it with small printer, 2 compound)
  
• Large Platform A (print with medium printer, 3 resin)
  
• Smelter (print it with medium printer, 2 resin, 1 compound)

When you're ready, read the next section.

IV. Collect and print your components

Once you have completed the first three sections, you can now assemble your core drilling machine!

If you just clicked here because you completed the first seven missions, Welcome!

**NOTE: SPOILERS in this section, and in the last section are hidden by spoiler tags**

You can view the spoiler hidden by black color tags by mouse over it.

IF you HAD completed the first seven missions in the Mission Log, you would have received everything you need to create these items below, with the exception of:

Quartz - to unlock Sylva's core and activate the Unidentified Satellite
Wolframite - smelted into Tungsten for the Chemistry Lab and to make Tungsten Carbide
Laterite - smelted into Aluminum for the tractor/trailer
Clay - smelted into Ceramic for the second component of the Drill Strength 1

To reach and activate the core, you need to have:

1. A tractor (printed with small printer, 2 Aluminum)
2. A trailer (also printed with small printer, 1 Aluminum, 1 Compound)
3. A source of power to operate the drill, and charge the tractor's battery
4. A source of oxygen (such as Oxygen Filter or Oxygen Tank)
5. Two of a specific material* - one to unlock the core, one for the satellite
6. A drill for your tractor..

* Each planet requires a different material (or gas) to unlock the core. Also, To reach the core of ALL the planets, you need a Drill Strength 2 or 3 . See the Astroneer Discord Spoiler Talk section for a list of what is needed for each planet.

Additional Optional components...not required but desired..
(#7 if you want to see where you're going)
(#8 if you want to bring back your tractor/trailer/drill)

7. A source of light (worklight, floodlight, etc).
8. Packagers x 3. You need them to package the tractor, trailer, and drill.

Speaking of the drill, before you can reach the last section which explains how to get from the surface to the Core, you'll first have to go off planet for the resources required to make the Chem Lab, which is required to create Tungsten Carbide, a refined resource for the Drill Strength 1.

V. Travel to another planet

Unfortunately, because you need Tungsten Carbide for the most basic drill, you must go to another planet (either DeSolo or Calidor). To get there you will also need:

1. A Small Shuttle (2 aluminum)
2. Solid Fuel Thruster (1 ammonium, 1 aluminum)

When you have the items above, you can go to either of Desolo or Calidor to collect Wolframite, which smelts to Tungsten. Got the Tungsten smelted? Great!

Now, there is yet another problem - you can not create compounds (more than one material) without a machine, so you need to unlock and print this:

3. Chemistry Lab (1 ceramic, 1 glass, 1 tungsten)

Once it is printed, expand and place it on a platform, then cycle through the recipes to find and create a new material called:

4. Tungsten Carbide (Wolframite smelted to Tungsten, and Organic, smelted to Carbon)

When you have this, continue reading the next section.

VI. Get to the core!

You're ready to go. Everything is collected and ready. Follow these steps to get you from the surface (preferably near your activated gateway) to the core of the planet.

• Expand the tractor, trailer and drill
  
• Connect the trailer to the tractor
  
• Connect the drill to the front of the tractor
  
• Place your power source on the trailer
  
• Place the light source in one of your backpack's top slot
  
• Place the source of oxygen in your backpack
  
• Get on the tractor, put the drill down (and hold it there)
  
• Start the drill and you'll start drilling to the core.
  
• Once you breach the core void, stop the drill (press Tab or right bumper)
  
• As you free fall, aim for the core globe.
  
• Once you land there, get off the tractor.
  
• Optional: Package the drill, trailer and tractor (in that order).
  
• Optional: Place them into your backpack.
  
• Walk into the core area.
  
• Reach the part with three different slots on the ceiling or floor
  
• Place the one resource into a slot, then the second one.
  
• Place both triptych in your backpack.
  
• Walk to one of the four edges of the core, and walk up the wall.
  
• You'll reach the other end with a single slot in the middle.
  
• Place one of the triptych in the slot.
  
• Use the odd orb to access your activated gateway on the surface.
  
• Optional: Replenish your packagers, and repeat on each planet.

[GAM3RGAWD]

@Peanut, I haven't tried that yet. Created the guide before Xenobiology update came out, Thanks for the comment.

[Peanut]

The new (and thankfully much easier) way to do this now is:

1. Get Calidor and Vesania's little pets from the xenobiology update.

2. Get a QT-RTG, Drill mod 3, and the necessary resource needed for the planet.

3. Feed both "Stilgar" and "Princess" and dig straight down to the core.

4. Profit

That isn't to say that the old method isn't still good, this method is just easier for players that are lazy (like me).