Astroneer Beginner Guide: First Base, Oxygen, Resources, and Goals

Astroneer mixes space exploration, survival, crafting, and sandbox building into a bright alien adventure. The colors are friendly. The oxygen meter is less friendly. New players should focus on staying supplied, building a small base, and unlocking the tools that make longer trips possible.

Astroneer Starter Guide

Astroneer is set during the 25th-century Intergalactic Age of Discovery. Players control Astroneers exploring dangerous planets, gathering resources, researching technology, and eventually traveling between worlds.

Watch the Astroneer trailer for a quick look at the game.

Basic Controls

Controls vary by platform. On PC with mouse and keyboard, these are useful defaults to know.

Creative Mode

• Toggle Flying: Double-tap Spacebar
• Launch Drone: Y
• Duplicate Held Item: Enter
• Delete Held Item: Backspace
• Toggle Deform Menu: F
• Increase Deform Size: Hold Z + Mouse Wheel Up
• Decrease Deform Size: Hold Z + Mouse Wheel Down
• Increase Deform Speed: Hold X + Mouse Wheel Up
• Decrease Deform Speed: Hold X + Mouse Wheel Down

Drone

• Recall Drone: Q
• Toggle Astroneer/Drone Control: F
• Increase Altitude: Spacebar
• Decrease Altitude: Shift
• Zoom: Scroll Mouse Wheel
• Hold Position: Y
• Take Photo: E
• Increase Speed: Up Arrow Key
• Decrease Speed: Down Arrow Key

Vehicle

• Forward: W
• Backward: S
• Turn Left: A
• Turn Right: D
• Enter or Exit: F
• Flip: F
• Aux Slot Activation: C/V

Other Controls

• Open Menu: Escape
• Interact: Left Mouse Button
• Rotate Camera: Hold Right Mouse Button + Drag
• Zoom Camera: Scroll Mouse Wheel
• Walk: Hold CTRL + Movement
• Quick Store: Shift + Left Mouse Button

Oxygen and Survival

Leaving the landing area drains the suit's oxygen supply. Watch the gauge on the backpack and turn back before it gets too low. Around 25% oxygen is a sensible warning point for new players.

Plan routes around oxygen access. Tethers, vehicles with oxygen support, and an Oxygenator let exploration stretch farther from the shelter.

Build the First Base

After landing, interact with the research core and call down supplies. Choose a Medium Fabricator and Medium Platform to create the base foundation.

Unpack both items near the habitat. Keeping early machines close prevents oxygen problems while moving resources and learning the power system.

Power is required for many structures. Connect cables by pulling the red handles between power outlets. The starting habitat provides limited power, so begin adding sources such as Solar Panels and batteries when possible.

Gather Early Resources

The first resources to prioritize are Compound and Resin. Compound appears as gray bubble-like clusters and is used for tools and modules. Resin appears as yellow cylindrical clusters and is used in platforms and other base equipment.

Collect enough to support research, crafting, and oxygen expansion before taking longer trips underground.

Early Astroneer Milestones

The long-term goal is to visit each planet and power its large purple Gateway structures. Before that, focus on these early steps.

Step 1: Build an Oxygenator

The Oxygenator expands the oxygen network and can also support travel when attached to vehicles.

1. Craft a Medium Printer from the Backpack using 2x Compound.
2. Craft a Smelting Furnace with 2x Resin and 1x Compound.
3. Gather Laterite and smelt it into Aluminum.
4. Gather Clay and smelt it into Ceramic.
5. Craft the Oxygenator using 1x Aluminum and 1x Ceramic.

Step 2: Craft Tethers and Small Canisters

Craft plenty of Tethers and Small Canisters before exploring. A Small Canister costs 1x Resin, while Tethers cost 1x Compound.

Tethers keep oxygen available. Canisters let the Terrain Tool carry soil, which becomes important for later crafting.

Step 3: Build a Research Chamber

The Research Chamber converts Research Items, Samples, and some resources into Bytes. Craft it at a Medium Printer using 2x Compound and 1x Resin.

Bytes unlock schematics such as the Packager, Oxygen Tank, and Floodlight.

Step 4: Find Power Sources

Look around the planet for usable Solar Panels and Wind Turbines. Finding them can save early resources compared with crafting every power item yourself.

Bring recovered power items back to base and connect them to keep printers and research running.

A Simple First Goal

A good first-session target is to build a small powered base, craft Tethers, unlock the Research Chamber, and prepare the materials for an Oxygenator. Once those pieces are in place, cave exploration and resource trips become much less frantic.

Multiplayer Basics

Astroneer supports online co-op for up to four players. On PlayStation, up to eight players can join when everyone is on the same platform.

Cross-play is limited. In most cases, players join others on the same system, though some exceptions exist, such as PC players joining Xbox players.