The developers of The Planet Crafter have consistently released large updates for the game, both before and after the 1.0 release. However, the game now has a paid DLC called Humble Planet, which gives players a completely new world to explore and terraform.
Aside from the new starting location and new biomes, the Humble Planet of The Planet Crafter has a few new rules to understand and new lore to uncover. The terraforming process includes the same steps as the base game, but some of the life forms are different, and several machines are exclusive to the DLC. This guide explains what players need to know to get through the first few stages of the new world.
The Planet Crafter: How to Find and Wear Different Suits (Skins)
Now that The Planet Crafter has multiplayer, it makes sense that the game should let players find and wear unique outfits.
Ores and Ore Crushers
The first big difference between the base game and the Humble Planet DLC is the presence of "ores." These minerals include dolomite, bauxite, and uraninite, which you can see on the screen in the image above. Ores appear on the ground in specific areas, and you can mine them like regular minerals such as iron, titanium, and magnesium.
The main difference is that ores have no real use except to make Ore Crushers, and you can use Ore Crushers to turn ores into other minerals. In fact, ores are the only way you can consistently find certain minerals like cobalt, aluminum, and uranium. Unlike in the regular game, you won't find these three minerals lying around, even in specific biomes.
Each Ore Crusher converts ore into minerals after a specific amount of time. How much time they need and how many minerals they create depends on the Ore Crusher's tier. You can add any ore to any Ore Crusher, and each ore has a chance to generate a rare mineral, along with any of the common minerals like silicon and iron. Not every ore will generate a rare mineral, but sometimes an ore will create the rare mineral and nothing else.
|
Ore |
Rare Minerals Generated |
Closest Location |
|---|---|---|
|
Dolomite |
Cobalt |
Around the starting location |
|
Bauxite |
Follow the cliff up to the smoking volcanic area |
|
|
Uraninite |
Iridium, Uranium, Super Alloy |
On the far side of the ice cave, turn left and climb the hill |
Aside from these basics, there are a few tips that can help you get through the DLC's early game:
- Ore Crushers are massive energy sinks. Expect to build three wind turbines to power your first crusher.
- The upper chest with the display on the back is where you place ore. The lower chest is where you collect the minerals they become.
- Once the lower chest is full, the Ore Crusher will stop converting ore into minerals. However, if the lower chest has two empty slots left and the Ore Crusher creates three minerals for each ore, the last ore will disappear forever.
- Ore Crushers always crush the ore in the upper-left slot. Keep this in mind if you decide to add multiple ores to the same crusher.
- Ores aren't the only sources of the minerals listed above. You can still collect all of them from meteor showers and random chests, and you can find some super alloy and iridium lying around. Still, Ore Crushers are your best source when you need large amounts of cobalt, aluminum, and uranium.
The Planet Crafter: 5 Best Base Layouts
Every playthrough of The Planet Crafter will require players to build a base, and these layouts will help them get started while avoiding any hiccups.
Human Habitation
Much like the base planet, you can find signs all over of past attempts to mine or terraform the Humble Planet. Unlike the base planet, an alien force field isn't causing every ship in the area to crash-land on the surface, and so you have to look for other types of ruins.
The first big ruin you'll probably come across is a set of cylindrical tents. To find it, face away from the cliff and go through the pillars. The tents are in a valley past where the pillars end. You'll find several crates you can scavenge, and several bits of technical debris you can deconstruct later.
You can also find other wrecks and ruins, including a few transport vessels that were carrying crates of explosives. You can recover these explosives and use them to destroy geodes, which contain useful minerals like iridium.
These transports and ruins also feature large spheres that look a little like oversized drones. You can interact with these spheres to open them, and they always contain a blueprint chip. Make sure you click on each one to get every blueprint chip you can.
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Important Early Biomes
Unlike the main game, the Humble Planet DLC only has one drop site. This site is surrounded by tall calcium pillars that look interesting but aren't very useful. You won't find much more than basic minerals and dolomite in the area, but you can start exploring the neighborhood once you get a bigger oxygen tank.
When reading the directions below, keep in mind that the big cliff is south of your landing site. You can't reach the base of the cliff, even with a jetpack, but you can explore in every other direction.
The Ice Cliffs
Go west of the landing site to find an icy white field that ends in a tall, icy wall. There are no ice nodes near your landing site, so head here as soon as you can to get the ice you need for Vegetubes and water bottles.
The Ice Cave
Follow the ice wall north to discover a frozen cave that continues west. Inside is a completely frozen pond full of osmium, but you won't be able to mine any until the ice melts.
On the far side of the pond is a cave that continues west. Stay on the left path to enter an icy valley near a broken transport. Go southwest from the transport, and you'll eventually climb a ramp covered in super alloy. This ramp leads to a frozen lake, and surrounding the frozen lake is a load of uraninite.
The Central Valley
Head straight north from your starting location to enter the central valley of Humble Planet. This is where the main ruins are from the last terraforming effort, and it's a decent spot to build your first real base. Just keep in mind that all the big rocks and seashells will block your buildings unless you elevate your base.
The Sulfur Hills
Go east from the starting location (towards the smoking volcano), and you should spot a wall stained yellow with sulfur to the northeast. Sulfur isn't useful immediately, but this area has plenty of it for when you need it.
The Smoking Sinkholes
Instead of going northeast, head southeast towards the massive stone arch. Below the arch is a set of smoking sinkholes, which you won't want to fall into. Surrounding the sinkholes is a load of bauxite, iridium, and iridium geodes you can break open with explosives.
The Planet Crafter
- Released
- April 10, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Miju Games
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Survival
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
