Sulfur isn't a useful mineral in the first part of The Planet Crafter. However, once players need to start boosting biomass it quickly becomes an essential material that's often in short supply.
Luckily, while sulfur doesn't appear everywhere on The Planet Crafter map like iron or cobalt, there are several sources of sulfur players can use to get a steady supply. In fact, there's an entire region of the map where sulfur is lying on the ground waiting for players to pick it up, which is why this guide will start with this region.
The Sulfur Fields
Players will have the easiest time finding sulfur by exploring the Sulfur Fields area. The fastest way to reach this region from the standard landing site is to climb up the levels in the Iridium Mine and walk through the arch in the back.
However, when the game starts, this archway is blocked by ice, and the ice won't start melting until the global temperature reaches 100 nK. Fortunately, there's also a way around this block: if players turn right from the ice block and follow the cave wall until they exit the Iridium Mine, they can then turn left until they reach a break in the cliff wall walk straight through to reach the Sulfur Fields.
On the other hand, players may not want to bother with this journey. Sulfur doesn't become an essential material until after the Biolab unlocks and machines start calling for fertilizer. By the time this happens, the ice blocking the shortcut to the Sulfur Fields will have melted.
One other thing players should know is that Ore Extractors set in the Sulfur Fields will produce an unlimited supply of sulfur. Unlike other rare minerals, the Ore Extractor T1 can generate sulfur, although players will still want to upgrade to the T2 and T3 since these models generate sulfur more often.
Osmium Caves
Another reliable way to find sulfur is to find osmium. The game map includes several osmium caves, and these caves feature just as much sulfur as they do osmium. The cave locations are:
- Between the Sulfur Fields and the hill with the freighter on top
- A tunnel between the Grand Rift and Dune Desert
- A tunnel between the Cracked Spires and Wasteland
- A cave in the easternmost sinkhole south of the Gate Desert (unlike the other caves, Ore Extractors placed here will produce sulfur instead of osmium)
- A tunnel between the Meteor Crater and Arches
Finally, while players won't find any sulfur sitting around, any Ore Extractors placed near the Waterfall rock will generate sulfur.
Why Gather Sulfur?
The only building that uses sulfur is the Biodome T2, but the main use for this material is crafting fertilizer and mutagen. Both of these items are used to craft butterfly and bee larvae, and mutagen is also important for crafting tree seeds. This means players who want to collect every butterfly and tree type will need a lot of sulfur, but even players who just want to terraform will need plenty to bring up the biomass levels. As such, a regular supply of sulfur is always essential.
The Planet Crafter is available now in early access on PC.