The Planet Crafter drops you alone on a dead world with a single objective: make it breathable. You build heaters, drills and greenhouses to push a terraformation index through oxygen, heat, pressure and biomass stages until the sky changes colour and rain falls on ground that was bare rock when you landed.
The Planet Crafter features distinct areas with increasing difficulty. This guide covers every major location in progression order: what to do, what to get, and when to move on. For the step-by-step path, see our walkthrough.
Area Progression Order
| Order | Location | Difficulty | Key Rewards | Recommended Build |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Landing site | Opening hours | Iron, silicon, safe building space | Oxygen specialist |
| 2 | Iridium Cave | Mid game | Iridium, rare ores | Oxygen specialist |
| 3 | Meteor Field | Mid game | Rare materials, debris salvage | Heat rusher |
| 4 | Aluminium Cave | Early to mid game | Aluminium, construction materials | Heat rusher |
| 5 | Crashed wrecks | All game | Blueprints, chips, rare components | Heat rusher |
Landing site: Starting Area
Where the first base goes up. Flat, safe and close enough to starter ore that early trips stay inside one oxygen tank.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Opening hours |
| Key Rewards | Iron, silicon, safe building space |
| Recommended Build | Oxygen specialist |
| Key Equipment | Heater |
What to Do Here
- Learn the basics of Terraformation index. This is where you practice without heavy punishment.
- Collect starting resources and your first equipment upgrade.
- Clear all main content before moving to Iridium Cave.
- If you're struggling, read our beginner's guide.
Iridium Cave: Early Game
Deep cave holding iridium, one of the ores that gates the later terraformation machines.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Mid game |
| Key Rewards | Iridium, rare ores |
| Recommended Build | Oxygen specialist |
| Key Equipment | Heater |
What to Do Here
- Focus on mastering Oxygen and heat stages. It's critical from this point on.
- Farm for Heater if you don't have it yet.
- Complete all objectives for maximum rewards.
- Prepare for the difficulty spike in Meteor Field.
Meteor Field: Mid Game
Open ground littered with impact debris and scattered resources, exposed and worth visiting with a full tank.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Mid game |
| Key Rewards | Rare materials, debris salvage |
| Recommended Build | Heat rusher |
| Key Equipment | Heater |
What to Do Here
- This is the main skill check. Bring an optimized build.
- Mining drill becomes accessible here. Prioritize getting it.
- Master Resource mining and crafting for the boss encounters.
- Check our boss guide if you get stuck.
Aluminium Cave: Late Game
Cave system rich in aluminium, needed in volume once base construction scales beyond the first few machines.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Early to mid game |
| Key Rewards | Aluminium, construction materials |
| Recommended Build | Heat rusher |
| Key Equipment | Mining drill |
What to Do Here
- Full build optimization is expected by this point.
- Mining drill should be your primary, fully upgraded.
- Wreck exploration mastery starts mattering here.
- Farm resources for the push into Crashed wrecks.
Crashed wrecks: Endgame
Scattered ship remains containing blueprint chips and manufactured parts that cannot be crafted from raw ore.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | All game |
| Key Rewards | Blueprints, chips, rare components |
| Recommended Build | Heat rusher |
| Key Equipment | Mining drill |
What to Do Here
- This is endgame. Best-in-slot gear and a perfected build are mandatory.
- See our boss guide for endgame fight strategies.
- The reward loop: clear content → upgrade → push harder content.
- Experiment with Automation builder for variety once you've mastered the meta.
Exploration Tips
- Clear areas in order: Landing site → Iridium Cave → Meteor Field → Aluminium Cave → Crashed wrecks. Skipping areas means missing resources you'll need later.
- Check every corner: Hidden caches and secrets are often in non-obvious locations.
- Match your equipment: Some areas favor different equipment types.
- Read the walkthrough: Our walkthrough provides exact progression milestones for each area.
- Don't rush: Clearing an area fully gives more resources than speedrunning two areas.
More The Planet Crafter Guides
- The Planet Crafter The Planet Crafter Overview
- The Planet Crafter Best Builds
- The Planet Crafter Tier List
- The Planet Crafter Walkthrough
- The Planet Crafter Beginner's Guide
- The Planet Crafter Tips & Tricks
- The Planet Crafter Weapons Guide
- The Planet Crafter Combat Guide
- The Planet Crafter Boss Guide
- The Planet Crafter Crafting Guide
- The Planet Crafter Classes & Characters
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