Beginner's Guide: Getting Started & First Steps

Astroneer begins by teaching you the essentials of survival: oxygen, basic inventory management, and how to establish a small, safe starting base. The early game is about staying supplied, reaching nearby resources, and learning how to move away from your landing site without getting stranded.

Starting equipment

Every new player starts with a Mochila that is central to survival.

The Mochila has 10 slots.
It includes a built-in printer.
It includes a Terrain Tool with 3 slots, commonly used for containers, augments, or extra resources.
It has a built-in oxygen tank that provides up to 70 seconds of oxygen.
It stores 10 Units of power.

In the tutorial and standard start, you also begin with an Oxigenador, a Refugio, and a Platform at the landing site. The tutorial encourages placing the Oxigenador in the appropriate slot on the Refugio so nearby Anclajes and connected platforms can receive oxygen.

Oxygen and survival

Oxígeno is the most important early resource in the game. Your character needs oxygen to live, and if supply runs out, you will eventually die.

Early survival revolves around two main ways to avoid suffocation:

staying near the starting base and its oxygen supply
extending oxygen coverage with Anclajes

A more permanent base setup can distribute oxygen across connected structures, letting you work farther from the landing zone while still remaining supplied.

How Anclajes help

Anclajes are a key early exploration tool.

When placed next to a platform connected to an Oxigenador, they provide oxygen to nearby players.
They also create connections with adjacent Anclajes, letting you extend a safe route away from base.
They are especially useful early on because important resources are often far from the starting position.

A package of Anclajes contains 11 and occupies a Level-1 slot.

Getting established at the landing site

The standard game starts you on a procedurally generated planet after character creation and landing. When the drop pod opens, you spawn on a black, indestructible terrain circle. That starting area is designed to give you a controlled first foothold.

Your early priorities should be:

place and power the Oxigenador
keep oxygen coverage around the base
use Anclajes to create a safe path outward
gather basic resources near the starting area
return often before oxygen runs low

The terrain around the starting area can only be broken with explosives or a drill upgrade, so the initial landing zone remains a stable anchor for your first base setup.

Inventory, printing, and exploration basics

The Mochila is more than storage: it is your main interface for early progression.

The built-in printer lets you craft small items immediately.
The Terrain Tool carries useful items and extra materials.
The backpack’s oxygen and power make it possible to travel, mine, and print without returning to base constantly.

A scouting vehicle, the Buggy, is also useful for beginners.

It includes an internal battery.
It has 2 small slots.
It provides oxygen.
It draws very little power while active.

Because it supplies oxygen and moves cheaply, it is a practical early exploration vehicle once you can build or obtain one.

Research and Bytes

Research is the main way to unlock new technology.

Most resources can be studied in the Cámara de Investigación to earn Bytes.
Early research can provide a steady flow of Bytes before you discover higher-value research objects.
You need Bytes to unlock new schematics in the catalog.

Early exploration and research are closely linked: as you move farther from base, you find new materials, research opportunities, and the resources needed to expand your tools.

Characters and cosmetics

The playable characters in Astroneer are trajes. They are purely cosmetic and do not grant gameplay advantages.

At the start of each game, you can choose your:

traje
paleta
visor

Before launching to Sylva, you can customize how your astronaut looks, but the different suits do not change abilities.

Default suits

These are available when you first start playing:

Exotraje
Traje Burbuja
Traje de Vuelo
Biotraje

Reward suits

Some suits are unlocked through specific achievements or special ownership requirements:

Traje Retro — reward for players who bought Astroneer during Early Access before the 1.0 release on February 6, 2019
Traje Control — exclusive reward for players on PS4
Traje Terráqueo — unlocked by activating the gateway engine in the core of Sylva
Traje Árido — unlocked by activating the gateway engine in the core of Calidor
Traje Exótico — unlocked by activating the gateway engine in the core of Vesania
Traje de Tundra — unlocked by activating the gateway engine in the core of Glacio
Traje Irradiado — unlocked by activating the gateway engine in the core of Atrox
Traje Galáctico — unlocked by passing through the gateway achievement tied to exploring beyond the usual path