Diamond

Diamond is a refined resource in Astroneer used for advanced crafting and for activating a gateway engine on a planet. It appears in the game’s resource progression as a higher-tier material rather than a basic raw resource, and it is one of the ingredients needed for several endgame-leaning modules and equipment.

Diamond can no longer be researched in the Research Chamber. Since Patch 1.1.2, it has been excluded from research, even though it previously had the highest research value of any resource. This makes it a crafting-only material in normal play, so players should treat it as a production resource rather than something to scan for research points.

Its main practical uses are:

• crafting multiple items and modules;
• activating a gateway engine on a planet.

The exact crafting list is part of the resource’s recipe table, but the important point is that Diamond is not a throwaway ingredient. It is consumed by several important recipes, so players usually benefit from keeping a supply on hand once they reach the stage where they can produce it reliably.

Diamond’s recipe chain is also relatively resource-intensive. One Diamond requires a total of 2 Graphite, 4 Ammonium, and 2 Hydrogen worth of raw resources. That makes it more expensive than common materials and encourages players to plan ahead before converting ingredients into Diamonds. Because of that cost, it is often worth saving Diamond for progression-critical uses rather than spending it casually.

As a progression resource, Diamond sits at the point where players begin dealing more with automation, advanced chemistry, and planetary objectives. Its role in activating a gateway engine makes it especially important for players working toward planetary completion and related unlocks. Since it is no longer usable as a research item, its value comes entirely from what it can build and unlock.

In short, Diamond is a high-value crafting resource with a limited but important role: it is manufactured from other refined materials, used in advanced recipes, and required to activate gateway engines.