Sphalerite is a raw resource in Astroneer. It is collected from mineral deposits rather than crafted, and it appears as a standard unrefined resource that can be extracted from the terrain and carried back for later use. Its icon and deposit form are distinct from other resources, with deposits appearing as mineable nodes in the world.
Sphalerite is found on several planets, primarily in underground and highland regions. Known spawn locations include cave layers, orange capped mountains and mantle layers, and the Aggregate Hills region. In practice, this makes it a resource tied to both subterranean exploration and mountainous traversal, so players looking for it should be prepared to search beyond the surface.
A deposit of Sphalerite yields 2 Sphalerite per node, up to 8 total from a full deposit of 4. Because of this, it is efficient to harvest deposits completely when possible rather than leaving partial nodes behind. The resource is listed as usable in crafting, but no specific recipe details are provided in the available sources.
Sphalerite is a mined resource, not a refined material.
It appears in cave layers and certain elevated or mantle-related biomes.
Deposits can provide multiple units, making them worth fully harvesting.
It is included in the resource category and is considered unrefined.
