Astroneer is a survival, crafting game set in a fictional universe. Like most survival games, there are several mechanics to the game, like keeping track of oxygen intake, figuring out how to build a base with power and safety from the atmosphere, and eventually taking off into more planets in the future.
The biggest obstacle is finding the right materials to craft what players need, and not every planet has the necessary materials to craft. One of these materials is plastic, which is needed to make important items. Thankfully, plastic is not that rare of an item since it requires basic materials found on every planet, but it can be difficult to create. For those wanting to know how to make it and why it’s so important, check out this guide to figure out the wonders of plastic in Astroneer.
Plastic
When players first land on a planet, they will have a backpack and a gun called the Terrain Tool that they will use to terraform the planet, either by making it level around their base for aesthetics or to dig up specific items that they can further process into crafting materials.
While the main resources needed to craft plastic are two very common resources found on every planet, there are more steps to work on first. Like crafting the Chemistry Lab, which will refine natural resources to make crafting material.
The Chemistry Lab
Unfortunately, the chemistry lab is harder to come by due to some resources needed to make it. The first thing players will need to make sure to have is a Medium Printer, as that is the size printer needed to make the Lab.
As for the resources, players must venture around the planet to find Tungsten, Glass, and Ceramic. Tungsten is a refined item that is from Wolframite, a natural resource with a green-yellow gradient. The two planets that players can find this item is in Desolo, in the caves, and Calidor, in the Mountains or Mantle layers. Once gathered, players will need to craft a Smelting Furnace and smelt down the Wolframite to make the Tungsten.
The next item, Glass, is another refined item that needs to be smelted from the Furnace. However, its natural ingredient is Quartz, which appears in clusters of pink, hexagonal crystals. Thankfully, this item is found on all planets, so It will be easier to gather this resource. And lastly, Ceramic is the next resource, which is refined from Clay by the Furnace. This material is a reddish-brown and can be found on all planets.
Crafting Plastic
After players finish building the Chemistry Lab, players will need to gather resources found on every planet and input it into the Lab, which will work on the materials and produce Plastic.
The two materials needed are Compound and Resin, which is easily some of the more common resources found. The compound is gathered with the terrain tool, and Resin is made from smelting down Organic resources, which is gathered from flora.
What Plastic Is Used For
Plastic can become very important for later in the game, crafting vital tools and buildings that is needed for proper survival. This is a list of all the items and the items needed to craft it.
|
Craft Item |
Resources |
|
Holographic Figurine |
Plastic |
|
Medium Fluid and Soil Canister |
Plastic Glass |
|
Medium Resource Canister |
Plastic Glass |
|
Medium Buggy Horn |
Plastic Rubber |
|
Large Rover Seat |
Plastic x2 Compound |
|
Atmospheric Condenser |
Plastic Glass Iron |
|
Medium Rover |
Plastic x2 Rubber |
|
Large Fog Horn |
Plastic Rubber Steel |
|
Shelter |
Plastic x2 Silicone x2 |
Astroneer is available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One