Astroneer: How to Get Compound and What It’s For

Compound – Astroneer

Compound is one of the primary resources you’ll need in Astroneer, and it’s used in a number of things. You’ll need it to build the Research Station and Smelter Modules and to use in the Printer, Vehicle Bay, and Backpack Printer.

There are basically three different ways to get the resource, with the easiest being to mine it from Planets that have deposits. Generally, compound is plentiful on any planet, and it takes the form of greyish blobs. Simply use your terrain shaper tool to mine the compound, but be careful as you venture out of your base. You’ll want to be constantly putting down tethers, which you’ll also need compound for, to make sure you don’t get lost or blown away by the wind.

The other two ways of getting it involve the Research Station and Trade Platform. The Research Station is used to research Artifacts that you find on Planets. These take a few different forms, but are usually vibrantly colored and shaped oddly. Putting them on the station will allow you to research them, and when complete you’ll be granted rewards like a new schematic or precious minerals. After you’ve researched the same artifact a couple times it’ll stop granting you rare minerals, and instead reward you with an amount of resin and compound. The Trade Platform can also be used to trade other various resources for compound, if you’re running low.

Just make sure to be careful on your initial expedition onto a planet, and you’ll have tons of resources before you know it. Make sure to check back with Twinfinite for more guides and tips on Astroneer.