🚀 First Steps After Landing
You've crash-landed on an alien world. Here's exactly what to do:
Gather Everything You See
Run around your starting area and harvest all plants, trees, and ore deposits. Every interaction earns XP.
- Corn Dog plants - Harvest for instant food and XP
- Cotton-like plants - Source of fiber bits
- Trees - Cut them down for wood
- Ore deposits - Mine any visible ore you find
Craft Your First Snacks
Press TAB to open your inventory, then the Survival Constructor. Craft food immediately - hunger is your first enemy.
- Combine protein + fiber bits to make basic snacks
- Keep extras in your inventory (set stack to 5+) - you will need them
- Craft bandages from fiber bits for healing
Find Water and Build Shelter
Locate a water source nearby. You'll want to build 3-4 Survival Constructors near it.
- Survival Constructors must be unlocked in the tech tree (press
F3, go to Misc)
- If you have volume/weight enabled, be mindful of inventory space
- Build a tent for sleeping at night (single-player only - multiplayer doesn't allow skipping time)
Survive the Night
At night, hostile creatures spawn. Options:
- Narrow tunnel trick: Dig a narrow tunnel straight down, then parallel to surface. Expand just enough for your base. Most creatures can't fit through narrow entrances.
- Fight it out: Keep 300-400 ammo on hand and fight for the XP boost
- Find cover: Position yourself behind large rocks or terrain features
Unlock Your Tech Tree
Press F4 and spend XP on key technologies:
- Survival Constructor - More constructors = faster building
- Basic weapons - Shotgun and rifle for defense
- Hover Vehicle (HV) - Your first vehicle for exploration
⚠ Important: On Easy difficulty, start on temperate worlds. Avoid high-gravity planets (gravity > 4.0) until you have proper equipment - big ships will drop like bricks and get stuck.
✈ Step 1: Hover Vehicle (HV)
Your first vehicle. Use it to explore the local area and find larger resource deposits.
- Build from survival constructor using basic materials
- Keep it small and nimble - large HVs can be unstable
- Use the HV to scout for better resources and safe building locations
🛠 Step 2: Small Vessel (SV)
Your first space-capable ship. This is where RE2 starts to differ a lot from vanilla.
- Build a mining-focused SV with mechanical drills for efficient resource gathering
- Use the Blueprint Library (F2) to spawn pre-made designs once you have materials
- Always build in orbit - away from enemy CVs or space stations that may attack your build
- Check planetary gravity before landing - values above 4.0 can trap large ships
💡 Pro Tip: If you can't find specific ores for your CV blueprint, drag in other items like electronics, spare parts, thrusters, or cockpits. They count toward the build and even reduce construction time!
🚀 Step 3: Capital Vessel (CV)
Your mobile base and warship. Building a CV is challenging but rewarding.
- Build in space with no enemy CVs or stations nearby - building next to your base can trigger attack drones
- Pack plenty of fuel, pentaxid warp crystals, oxygen, and food for exploration missions
- Balance thrusters: 6 on back, 4 on front, 6 bottom, 6 top for stability
- Consider the Blueprint Factory to speed up construction once you understand ship building
⚠ Warning: Spawning a CV can trigger Zirax drone attacks (especially on RE2). Have defenses ready before initiating construction.