The last update before the 1.0 release of The Planet Crafter was "Procedural Wrecks." With this update, players get access to a portal generator that lets them explore distant corners of the planet and explore the many shipwrecks that cover its surface.

This means you now get infinite access to all the resources that you normally run out of once you explore all the wrecks in the main area: microchips, Terra Token chips, tree seeds, and more. You can even find special resources that you won't find anywhere on the regular map. However, the first step to accessing these wrecks in The Planet Crafter is to build a portal generator. Here's how to do it.

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How to Unlock and Build the Portal Generator

Planet Crafter Portal Generator

The first requirement for building a Portal Generator is to achieve 250 GTi, or Terraformation Index. That value means that the Portal Generator unlocks about one-third of the way between the Fish and Amphibian stages of terraformation. Next, you'll need the following materials:

  • 2 Fusion Energy Cells
  • 2 Energy Multiplier Fuses
  • 2 Circuit Boards
  • 1 Microchip - Compass
  • 2 Super Alloy Rods

By this stage of the game, the only item that may give you trouble is the Energy Multiplier Fuse. Both the Fusion Energy Cell and Pulsar Quartz recipes unlock earlier. Energy Multiplier Fuses, though, are very rare, and you might not find any of them even if you explore all the hidden rooms in all the nearby wrecks.

This means you'll need to buy them from the Space Trader, and they cost 6,000 Terra Tokens each. Be sure to set some tokens aside for them, because you'll more than make up the amount you'll spend as you explore distant wrecks. If you don't, you may have to build a big drone-automated outpost to get the Terra Tokens you need to buy them. You can also sell most fuse types to get the tokens, which you can afford since you will be finding more fuses in the procedural wrecks.

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How to Use the Portal Generator

Planet Crafter Portal Interface

Once you have a Portal Generator up and running, you can interact with the screen next to the portal to bring up the "Long Range Wrecks Detector" interface. Each location has an ID number (the procedural seed), a list of materials required, a Rarity rating, and a Difficulty rating.

The materials required are always various types of quartz: Pulsar, Solar, Quasar, Magnetar, and Blazar. You can find them in the Rainbow Caves to the north (assuming the ice has melted), or in crates opened after reaching the Fish stage. The amount and rarity of the quartz needed depends on the target location's Rarity and Difficulty. Low-Rarity locations only need Pulsar Quartz, so you can always visit one of them to look for the other types of quartz.

Rarity refers to the quality of the items you'll find in the wrecks. A higher number means you'll find better items, like expensive fuses, unique seeds and eggs, and Solar Quartz. Difficulty refers to how complex the wreck interiors will be. Higher numbers mean the wrecks will be bigger and thus harder to navigate. Bigger wrecks don't always contain more items than smaller wrecks, so the best locations have high Rarity and low Difficulty.

The Wrecks Detector only shows three locations at a time. If you don't like any of the ones you see, press the "Scan for distant wrecks" button. There's no penalty and no limit to how many times you can hit the button, so keep going until you find a location you like.

How to Find Access Cards and Open Locked Rooms

Planet Crafter Access Cards

Each wreck contains a locked door, and behind the door you'll find a set of safes with a load of good items inside. While you need Fusion Energy Cells to open these doors in the main map, for procedural wrecks you'll need to gather one, two, or three Access Cards.

  • The only place to find Access Cards is in procedural wrecks. You can find them in small blue crates that look a bit like the crates that hold microchips in wrecks on the main map.
  • Access Cards are interchangable, so you can use cards found in one wreck to open a door in a different wreck. However, every wreck has more than enough Access Cards to open its locked door.
  • This means you can bring three Access Cards with you to explore a new wreck, but you don't need to bother unless you want to save time and go straight for the locked room.
  • Access Cards have no other uses, so either leave behind any extras you find or dispose of them in a Shredder Machine.
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Procedural Wreck Tips

Planet Crafter Procedural Wreck Safe Room
  • The Breathable Atmosphere stage is over by the time you can explore procedural wrecks, so you won't have to worry about air. However, exploring even a low-Difficulty wreck takes time, so make sure your health is full and bring along at least one bottle of water. You also shouldn't expect to find any water bottles in the wrecks.
  • You can't build anything in a procedural zone, not even a storage locker. Keep this in mind when deciding what to take with you, and where to put everything you can't carry.
  • If your vitals are critically low, you can hit the map button (M on the keyboard, Back on the controller) to bring up the portal interface. If you press "Close Portal," you'll end up back by the Portal Generator, but all the items you picked up while in the procedural area will vanish from your inventory. You'll also need to open a portal to a new location.
  • Until you close the portal, you can explore a procedural area as often as you like. Take as many trips as you need.
  • A procedural area can contain crates on the surface and more than one wreck, so explore thoroughly to make sure you get everything you can.
  • Flares are a common item drop in procedural areas. The best way to use them is to mark your progress through a wreck, either by pointing the way to the locked room, showing the way to the exit, or indicating which paths you've already explored. Remember that you can change the color of your flares, so you can assign different meanings to different colors.
  • Remember to use Terra Token chips as soon as you find them. You don't need to go back to your base to cash them in.
  • When exploring a wreck, the "left-hand rule" is very useful. This means that you should always follow the left wall when you come to an intersection. Following this rule will let you explore a wreck in its entirety, and you should be able to get out by turning around and always following the right wall.
  • Items you can find exclusively in procedural wrecks include:
    • Golden Effigy (of the Portal Generator)
    • Access Card
    • Blueprint Microchip (specific versions that give you the Light Box, Fireplace, Tree Pot, and Solar Quartz recipes)
    • Trade Rocket Multiplier Fuse
    • Leglus Frog Eggs
    • Jumi Frog Eggs
    • Lillia Tree Seed
    • Prunea Tree Seed

The Planet Crafter
The Planet Crafter

Platform(s)
PC
Released
April 10, 2024
Developer(s)
Miju Games
Genre(s)
Open-World , Survival
How Long To Beat
19 Hours