In The Planet Crafter, the goal of the game is to turn a barren planet into one that can sustain human life. Some of the first steps of this process are to warm the planet enough for liquid water and even lakes to form on the surface.
But before that point, players can find two kinds of ice in The Planet Crafter. The first is the ice material that players can mine to create water and Vegetubes. The second is a set of ice deposits that block players from entering certain caves and regions. However, not every ice block melts at the same heat level. That's why this guide will explain when to expect ice to melt and whether a player can bypass a block.
The Ice Blocks
The coordinates for each ice block match the numbers in the lower-left corner of the HUD.
Location | Coordinates | Melting Point | Bypass? |
|---|---|---|---|
400:143:993, 463:70:1220 | 100 nK | No. | |
Archway between Iridium Mine and Sulfur Fields | 728:50:1118 | 100 nK | Yes. Turn right to leave the Iridium Mine, then turn left and follow the cliff to find another way to the Sulfur Fields. |
Osmium Cave under Sand Falls | 626:61:1840 | 100 nK | No. |
Tunnel between Grand Rift and Dune Desert | 1934:1:445, 1861:13:565 | 100 nK | No. Players can bypass the cave by crossing the Labyrinth Canyons but cannot enter it. |
Tunnel between Broken Spires and Wasteland | 270:8:-209 | 100 nK | Yes. Head south from the Gate Desert and west from the Wasteland to find the cave entrance at 110:28:-303. This side is partly blocked by 5 µK ice. |
Third entrance to Sulfur Fields Osmium Cave | 372:79:1289 | 5 µK | No. |
Tunnel between Arches and Meteor Crater | 136:164:2057 | 45 µK | Yes. Find the entrance to the Zeolite Cave above the Sand Falls and bear right to find the Meteor Crater exit. The other entrance to this cave is at -121:165:1715. |
Osmium/Pulsar Quartz Cave | 968:43:-978 | 45 µK | No. |
1521:108:2788 | 2 GTi | No. |
Players should also keep in mind that the heat level indicated is only when the ice starts to melt. It may take several real-time minutes and a lot more heat for the blocks to melt enough to get past.
Surface Ice
Much like the large ice blocks, the lumps of ice players can mine will also melt and disappear at some point, usually between the Rain and Liquid Water terraformation stages. Fortunately, players get the Atmospheric Water Collector at 875 kTi, which is when the Rain stage begins. This machine generates water bottles automatically, so while players won't have any ice to mine they can still get a steady supply of water.
The Planet Crafter is available now in early access for PC.