Early Build Order That Keeps You Alive
If The Planet Crafter feels chaotic at first, you are absolutely not doing it wrong. Early runs can feel punishing because oxygen drains fast and every trip feels too short. Your first goal is simple: build a tiny survival loop before chasing big terraforming numbers. Grab nearby basics like ice, cobalt, iron, silicon, magnesium, and titanium, then craft a couple of Oxygen Capsules and Water Bottles so your trips last longer and feel less stressful.
Build in this order near your starting pod: Living Compartment + Door + Craft Station + Locker. That gives you a pressurized refill point (a safe place to refill oxygen) and storage, so your inventory stops bottlenecking you. After that, place a Wind Turbine (power), then one each of Drill T1 (pressure), Heater T1 (heat), and Vegetube T1 (oxygen). Quick but important note: a Vegetube only makes oxygen after you insert a flower seed. These machines kickstart terraforming, and terraforming progress is how you unlock better blueprints over time.
What to prioritize right after
Upgrade mobility and breathing next: craft better backpack and oxygen tank tiers as soon as materials allow. More carry space and longer oxygen windows are the biggest quality-of-life upgrades in The Planet Crafter. Also add extra lockers early and sort by resource type; messy storage is one of the biggest hidden time losses for new players.
If you get stuck in a "mine, gasp, run back" loop, here is your momentum reset: pause progression for 10 minutes, craft emergency oxygen/water, place one mini outpost compartment in your current farming direction, then resume. That one move can turn frustrating short trips into steady progress and make the whole game feel way more fun.