If mining for resources in Astroneer is getting a bit tedious, it might be time to get an Auto Extractor for your setup. Although it is a slower process, the Auto Extractor can extract up to 15x more resources than you’d get by digging yourself. Furthermore, with the right setup, which includes an Auto Arm and a Resource Canister, digging for resources will be a thing of the past. This guide contains all of the steps to get you there.
How to Use the Auto Extractor in Astroneer
The Auto Extractor costs 7,500 Bytes to unlock and can be crafted at the Large Printer for one Exo Chip, rubber, tungsten carbide, and steel. Now that you have it, let’s break down how to use it.
You can place the Auto Extractor in any resource area and will gradually mine it out. The green bar on each side indicates the amount of mining resources available in the location you’ve selected. After you’ve placed it and connected it to power, you can turn it on and it’ll start mining. The resources it gathers go on top of the machine, which only has two slots available. It’s safe to assume that’s not enough, so here’s how to make this process as efficient as possible.
Attaching a Medium Storage unit to the top of your Auto Extractor is a simple way to add more slots. However, the most efficient method is combining this with an Auto Arm and medium or large Resource Container.
The Auto Arm is unlocked for 1,500 Bytes and is crafted at the Small Printer for one aluminum and graphite. It essentially moves resources on equipment in the left green circle to equipment in the right blue circle. It just needs to be on a platform, with power to operate.
Place the Auto Arm next to your Auto Extractor to have it grab resources from the storage area on top. Make sure the Auto Extractor is in the green circle, and the Auto Arm will begin extracting the resources it produces into the medium or large Resource Container you’ve placed in the adjacent blue circle. Now you can complete other tasks while your setup mines and fills your resource container passively. This is the easiest way to farm any resource in the game.
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