10 Best Beginner Tips And Tricks For Core Keeper

Core Keeper is an incredible Sandbox Adventure game that forces players to figure things out alone. Whether you were drawn in by the gameplay or beautiful Pixel Art graphics, some mechanics are easy to miss and can slow progress to a halt.

I’ve learned a few things during my almost 100 hours with the game during early access. Here are the best beginner tips and tricks to make your life in Core Keeper a little easier.

10 Make A Base

Light Up The Darkness

The world of Core Keeper is a dangerous place, so it’s a good idea to create a makeshift base before you explore.

The Core and the surrounding statues will have some handy functions later, so creating a base around them is excellent for a new player.

Dig out the walls until you’re satisfied, create Torches in your inventory with wood from around the Core, and place them for light.

You don’t need to construct anything extravagant, but you can make a Chest and Basic Workbench from wood. The Workbench can make the essentials, like a Furnace and Cooking Pot.

Later on, you can let your imagination run wild with base building, but it’s good to establish a safe zone early.

9 Set Up A Farm

Even Tough Guys Gotta Eat

Once you’ve cleared space around the Core, one of your first creations should be somewhere to grow crops. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but growing plants is far less a hassle than heading into the wild to find them.

Your Stamina slowly depletes as you move around in Core Keeper, and Crops are an ingredient you’ll need to regain your strength.

Till a small plot with a Copper Hoe, plant any seeds you have, and water them with the Watering Can. On that note, explore the nearby area for a water source, as that Watering Can doesn’t run on batteries.

8 Cooking Is A Big Deal In Core Keeper

Don’t Fight On An Empty Stomach

There’s a heavy emphasis on cooking in Core Keeper, as meals restore stamina and provide valuable buffs. These bonuses are so potent you’ll rely on them to defeat bosses throughout the whole game.

A Cooking Pot should be one of the first things you build, and you can do it with a Basic Workbench, 4 Copper Bars, and 2 Wood.

You can mix any two ingredients to make something new; cooked meals are always better than raw ingredients. There are more food options than I could realistically cover here, but Pepper Wraps are great to stockpile early on.

You can make a Hearty Pepper Wrap with a Bomb Pepper and Heart Berry, and they give you several buffs, including boosted movement speed.

7 Take Time To Go Fishing

It Was “This” Big

Fishing used to be a hassle during Early Access. It was tied to a minigame, which took a while, making it a poor time investment.

In 1.0, Fishing has never been more accessible. Cast your line, wait for the prompt, and collect your catch.

You already know the value of a cooked meal in Core Keeper, and fish are a great staple to add to your meals.

This tip is handy no matter how far into the game you are, as different biomes yield different fish. As a general rule, the further you are from the core, the better the bonuses from your catch, but you should put everything in the Cooking Pot and see what you get.

6 Use A Ranged Weapon

Keep Your Enemies At Arms Length

Core Keeper offers many fantastic melee weapons, but ranged options are the best when you’re just starting out.

The issue with close-range combat is your early-game armor sucks. You can dish out the damage but can’t take it yourself until later.

Bows are easy to craft, and unlike other Survival Crafting games, they have infinite ammo. You can even find a crossbow by defeating basic enemies if you’re lucky.

Ranged weapons also make formidable enemies, like bosses, much more manageable. On the subject of bosses, a few well-known nasties from Terraria can be found in Core Keeper thanks to a crossover event during early access.

5 Upgrade Your Skills

Enjoy Permanent Upgrades

You’ll probably notice you’re earning skill points through regular gameplay, but did you know you can spend them?

Open your Inventory and access your Skills Tab next to your Character Armor Tab. Each Skill has a tree of abilities, and you earn a point to spend every five levels.

Leveling up your skills is a long process, but you can still browse the trees and see if any abilities catch your eye. You won’t reach the bottom of any skill tree for 50+ hours, but they offer great passive goals to shoot for.

4 Invest In Your Survival

You’ll Be Happy You Did

Crafting Armor is essential in Core Keeper if you want any hope of surviving.

You can build Armor with an Anvil, and you can make your first with Copper Bars. Whenever you find a new type of Ore, check to see if you can create new Crafting Stations with it.

Keeping up with the Armor and Weapon arms race is a neverending battle in Core Keeper, and you can stay ahead by prioritizing the best Armor you can build.

I can’t overstate the importance of defense, and I recommend crafting a complete set of Copper Armor before even thinking about tackling a boss. There are some incredible gear sets down the line, and anything is better than nothing.

3 Find The First Boss

Prepare For Your Showdown With Glurch

Glurch the Abominable Mass is the first boss you should attempt. The problem is, he’s easy to miss.

The boss will always spawn near the Core, and the easiest way to find him is to dig a small path in each cardinal direction.

Glurch likes to bounce on the spot until you show up, which shakes the ground. Watch for the camera shake and thudding noise, which tells you when you’re close.

You don’t have to battle Glurch immediately, but it’s good to know where the boss arena is so you can pay him a visit on your terms.

2 Spike Traps Are OP

Death Of A Thousand Cuts

Once you can access a Tin Workbench, you can start making Spike Traps. These traps damage any enemy that steps on them and don’t activate against the player.

You can use Spike Traps to initiate some super-cheesy strategies in boss battles. They also serve as excellent protection for the doorways in your base.

Spike Traps are cheap as they only cost a single Tin bar. The downside is they aren’t invincible, so stock up on Tin Ore when you can.

1 Make NPC Housing In Your Village

Summon The Helpers

Our final tip will make more sense once you’ve knocked out your first boss. Many Bosses drop items that allow NPCs to spawn and live in your village, but only when you have a suitable house.

You’re not told what makes a legible residence, so here’s what you need:

• A room fully enclosed by walls no larger than 64 tiles.
• A Bed
• A Door
• Spawning Item

The Door is technically optional, but you’ll have difficulty reaching the NPC without it. Place the Spawning item down in the residence, and if the house is suitable, you can welcome a new visitor to the family.

These tips will serve you well in the early game, and many have applications much later on. Above all, go at your own pace. The next boss encounter should always be at the back of your mind but enjoy the process.

Core Keeper is a marathon, not a sprint. The title was released to some incredible numbers for its full launch, so I’m sure we will see even more content added down the line.