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backpack

The Backpack is the main tool that the player has throughout Astroneer. It features a total of ten small attachment slots, with an additional three slots on the Terrain Tool, a printer, a handle to access the research catalog, a handle to access the mission log, a built-in oxygen canister, and a built-in battery for powering the printer or the Terrain Tool.

The various features of the backpack can be accessed by "opening" it, which makes it larger and easier to interact with. To open the backpack, press Q on the keyboard, Xbox One - B on Xbox, PS4 - Circle on PS4, Switch - A on Switch, or to select it directly using the cursor Left Click on PC or press Xbox One - Y on Xbox, PS4 - Triangle on PS4 or Switch - X on Switch.

Inventory Slots[]

The backpack has 8 slots dedicated to resource and small item storage. Items can be placed into, removed from, and rearranged within these slots manually, but as long as there is an inventory slot available, resource nuggets collected with the deform tool or items created using the backpack's printer will be automatically placed there. If all inventory slots are full, newly created or collected items will drop to the ground nearby. To quickly put items into backpack slots, Shift + Left Click on the item; on controllers, hover over the item with Xbox: Xbox One - LT + Xbox One - Y, PS4: PS4 - L2 + PS4 - Triangle, Switch: Switch - ZL + Switch - X.

Widget Slots[]

There are 2 additional slots on the top left and right of the backpack, which is meant for Widgets. These are commonly used to host items such as the Solar Panel, Worklight or Portable Oxygenator. Some widgets in these slots can be toggled on and off using the context keys (PC: C & V, Xbox: Xbox One - LB & Xbox One - RB, PS4: PS4 - L1 & PS4 - R1 , Switch: Switch - L & Switch - R), such as the Worklight, Portable Oxygenator or Small Generator. Like other attachment points, however, they can also be fitted with resource stacks or other small items for additional storage.

Research Catalog[]

Catalog

The Research Catalog

Pressing Tab, Xbox One - Back Button, PS4 - Touch Pad, Switch - Minus or clicking the handle on the left side of the backpack will open the research catalog, where player can purchase Schematics using accumulated Bytes. The catalog is separated into 4 different size categories, corresponding to the four sizes of objects created by the corresponding printers. The context keys (default PC: C & V, Xbox: Xbox One - Back Button & Xbox One - RB, PS4: PS4 - L1 & PS4 - R1, Switch: Switch - L & Switch - R) can be used to move around those categories.

The catalog includes a pad with buttons that can be used to navigate around it, which also hints which controller buttons are used to navigate around the catalog.

The movement keys can be used to move around a category, and the Context Left/Right keys to change categories. Alternatively, the buttons and schematics can be clicked on to move to categories or different items.

Mission Log[]

Clicking the handle on the right of the backpack brings up the Mission Log. This allows to check missions, track them, and claim Byte Rewards for completed missions.

Backpack Printer[]

Using the small printer on the Backpack, items can be crafted on the go at the cost of 3 Units of Power. Cycling through the available items will automatically move the appropriate resource to the printer's input slot if it is already in the backpack. This input slot can be used to deliberately store a specific extra resource, if so desired, but be forewarned that changing the item to be printed will eject the contents of the input slot from the backpack if the rest of its inventory slots are already full.

Larger objects can be printed using the Small Printer, Medium Printer, and Large Printer.

Printable Items[]

Name Tiers Recipe Byte Cost
Icon Small Printer Small Printer Small Icon Compound Compound Unlocked
Icon Packager Packager Small Icon Graphite Graphite 1,000
Icon Leveling Block Leveling Block Small Icon Small Canister Small Canister (full) 500
Icon Tether Tether Small Icon Compound Compound Unlocked
Icon Oxygen Filters Oxygen Filters Small Icon Resin Resin Unlocked
Icon Oxygen Tank Oxygen Tank Small Icon Glass Glass 2,000
Icon Portable Oxygenator Portable Oxygenator Small Icon Nanocarbon Alloy Nanocarbon Alloy 10,000
Icon Small Canister Small Canister Small Icon Resin Resin Unlocked
Icon Beacon Beacon Small Icon Quartz Quartz Unlocked
Icon Worklight Worklight Small Icon Copper Copper Unlocked
Icon Glowsticks Glowsticks Small Icon Organic Organic 350
Icon Floodlight Floodlight Small Icon Tungsten Tungsten 2,000
Icon Small Generator Small Generator Small Icon Compound Compound Unlocked
Icon Power Cells Power Cells Small Icon Graphite Graphite 800
Icon Small Solar Panel Small Solar Panel Small Icon Copper Copper 300
Icon Small Wind Turbine Small Wind Turbine Small Icon Ceramic Ceramic 300
Icon Small Battery Small Battery Small Icon Zinc Zinc 2,000
Icon Boost Mod Boost Mod Small Icon Zinc Zinc 1,000
Icon Wide Mod Wide Mod Small Icon Zinc Zinc 1,000
Icon Narrow Mod Narrow Mod Small Icon Zinc Zinc 1,000
Icon Inhibitor Mod Inhibitor Mod Small Icon Zinc Zinc 1,000
Icon Alignment Mod Alignment Mod Small Icon Zinc Zinc 1,000
Icon Drill Mod 1 Drill Mod 1 Small Icon Ceramic Ceramic 1,000
Icon Drill Mod 2 Drill Mod 2 Small Icon Tungsten Carbide Tungsten Carbide 2,500
Icon Drill Mod 3 Drill Mod 3 Small Icon Diamond Diamond 3,750
Icon Dynamite Dynamite Small Icon Explosive Powder Explosive Powder 3,750
Icon Fireworks Fireworks Small Icon Explosive Powder Explosive Powder 3,750
Icon Small Camera Small Camera Small Icon EXO Chip EXO Chip 2,500
Icon Small Trumpet Horn Small Trumpet Horn Small Icon Plastic Plastic 1,000
Icon Holographic Figurine Holographic Figurine Small Icon Plastic Plastic 3,000
Icon Terrain Analyzer Terrain Analyzer Small Icon Zinc Zinc 2,000
Icon Probe Scanner Probe Scanner Small Icon Steel Steel 4,000
Icon Solid-Fuel Jump Jet Solid-Fuel Jump Jet Small Icon Aluminum Alloy Aluminum Alloy 5,000
Icon Hydrazine Jet Pack Hydrazine Jet Pack Small Icon Titanium Alloy Titanium Alloy 15,000
Icon Hoverboard Hoverboard Small Icon EXO Chip EXO Chip Unlocked via missions

Oxygen and Power Storage[]

  • Prominently displayed on the backpack are two gauges: the horizontal oxygen gauge in light blue, and the vertical power gauge in bright yellow.
  • Enough oxygen is stored for 72.5 seconds of untethered field work. Running consumes a little more oxygen, making the tank empty in 50 seconds instead.
  • You get a notification when the tank is 50% and then 25% full. When you run out of oxygen, you are suffocating. Within 5 seconds of starting to suffocate, you cannot run anymore. After 15 seconds of suffocation, you will die and be sent back to your ship or shelter.
  • The backpack's oxygen reserve can be augmented with Oxygen Tanks, which store an amount of oxygen equal to the backpack's own tank, and by crafting Oxygen Filters, which provide oxygen as though connected to a Tether and last 80 seconds before burning out. Additionally, the Portable Oxygenatorprovides infinite oxygen at the cost of power, and supplies other nearby Astroneers as well.
  • Each segment of the vertical yellow bar represents a single Unit of power, storing a total of 10 Units.
  • Power is only drained when using an Augment on the Terrain Tool, or when using the printer.
  • A small battery stores enough power to use a single augmented deform tool continuously for about 64 seconds, depending on whether power-generating widgets are being used.
  • As an internal battery, the backpack will not transfer its charge to other batteries.
  • The backpack's battery can be augmented with Small Batteries, which store just over triple the base capacity, and by crafting Power Cells, which provide just under five times the base capacity before burning out. Additionally, generator widgets provide a continuous supply of power when their conditions are met.

Trivia[]

  • Technically the backpack has a total of 14 available slots (8 backpack inventory slots, 2 attachment slots, 1 printer inventory slot, and 3 more slots on the terrain tool as of the latest update)
  • Initially in the tutorial, the oxygen tank in the player's backpack is smashed open, presumably by the crash the player experienced at the start. This renders it impossible to survive for any length of time away from a oxygen source, as the moment the player leaves a tether's range, they will begin to suffocate. The moment the player interacts with the dead astroneer's backpack however, they replace the smashed oxygen tank with the discarded backpack's good one, enabling the player to travel away from tethers as they normally would be able to.
  • A broken version of the Research Catalog can rarely be found, and was added to tease the working counterpart's addition in a later update.
  • A total of 284,050 bytes are needed to research every Schematic in the game.

Media[]

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