How to Gather Resources Before Fixed Routes Exist

Version note: Written before Early Access opens. This guide avoids unverified point claims and focuses on a route-building method.

In the first days after launch, the weakest guides will be the ones treating isolated screenshots as permanent answers. Versions change, screenshots lack context, and half the community will be describing places without clear landmarks.

A good resource route is not "swim from A to B." It is a repeatable loop: why you left, what terrain you followed, when you turned back, and how you will verify the route next time.

Gather by Need, Not Rarity

"Rare" does not always mean "useful right now." Do not grab every unfamiliar item just because it looks important.

Before leaving, pick a need:

• A tool recipe.
• An oxygen or mobility upgrade.
• Base parts and power support.
• Vehicle preparation.
• A scan-focused trip.

The narrower the need, the cleaner the route. A vague trip usually comes back with a full inventory and no actual plan.

Follow Terrain Borders

Open water is hard to map. Borders are easier: shallow-to-deep transitions, rock walls, cave mouths, plant density changes, and slopes.

Borders help because they create memory. They also give you safer retreat options. If something sounds wrong, a wall or terrain edge is easier to follow than a straight panic swim through empty water.

Mark Caves Before Entering Them

Caves are resources and risk in the same package. Before entering, check three things:

1. Can you recognize the outside landmark?
2. Do you have enough oxygen to enter and leave?
3. Does the cave split immediately?

If any answer is unclear, treat the cave as a later target. Discovering an entrance is progress by itself.

Review the Route at Home

After each trip, sort the route into three buckets:

• Repeat: good resources, readable path, acceptable risk.
• Hold: promising, but needs better gear or more oxygen.
• Drop: long swim, low return, bad navigation.

This review is where routes become efficient. The first strong routes after launch will not be magic coordinates; they will be safe loops people can repeat.

In Co-op, Split Routes Carefully

Four players all mining the same small patch is not efficient. Better options are pairs, or loose roles: one navigator, one scanner, one gatherer, one base organizer.

Splitting only works if the team has rules. Assign directions, agree on return times, and avoid flooding voice chat with vague "over here" calls. Confusing communication can waste more time than bad resource luck.

Know When to Stop

Return when the bag is nearly full, oxygen is being squeezed, or you can no longer explain the way back.

Efficient gathering is not one huge haul. It is the third run, when you already know what to skip.