Need help designing a base? The publisher confirms Planning Mode for assisted building. Before gathering, check the selected blueprint’s requirements. If you are stuck, distinguish a Builder control problem from materials the recipe cannot access.
What does Planning Mode do?
The August 2026 publisher announcement confirms modular bases and an assisted Planning Mode. It does not give a current control sequence or unlock checklist.
The September 21, 2022 building devlog showed holographic previews, planned connections, resource requirements and automated construction. These are historical design details; check which options your current build actually offers. Planning Mode is not evidence that construction is free.
Prepare the build you need now
Use this planning checklist rather than gathering for an entire base at once:
- Choose the structure or device needed for your current objective. Read its blueprint and any locked requirement shown in the game.
- Record the named materials and quantities before leaving to gather.
- Keep room to reach the equipment you intend to use and to expand the layout later.
- After building, check that you can access the device and read its next requirement before committing to another gathering trip.
This is a suggested workflow, not a tested first-base layout or quest order. Laboratory preparation covers choosing inputs for research.
Builder or materials: choose the right help
- Builder cannot be assigned to the wheel: check the separate Builder report. The automatic-use explanation for a chisel does not resolve this issue.
- Cannot gather ore or plant materials: equip the correct gathering tool and use the resource interaction.
- A crafting recipe does not count stored materials: compare the recipe with ingredients in your backpack. That reported crafting behavior does not establish how every building blueprint accesses storage.
- A blueprint is locked or placement is rejected: record its name and the exact message. Include them in a report if the displayed requirements do not explain it.
Does a base protect immunity?
The developer’s survival update describes protection inside EON-sealed structures. Do not assume a foundation, unfinished room or roof gives the same protection. Read the immunity and shelter explanation before planning a long trip.
Diodes, blocked blueprints and nest placement
Hotfix #4 removes Diodes from construction recipes. If your blueprint still requires them, check which update your platform has installed.
The same announcement lists nest-placement and built-nest material fixes under the upcoming batch. They are not listed as shipped in Hotfix #4. Check the announced-versus-released status before treating an old placement error as solved.
Sources & verification
Updated 2026-09-15. Source dates and evidence limits are noted above. This guide is based on published information, not a full-game playtest. Unverified details are identified above.
