Mining outposts are the main way that players can get organics and other materials used to upgrade their base and craft equipment in The Alters.
While shallow deposits can give a good amount of their specific resource, theyโre one-time use only.
Deep deposits, on the other hand, offer an unlimited supplyโbut they canโt be harvested by hand. Thatโs where mining outposts come in.
In this guide, Iโll walk you through the full process of collecting organics and other materials using mining outposts in The Alters, so you can stock up on everything you need as quickly as possible.
Whether itโs organics, metals, Rapidium, or other valuable materials, youโll need a steady supply of these to build new base facilities, gear, and consumables.
Basically, youโll always want a healthy stash on hand if you plan on making progress.
Step-by-Step: Collecting Materials with Mining Outposts
The whole process breaks down into a few main steps:
- Finding the deep deposit
- Placing the mining outpost
- Connecting the outpost to your home base
- Extracting the organics or other resource
Hereโs a breakdown of each step:
Using the Polygonal Scanner to Find the Deep Deposit
First, you need to figure out where the deep deposit is within the general area the game marks out. To do that, use the Polygonal Scanner, which you can access by opening the equipment wheel with LB/L1.
Once youโve selected it, you can place up to six probes on the ground. Each probe needs to be within 2.5 meters of another one, and all of them should connect to form a perimeter on the ground.
When set up properly, youโll see contour lines show up. Press X/Square to release a scan wave (just make sure your suit has enough energy).
The wave will reveal the direction of the deep deposit from your starting probe.
Once youโve found the exact location, press LB/L1 again, go to Building Mode on the equipment wheel, and place a mining outpost on the outlined circle on the ground.
Connecting the Mining Outpost to the Base
After the outpost is placed, the next step is connecting it to your base using pylons. Youโll find them in Building Mode as well. Start heading back toward your base, placing a pylon whenever the number above its placement outline gets into the low single digits.
Each pylon can be placed up to 40 meters away from the last one or from whatever youโre connecting to (the outpost or base). Once the final pylon reaches your base, everythingโs linked up and ready to go.
Bonus: Once an outpost is connected, you can fast travel to it using the terminal on its side. That same terminal can also recharge your suit, which is super helpful since tools like the Polygonal Scanner use up a lot of energy.
Extracting Organics and Other Materials
Now that everythingโs set up, itโs time to start collecting. This part tripped me up at first because the game isnโt super clearโyou have to manually activate extraction.
Go to the outpost and interact with the screen on its front. A small pink circle will start filling up, and a countdown timer will kick in.
Once the cycle completes, youโll get a small batch of whatever material youโre mining.
To make this process hands-free, you can assign one of your Alters to the mining outpost using the Assignments screen.
Theyโll keep extracting materials for as long as you leave them there. You can always unassign them later if needed.
And thatโs it. With this system running, youโll have a steady stream of resources flowing inโfrom organics to metals and beyond.
Just keep an eye on your suit energy and manage your Alters, and youโll have everything you need to build out your base and gear up in The Alters.
