Planet Crafter New Planet: What to Pack Before You Travel
- ๐ What actually happens when you move to a new planet
- ๐งฎ The slot math: 65 slots, no stacking
- ๐ก The compression trick: crafted parts instead of raw materials
- ๐ Packing list for a Planet Crafter new planet
- โ ๏ธ What won't work right away on the target planet
- โ The last five minutes before launch
- โ Frequently asked questions about moving to a new planet
A Planet Crafter new planet move is a one-way trip. The Interplanetary travel rocket is used up at launch, and the game saves automatically as soon as you arrive. You can't reload and repack. What matters isn't how much you bring, but in what form.
The reason: a crafted item carries several raw materials in a single inventory slot. This page is the practical packing list for that move. If you want to compare the worlds themselves, the planet overview is the better place.
๐ What actually happens when you move to a new planet
Which worlds exist, what Ti each one needs and when the travel rocket unlocks is covered in our overview of all Planet Crafter planets. This page is only about the moment before: you're standing at the ready rocket and have to decide what goes into the cargo hold.
Three things shape everything else:
- Blueprints travel with you, materials don't. Anything you've unlocked can be built on any world, but only if you have the resources for it there.
- The rocket is single-use. To get back, you build a new one on the other side. If you don't pack the materials for it, you're stuck until local production is running.
- Autosave on arrival. Players in the Steam discussions describe exactly this as the main problem: a packing mistake can't be undone without your own copy of the save.
๐งฎ The slot math: 65 slots, no stacking
The Planet Crafter doesn't stack items. Every inventory slot holds exactly one item, so ten Iron take up ten slots. That's where the real problem with moving comes from.
One player in a Steam thread about planet hopping puts it like this: "Interplanetary Rocket Inventory = 4 x 5 (20 slots), My Inventory = 9 x 5 (45 slots) = 65 Slots Total". So 20 slots in the cargo hold plus a fully upgraded backpack.
A second player confirms the 45 in another thread with "maximum backpack capacity of 45". Both are player figures, not documented values. Your backpack number also depends on how far you've upgraded it. On top of that, v2.102 rebalanced inventory sizes, so check the slot count in your own game before you pack.
65 slots sounds like a lot. As raw materials, that's 65 single pieces of ore. On an empty world, that won't get you through the first hour.
๐ก The compression trick: crafted parts instead of raw materials
The lever most guides skip: a crafted part takes up one slot, just like one Iron, but contains the materials of several. On the other side you break it down again. One player sums it up: "Fusion Energy Cell- they contain 3 quarts, 2 osmium, 1 obsidian - all compressed into 1 inventory slot."
The game-data database planetcrafter.th.gl confirms that recipe: Fusion Energy Cell = 3 Pulsar Quartz, 2 Osmium, 1 Obsidian. Pulsar Quartz is itself a crafted item made from 1 each of Osmium, Zeolite, Iridium, Uranium and a Methane cartridge. Super Alloy is also a crafted part, made from one each of Iron, Titanium, Silicon, Magnesium, Cobalt and Aluminum:
- Fusion Energy Cell: 3 Pulsar Quartz (5 inputs each) + 2 Osmium + 1 Obsidian = 18 units in 1 slot.
- Super Alloy Rod: 8 Super Alloy + 1 Aluminum = 49 raw units in 1 slot.
A single rod replaces almost a full backpack of ore.
The catch is hard and often overlooked: without a Recycling machine on the new world, compression is worthless. According to the wiki, the basic Recycling machine returns the original components of a crafted item, and the T2 version does it automatically from an input slot. The database lists the basic machine at 3 Super Alloy and 2 Deconstruction microchips. Pack the materials for at least one, or everything you compressed stays a nice part with no purpose.
๐ Packing list for a Planet Crafter new planet
The list is ranked by what you'll miss first on a fresh world. The compression values are calculated from the recipes above; the slot numbers come from player reports.
| Priority | What to bring | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parts for a Recycling machine | Turns every compressed part you brought back into raw materials |
| 2 | Materials for a second travel rocket plus launch platform | Without them the move is final; the rocket is used up at launch |
| 3 | Fusion Energy Cells or a fusion reactor | Power from minute one instead of fiddling with solar; 18 units per slot |
| 4 | Super Alloy Rods | The densest building material there is: 49 raw units per slot |
| 5 | Parts for the Interplanetary exchange shuttle | Removes the slot limit for good once it's built |
| 6 | Living compartment, door, oxygen supply | Survival before the atmosphere holds |
| 7 | Bean seeds, tree seeds, T2 food production | Seeds are compact and replace hauled food |
| 8 | T2 Beehive ingredients | Larvae break down into mutagen and fertilizer, very slot-efficient |
| 9 | Drone station and T2 drones | Automates the first loops while you explore |
| 10 | Pulsar Quartz and Osmium as reserve | Often not mineable at all on young worlds |
Drills and mining aren't at the top on purpose. Experienced players in the Toxicity thread argue that drilling and heat tech can follow once a shuttle is running, while living space, power and the return trip can't. For your first base, the same rules apply as at home: see base locations.
โ ๏ธ What won't work right away on the target planet
One mistake costs slots again and again: not everything you've unlocked can be placed over there. On the DLC planet Toxicity, players report that most high-tier machines can only be placed once the purification index is high enough, which pushes optimizers and fusion upgrades back. On Humble, Selenea and Aqualis players don't describe such locks. The build menu shows on hover whether a machine is allowed. These are player reports as well.
The second point is resupply. The Interplanetary exchange shuttle effectively lifts the 65-slot limit. According to one player, you can send "25 items every 10 minutes" per platform. The catch: the database lists a T2 Rocket Engine in its recipe, which takes real progress. How the token-based trade loop compares is in our Trade Rocket guide, and the stages that lead up to the travel rocket are in the terraformation stages guide.
โ The last five minutes before launch
- Copy your save folder. Otherwise the autosave on arrival overwrites your pre-flight state.
- Empty your backpack and refill it on purpose. Ore and half stacks of food eat ten slots otherwise.
- Pack the cargo hold last: Recycling machine parts first, then rocket materials, then compressed goods.
- Check whether the machines you plan are allowed on the target at all.
- Heading to the moon Skeo? It's been in the regular game since v2.102 on September 1, 2026. Read the Skeo guide first.
โ Frequently asked questions about moving to a new planet
How many items can I take with me?
According to players, 20 slots in the rocket plus up to 45 in a fully upgraded backpack, 65 in total. Since v2.102 rebalanced inventory sizes, check your own numbers. The game doesn't stack, so every slot is exactly one item, and crafted parts are the only way to bring more material.
Why are crafted parts better than raw materials?
Because one part bundles the materials of several slots. A Fusion Energy Cell holds 18 units, a Super Alloy Rod even 49, each in one slot. You need a Recycling machine on the new world to break them down again.
Can I fly back?
Only with a newly built travel rocket on the new world. The one you arrived in is used up. That's why the materials for the return flight belong in the first slots, not at the end of the list.
Do I keep my blueprints?
Yes, unlocks apply to the whole save. You can still only build them with the right materials, and on Toxicity, according to player reports, only once purification is high enough.
What's the most common packing mistake?
No Recycling machine. Then twenty compressed parts sit in the crate and you can't get a single raw material out of them. Second most common: no materials for the return trip.
As of October 8, 2026 (version v2.102 "Skeo"). Recipes for Fusion Energy Cell (3 Pulsar Quartz, 2 Osmium, 1 Obsidian), Pulsar Quartz, Super Alloy (1 each of Iron, Titanium, Silicon, Magnesium, Cobalt, Aluminum), Super Alloy Rod (8 Super Alloy, 1 Aluminum), the Recycling machine and the Interplanetary exchange shuttle were checked against the game-data database planetcrafter.th.gl; the compression values 18 and 49 are calculated from them.
Player reports from the Steam discussions, not confirmed by the developer: 20 rocket slots, 45 backpack slots, the shuttle throughput of 25 items per 10 minutes and the tier locks on Toxicity. Recipes and limits can change with any patch.
