How to Get EXO Chips in Astroneer

Acquiring EXO Chips is one of the main ways to progress in Astroneer. Since it is one of the few rare resources that allows you to unlock key buildings, it is an extremely desirable resource to have not only in the early game but also throughout your entire playthrough. There are several ways to get EXO Chips, and we’ll talk about every method to get them in Astroneer.

How to Farm EXO Chips in Astroneer

There are two main ways to get EXO Chips in Astroneer: opening EXO Caches and trading for them using the Trade Platform. In the early to mid-game, you only have the first option or method since you’ll need an EXO Chip to actually craft the Trade Platform.

To find EXO Caches, you’ll just need to explore every area as each planet has them. Sylva has them near the forest area, near the outer edges. They are found on the gray surface of the moon on Desolo. They are around the mountains and hills in Calidor. They are near the thin type of trees in Vesania and Novus. They are out in the open on the wide plains of Glacio, occasionally spawning with boulders on them.

Once you have these EXO Caches, you can throw a Dynamite at the EXO Caches to open them up. Each EXO Cache will drop one to three EXO Chips, more than enough to build your first Trade Platform.

Dynamite can be found inside backpacks of dead explorers or other random wreckage. The best way to get Dynamite is through exploring caves and finding these backpacks. Since you’ll probably be looking for resources like Laterite to get Aluminum in caves, you should try to get all the resources you can get when exploring.

How to Get EXO Chips Using the Trade Platform

When players use the Trade Platform, they often forget that they can scroll up and down instead of left and right. The first resources or the main page only shows you all the “common” resources you’ll most likely trade for. However, if you go down a page, you’ll find another set of trades, one of which includes the Astronium to EXO Chip at a 3:1 ratio. Now, you just need to find the Astronium, as this is the best way to get EXO Chips in the mid to late game in Astroneer.

How to Get Astronium in Astroneer

Astronium is one of the rarest resources, but it is available on all planets. You must reach the outer core layers of the planets to find the Astronium nodes, which will most likely need a strong drill (strength 2 and above). Astronium will look like a vibrant purple ore, which honestly looks like a plant, and then you can start harvesting or extracting them from the ground.

Once you have some Astronium, you can get EXO Chips or even use them to get Bytes since Astronium goes for 500 Bytes per piece.

If you are still having problems looking for EXO Chips, you can also find them in random wreckages, but their spawn chance is very rare. The better way is to just keep looking for EXO Caches. Once you reach the endgame, EXO Caches will be a thing of the past and you’ll just use the Trade Platform anyway.