Core Keeper Complete Walkthrough – Crafting, Tools, Bosses & Cooking Recipes

Like many sandbox survival games, Core Keeper throws you right into the action. The lack of clear objectives and demands from the game is part of what makes it good cozy fun, but it can also be a bit confusing.

When we first jumped into Core Keeper, we had to take a little time to figure out what we were meant to be doing. If you’re feeling a little lost or are looking for Core Keeper tips and tricks, we’ve got a complete walkthrough to help you out!

**This guide is in progress. Last updated on 9/5/2024**

Core Keeper Basic Gameplay Overview

In Core Keeper, your avatar is dropped into a mysterious dark cavern. You find yourself in a room with a powered-down core, connected to three statues that seem to require gemstones to run. What now?

Essentially, you dig your way out from the center to find food, supplies, and enemies to battle. It’s sort of like the graphics of Stardew Valley with the gameplay of Minecraft. You can build a shelter, make food, grow crops, and even tame livestock.

Your ultimate goal is to fight the big bosses so you can get the gemstones you need to restore power to the core. Or you can get lost in the cozy grind of mining, crafting, and exploring.

Is Core Keeper on Nintendo Switch?

Core Keeper is not currently available on Nintendo Switch but will be soon. The game will be released for Switch on September 17, 2024.

Is Core Keeper Steam Deck Compatible?

Yes, Core Keeper is Steam Deck verified. The game should work just fine on your handheld device.

Core Keeper Classes & Starting Perks

When creating a character in Core Keeper, you can choose your starting class by changing your character’s background.

This background impacts the skills and items you start with. If you’re playing with friends, it’s a good idea to choose different backgrounds to create a well-rounded adventuring party. Here are the currently available classes in Core Keeper and their starting perks.

Class	Starting Perks
Chef	+3 Cooking Skill +1 Cooking Pot +8 Mushrooms
Explorer	+3 Running Skill +1 Small Lantern +3 Food Rations
Fighter	+3 Melee Skill +1 Copper Sword +3 Food Rations
Fisherman	+3 Fishing Skill +1 Tin Fishing Rod +3 Food Rations
Gardener	+3 Gardening Skill +1 Copper Hoe +1 Watering Can
Mage	+3 Magic Skill +1 Simple Staff +3 Food Rations
Miner	+3 Mining Skill +1 Copper Pickaxe +3 Food Rations
Nomad	None
Ranger	+3 Range Combat Skill +1 Wood Bow +3 Food Rations
Warlock	+3 Summoning Skill +1 Tome of the Dark +3 Food Rations

Light Sources in Core Keeper

Torches are one of the first and easiest items you can craft in Core Keeper. They just require wood to make, are great sources of light, and can be easily placed wherever you need them. However, you can’t hold a torch and mine at the same time, so it’s best to replace this light source as soon as possible.

Glow Tulips, and recipes that incorporate them, will cause your character to emit an ambient glow. It’s not super bright, but the extra light can be really useful before you can craft a lantern for a more permanent solution.

Lanterns are an equippable light source you can craft and add to the light source slot in your character’s equipment. This is a great way to see where you’re going, no matter what you’re up to. They can be crafted once you build the Tin Workbench.

What Happens if You Die in Core Keeper

For all its cozy pixel graphics, your character can die in Core Keeper. You can turn this off in the settings when starting a new server, but if you have survival turned on, here’s what to expect.

There are two different settings at character creation that determine what happens to your player character at death. You can choose one where you’ll lose the character if they die and have to create a new one. Or, you can opt to have the same character respawn.

Character death causes you to lose all items in your backpack. You’ll keep the items that were in your toolbar, so consider item placement wisely when going into tough combat.

You’ll find a tombstone where your character died. If you interact with it, you can retrieve your lost items – but only what you’ve got room for in your inventory.

How to Find and Use Waypoints in Core Keeper

Waypoints are locations that look similar to the portal players originally entered the world through. These locations are scattered randomly around the map and allow players to transport instantly between them.

To activate a Waypoint, explore the map and locate the deactivated warp pads. Interact with them to activate the Waypoint and register them to your map.

Can You Travel To Waypoints Without Standing on Them

No, players must be at a Waypoint to travel between them. They cannot be traveled to from any point on the map.

How to Get All Work Benches in Core Keeper

Basic Workbench

The Crafting Station can be built for x8 Wood in the base menu. This can be opened by pressing the “tab” button on the keyboard.

Once built, place the Crafting Table in a safe location to interact with it. This station is needed to get basic armor, weapons, and advanced crafting stations.

Copper Workbench

To build the Copper Workbench, players must unlock the Basic Workbench and Furnace. Using the Basic Workbench, use x8 Wood and x6 Copper Bars to build the Copper Furnace.

The Copper Furnace Allows players to build Copper Tools, the Fishing Rod, Bag Expansions, the Small Lantern, and the next tier of advanced crafting stations.

Tin Workbench

To get the Tin Workbench, players will need to have placed a Copper Workbench. Using the Copper Workbench, use x10 Wood, x6 Copper Bars, and x10 Tin Bars to build the Tin Workbench.

All Ore Types in Core Keeper

Building and crafting will take a variety of ore types when exploring the depths of Core Keeper. Below are all ore types, where to find them, and the bars they make.

Ore Type	Bar Type	Where to Find It
Copper Ore	Copper Bar	Inside ore nodes in the walls. In crates.
Tin Ore	Tin Bars	Inside ore nodes in the walls. In crates.
Gold Ore	TBD	TBD

How to Get Ingots With The Furance in Core Keeper

To process ore into ingots, players will need to craft a Furnace. To build the Furnace, interact with the Crafting Table and select the Furnace blueprint.

The furnace requires x20 dirt blocks to make. Once it is completed, place it down in the base. To make ingots, interact with the furnace and put the desired ore into the empty slot.

The Furnace does not require coal to run. Players can build multiple Furnaces and place them together to increase ingot production.

How to Get The Glass Smelter

To get the Glass Smelter, build the Copper Workbench. Once placed, use x5 Copper Bars and place the Glass Smelter in the desired space within your base.

Use Sand Blocks in the Glass Smelter to obtain Glass.

How to Get Armor And Weapons

Right from the start of Core Keeper, you are going to need an arsenal of weapons and armor to survive. Armor and weapons can be crafted and found in chests. Below are all weapons and armor and how to get them.

All Armor in Core Keeper

Armor	Crafting Materials	Workbench Needed	Boons
Wood Helm (Level 2)	x4 Wood	Basic Workbench	+5 Max Health +3 Armor
Wood Chest (Level 2)	x6 Wood	Basic Workbench	+6 Max Health +4 Armor
Wood Pants (Level 2)	x5 Wood	Basic Workbench	+5 Max Health +4 Armor
Copper Healm (Level 3)	x6 Copper Bars	Copper Anvil	+8 Max Health +4 Armor
Copper Breastplate (Level 3)	x8 Copper Bars	Copper Anvil	+10 Max Health +7 Armor
Copper Pants (Level 3)	x7 Copper Bars	Copper Anvil	+9 Max Health +6 Armor
Wooden Shield (Level 2)	x10 Wood x5 Copper Bars	Copper Anvil	+6 Armor
Rain Coat (Level 3)	x12 Slime x5 Copper Bars	Copper Avil	+10 Max Health +4 Armor +25% reduced impact of slowed slime movement
Rubber Boots (Level 3)	x10 Slime x4 Copper Bars	Copper Anvil	+9 Max Health +4 Armor +25% reduced impact of slowed slime movement
Adventurer Hat (Level 3)	N/A	Found in crate	+7 Max Health +5 Armor +3.9% Damage +8 Mining Damage +10 Fishing +3.0% Movement Speed
Ranger Tunic (Level 3)	N/A	Found in a crate	+10 Max Health +7 Armor +3.6% Range Attack Speed
Ranger Pants (Level 3)	N/A	Found in a crate	+9 Max Health +6 Armor +7% Critical Hit Damage
Shrooman Cap (Level 3)	N/A	Found in a crate	+7 Max Health +5 Armor +0.1 Health Every Second +2% Food when eating plants
Witch Doctor Vest (Level 3)	N/A	Found in a crate	+11 Max Health +4 Armor +1 Max Minion Count
Witch Doctor Jeans (Level 3)	N/A	Found in a crate	+9 Max Health +3 Armor +9% Minion Lifespan
Caveling Hood (Level 7)	N/A	Found in a crate	+15 Max Health +3% Dodge Chance +7.2% Physical Melee Damage

All Accessories in Core Keeper

Accessories	Crafting Materials	Workbench Needed	Boons
Ring of Stone (Level 3)	N/A	Found in a crate	+14 Mining Damage
Crescent Ring (Level 5)	N/A	Found in a crate	+14 Max Mana

All Weapons in Core Keeper

Weapons	Crafting Materials	Workbench Needed	Boons
Wooden Sword (Level 1)	x5 Wood	Basic Workbench	30-36 Physical Damage
Copper Sword (Level 2)	x5 Copper Bars	Copper Anvil	45-55 Physical Damage
Wooden Bow (Level 2)	x15 Wood	Copper Anvil	30-36 Physical Damage
Wood Crossbow ( Level 2)	N/A	Found in a crate	43-51 Physical Damage
Flintlock Musket (Level 5)	N/A	Found in a crate	207-253 Physical Damage

How to Expand Inventory in Core Keeper

To expand inventory slots in Core Keeper, players must craft bag additions.

All Bag Expansions

Expansion	Crafting Materials	Workbench Needed	Boons
Belt Pocket (Level 2)	x5 Wood x2 Copper Bars	Copper Workbench	+5 Inventory Slots +6 Max Health

All Tools in Core Keeper

Players will need an arsenal of tools to explore the depths of Core Keeper. Tools are unlocked in tiers tied to Workbench levels. Below are all the tools broken down by their respective Workbenches and Crafting Stations.

Tab Menu Crafting

Tool	Crafting Materials	Uses
Torch	x1 Wood	Can be carried or placed for light
Wood Pickaxe (Level 1)	x4 Wood	17-19 Physical Damage +15 Mining Damage Breaks down walls
Wooden Shovel (Level 1)	x4 Wood	14-16 Physical Damage Can be used to dig into flooring

Basic Workbench Tools

Tool	Crafting Materials	Uses
Wooden Sword (Level 1)	x5 Wood	30-36 Physical Damage
Wooden Hoe (Level 1)	x4 Wood	18-20 Physical Damage Creates farmable tiles
Watering Can	x4 Copper Bars	Waters seeds planted in soil

Copper Workbench Tools

Tool	Crafting Materials	Uses
Copper Pickaxe (Level 2)	x4 Wood x2 Copper Bars	26-30 Physical Damage +42 Mining Damage Breaks down Walls More Quickly
Copper Shovel (Level 2)	x4 Wood x2 Copper Bars	20-24 Physical Damage Digs more efficiently
Copper Hoe (Level 2)	x4 Wood x2 Copper Bar	26-30 Physical Damage Creates farmable tiles
Small Lantern (Level 2)	x3 Copper Bars x3 Slimes	+3 Light Weak illumination in dark areas
Fishing Rod	X5 Wood	Used for fishing in bodies of water

Livestock Workbench

Tool	Crafting Materials	Uses
Feeding Tray	x10 Wood x5 Copper Bars	Used to feed cattle
Leash	x8 Fiber	Attach to cattle and lead them to safety
Cattle Transport Box	x6 Plank x2 Tin Bar x3 Iron Bar	Used to transport cattle from one location to another. (One use per box)

How To Repair Tools in Core Keeper

As you swing your pickaxe at the walls, you’ll soon learn that tools in Core Keeper can break. Thankfully, you don’t have to build new ones every time. You can repair tools by crafting a Salvage and Repair Station.

To make the Salvage and Repair Station, you’ll first need to craft a general Workbench. You can do this from the Tab menu, so long as you have enough wood.

Once you craft a Workbench, interact with it. There, you will see the Repair Bench option in the middle Crafting menu, in the top right corner.

You will need 5 Wood and 5 Copper Bars to craft the Salvage and Repair Station. To make Copper Bars, you’ll need to craft a Smelter so you can process Copper Ore.

How to Go Fishing in Core Keeper

If you don’t start as a Fisherman in Core Keeper, you may be wondering if you can fish from those bubbling spots in the water. The answer is yes – You just need to craft a fishing pole first.

To craft a fishing pole, you’ll need a Copper Workbench. Craft a standard Workbench and a Smelter. Then, gather enough Copper Ore to craft the Copper Workbench.

One of the craft options when you interact with the Copper Workbench will be a basic fishing pole. You can use this in the bubble spots in water to fish by putting it in your active item slot and interacting with the tool while facing the water.

No complicated mini-games here. Just hit the interact button again when an exclamation point pops up, and you’ve got yourself a fish.

How Cooking Works in Core Keeper

Food in Core Keeper has two main purposes – keeping you alive by restoring HP and reducing hunger and giving you helpful perks like extra armor or the ability to glow.

You can eat crops like plentiful mushrooms and heart berries directly, but they’ll go further when cooked. To cook, you need to first craft a Cooking Pot. This is available from the main Workbench menu.

How to Get The Cooking Pot in Core Keeper

To get the Cooking Pot, players will need to have x4 Copper Bars and x2 Wood. To get the Copper Bars, a Furnace will need to be built.

Once the Cooking Pot is made, players can make hot meals of their foraged ingredients.

Once you have a Cooking Pot, you just need to put two ingredients in the available slots. You will need something in both spaces, even if it’s just one mushroom in each slot. Then, the recipe will process just like any other crafted item. You can retrieve the result from the completed slot when it’s done.

Try different combinations of crops, fish, and other edible items to find new recipes with different perks.

How to Hatch Eggs and Get Pets

To Hatch eggs in Core Keeper, players will need to find an egg and build an incubator.

Hatching eggs will allow players to acquire pets. These creatures can be equipped in the pet slot, and offer different boosts depending on the active pet species.

How to Find Eggs

Eggs can be found as loot from crates. They are relatively rare, making them a special find when knocked out of dungeon boxes.

How to Craft The Egg Incubator

To craft an Incubator in Core Keeper, players will need to build the Copper Workbench and Glass Smelter. After doing this, use x8 Copper Bars and x8 Pieces of Glass to craft the Incubator.

How to Feed the Animals in Core Keeper

If you’re like me, you may have accidentally injured a cow or two trying to feed them in Core Keeper. It’s not super clear how to feed these hungry critters and button mashing can have devastating consequences.

To feed cows and other animals in Core Keeper, move a crop to your active item slot so that you’re holding it. Once your character is holding a crop, the animals will approach. They’ll keep eating until you run out of crops or switch them out of your active slot.

Core Keeper Boss Fights & How to Beat Them

To get the gems to power up the core, you will need to find and defeat bosses. As you mine your way through the depths, you will eventually find these tough enemies. Unlike other enemies, they will have a name and an HP bar. Here are the bosses we’ve encountered in Core Keeper thus far and our tips for beating them.

Glurch the Abominous Mass

Glurch is, indeed, a large mass of slime. This boss can be found by digging down and to the left from the core. When you start seeing orange oozes and slime, you’re on the right track.

There are two main challenges for this boss fight – the massive damage dealt by Glurch’s leaping attack and the slowing effect of the slime on the ground.

To slow Glurch down and deal some damage, we recommend building plenty of wooden traps to drop as you flee from his attacks. Sipping on some milk for a bonus to your armor isn’t a bad idea, either.

I was able to defeat him by setting several traps in the area, and then using ranged attacks to keep my distance.

Defeating Glurch earns you the gemstone for the center statue in the Core room, plus some sweet bounty.

**We will add more boss battles & tips as soon as we find and defeat them!**

Looking for more guides for games with cozy graphics and challenging mechanics? Check out our full walkthrough of Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus.