Quick Links
Planetary Samples are necessary for key upgrades inThe Alters.There are only a handful in the entire game, and finding them requires tracking down and following Interal Trails with the Luminator. The task is further complicated by the fact that the trails often go off the beaten path, climbing walls that you can’t follow, and forcing you to find other ways around to pick up where you left off.
All that running around is worth it, though, as the technologies that you can research with Samples are some of the best available. Here’s how to get every Sample, so that you don’t miss any.
Once you’ve opened an Interal Trail, there’s no time limit for finishing it, as long as you do so before ending the current chapter. You also don’t have to follow the trail precisely; you’re able to stumble on the sample while exploring, or go straight to the endpoint, as long as you’ve activated the starting point.
Act 1
The first Act of the game serves as an extension of the Prologue’s tutorial, so there aren’t many Planetary Samples to find here. Still, two is better than zero, so be sure to collect them before you leave!
Northeast
The first Interal Trail in the gamemust be visited in order to research the Luminator, so getting here early should be a priority once you’ve got your resource supplies secured. Head south from the base to reach theMineral deposit, then take the eastern trail north, to thefar side of the lava river.
The narrow path isfull of Anomalies,including the first Following Anomaly toward the end, so be careful as you won’t be able to defend yourself on the first visit.
Once you’ve seen the trailhead (the glowing green light),return to the Scientistto unlock research on the Luminator. Come back with it equipped to start the trail, which leadsup the ledges to the rightbefore turning back southward through area to the east. If you haven’t already, you canpick up a cargo podat the top of the hill along the way.
The Planetary Sample is in thesouth section of the eastern area,so you can get itbefore getting back on the main trailto return to the Mineral deposit.
South
The second Interal Trail of Act 1 appears onlyafter the final Magnetic Storm of the Act, meaning you’ll need to make time to find it in the last week before Sunrise. The starting point can be foundsouthwest of the Organics field, along the main central path that you originally took to reach the Minerals deposit.
Follow the trailuphill along the main pathandturn right at the top.Navigate around the small lava pool andclimb the ledge beyond it, then continue following the trail to the end and collect the Sample on your left.
Act 2
Exploration in Act 2 is pretty difficult until you research and build theClimbing Hook Upgrade, which only appears on the tech tree if youattempt to climb a high wall without it.We recommend doing so before attempting to collect any of these samples, as it will save a lot of time in the long run.
Act 2 hasmore than twice as many Planetary Samples as either Act 1 or Act 2, making it a key time tofinish researching the techsthat are critical to your strategy.
West
About halfway between the base and theEnriched Metals deposit to the west, there’s a high climb that leads into the Rapidium Caves. The starting point of the trail is at the bottom; once you’ve activated it, justclimb up and go all the way to the back of the first cave chamber, to the right of the Energy Gate before passing through.
Northwest
In the cave north of the Rapidium deposit, you’ll find the start of this trailjust east of the cargo container with thelast Qubit Chip.The trail itself is a bit misleading, though, as it quicklyturns upwardto an overhead path, forcing you to backtrack or forge ahead without any guidance.
Ultimately, your goal isthe hill in the northwest section of the Mineral deposit to the west; the fastest way to get there is tobacktrack to the Rapidium depositand take the land bridge, where you may quickly pick up the trail again and follow it to your goal, collecting the Holochip along the way. The other option is togo through the Energy Wall to the southand loop around, and while it doesn’t require clilmbing, that’s a longer and much less efficient route.
Either way, at the top of the hill,look for the sample on top of the rock formation.
you may find this trail anomalyon your left as you enter the southern section of the canyon, just southwest of the base. Once you’ve activated it,climb the ledge on the other side of the path, then enter the cave and climb again.You don’t need to cross the gorge using any of the natural bridges.
Instead, at the top of the second climb,proceed straight aheadand destroy the Pulsating Anomaly; once it’s gone, you may safely harvest the Sampleon the cliff wall to the right.
Climb the cliffdirectly behind the baseand look for this trailafter the first Magnetic Storm of Act 2.The shortest way to the Planetary Sample is togo back down the cliff toward the baseand turn left, entering the tunnel toward the Organics field to the northeast, where you’ll find the Sample at the back of the first cave chamber.
Extreme South
The final Interal Trail of Act 2 doesn’t appear untilafter the second Magnetic Storm, so you’ll need to collect it in the week before Sunrise. Go to theledge overlooking the southern Metals depositto start the search.
The Sample itself is actually pretty easy to find; justclimb down the ledge toward the Minerals, then turn left and follow the wall into thedead-end cave.It’s the same spot where you may use thehole in the ceilingto thread a pylon connection to the Metals Outpost above, so you can use the hole on the map as an easy marker for where you need to go.
Act 3
Interal Trails don’t start appearing in the final Act untilafter the first Magnetic Storm.Use that time toestablish your resource supply and find the rebels; if you don’t find and supply them before the second Magnetic Storm, they’ll die.
After the first storm, an Interal Trail appearsjust outside the base, to the southwest.You can save yourself a lot of weaving through obstacles by simplyclimbing down the nearby ledgeand heading south into the darkened valley; the Planetary Sample is just inside the entrance to the area.
You may need todestroy the Prism Anomaly in the valleyto make any sense of the area.
North
The final Planetary Sample in Act 3 (and, by extension, the game) appearswhen Sunrise is imminent.Go to the twisting cavewest of the Enriched Metals deposit north of the baseto start the trail, thenbacktrack to the southern section of the deposit’s radiation field.
If you want to avoid taking too much radiation damage,go to the nearby Rapidium Outpost insteadand fast travel back to the base; you’re able to thenrappel down to the caves south of the Enriched Metals deposit, grab the Sample, and climb back up.
