Start with light and storage

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Break the roots around the Core to collect wood (1.0.1 patch notes, 31 October 2024; 0.4.0 patch notes, 15 June 2022). Some items can be crafted straight from the inventory menu without a workbench (Official Core Keeper Bluesky post, 3 January 2025).

The developers recommend carrying a torch rather than mining in the dark (Developer update, 1 September 2021). New characters get in-game hints if they have not done basic tasks, such as crafting a torch, within a few minutes of starting the game; the hints can be turned off in the Gameplay settings (1.1.0 patch notes, 10 March 2025).

Put supplies somewhere easy to find before digging a long tunnel. A workbench can use materials from a chest that touches it (5 Little Things You Might Not Know, 10 January 2024). Enemies can use the trail your character leaves to track you down, and the developers suggest traps or a dug-out moat to protect your base (5 Little Things You Might Not Know, 10 January 2024).

Choosing a background gives starting items and skill bonuses (Backgrounds announcement, 29 January 2022). A background does not lock the character into a class, because Core Keeper has no classes (Developer update, 1 September 2021).

Follow the resource loop

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Mine copper ore in the Dirt Biome (Developer biome guide, 26 January 2022). Furnaces smelt ore into bars (0.5.0 patch notes, 10 November 2022).

A wall takes no damage at all if your mining damage is too low. Workbenches come in tiers, with the Copper Workbench between the Basic Workbench and the Tin Workbench (0.6.0 patch notes, 10 May 2023). When progress slows, check both the materials and the station the next recipe needs. Crafting tooltips show how many of each material you have across nearby chests and your inventory (1.2.1.0 patch notes, 6 May 2026). Build a Salvage and Repair Station early so you are not crafting new tools all the time (Official Core Keeper Bluesky post, 3 January 2025).

Carry food as well as tools. The developers recommend starting a farm as soon as possible, because your own crops are a more reliable source of food than foraging (Top Tips for New Explorers, 1 June 2022). Cooking covers combining ingredients into dishes that keep hunger at bay and give buffs.

Keep the next trip short enough to recover

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Bring supplies for the task at hand and leave spare materials at camp. Before creating a character, check what death means for its type, because character and world types cannot be changed after they are created (1.2.1 announcement, 5 May 2026). The Casual character type keeps its inventory after death and has a reduced hunger drain, larger parry windows and shorter healing and mana potion cooldowns (1.2.1.0 patch notes, 6 May 2026). The developers describe it as suited to new players and to a more relaxed game (1.2.1 announcement, 5 May 2026).

These steps cover basic setup, not a complete boss order. The 1.0 update changed the story boss order (1.0.0 patch notes, 27 August 2024), so check the game version when following an older boss route. Common Questions covers characters, worlds and multiplayer. Your Very First covers hatching a first pet.