Introduction
Progression in Solarpunk is built around one loop: gather resources, trade them with the Traderbot, unlock Airship upgrades, reach new islands, and gather better resources. The problem is that the game doesn't always make it obvious which resources unlock what, or how far into that loop you actually need to be before certain materials become available. This guide covers the four areas that trip up most players early on: finding Silicon and Cobalt, keeping your hunger topped off, and managing your water supply without running dry.
Traderbot trade tier overview
What does the Airship upgrade progression look like?
Before getting into specific resources, it helps to understand that almost everything in Solarpunk gates behind Airship level upgrades unlocked through the Traderbot. You complete trades in sequence, each one unlocking the next, until you hit a tier that grants a new Airship range. That expanded range opens new islands, which contain the resources you need for the next tier. The cycle repeats.
Here's a breakdown of all the trades required to reach each Airship level:
Level 2 opens the northwest and northeast island clusters where Quartz spawns. Level 3 opens islands to the north and south of your starting base where Cobalt appears. You cannot skip ahead, so if you're still working through the early Cotton and Beeswax trades, Cobalt is genuinely not accessible yet.
How do you get Silicon in Solarpunk?
Silicon doesn't spawn directly in the world. You get it by processing Quartz Ore in your Furnace. That means your first job is finding Quartz, which only appears on islands unlocked after reaching Level 2 Airship.
Once you've completed the five trades for the Level 2 upgrade and confirmed it at your Dock, your map range expands. Head to the small island cluster to the northwest of your starting base to find a permanent Quartz mine node that respawns infinitely. Every other newly unlocked island also contains Quartz deposits, so you have multiple farming options.
Farm several stacks before heading back. Silicon powers a number of energy buildings, so you want more than the minimum. Bring your first 6x Silicon to the Traderbot island to unlock the tier 2 blueprint research upgrade. After that, the Animal Transport research blueprint is worth prioritizing next since it opens up chicken farming, which you'll need for the Egg trades required at Level 3.
How do you get Cobalt in Solarpunk?
Cobalt is a mid-game resource gated behind Level 3 Airship, which requires completing all of the trades listed in the table above, including Bread and Eggs. That means having a working Wheat farm and a chicken farm running before Cobalt becomes accessible.
Once Level 3 unlocks, two new islands appear to the north of your starting base. Both contain scattered Cobalt Ores, but these are finite spawns, not the permanent node you want for consistent farming. The infinite Cobalt mine node sits on the large island to the south of your starting base.
The southern island is worth a dedicated trip. Beyond Cobalt, it also contains 2x Sunflowers, 5x Carrot spawns, 2x Cotton spawns, 1x Watermelon spawn, two chests, and a pig you can transport back. That's a lot of value in one location, but inventory space becomes the real constraint here.
Once you're back at base, smelt the Cobalt Ores in your Furnace to produce Cobalt Bars, exactly the same process as every other ore in the game.
How do you manage food in Solarpunk?
Hunger and thirst both display as meters in the bottom right of your screen alongside your health. Drop too low on either and you lose the ability to sprint. Go lower still and you start taking health damage. The good news is that food is the easier of the two stats to maintain.
Berry bushes appear on the starter island and give a solid amount of food early on. Harvest them, collect the seeds, and plant those seeds in farm plots. Farm plots are made by using a hoe on flat ground. The berries regrow continuously as long as you water them regularly.
As your Airship range expands, your food options grow with it. Watermelons, Wheat (which you can bake into Bread), and Carrots all become available. One thing to keep in mind: the Traderbot needs specific food items for trades, so don't eat through your entire Watermelon or Wheat supply before checking what the next trade requires.
Berry farm plot on starter island
How do you get clean water in Solarpunk?
Water works differently from food and catches a lot of players off guard. You can't just drink from a river. The early-game solution is a Rain Collector, which you research and build to passively gather water. It also refills your watering can without consuming the water stored in it.
The problem is that rain becomes infrequent as you progress. When that happens, you need to switch to a more active method:
- Research and craft a glass bottle (glass is made by smelting sand in the Furnace).
- Find a well or water source on one of the islands and fill the bottle with dirty water.
- Place the dirty water bottle in your Furnace with fuel to convert it into fresh water.
- Each bottle fills roughly one-third of your thirst bar.
Fruits like berries and watermelons also restore some thirst, so keeping a farm running helps both meters at once.
Resource progression at a glance
For more strategies on getting the most out of every island run, the full Solarpunk guides collection covers everything from taming animals to base building in detail. Solarpunk sits firmly in the adventure games space, and its resource loop rewards players who plan their Airship trips efficiently rather than flying out unprepared. Keep your trades queued, your farms watered, and your Furnace stocked, and the progression chain moves faster than it might initially appear.