Players who are new toOxygen Not Includedwould find themselves having a lot of early game issues due to how unforgiving the game can be when problems arise. Notswiftly addressing these issueswill lead to catastrophic events, like having germs all over the base, having Duplicants with extreme stress response, and ultimately, losing a Duplicant as they pass away.
For that, it’s important to knowwhat to do first inOxygen Not Included. Having a strong foundation that fulfills the Duplicants' needs will guarantee players' survival for a long time. Even if they’re not fulfilling the end-game goals, knowing how to survive is one step closer to those shiny achievements.
7Choose Your First Duplicants
Don’t Underestimate The Negative Traits
When players start anew game inOxygen Not Included, it’s highly recommended to have one digger and one researcher, with the third Duplicants (Dupes) being another digger or a builder. These roles can be customized using the arrow button next to Reroll on top of the Duplicant selection box.
Picking these roles specifically allows players to immediately have a Dupe that’s good at digging and researching, meaning it’s easier to expand the base later.
6Create Different Schedules
Congregating At The Great Hall
Your Duplicants havework, break, and sleeptimes. During the break, they will go to the bathroom, eat, and rest. Because of this,it’s crucial to spread resting times between Duplicants. If they all have the same break time, there will be times when no one is attending to the base, which can be detrimental if a utility becomes unavailable in the middle of break or sleep time. This also minimizes the number of Outhouses needed, since they won’t go to the bathroom at the same time.
Next, set aDuplicant Priorityfor your Duplicants. This will make aDupe focus on their high-priority task. For example, a Dupe with high Science should prioritize research, whereas the digger should prioritize digging. There’s also aBuilding Priorityfeature to make a Duplicant focus on certain tasks, or even force them to leave everything and do the task you want with the Top Priority button (red button with exclamation marks). Make sure to only assign a high priority to tasks that are extremely important, since if everything is important, the Dupe will just treat them equally.
Pressperiodto assign schedule,Lfor Duplicant Priority, andPto set priority for different tasks.
5Find Water And Build An Outhouse
Just Go To The Bathroom!
After entering the game, the next steps are tofind water sources and build an Outhouse. This is a high-priority step, since your Dupes will spread germs and polluted water if there’s no place to relieve themselves.
Place the Great Hall (dining room) above the Latrine (toilet), as Dupes always go to the restroom before eating.
Once a water pool is in sight, dig into it and place a Pitcher Pump (ensure the pipe touches the water) so that the Duplicants can get water. Next, build an Outhouse nearby along with a Wash Basin for the Dupes to go to the bathroom and wash their hands. Without a place to wash their hands, the Duplicants will also spread germs all over the base, so make sure not to miss this step. Additionally, it’s highly recommended to build a Latrine room for Morale boost. A room can be made simply bymaking sure the surrounding areas are closed off by walls, tiles, or doors.
4Make Barracks With Cots
Sleep Like A Baby
Once a proper toilet is set, the next step is to ensure the Duplicants aren’t sleeping on the floor. For this, build aCotfor them. Like with the Outhouses, players can makeBarracksby closing off the openings with walls or doors.
It’s highly recommended to make Barracks four-tiles high, so it’s easier to switch to Luxury Barracks later.
For a further Morale boost, start researching theMess Table,Water Cooler, andFlower Potto create a dining room called theGreat Hall.
3Research Quickly
Get Access To Advanced Items
As it’s already mentioned, one of the first things players should aim for is completing crucial research. Players can use the Printing Pod as an early light source to enable theLaboratoryroom. Close the walls, then simply buildtwo Research Stationsto enable the lab. Make sure toput the Manual Generator outside the room,as it’s not allowed inside the Laboratory.
Additionally, the starting Battery is a small one, so leave one tile of space to replace it with a better Battery later. Finally, connect all the structures together with a Wire to get them running.
2Small Farm To Keep You Running
Don’t Starve Together
Oxygen Not Includedprovides a small amount of foodat the start of the game, but players quickly have to find alternative solutions once the other basic structures are made. As players research the Mess Table, they should have already unlocked thePlanter Box. The easiest early-game food is plantingMealwood, but later on, it’s better to switch to other plants likeBristle BlossomorDusk Cap. Don’t rely on Mealwood without figuring out how to renew Dirt, because although Dirt is abundant in the early game,players can run outif they only use it without finding renewable methods.
It’s best to pick a spaceunder the basewhere carbon dioxide pools so that the plants can always have enough gas pressure as required for their growing requirements.
One of the ways to renew Dirt is by ranchingPip. On the Terra Asteroid, Pip is available as a random care package from the Printing Pod. PlantThimble ReedorArbor Treeto feed them. Players can make a Pip plant the plant’s seeds on a natural tile or build aHydroponic Farmthat takes Polluted Water. The Polluted Water can be sourced directly from aLavatoryorShower, reducing the need tohandle the germ-filled waste.
1Generate Oxygen
Just Keep Breathing
At the start of the game, some Oxylite tiles emit Oxygen, allowing the Dupes to breathe. But the reserve will eventually deplete, meaning players must find new sources of Oxygen. The easiest way to generate Oxygen is by using anOxygen DiffuserorAlgae Terrarium, but Algae will quickly run out through this method, so it’s crucial to quickly explore other options.
In the Terra Asteroid, there will be a good amount of water, so the best Oxygen generator is theElectrolyzer. The machine will generate Oxygen and Hydrogen, so it’s important to have them generated in a closed room and only spread Oxygen around the base. Thebest setup for this method is the Hydrogen Self-Powering Oxygen Module/Machine (SPOM), where the Hydrogen from the Electrolyzer is directed to aHydrogen Generatorto generate power, meaning the entire setup can power itself.
