Resources / Lithium
Where to find Lithium
Your first Lithium can be collected from a table outside the ruined colony building near the Great Jaw, southwest of the Lifepod. You do not have to enter the jaw for that piece. Use it with 2 Titanium in the Processor to make a Plasteel Ingot.
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Get the first Lithium outside the Great Jaw
Bring a Standard Air Tank, Basic Fins and a charged Wakemaker for this southwest trip. A Sonic Resonator is needed if you intend to mine inside the jaw; collecting the piece outside the building is a smaller objective. Air Bladders provide useful backup, but leave enough oxygen to return without depending on a last-second rescue.
- Head southwest from the Lifepod. Cross the seabed drop-off and keep the crater wall on your right.
- Pass the colony wreckage. Look ahead and below for a ruined colony building.
- Check the table outside. The Lithium sits in a broken coral dome on the table. Collect this first rather than swimming straight toward the large mouth.
- Search the building for the tank recipe card. The High Capacity Air Tank upgrade is the immediate reason to combine this route with a Plasteel craft.
- Choose whether to return or continue. If the tank upgrade is your only goal, take the exterior pickup home. The Great Jaw is a short distance southeast of the building and adds a separate mining hazard.
If you mine inside the jaw
The Great Jaw looks like a giant mouth with a central structure covered in purple strands. Oxygen Tunics around its exterior offer refill opportunities. Refill before approaching, keep the exit in view and equip the Resonator before crossing the strands.
Triggering the strands causes the mouth to close. The Lithium inside must be broken out with the Resonator, so every mining action costs time you also need for escape. Take a small haul and leave promptly. If your air or movement battery is already low, use the exterior pickup and come back better equipped.
What to save Lithium for
One Lithium is enough for one Processor-made Plasteel Ingot, with 2 Titanium. The High Capacity Air Tank combines that ingot with a Standard Air Tank. Keep the old tank: it is an ingredient in the upgrade.
A Portable Oxygen Generator takes 2 Lithium and 3 Titanium. Planning both it and the tank upgrade means collecting 3 Lithium, plus the remaining materials and a battery for operating the generator. Choose the tank first if you want extra air that travels with you; choose a generator when you need a reusable stop on a particular route.
| Craft | Station | Materials per craft |
|---|---|---|
| Plasteel Ingot | Processor | 2 Titanium + 1 Lithium |
| High Capacity Air Tank | Fabricator | 1 Standard Air Tank + 1 Plasteel Ingot |
| Portable Oxygen Generator | Habitat Builder | 3 Titanium + 2 Lithium |
For a combined shopping list, add your planned crafts to the crafting planner. Each row above is one craft; it does not include materials already spent making its components.
Later Lithium: caves below the Tadpole Pens
After unlocking Heat Tolerance, the hot caves below the Tadpole Pens provide another Lithium destination. This avoids making every subsequent ingot depend on a dash into the jaw, although heat preparation does not remove the cave's oxygen and navigation demands.
Do not plan a crafting chain around waiting at an emptied pickup. If the exterior table is empty, decide between a properly equipped mining trip and progressing toward the volcanic caves. Bring only the equipment needed for the chosen route and bank the Lithium before adding more exploration.