Aground: [WIP 88/90] All Achievements Guide

Hello, and welcome to my guide on how to 100% Aground’s achievements. Most can be earned through simply playing the story, and the rest are by happenstance or collection. Do note that this will spoil literally the entire game, so if you’re here, you have been warned.

For the purposes of this guide, I won’t be going too in-depth for how to get everything. This guide will not mention material requirements (save for currency, as that is straightforward), strategies, or coordinate-specific locations, as I intend it to be more of a real guide than a cheat sheet with numbers.

A lot of achievements are linked to quests. Sections will be listed with:

• [Self Quest] if it is given by no NPC
• [NPC Quest] if they are given by a specific NPC, though the direct mentioning of such in the description will be phased out as methods become more complex and intertwined with gameplay than just walking up to X and getting Y as a quest
• [Gameplay] if it is dependent on any action that is more complex than submitting items to an NPC or requires active exploration beyond the story to unlock
• A combination if it is dependent on multiple aspects
• [HIDDEN] if the achievement is listed without a title nor description in the menu
• [STORY DEPENDENT] if the achievement physically cannot be obtained if certain events take place, this only applies to one
• [MAJOR] if the quest has the potential to alter the storyline in drastic ways
• A single asterisk if I have gotten the achievement, but have completed it in an unintended/out of order method
• [WIP] if I have not yet gotten the achievement on my own, with two asterisks at the front of the section

This guide is ordered in the same listing on the Aground wiki, starting with Shelter and moving onwards. Save for that, there is no linearity. There will be chapters for each in case you want to jump to a specific one.

At this point in time, I have two achievements left to complete, one being locked by a certain event taking place, the other due to its sheer scale in collection.

If you have any information or suggestions to contribute before I discover them on my own, that would be much appreciated!/b]

Building the hut is one of the first and simplest things you’ll do in-game, as it is necessary to jumpstart the story, save the game, recover stamina, and rest through the night. It does not require any NPC or blueprint.

Boars are one of the first creatures you’ll encounter on the Starting Island, and they are plentiful at that. They aren’t too aggressive, as they won’t actively seek you out if you go the other way after they retaliate to your attack. They can also be found on the Undeveloped Island to the far west.

The storehouse is essential for gameplay, as you can quite literally store infinite items within, making inventory management as simple as it can be. The Builder will give this quest.

Fields and orchards are hard to manage on their own, and the farm will allow you to harvest everything from one place. The Farmer will give this quest.

Like with crops, trees can also be regrown and harvested by the farm, but they use an orchard instead. The Farmer will give this quest.

Any equipment more advanced than sticks and stones will require metal, and thus, a way to process it. The Miner will give this quest.

Berries and apples on their own are good for the beginning of the game, but as you increase your maximum stats, they get old very fast. The kitchen allows for combinations of materials to make better food sources. The Builder will give this quest.

Inventory weight is a major mechanic in Aground, and having too many items on you will not only slow you down, but drain stamina at an increasing rate the more you hold. To get a backpack, you need to find the Hunter in the mountains on the right side of the island. Completing their first quest will give you a backpack, and as far as I’m aware, this is the only method of getting the regular backpack.

Along with the smelter, you’ll need a place to actually use the metal you’ve mined in order to make better gear. The workbench and steel workbench can craft all that it can, though the regular one cannot use recipes that involve iron or steel. The Miner gives this quest.

Wyrms are enemies encountered underground on the Starting and magical islands, and they can be located through their contrasting appearance or the tunnels they dig. They aren’t too dangerous, but they do pack more of a punch than boars. They won’t seek you out once hit, they will only retaliate once initially hit or if you’re in their path.

Golems are found in the stone layer of many islands, hiding within blocks. They can be detected with any equipment that displays enemy stats, and they are aggressive, so watch out if you provoke one.

The Laboratory is the first building you’ll make if you’re going along the magic path of gameplay, and it will allow the crafting of several potions, most being permanent upgrades. To get the laboratory, you need to find the Alchemist underground and near the mountains, indicated by the purple stone of their cave. Completing their first quest will unlock the laboratory.

Diamonds are found deep within the stone layer of many islands, and they are most often found below the level where fiery stone spawns.

The market introduces a currency system and allows the selling and buying of various materials across three spectrums: ore, equipment, and food. To get the market, you need to find the Trader, who is indicated by the occasional “[item] has been stolen” message when you access the storehouse. After a few times, they will appear, and completing their first quest will unlock the market.

By now, the starting backpack could potentially not be enough, but worry not, as the Equipment
Merchant sells a better one. This item will cost 250 coins.

If you’re going through the magic path, you will inevitably be asked by the Alchemist to capture a Wyrm, though his quest is unnecessary to obtain the achievement. To do this, you must capture one using a net, which can be purchased from the Market or crafted/obtained through later means. The Wyrm will break the net and escape if its health is high, so I would say to lower it to about half its health before attempting.

A pen is another building that can be centralized with the farm building. They revolve around creatures and can automate the collection of materials otherwise obtainable through drops or the market. The Farmer gives this quest.

One of the better foods (and a personal favorite for the early game, but I digress) and one that is unlocked by upgrading the kitchen, which can be unlocked after completing a quest for the Builder.

Blueprints are obtained through quests, but unless you are expanding your base on your own, most structure placements will be prompted after quest completions. Orchards and fields do not count, only structures listed with a blueprint.

Skill points, part of the RPG-ish system that appears less and less as you play, are obtained from leveling up by doing actions such as mining, defeating enemies, and completing quests. You can obtain this at least by the time you hit level 15, as the total accumulated points will be 504.

If you haven’t progressed significantly in the magic path, you will need a different way to head across the western sea. The dock is used for this purpose, but it can also facilitate the crafting of a few exclusive items, namely the fishing rod, but a recipe for nets is also unlocked here. The Trader gives this quest.

Directly after building a dock, you can then build a boat to sail across the ocean. It can only travel across the water. Like most smaller vehicles, you can pick it up in your inventory, and this retains all its equipment and fuel. The Trader gives this quest.

To obtain dragonblood without having to hunt wyrms, you can simply put them in this pen to harvest them just like you would with a regular pen, though any besides the original does not connect to the farm building and is not automatically collected. Later on, other creatures can be housed within. The Alchemist gives this quest.

Wyrms on their own aren’t too exciting, save for dragonblood harvesting, but they can be evolved to a dragon once they are fed enough. You can feed them using a variety of items, but once they are full, they will transform into a cocoon. After a short while, they will be transformed into a baby dragon.

[OBTAINED OUT OF ORDER] This achievement most likely has to do with Sunset Haven and the science path, but I progressed too far to do it the intended way.

Later buildings require power to operate, and this building provides just that. Its fuel will be used according to what it is connected to, and it can be fueled using a variety of sources. It can even recharge any batteries in your inventory.

[OBTAINED OUT OF ORDER] This achievement most likely has to do with Sunset Haven and the science path, but I progressed too far to do it the intended way.

The workshop on its own is not advanced enough for later recipes, and you will eventually need something better if you want better gear. It does require power, however.

[OBTAINED OUT OF ORDER] This achievement most likely has to do with Sunset Haven and the science path, but I progressed too far to do it the intended way.

I am a little unsure of how the Elevator works due to never using it in-game and the lack of documentation online, but I am assuming that it assists with mining in the form of its own inventory to offload onto once yours is full.

[OBTAINED OUT OF ORDER] This achievement most likely has to do with Sunset Haven island and the science path, but I progressed too far to do it the intended way.

While the intended method is unknown on my part, there is a way to obtain it out of order if you end up losing out. To do this, you must find the Colosseum, which is a dungeon in the deep purple stone layer of the Eastern Island. You must have the ability to see spirits in order to access it, however. Once inside, you can fight the Bandits in a simulated battle.

The desert part of the western island, Sunset Haven, is rather hostile, serving as the home for cyborg gunners, and of course, diode wolves. They do have a rather nasty bite, setting you on fire for a second or two, but they are only as aggressive as a boar or a wyrm.

[OBTAINED OUT OF ORDER] This achievement most likely has to do with Sunset Haven and the science path, but I progressed too far to do it the intended way.

While I may not know the specifics, I do know there are two ways of obtaining this achievement, one being a bossfight, the other, completing a quest for the Mechanic NPC. If you want the peaceful route, you must find a hidden room in the crashed ship, to the lower left corner and indicated by a tear in its side. Once you read all the logs, you must also have a set of dragon armor, obtained by using an alter gem on an adult dragon, before you interact with the bosses and in order to complete the quest. On the other hand, like with the bandits, they can be fought in the Colusseum, though you will have to defeat other opponents first, as they can be fought on the fourth level of the dungeon.

The crashed ship in the desert houses a lot of interactive lore computers, most of which are found on the crashed ship in the desert of Sunset Haven. Several are found within the secret room to the bottom-left, a few are found within a room in the lower center, and one is found in the water cave below the western shore after completing a quest later down the line. I am unsure if the last one is required for the achievement.

Electric eels can mainly be fished up in the water cave below the western shore of Sunset Haven, and they can be caught at a moderate frequency.

With access to a surgery lab, accessed in the boss room of the crashed ship or in the water cave after a few quests, you can install augments onto your body that provide rather good benefits such as healing, enemy stat detection, and flight. Do note that these augments cannot be removed without destroying them in the process.

If you travel far enough to either side of the world, a misty haze will fall upon you, and you will find yourself at an island that is small in all dimensions, home to a single minotaur. By digging down here, you can access a dungeon. There is an alternative entrance underneath Sunset Haven’s desert, and you can access it within the dungeon itself, but it is easiest to find here. Inside, there will be numerous minotaurs and projectile traps that launch fireballs if they have line of sight. Once you find the exit, you complete the maze, but you can leave at any point through either Sunset Haven or Minotaur Island’s exit.

This achievement can be earned in two ways, depending on whether or not you decide to spare the living dragon in the cave on the far side of the mountain. If you slay the dragon, you have to raise a baby dragon to maturity. This is done by placing it within the dragon lair and using some magic materials to evolve it, one of which could be directly obtained from the now dead dragon. Otherwise, you can summon the Alchemist while the dragon is still passive, earning a quest to prove your peaceful intentions to the dragon. Once complete, it will then be yours, and you may ride it like any other vehicle, but be aware of its maintenance such as health and food.

On the eastern side of the Eastern Island and a bit below the surface lies the entrance to the wyrm hive, a dungeon that houses the first major opponent of the magic path, the self-explanatory wyrm queen. Whether or not you have done the Alchemist’s quests, you can defeat it by attacking its mouth when it attempts to summon another wyrm. Otherwise, it’s pretty much invulnerable to any attack from weapons at that stage of the game.

One of the other two structures on the Eastern Island, the synthesizer is used to craft some basic food items as well as many magic-related recipes at the cost of focus gems. It is activated by a water gem, obtained from capturing a water spirit with a spirit gem. Like most of the other seed structures, it can be uprooted and turned into an item once activated, and it will not require another fire gem to activate. There is also a mini synthesizer, a placeable item like the workbench that you can unlock later on, and it functions the exact same.

One of the other two structures on the Eastern Island, the forge is used to craft many magic-related recipes and enchant certain items. It is activated by a fire gem, obtained from capturing a fire spirit with a spirit gem, or by enraging a dragon and politely asking it to not exist. Like most of the other seed structures, it can be uprooted and turned into an item once activated, and it will not require another fire gem to activate.

One of the more obscure achievements due to its merging of pathways, a chainsaw can be enchanted just like any old steel sword or axe. Simply select the chainsaw in the forge’s upper slot, then add blood gem and an element-related drop such as a fire tusk in the smaller slots. The recipe is initially hidden, but once you unlock the achievement, the recipes for the other variants will appear.

At some point, by doing either the magic or hybrid path, you will have to use spirit gems of varying type in order to craft equipment or complete quests. They can be captured by placing down a spirit gem, and there is no need to weaken them like with creatures captured using nets. The five basic elemental gems (fire, water, ice, plant, and earth) can be obtained from capturing their respective spirits, which are found in varying locations:

• Fire spirits spawn in fire caves, horizontal cutouts with fiery stone surrounding them, found on the Starting and Eastern Islands.
• Water spirits spawn on the surface of the Eastern Island during the day, or in the underwater fish city off the eastern coast of Cultivator Island.
• Ice spirits spawn on the first floating island above the Eastern Island and all throughout Ice Island.
• Plant spirits spawn on the surface of the Eastern Island during the night, and all throughout Cultivator Island.
• Earth spirits spawn on the surface of the Starting and Undeveloped Islands at any time.

Purple trees populate the red turf of the magical islands, and they are rather hazardous to be around, as they will lash out with a branch when approached. However, they can just be chopped like any other tree.

A full set of dragon equipment can be obtained by transmuting all growth stages of dragon (baby, young, adult) with alter gems, though the dragon sword’s recipe can only be obtained by a spirit pillar on Minotaur Island. It can then be crafted in the forge.

Right at the start of the Eastern Island, there is a floating island that houses an inactive time manipulator, which can be used to set the in-game time, reset your skills, or uncrafting any item into its base parts, all in exchange for focus gems. Reaching it is a little tricky, as an adult dragon cannot fly high enough to land on it. By using dragon armor, any other item that allows for flight, or by placing ladders obtained from a factory, you can get high enough to mine into it, but you can also fly on top at any point with anything that can go higher. To activate the time manipulator, you need an ice gem, which will be required every time you replant the seed if you choose to relocate it. While you’re up there, it could be worth it to go through the movement puzzle-based ice dungeon, accessible by spirit vision, as it contains a free ice sword and shield, plus some other goodies.

THIS IS A MAJOR EVENT IN THE STORY. YOUR ACTIONS WILL AFFECT THE WORLD.

After completing all the Alchemist’s quests and having dug past the runestones by using a wyrm drill or any tool with an equivalent/higher mining level, they will start to reference spikes in magical energy. Digging down near the purple house will reveal a rather suspicious structure housing a strange being who speaks in a strange language. By summoning the Alchemist, you learn that this is in fact an alien, and not just that, one of a species that is hellbent on the destruction of humans! But there’s no time to ponder, you’re in for a fight! The Alchemist proposes two options: Either they face the Old One alone, or you join them in battle.

If you let the Alchemist fight alone, you will not have to participate, and it will be over after a cutscene, but the Alchemist will die, and any further interaction becomes impossible.

If you join the fight, you will be in for a tough battle, but the Alchemist will conjure an invincible shield that blocks any incoming damage. Hit the Old One while its shell opens, and good luck if you’re doing it with nothing more than a sword! Once it reaches half health, it will shoot double the projectiles and start to use an attack that the Alchemist cannot block, so you will have to dodge it yourself.

Once you defeat the Old One, it will send a distress signal in its final moments. Be very prepared if you intend to defeat them, because while you do have a grace period before the signal gets out, just know that they weren’t alone, nor the most capable…

In less ambiguous terms, the Bombardment event will start once you defeat either the Cultivator or the Storm, which will annihilate parts of the Starting Island and Sunset Haven and will not cease until you find the source and stop it. If you have not completed parts of the science path that require Sunset Haven, I recommend you do them before facing the Old One or the aforementioned bosses, as you will lose the opportunities to do so later on, and the NPCs on both islands will relocate to underground shelters until you defeat the final boss. The Starting Island NPCs will move to a magical bunker, accessed by a portal that fills the Alchemist’s original cave, and the NPCs in Sunset Haven will relocate to the hidden room in the lower center of the crashed ship. Items in warehouses will not be lost, instead transferred to the storehouses within these locations. The merchants on the Starting Island will also not be present, but there will be new merchants in Sunset Haven’s bunker.

There is a way to prevent the Bombardment altogether, but it requires significant progression along the science/hybrid path in order to get the self-explanatory bombardment shield, though it is possible to obtain before the event triggers.

Deep below the Starting Island lies a dungeon guarded by two statues. Offering an earth gem will allow you access into the chamber of the Golemech, a fierce miniboss that guards a powerful magic-based crafting structure, the golem factory. It may hit hard, but it’s not as intimidating as it looks. Once you defeat it, the golem factory will be unlocked, allowing you to craft earth equipment.

As for the golem key, well, let’s just say that there exists a mightier Golemech elsewhere. Don’t worry, it’s completely optional, both gameplay and achievement-wise.

If you visit the Mirrows after the confrontation and have discovered the water cave beneath Sunset Haven, they’ll offer you help in exchange for your own. Their first quest rebuilds the cave, complete with a surgery lab and a sub pen, used to craft a submarine. After all, you’ll need it where you’re going next if you decide to continue.

The factory can make a vehicle capable of traversing the harshest zero-degree terrain possible. It has the normal upkeep of a vehicle, taking steel bars for health and power for fuel. It can also be equipped with a gun. Like most smaller vehicles, you can pick it up in your inventory, and this retains all its equipment and fuel.

The science path’s alternative to vehicle flight, the jet allows airborne travel. An airport must be built in order to construct it, however. It can then fly to decent heights, and it can be given an engine upgrade to go even higher. It can even be given a gun or a missile launcher. Like most smaller vehicles, you can pick it up in your inventory, and this retains all its equipment and fuel.

If you have ever reached the summit of the Heights, west of Sunset Haven, and having talked to the Mechanic beforehand, you can call them up in order to build a com station, giving you the ability to look for any signals that may be received from beyond this world, including from Earth. It mostly exists as a lore building, as it has no true effect on gameplay.

If you’ve gone ahead and collected hi-tech parts in the water cave beneath the Heights, the Mirrows will assist you in salvaging the wreck of the old escort ship, possibly the first interstellar vehicle you will have access to. It will require at least one of three possible power cores, as mentioned by the self quest, to fully operate, but if you have been collecting their parts, and have visited Divider Island, that should be no issue. From there, you will have a vehicle with a massive storage capacity, a room which automatically refills your batteries for free, save points that heal both stamina and health, as well as zero fuel upkeep. Depending on the amount of power cores installed, the ship can recover power on its own after shielding, which blocks and any all damage from all directions, or using any attached weapon. It can be repaired with titanium.

Below the surface and between either the Heights and Sunset Haven or past the Elder Dragon NPC’s island lies a colossal sea monster, the Kraken. It can also be located in a dungeon below divider island, which is east of cultivator island. The Kraken is fairly harsh, dealing massive damage with both its mouth and tentacles. In order to damage it via its head, you must first destroy its tentacles, which regrow but will be cut from whichever point was defeated. Defeating it rewards some ink and a water gem, and it will respawn.

The second quest from the Mirrows, involving the collection of a hi-tech part, will reward you with a blueprint to make a house, which is a direct upgrade to the hut. Simply stand in front of the hut and use the blueprint to upgrade. Do note that the new house requires power, as does its successor later down the line.

Lifepods, other interactive lore structures, can be found underwater between the heights, sunset haven, and the starting island. They simply provide background information, nothing more.

Pearls, used to make a synthesizer seed or a clam gun, can be obtained from killing the clams you find underwater, by fishing, or by buying it from the fish merchant in the underwater city to the east of Cultivator Island.

[OBTAINED OUT OF ORDER] This achievement most likely has to do with Sunset Haven and the science path, but I progressed too far to do it the intended way.

I have heard that the aforementioned quest is given by the Innkeeper NPC in Sunset Haven, but like always, you can do it through the Colusseum. Like the Mirrows, they are on the fourth floor, so you will have to spend some spirit points to unlock them. However, even if you did not unlock the quest, the Pirates will spawn to the east of Divider Island. Defeating them will unlock the advanced lab and storehouse on the island.

Once you have defeated the Pirates and unlocked the advanced lab, you can craft some stronger equipment, but also worker bots. One is a familiar which increases your weight capacity, one is a familiar that attacks enemies, one patrols an area and attacks anything within, two of which take the place of the place of the Builder and Miner NPCs in case you wish to relocate to an uninhabited island. However, the war bot and patrol bot do not count for the achievement.

The Elder Dragon’s first quest involves heading east to Cultivator Island and defeating what it was named after. The Cultivator itself is quite tanky unless you are using powerful fire attacks, like that of your own elder dragon or a spell tome. In any case, it will spawn spore clouds and throw bunches of spores in the air, and defeating it will award the vine copse seed as well as a plant gem. Like the synthesizer and the forge, the vine copse does not need to be reactivated again when planting, but it does require fertile grass to plant. The structure itself is used for making more structure seeds, plant seeds, and stronger nets, but it can also enhance familiars and living vehicles.

Below the surface of the water and to the east of Cultivator Island is a fish city that is home to a vast library. Using the structure will allow you to make spellbooks, powerful magic items that have a vast amount of utility to one utilizing the magic path. Each always requires six fish scales and six ink.

If the Old One has been defeated, it would have left behind an evolution chamber. Despite its appearance, it is a seed structure, and thus, can be relocated free of charge. It is the only place to make evolution gems, either using evolution shards found on the Elder Dragon’s island or the floating island above Cultivator Island, or by using one of every elemental gem combined. Like many of the other seed structures, it takes focus gems as fuel. The Alchemist will give this quest, dead or not, but it is possible at any point after obtaining the evolution chamber.

The Elder Dragon’s second quest involves taking on the Storm, which resides on the floating island above Cultivator island. Defeating it will unlock the dragon factory, where you can evolve an elder dragon into a dragon ship, as well as another thing later down the line. Like with the Cultivator, you will need strong fire attacks to damage it, but there is a way that doesn’t even need you to fight it. Perhaps visiting a dilapidated structure on the western shore of Divider Island could have the answer…

The other half of the Elder Dragon’s second quest involves turning an elder dragon into a dragon ship, a vessel comparable to the science path’s fighter escort, though it has a slightly higher weight limit and much more room to move around in exchange for needing sustenance like a generic dragon. This can only be done in the dragon factory.

The mecha wyrms patrolling the depths of Sunset Haven’s desert surely have more potential than they seem, but one cannot be captured using a regular net, and no stronger one can be made yet. By operating on a regular wyrm in a surgery lab, it can become a mecha wyrm, and by transforming it with an evolution gem, it becomes a mecha dragon, much the same as its organic counterpart but with batteries in place of a stomach. There is a quest involving the mecha dragon, given by either the Alchemist or the Mirrows, but in order to accept the quest, you will need a mecha wyrm helm.

The Sea Witch, once healed after her quest for a revitalization potion, will offer to weave you dark robes in exchange for shadow fur and some other magical items. The achievement requires all the items available, those being the shadow cape, witch hat, and robes, but also a flying broom, whose recipe is unlocked by having a wood and an evolution gem in your inventory while speaking to the Sea Witch. The final piece of the puzzle is a black cat, obtained from enhancing a regular cat familiar with shadow fur. And a regular cat familiar can be obtained by using a net on the panthers that spawn on the Undeveloped and Starting island at night, but they must be damaged before they are captured.

Once the Bombardment is over, the Ore Merchant in Sunset Haven will have a few quests involving traveling to the innermost planet of the starting system, wherein you have to excavate some magnegems and exotic matter. Afterwards, they will give you blueprints for a space station, which you can assemble in orbit. Different-sized modules can be unlocked later on, but all of them must be unlocked at that later point if the bombardment shield was installed pre-Bombardment, as the merchant won’t have the need to give you those quests anymore.

Full disclaimer: I have no idea how I got this; I’ve never built a station. Maybe having the blueprints gives this achievement, but I am completely unaware of how I got it. In any case, it’s obtainable by doing the above.

THIS IS A MAJOR EVENT IN THE STORY. YOUR ACTIONS WILL AFFECT THE WORLD.

While the Bombardment is ongoing, you can consult the Mirrows, as they have a plan: Now that the Fighter Escort is repaired, there is a possibility to defeat the bomber in orbit. Either they go in themselves, or you can stop it yourself using any means necessary. The quest here is more open-ended than defeating the Old One, as you can use a dragon ship or the fighter escort to deal with the bomber. If the bombardment shield is not build and you speak with them a second time, they will take it upon themselves to end the siege.

If you let the Mirrows fight alone, you will not have to participate, and it will be over after a cutscene, but they will die, and any further interaction becomes impossible. This will also permanently lock out one of the achievements for this save.

Enemy dragon ships are a little clumsy, so by running to their backs and getting critical hits over and over whilst shielding when necessary should be more than enough to take down the bomber and the few fighters protecting it. And with the Bombardment over, there’s a clear message painted by the aliens: They aren’t going down without a fight, but if you could stand up to them, maybe it’s time to take the fight to them.

Earth, desolated by the alien war, has been reduced to rubble, and the military drones buzzing about are still in a frenzied state. But within one of the shattered buildings, a survivor still clings onto hope. They are the Scavenger, and by completing their quests by navigating the dark tunnels of bunkers, you can access the drone factory and reset them to a neutral state.

The Scavenger will have given you a keycard to access a bunker belonging to a Professor, and by heading to the island with a wrecked ship and a mountain, you will find it. The Professor’s first quest will be to build the Mobile Lab, which will take a fair bit of resources, but (in my opinion, having used the ML since I got it) it is well with the investment, as it can traverse any terrain, go underground, underwater, FTL, and it even doubles as a slow yet infinite resource farm when its full potential is reached. It’s got even more storage than a dragon ship or escort, both a regular factory and a drone factory, a power core room, a save point, a kitchen, and it’s even got two arcade machines for novelty time. Once built, the Professor will climb aboard, and you can then take the lab to various places to pick up researchers to help speed up the manufacturing of whichever material you select in the research lab. Researchers include the Hunter, Scavenger, Explorer (who is found on a planet called The Depths), Alchemist (if alive), the Mirrows (if alive), and the Mechanic, who won’t contribute to research, but will slowly heal the lab if damaged, free of charge.

Truly a vehicle of all time.

After bringing the Scavenger onboard, a new recipe will unlock in the research lab, that being the alien locator. It’s as simple as clicking and waiting for it to finish researching, and with it, you’ll be able to find any traces of the enemy, including their headquarters…

Dragomechs are incredibly dangerous enemies found within alien cruisers and wandering the surface of Enemy HQ, able to spit fire, magical projectiles, and deal insane melee damage. Keep your distance from these abominations, but just like the elder dragons roaming HQ, they drop evolution shards, so it’s worth the danger. Mostly.

If you ever visit Enemy HQ from space, you will find it swarming with danger and impenetrable from the sky, so you’ll most likely leave. Good thing as well, since apparently someone was waiting for you. CaptAIn, the leader of a hidden colony, has their fleet arrive to assist you back to their world, as they had apparently gotten word from the Professor NPC that you were staging an assault. This unlocks CaptAIn’s colony ship as well as the colony world, providing access to a lot of unique resources and the final upgrades of the science path.

Using some chromium and other advanced materials, CaptAIn’s quests can unlock the exo factory upgrade to the colony’s onboard factory, allowing it to craft exotic equipment. The equipment list contains the exotic armor, pack, drill, gun, and sword, but oddly enough, not the stealth helm. In any case, this is possibly the strongest equipment unlocked in the science path, as both weapons can be wielded simultaneously, the drill can mine every block besides the impenetrable blackstone, and the armor can nullify quite a few attacks.

[UNOBTAINED] This achievement requires the Mirrows to be alive. In my current save, they are not, and thus, I cannot complete the achievement. I will update this when I get around to doing a true hybrid save.

The Terraformer, like its name implies, can refurbish inhospitable ground into fertile grass, though it takes a lot of energy and a lot of exotic matter/exotic gas. It’s also able to craft plant seeds, and that’s about it. Its blueprint is exclusive to the blueprint printer, a structure located in the top left of CaptAIn’s ship. That’s also where you can get a majority of blueprints if you haven’t unlocked them earlier, including prints for your own printer and polymer assembler.

[UNOBTAINED] The museum is perhaps the hardest thing to do for the average player, as it requires submitting copious amounts of numerous materials in order to be completed. Currently a work in progress, but I will update this with proper information once I have done it myself.

The Pilot on CaptAIn’s ship will offer to fly with you into battle, but they are without a vessel to do so. At the exo factory, you can whip up an exo fighter, a powerful combat ship that runs off of exotic matter, and once you return, she will then act as a familiar when equipped. The fighter can also be driven like a vehicle, so it’s not exclusive to being a familiar.

Once you start talking with CaptAIn, it is clear that they want to exterminate the aliens, as they have plans to release a virus in an effort to make Enemy HQ accessible from space. This quest simply requires submitting some items as well as having an exotic drill, as it’s required to penetrate the deepest levels of HQ’s turf.

To talk to the dragons and the aliens without the Alchemist, you’ll need a book of translation, which can only be obtained from the fish city’s library after the Sea Witch returns to the sea. From there, you might want to visit Mars and speak with an alien known as The Exiled, as they can give you pointers for what to look for, as well as a quest to ask a dragon ship for help. In any case, by boarding any dragon ship, you will come into contact with the crew, in the case of a fighter, just one alien, but with a bomber or a cruiser, they are there in greater numbers, and on a cruiser, a dragomech is present too. Defeating the aliens is much like with the Old One, after they attack a certain amount of time, they will become vulnerable. Do note that they are much more dangerous and can easily one-shot you, even at this stage. Once the crew is dead, you can talk to the dragon ship and either convince it to be free or ask to become its master. For the purpose of the achievement, freeing it will do, but for The Exiled’s quest, you must become its master, after which it will give you a dragon seed to take back to The Exiled.

Directly after obtaining the dragon seed from the ship turned to your side, you can speak with The Exiled again to open up a portal to the Spirit World. If you cannot see spirits, the portal will not appear, and if you cannot see spirits while within the realm, everything will appear pitch-black save for the background.

The Spirit NPC in the Spirit World will offer both knowledge and power in exchange for more spirit points, but in this case, you are looking for power, as a seed can be bought with a hundred points. Alternatively, you can use an evo spirit gem on the stronger plant spirit to obtain one.

Once you reach Enemy HQ, through space or otherwise, you can speak with the HQ’s structures if you have the book of translation. While this is not required for gameplay, as the end lies right below your feet, they serve as upgraded versions of buildings found elsewhere in the world, those being the dragon factory, the library, and the vine copse, so if you are looking for post-game progress, they are rather nice to have. All you need to do is speak with them, after which they will ask for three spirit tree seeds in exchange for their switch of alliance.

While the title does indicate that you must have crafted all the spellbooks in the game, you do not have to have all of them at once. No matter how you obtain them, they will count towards the achievement, so if you’ve visited The Depths ahead of time or earned books through progression, you won’t need them again. The way I did this was to make great use of the time manipulator in order to save time farming for fish scales and ink, plus, I could keep the other materials after it was said and done.

By completing the quests for The Exiled, or if you’re strictly focusing on the magic path, you will come across the need to make a tool capable of digging through the HQ’s deepest points. Though I did this post-game, since the recipe is unlocked then, you can get it from The Exiled’s second quest, unlocked after bribing the HQ structures. The capturing of an amethyst wyrm, the purple ones found deep within magical islands or below the dragon factory, requires a magnetrap, and like always, you must weaken it first. The quest will give you a magnetrap when you start it, but a recipe for more is also unlocked. Be warned that if you complete this quest, a second wave of the Bombardment will occur, this time with stronger ships in orbit.

In order to breach Enemy HQ from orbit, you’ll first need to take down a dragon cruiser, either by boarding and turning it to your side or destroying it head-on. However, for the achievement, you must destroy the ship, not free it. This does not need to be done during the story, as they will respawn in orbit of HQ as long as you haven’t beaten the final boss, and there are two that spawn above the Starting Planet if you trigger wave two of the Bombardment.

Within Enemy HQ is a lake, one that houses the hatchlings of the alien species. By destroying its guardian, you have killed off the remaining aliens, at least on paper, as hatchlings will respawn to provide alien hearts. This location will also be mentioned by the final boss after its defeat, by CaptAIn shortly afterwards, and by The Exiled.

If you’ve read this far, you’re obviously in the loop for how to access the final boss. By digging deep below the surface of HQ and into a seemingly empty chamber, you will find a colossal organic structure. That is your enemy, and the leader of the aliens! It is quite the formidable opponent, so I would throw everything you’ve got at it, be it science or magic. But once it has been taken down, vengeance shall be yours. Defeating it is not tied to any quest or event, only the credits and post-game opportunities.

If you are struggling with the final boss, here is my only true strategy: I simply dug a tunnel wide enough to fit the mobile lab underground, then used its shield to pretty much disable the boss in both its phases, using the exo fighter familiar to deal damage. I am unsure of a magic alternative.

The entirety of the Unnature Sanctuary revolves around the Splicer, who has gone against its programming and taken to preserving the planet it resides on. To defeat it, you simply need to progress through the Ranger’s quests and beat it in a bossfight, all of which can be done fairly easily and in a short period of time. Unnature Sanctuary is simpler and should take much less time than The Depths, at that, especially if you are well-equipped beforehand.

Like with Unnature Sanctuary, The Depths is another alternative planet that can be accessed at any point. This time, the gameplay revolves around a sumbarine, the flooded world, and monoliths, which can now be activated using bone shards from the two deadly threats deep below the surface. Once you complete the Explorer’s quests, the Dishonored One will reawaken, and you must put a stop to them. Their bossfight is quite intense, and you should prepare more than I did at the time when you are to face the draconian wizard.

The third planet in the starting system is otherwise inaccessible, as it has a vast, stormy atmosphere that will prevent landing within. However, with the creation of a mecha dragon ship, either post-game if the Mirrows and the Alchemist are dead or after creating a regular mecha dragon, you will be able to see past the haze and discover an untouched world, safe from the war. After entering the atmosphere using a mecha dragon ship for the first time, any other ship can land here without consequence.

The ability to enchant exotic swords is unlocked in the Hidden World after completing the few quests present, and much like with spellbooks, you can take the option I went for and use the time manipulator to complete the achievement, however, the drain sword does not need to be crafted. The swords have even greater modifiers than their generic steel predecessors, such as shooting projectiles if no enemy was hit.

By speaking with the Draconian Teacher after completing their quests, post-game or not, you now have the option to turn the Hidden World into a sanctuary for dragons. Doing so does not cost anything, nor does it change much, save for the inclusion of baby and young dragons populating the island.

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, you are now hopefully able to 100% the game, or you have done it yourself! Beating the game and putting this guide together took a bit of time, so I appreciate you taking the time to glean what you can from my experience. Once again, feedback is welcome, as I want this guide to be as accurate as possible. With that said, good luck!