The short answer
Bring a charged Sonic Resonator to break large Lithium deposits. Published routes place them in the Great Jaw and, later, hot caves near the Tadpole Pens. Choose your recipe target before leaving, collect the released mineral and keep enough oxygen to return.
Before you start
- Sonic Resonator with charge, free inventory space and a planned return to oxygen. The linked tool and oxygen guides cover preparation.
- For the later hot-cave route, unlock Heat Tolerance and check your Tadpole’s displayed depth rating.
Break the deposit, then collect the Lithium
The mining-tool requirement for large deposits is corroborated by multiple walkthroughs. If you have not unlocked the Sonic Resonator, use the linked unlock guide before planning a mining trip.
- Check the deposit’s interaction prompt and equip the Sonic Resonator.
- Use the tool to break the large deposit, then pick up the released Lithium.
- Confirm Lithium is in your inventory before moving on. Return when your oxygen reserve requires it, even if your recipe target is unfinished.
Search the Great Jaw near the colony wreckage
GameSpot places the Great Jaw roughly 280 metres south-southwest of the Lifepod. PC Gamer describes approaching the ruined colony buildings southwest of the Lifepod and looking southeast of the ruined building for the creature. These are published landmarks, not exact coordinates.
Large Lithium deposits are inside. Pink or purple tendons can trigger closure when touched, and the acid inside can kill you. Keep the return route in view and leave before your oxygen reserve runs low. There is no guaranteed escape position or safe mining duration in this guide.
Buddy System prevents bases being built inside the Great Jaw. Plan your oxygen return outside it. The linked Portable Oxygen Generator guide covers the two scans in this area; do not extend a collection trip just to complete both tasks.
Treat the outside table pickup as an optional check
PC Gamer reports a piece on a table outside a ruined colony building near the Great Jaw. KeenGamer explicitly describes a lone pickup north of the creature that needs no tool. Prima instead says there are no small tool-free Lithium ores.
If you pass the table, inspect what is present and follow the current interaction prompt. The reports disagree, so do not plan a required upgrade around finding this piece or assume it bypasses the Sonic Resonator requirement for large deposits. No respawn interval is verified here.
Use the hot caves once Heat Tolerance is unlocked
GameSpot places another supply in the thermal-vent caverns of the Zezuran Desert. KeenGamer corroborates deposits in the hot cave network southeast of the Lifepod. The linked Tadpole Pens guide covers this later route.
Unlock Heat Tolerance before exploring the hot water and bring the Sonic Resonator for the deposits. If using the Tadpole, obey its displayed depth limit; leave it within its rating and maintain a return plan for any swim beyond it.
Count the Lithium portion of your next recipe
These totals are recipe arithmetic for the Lithium portion, not complete shopping lists. Check your unlocked recipe and use the linked oxygen, generator, chassis and crafting-station guides for the remaining requirements. If you want to seed a Metal Farm later, reserve an additional raw Lithium before processing your stock.
| Target | Lithium needed | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| High Capacity Air Tank | 1 | One Plasteel Ingot; other tank ingredients still required. |
| Portable Oxygen Generator | 2 raw Lithium | Habitat Builder construction; other materials and a charged operating battery are separate. |
| Scout Ray chassis | 2 | Two Plasteel Ingots; other chassis components still required. |
| One Plasteel Ingot | 1 Lithium + 2 Titanium | Select Plasteel Ingot at a powered Processor. |
Sources for this section
Keep a raw sample for a powered Metal Farm
GameSpot and GameWith list Lithium as a Metal Farm input. Once the farm is unlocked, insert raw Lithium, confirm the power connection and follow the displayed production timer. Harvest the grown node using the current tool prompt. A Plasteel Ingot is not the raw mineral input.
Use the existing Metal Farm guide for scans, construction and power setup. Buddy System fixed resource-swap timing exploits and farm power bugs. This guide does not promise a fixed cycle time, yield or fastest farming route. Kingy has checked published sources and released updates; it has not independently recorded these collection trips.
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Research checked 2026-09-12. This is a source-based guide; Kingy has not independently play-tested these steps. Evidence and coverage.