Welcome to the Underground, explorers! If you’ve just spawned next to The Core in Core Keeper, the endless expanse of dirt, slime, and darkness can be overwhelming. As a sandbox game, you have the freedom to tunnel in any direction, but if you want to avoid getting squashed by a Titan before you even have iron pants, you need a plan.
This guide breaks down the optimal path through the game’s biomes, highlighting the essential crafting tiers and the exact boss order you should follow to progress smoothly. We are assuming a Standard, Normal Mode playthrough here—Hard Mode doubles enemy health and damage for little payoff, so unless you are a masochist, stick to Normal while learning the ropes.
Let’s power up The Core and start hunting Titans.
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Core Keeper Boss Progression at a Glance
| Phase | Biome Focus | Key Ore | Target Bosses (In Order) |
| 1: Powering The Core | Undergrounds, Clay Caves, Ruins | Copper, Tin, Iron | Glurch, Ghorm, Malugaz |
| 2: The First Titan | Azeos’ Wilderness | Scarlet | Azeos (Optional: Hive Mother, Ivy, King Slime) |
| 3: The Sunken Sea | The Sunken Sea | Octarine | Omoroth (Optional: Morpha) |
| 4: The Desert | Desert of Beginnings | Galaxite | Ra-Akar (Optional: Igneous) |
| 5: Endgame | Outer Reaches / The Passage | N/A | Hydras, Core Commander |
Part 1: Powering Up The Core
Your first major objective is to defeat the three bosses whose statues surround your spawn point. These bosses drop the essences needed to activate The Core and drop the barrier to the outer biomes.
The Gear Grind: Wood to Iron
- The Undergrounds (Wood & Copper): Start by punching Roots for Wood to craft torches and a Wood Pickaxe. Mine sparkling walls for Copper Ore. Build a Furnace and craft a Copper Pickaxe, Shovel, and Anvil to get your first armor set.
- The Clay Caves (Tin): Head outwards (~150 tiles) to find the Clay Caves. Mine Tin Ore to craft the Tin Workbench and Anvil. Crucial
- Upgrade: Craft the Alchemist’s Table for Healing Potions and the Slingshot for ranged combat.
- The Forgotten Ruins (Iron): On the opposite side of The Core, mine Stone Blocks for Iron. This unlocks the Iron Workbench, Large Watering Can, and the Iron Bow.
The First Three Bosses
- Glurch the Abominous Mass: Found 60 tiles from The Core. He leaps and crushes. Tin gear and a ranged weapon make this easy. He drops the Glurch Eye and unlocks the Bearded Merchant.
- Ghorm the Devourer: A massive larva endlessly circling the inner biomes at 230 tiles out. You will likely need Iron gear and Spike Traps to cheese his path. Drops Ghorm’s Horn.
- Malugaz the Corrupted: Summoned in the Forgotten Ruins (350 tiles out) using a Skull of the Corrupted Shaman. This is a brutal fight; max out your Iron gear before attempting. Drops the Stolen Crystal Heart.
Once all three are defeated, speak to The Core to unlock your Souls tab and drop The Great Wall.
Part 2: Gathering Titan Souls
The outer biomes are technically accessible in any order, but the ore progression dictates a strict path if you want to survive. You must now use the Spirit Merchant to craft Scanners and Summoning items for the Titans.
1. Azeos’ Wilderness (Scarlet Ore)
This lush, deadly biome yields Scarlet Ore. Craft the Scarlet Workbench and Automation Table (for Drills).
Optional Bosses First: Now is the time to backtrack and fight The Hive Mother (Clay Caves) and King Slime. You can also hunt Ivy the Poisonous Mass in the Wilderness for poison-based gear.
Titan Boss: Summon Azeos the Sky Titan (600 tiles out) using a Large Shiny Glimmering Object. Defeating him grants the Soul of Azeos and the Azeos’ Dash Feather.
2. The Sunken Sea (Octarine Ore)
Build a boat and sail into the Sunken Sea. Mine Limestone for Octarine Ore to upgrade your gear and craft Portals.
Titan Boss: Equip the Expert Lure and fish in a specific whirlpool (1100 tiles out) to summon Omoroth the Sea Titan. Defeating this monstrosity grants the Soul of Omoroth. Optional: Hunt Morpha the Aquatic Mass while you are here.
3. The Desert of Beginnings (Galaxite Ore)
The final major ore tier is Galaxite, found in Sandstone walls. You can craft Go-Karts here, but they are clunky for exploration.
Titan Boss: Use the Thumper to summon Ra-Akar the Sand Titan (1000 tiles out). He drops the Scarab armor set, which makes thorns damage incredibly viable. Defeating him grants the Soul of Ra-Akar.
Part 3 & 4: The Endgame
With the three primary Titan Souls collected, your endgame involves hunting the elemental Hydras and pushing the story to its conclusion.
The Hydras: You must track down and defeat Druidra (Wilderness), Crydra (Sunken Sea), and Pyrdra (Desert).
The Finale: The game culminates in the Desert of Beginnings with a showdown against the Core Commander. If you are looking for a final challenge, seek out Urschleim in The Passage.
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FAQs
Q: I found a giant slime boss rune early on. Should I fight it?
A: That’s likely King Slime’s rune. Do not fight him with early-game gear! He is roughly three times tougher than Glurch. Wait until you have Scarlet gear from Azeos’ Wilderness.
Q: Do I have to fight the bosses in the order listed here?
A: For the first three (Glurch, Ghorm, Malugaz), no. You can fight them in any order, but the ore progression naturally pushes you toward Glurch first. For the Titans, while the wall drops all at once, you absolutely should go Wilderness -> Sunken Sea -> Desert. If you try the Desert with Iron gear, you will be destroyed.
Q: What do the Titan Souls actually do?
A: Once you defeat Azeos, Omoroth, or Ra-Akar, you gain their Soul. You can toggle these abilities in your character menu. They act as random, powerful passive procs during combat that mimic the boss’s attacks, dealing massive extra damage to mobs.
Q: How do I get the Rune Song legendary sword?
A: It’s a massive grind. You need the Broken Handle (dropped by Azeos) and other elusive materials found in dynamically spawned, unique scenes within the Wilderness and Forgotten Ruins.
