Mushrooms have been a historically rare resource in Core Keeper, which is kind of hilarious. This early game food item covers the Dirt Biome and is an excellent health source for the enterprising miner. But, since it wasn’t a renewable resource, it was hard to make good use of — that is, until recently. Mushroom farms are now a strong part of Core Keeper, giving you a consistent food source and allowing you to create additional recipes. This guide will explain everything you need to know on how to build one for yourself.
What You Need for Mushroom Farms in Core Keeper
You’ll need to collect Fungal Soil floor tiles in order to create a Mushroom Farm in Core Keeper. Fungal Soil is an item dropped by Orange Slimes and Shroomen in the Dirt Biome, though at fairly low rates. Alternatively, it can be dug up with a Shovel. In order to make the farm function, place the Fungal Soil in a relatively dark room with a door. Mushrooms won’t grow in a place filled with light. Place a spike trap right in front of the door, plant some wild mushrooms in the room, and you’ll have a Shrooman farm, as well as a place that Mushrooms can grow!
Mushroom farms can be slightly temperamental, not always wanting to work with you. This is because, unlike farms, these rely on natural spawn rates and good conditions. If you want to maximize the chance that your fungus does appear, you need to make sure your farm emulates the Dirt Biome.
Digging the farm towards the dungeon can be useful, though usually not required. Making sure the room is fairly large is also useful. Since mushrooms take a long time to grow, you’re going to want to maximize the amount of Fungal Soil you use in your farm. Give it even more room than your standard crops, if you want consistent returns.
However, this will essentially make the room into a fighting chamber! Shroomen spawn on Fungal Soil, so you will see enemies appear frequently. Leaving a Spike Trap near the door of your little encampment will essentially kill off all of them. And, you get their drops, which means you’ll have even more mushrooms to work with! It’s a win-win situation. To make a Spike Trap, you’ll need one Tin Bar and a Tin Workbench. So, save your mushroom farm for once you’ve gotten to the Clay Caves.
What Are Mushrooms Used For?
Mushrooms are a food item in Core Keeper, providing a small amount of food and health regeneration. For the early game, it’s all you need. Later on, as your health pool and food bar grows, Mushrooms will still be acceptable for non-emergency situations. They function fantastically as a top-me-off sort of food, unlike the food you get from killing cattle, which work a lot better as a full meal.
Honestly, making a mushroom farm for the Shroomen might actually be better for you! Shroomen have a high chance of dropping a mushroom, but they also drop various other items. They have a chance to drop scrap, berry seeds, and an exceptionally rare chance to drop a Giant Mushroom!
Giant Mushrooms are incredibly rare but very strong items, which permanently improve your health. These items are almost certainly not going to spawn in your farm alone. But, since Shroomen have a tiny chance to drop one, the enemies raiding your farm might be the best part of it!
