(Estimated Read Time: 14 minutes)

Exploring the planets and moons in Astroneer may let you stumble upon an item called Curious Item. It has the appearance of a glowing pink crystal with frequent electric discharges. But what does it do? Here, we'll cover the curious item, its effects, and where you can find it.

What Is the Curious Item in Astroneer?

Introduced in Update 1.26, the Curious Item in Astroneer supplies lore. In particular, interacting with the item shows entries from workers who worked on the ESS Elysium. These people attempted to recover the ESS Triton, a spaceship assumed to be lost because unknown assailants attacked it. Holding the Use key (the “F” keyboard key for PC users by default) on a Curious Item will let it shoot a beam of light to the heavens. Then, the star band spins while creating a blinding light. Once this animation finishes, cracks, shatters, and prismatic pieces appear in the sky. Use the Curious Item four times to revert the sky to normal.

How to Find the Curious Item

Search planets and moons for abandoned backpacks. Some of these deserted containers have a Curious Item in them. You can stumble upon an abandoned backpack while you’re exploring. But you can also use the Usagi Galastropod to help find abandoned backpacks. Feed the creature a Mutant Hissbine Seed, which’ll generate a marker on your compass for 10 minutes. Follow this location pin, and you may find an abandoned backpack and a Curious Item. Remember, you typically must move away from your base camp to find Curious Items. Read our Astroneer Beginner’s Guide to help ensure your survival outside camp.

All Curious Item Entries

There are 67 Curious Items in Astroneer, and each one has a unique flavor text. The entries for all Curious Items are as follows:

• [May1#ELYx]: We've been reassigned to the Elysium to aid in their efforts of finding the Triton. I know Stone is particularly worried-some of his team were aboard that ship. -Bell, ESS Elysium
• [May1#ELYx]: As a rescue mission, this initiative is pointless. But data can still be recovered from the Triton. -Doctor Stone, ESS Elysium
• [May3#ELYx]: Gotta say, never had an easier job than this. Nothing breaks on this ship. -Frank, ESS Elysium
• [May4#ELYx]: I hate jobs like this. When almost everyone's in a pod, there's nothing to monitor. -Dr. Lady, ESS Elysium
• [May15#ELYx]: I've organized and re-organized the medical supplies for the twenty-first time today. So fun. -Dr. Lady, ESS Elysium
• [May15#ELYx]: Coffee with Conductor Bell is always a refreshing distraction. Much as I enjoy her company, I wish I'd been able to dissuade her from taking this mission. -Doctor Stone, ESS Elysium
• [May18#ELYx]: Turns out when you're sent on some weird mission to deep space, systems start breaking down. -Frank, ESS Elysium
• [May18#ELYx]: The pods are malfunctioning. Chronos is supposed to fix it, but I'm keeping watch. -Dr. Lady, ESS Elysium
• [May19#ELYx]: Something feels off about this mission-I can't explain it. At least Stone's here with me. He's a reliable friend and partner. -Bell, ESS Elysium
• [Jun2#ELYx]: I keep waking up in the middle of the night. I swear I hear whispering, but there's no one in my cabin. - Bell, ESS Elysium
• [Jun3#ELYx]: Bell has had trouble sleeping. Is it a coincidence her disturbances coincide with my attempts to decode Doctor Allen's final message? -Doctor Stone, ESS Elysium
• [Jun5#ELYx]: Someone's been messing with my equipment again. When I find out who it is... -Frank, ESS Elysium
• [Jun17#ELYx]: This ain't good. Ever since we got in range of that anomaly, everything's been going haywire. -Frank, ESS Elysium
• [Jun17#ELYx]: We almost lost one today. Completely fine, then in critical status. Nearly needed a reprint. That anomaly did a number on us. -Dr. Lady, ESS Elysium
• [Jun18#ELYx]: Stone cancelled our usual meetup...again. He's been agitated lately. The ship malfunctions have us all stressed, but this isn't like him at all. -Bell, ESS Elysium
• [Jun21#ELYx]: If we can salvage some parts from the Triton, might be able to rig something to get us home. -Frank, ESS Elysium
• [Jun21#ELYx]: System "malfunctions" are happening too frequently for my liking. This can't be a coincidence. -Dr. Lady, ESS Elysium
• [Jun25#ELYx]: I've worked with Dr. Stone for years now and I'm telling you, something is wrong with him. The captain won't listen. I need to speak with Chronos. -Bell, ESS Elysium
• [Jun25#ELYx]: I dislike keeping Bell in the dark, but my unsanctioned work with Dr. Allen on the LRD experiment is too important. I hope she can forgive me in time. -Doctor Stone, ESS Elysium
• [Jun26#ELYx]: Chronos is under too much strain. Any more of this, and the whole mission will be compromised. What the hell did Stone do?! -Dr. Lady, ESS Elysium
• [Jun26#ELYx]: I should have known he wouldn't give up on that accursed LRD work. I don't want to believe Stone was involved in the loss of the Triton, but I have to stop him before the Elysium befalls the same fate. -Bell, ESS Elysium
• [Jun26#ELYx]: We've found the Triton wreckage. I've disabled the warning sensors, but it won't be long before Chronos notices the anomaly. I must locate Dr. Allen's research files before then. Whatever it takes. -Doctor Stone, ESS Elysium
• [Jun26#ELYx]: I can't make heads or tails of these files. Blast! I know I made a cipher. Where is it? -Doctor Stone, ESS Elysium
• [Oct30#TRIx]: Doctor Stone: This channel should be secure, though we should change frequencies often. Nao is surprisingly adept at watching for unauthorized signals. -Dr. Allen, ESS Triton
• [Nov3#!TRIx]: I've modified one of the smaller labs to contain the LRD away from prying eyes. So long as the anomaly team back on Luna 1 remains ignorant of #16's absence, we should be in the clear. If EXO finds out about this, it will be both our jobs. -Dr. Allen, ESS Triton
• [Nov28#!TRIx]: You were right. The signal the LRD's emit is some sort of homing transmission-and I just received a response. Whatever the cause, it lies far from Earth. -Dr. Allen, ESS Triton
• [Dec12#TRIx]: After triangulating the response signal, I've rerouted it through to Triton's main comms. The captain is changing course as we speak to check it out, per EXO protocol. -Dr. Allen, ESS Triton
• [Dec16#TRIx]: It won't stop whispering. Day and night, every hour...I can't sleep anymore. We're so close to answers...I can't stop now. I... [transmission unintelligible] -Dr. Allen, ESS Triton
• [Dec17#TRIx]: It's here! It's here! Hehe...I can feel it boring through my suit. It knows we're here now. It knows we're all here. [transmission unintelligible] -Dr. Allen, ESS Triton
• [Nov10#LUN1x]: New rule for every trainee: Don't touch my machines. - Bell, Luna 1 Research Base
• [Dec16#LUN1x]: Doctor Allen, there was an audio disturbance in your last correspondence. Please resend. -Doctor Stone, Luna 1 Research Base
• [ERROR#!00x]: I thought I saw another Astroneer today while I was out collecting resin. It was just for a moment, but...I should be the only Astroneer in this system. Unknown, -ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: It's been a week and my partner has yet to return from the strange Gateway we found on Glacio. I know they must be out there somewhere as they haven't been through a reprint yet. -Dr. Lady, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: I know the others think I'm crazy, but there's something wrong with the sky. The stars are all wrong. I don't recognize any of these constellations anymore. -Frank, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: I woke up on Calidor today. I don't remember landing on Calidor. -Unknown, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: I keep having nightmares about my ship crashing, which doesn't make any sense. This is my first mission...right? -Unknown, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: Does the sun look weird to anyone else? Is it always like this? Maybe it's just me. -Frank, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: This morning I catalogued ten different specimens from Vesania. So why is the research chamber showing me specimens we've only seen on Calidor? -Dr. Lady, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: It's safer in the caverns. Whatever these things are, they only work outside. The signal doesn't reach down here. The lights can't reach me here. -Unknown, -ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: EXO isn't responding to any of our messages. We should be the only team assigned to the Sylva System, but we've found wreckage from another base here... -Dr. Lady, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: My notes are in disarray. I'm missing key pieces of information, which is... strange. -Doctor Stone, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: I had the oddest sense of Deja Vu today upon taking down observations with Bell. -Doctor Stone, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: I've been assigned to work with a Conductor Bell. So far she seems quite capable and I think may prove to be a valuable colleague. -Doctor Stone, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: I know I typed up a full report on the anomalies I was seeing. So where is it? - Bell, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#!00x]: Ugh! That idiot Stone is calling me again. With any luck, this will be the first AND the last time I ever get assigned to work with him. - Bell, ESS [ERROR:MENU]
• [ERROR#356]: Initializing system recovery...Clearance Code: Doctor Stone. ERROR: Triton system recovery failed. -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#357]: Analysis: Triton systems at 7% capacity. Systems not viable for reboot. -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#358]: Printer reboot initiated... ERROR!>\%@ -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#359]: WARNING: ANOMALY DETECTED. UNAUTHORIZED AIRLOCK BREACH -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#377]: ESS Triton debris located. Override safety procedures? Clearance Code: Doctor Stone -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#378]: Critical systems failure: Cabin pressure unstable. Seal bulkheads immediately. -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#379]: Manual controls engaged. Auto-pilot systems suspended. Prepare for emergency landing. -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#380]: WARNING: Emergency protocol initiated. Life support systems active. -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#381]: Training pod power allotment: 37%. System integrity failing. Attempting reboot... -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#382]: Rebooting system... reboot failed. ERROR!&`+# - Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#383]: Manual override activated. Terminate training protocol: Y/N? -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#384]: Virtual command center onboard. Loading... 24%... 32%... 48% -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#385]: Life support systems failing. Time to catastrophic failure: 12 minutes and 42 seconds. -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#386]: Initiate Chronos Failsafe Protocol. Initiating... -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#387]: Chronos Failsafe Protocol executed. Systems stabilized. -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#388]: Elysium Mind Bank Integrity at 43%. Units unrecoverable: 653 Units missing data: 148. -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#389]: Hazardous Environment Training offline. Storm files missing data. -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#390]: Mind Bank transfer to Training Program complete. Missing data unrecoverable. Proceed? -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#391]: LU-C1D systems stable. Training Program parameters have been disabled. -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#392]: Training Program Missions enabled. Advanced scenario data: Corrupted. Missing Files: 202x -Elysium System Log
• [ERROR#393]: Chronos keysearch processing...67 recovered entries found. -Elysium System Log
• N/A: This is the only way. I can't save them all. -Chronos [ERRORFILE:Memory Integrity Loss]