Getting Started

When you first arrive in the game, you will have an opportunity to get a quest book. This will assist you in progressing through the game by obtaining items and resources via completed quests.

Quest book

Please be sure to explore the quest book thoroughly when starting out. An often missed section for beginners is Chapter 9: "Silly Willy's Space Junk" which allows for trading of various resources early on.

Ex Nihilo

There are numerous recipes in the Ex Nihilo mod, but many are affected by the modpack it's published with. Galactic Science is no different, and has specific items that can be gained by sieving, as well as many that are disabled. Sieving Soul Sand in Galactic Science for example, only has chances to drop Nether Quartz, Nether Wart, and Ghast Tears.

Sieving

The Sieve from Ex Nihilo will quickly become your friend in Galatic Science. Those who have played other survival modpacks such as Skyblock or Crash Landing should already be familiar with its utility.

NEI will be your friend for finding the recipes you require as your progress through the game.

Wooden barrels

Normally, wooden barrels would be used for collecting rain water. Since you're on the moon, that won't be of any use. Early on, you'll be using it to either compost a variety of plant matter (saplings to start), or for making things like witch water and clay.

Stone barrels

Once you're making lava, stone barrels will be something to consider making, both as cheap storage and because they have recipes just like wooden barrels.

• Adding redstone dust to lava creates netherrack
• Adding glowstone dust to lava creates endstone
• Pouring water directly above a barrel of lava creates obsidian

Witch Water

Once you've sieved enough moon turf (or sand), and gotten Ancient Spores, you can use them to convert a placed block of dirt to Mycelium (remember this acts like a grass block, and will revert to dirt when broken without silk touch).

Next, place a wooden barrel on the mycelium, and fill the barrel with water. It will slowly turn into Witch Water.

Per the Ex Nihilo Wiki:

• If you fill a barrel with Witch Water and right click with sand, it will turn into Soul Sand. In addition, if there are nearby free mycelium blocks, mushrooms have a chance to spawn, making for a potential early food source.
• If a mob falls into witch water it will continuously take damage except for Zombies and Witches
• If a player falls into witch water, they will gain the following debuffs for 10 seconds: Weakness III, Slowness, Wither, and Blindness
• If a Creeper falls in it, it will become a Charged Creeper
• If a Pig falls in it, it will become a Zombie Pigman
• If a Skeleton falls in it, it will become a Wither Skeleton
• If a Spider falls in it, will become a Cave Spider
• If a Squid falls in it, it will become a Ghast
• If a Villager Priest falls in it, it will become a Witch
• If a Villager falls in it, it will become a Zombie Villager