Core Keeper The Shimmering Frontier Biome Guide

The Shimmering Frontier is a crystal biome filled with colorful creatures, alien technology, and new resources needed to face off against late game bosses in Core Keeper. It's one of the few places along the edges of the map where it's consistently well lit, due to the glow emitted from the wood, crystals, and trees found in the region.

Where to Find the Shimmering Frontier Biome in Core Keeper

The Shimmering Frontier is found in small sections that repeat around the map, forming a dotted circle through the Sunken Sea, Desert of Beginnings, and Azeos' Wilderness. Once you find a couple Shimmering Frontier areas, you can estimate where other areas will appear in the rest of the main biomes in the game. 

Those small areas aren't the only places the Shimmering Frontier crops up. As you reach the outer edges of the map you'll start seeing large swathes of the crystal biome. These regions are perfect for farming blocks, ore, and other resources from the biome. 

Since it's a late game region, you'll want to have a pickaxe that can do at least 630 mining damage, though it'll take you quite some time to get through walls. Aim for 800-900 mining damage to get through in about three hits or less. Solarite Ore is found within the walls. You can also mine a Crystal Snail, causing it to drop the ore it's collected. You can attack it, as well, but mining it doesn't kill the creature and it'll continue to gather another set of ore on its shell.

Radiation Crystal, necessary when crafting the three Hydra boss scanners, are mined in this biome. There are two sizes, small and large, with the large requiring a higher mining damage threshold. 

Shimmering Frontier Biome Plants

There are a number of plants that you can find in the Shimmering Frontier, including two cooking ingredients. 

• Lunacorn
• Sunrice
• Gleam Wood

The decorative plants are: 

• Crystal Grass
• Lucent Oak
• Tall Crystal Grass

You'll often end up with these in your inventory while fighting enemies or from accidently mining them at the edge of a wall. 

Shimmering Frontier Notable Loot

While there are a variety of items you can find in the Shimmering Frontier, these are the most note worthy: 

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Cosmos Legwear

• Rare
• +49 max health
• +28 armor
• +10.1% damage
• +63 mining damage
• 2 set: Immune to burning

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Cosmos Torso

• Rare
• +54 max health
• +34 armor
• +9.9% damage
• +71 mining damage
• 2 set: Immune to burning

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Cosmos Visor Helm

• Rare
• +40 max health
• +25 armor
• +9.5% damage
• +60 mining damage
• 2 set: Immune to burning

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Crystal Shard Club

• Rare
• 315-383 melee damage
• Secondary: Trailing Crystals
• +50% Knockback chance

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Desert Ruby (when near Desert of Beginnings)

• Epic
• Crafting component

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Glass Bead Necklace

• Epic
• +75% critical hit damage
• +30% damage taken

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Glass Bead Ring

• Rare
• +30% damage
• +30% damage taken

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Jungle Emerald ( when near Azeos' Wilderness)

• Epic
• Crafting component

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Ninja Cowl

• Epic
• +42 max health
• +17 armor
• +7% dodge chance
• +6% critical hit chance
• +19% critical hit damage

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Ninja Garments

• Epic
• +58 max health
• +19 armor
• +8% dodge chance
• +8% critical hit chance
• +20% critical hit damage

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Ninja Leggings

• Epic
• +49 max health
• +17 armor
• +7% dodge chance
• +7% critical hit chance
• +22% critical hit damage

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Ocean Sapphire (when near Sunken Sea)

• Epic
• Crafting component

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Pet Rock

• Rare
• +14% effectiveness of your pets talent effects

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Ricochet Shuriken

• Rare
• 85-103 ranged damage
• Secondary: Piercing Shot
• +4.5% range attack speed
• +22% critical hit damage

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Tower Shell Necklace

• Epic
• +188 mining damage

Core Keeper Shimmering Frontier Biome Guide | List of Enemies

These are the enemies you can expect to encounter in the Shimmering Biome. It should also be noted that Radiation Crystals (the darker green ones) will deal 80 radiation damage every other second if you're within its radius. It doesn't deal any damage while being in your inventory. 

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Mimite

These enemies disguise themselves as a Sun Crystal and will ambush you when you walk towards them. 

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Nilipede

A dark colored giant centipede, this creature can go through the crystal walls and Gleam Wood blockages as it aims towards you. They will follow you for a short distance.

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Orbital Turret

An advanced being, the Orbital Turret defends itself with a shield as it shoots out a series of projectiles. You can go through the shield to deal damage from behind, which is unprotected. 

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Who is the Boss in the Shimmering Frontier?

Currently, there is no boss that resides in the Shimmering Frontier. 

Core Keeper Shimmering Frontier Biome Guide | Secret Areas

There are a few different secret areas and scenes found in the Shimmering Frontier. One, the alien tech lab, is especially important to find to progress the main storyline. 

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Failed Titan

The failed titan is a large insect like creature that remains in the Shimmering Frontier. Hitting it rewards you with the Crystal Shard Club. You can break it down to store in your inventory to add the insect as decoration for your base. 

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Circle Lucent Oak

While exploring you may find a spiraling area of Shimmering Frontier that leads to a Lucent Oak in the center. In front of this oak you'll find a chest that's filled with each gemstone you need to collect. This makes crafting the requirements to face the hydra bosses much easier.

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Alien Tech Lab and Arena

There may be some labs littered throughout the Shimmering Frontier, but the one you really want has an arena. This arena summons multiple monsters and successfully completing the challenge grants you a variety of rewards, including a Nuclear Battery and gemstones. 

Arena Challenge Loot

As long as the Brave Merchant isn't already alive, the Nuclear Battery is a guaranteed drop. Along with it you can get: 

• Ancient Gemstone
• Catalyst Gemstone
• Cosmos Legwear
• Cosmos Torso
• Cosmos Visor Helm
• Desert Ruby
• Glass Bead Necklace
• Glass Bead Ring
• Homeworld Reminiscence
• Jungle Emerald
• Lunar Cheese
• Mechanical Part
• Obliteration Ray
• Ocean Sapphire
• Singing Crystal
• Solarite Ore
• Soul Medallion
• Unusual Potion

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Crashed Cryopod

There are two versions of the Crashed Cryopod scene you can find in the Shimmering Frontier. One is intact and the other is damaged. The intact crashed cryopod will leak radiation damage around it, usually filling the room it's in. If you want to explore this area without taking damage, the Hazmat Armor set is good to equip. 

The damaged cryopod doesn't inflict any damage and it gives loot when interacted with. 

• Ancient Gemstone
• Catalyst Gemstone
• Chemical Ration
• Deepspace Log
• Homeworld Reminiscence

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That's all there is to know about the Shimmering Frontier. For more secret areas or how to get region specific resources, check out our other Core Keeper biome guides.