Direct answer
Need the fast answer? Build the first Airship to leave the starter-island loop; use the upgrade guide if your range is blocked; return to your own dock after upgrade milestones; and in co-op each player should plan for a personal Airship.
The Airship is one of Solarpunk’s main progression tools. It lets you leave the starting island, reach new resource routes, trade toward range upgrades, and give each co-op player independent travel.
If you are stuck, choose the page that matches your problem:
- How to Get the Airship — first build, Dock, and early route
- How to Upgrade the Airship — Traderbot upgrades, range, and upgrade button
- How to Get Copper — early Airship resource trip
- How to Get Wheat — route after the first range upgrade
- Map and Islands — route expectations without fake coordinates
- Transport Drones — logistics once remote resource trips get repetitive
Common Airship starting points
Airship problems often come from adjacent blockers. Use this routing before reading the whole hub:
- Need range? Go to How to Upgrade the Airship.
- Need the first build? Go to How to Get the Airship.
- Need a route/resource? Check Copper, Wheat, Cobalt, or Map and Islands.
- Tired of manual ore runs? Check Transport Drones.
Airship progression at a glance
| Stage | What to focus on | Related page |
|---|---|---|
| First Airship | Unlock the Dock route, build the Airship, and practice safe docking. | Get the Airship |
| First resource trips | Use the Airship to reach nearby resources such as Copper. | Copper |
| Range upgrade | Complete Traderbot upgrade milestones and apply the upgrade at your dock. | Upgrade the Airship |
| Wheat and silicon route | Explore the next ring for farming and research resources. | Wheat |
| Co-op travel | Each player should plan for their own Airship progress. | Multiplayer |
Why your Airship range may not expand
If you traded for an upgrade but still cannot reach the next island ring, check this first:
- Did you complete the right Traderbot upgrade milestone?
- Did you return to your own dock?
- Did you open the dock panel and apply the upgrade?
- Is the target island still outside the map range circle?
- Are you trying to use another co-op player’s Airship instead of your own?
The upgrade trade and the dock step are easy to mix up. Treat them as two parts of the same upgrade.
Airship and resource access
Airship progress is tightly connected to the first major resource blockers:
- Copper starts the first meaningful off-island mining loop.
- Wheat becomes relevant after you stop searching only the starter island.
- Eggs connect farming to later Airship progress.
- Cobalt and later resources belong to routes that need stronger travel progress.
That is why Airship problems often appear together with Wheat, Copper, Chickens, and multiplayer questions.
Co-op Airship rule
Do not plan co-op around one shared group Airship. The practical rule is simple: each player should expect to build and use their own Airship.
That affects group planning because a friend who has not built an Airship may not be able to join the same resource trip independently.