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Outer Wilds Interloper - Interloper Core, Frozen Shuttle, Nomai Explorers

The Interloper is a small, icy comet that you can explore in Outer Wilds. Here’s what you can find.

There are only a handful of celestial bodies you can explore in Outer Wilds, though each one houses its own puzzle to complete and story to uncover. The Interloper is one of the most fascinating by a long shot. It’s essentially a small comet, where three Nomai landed to take a survey of the core hidden beneath. To learn their story, you’ll need to find their frozen shuttle, and make your way to the Interloper Core. In this Outer Wilds Interloper Walkthrough, we’ll show you how to find the Core, navigate the Ghost Matter-filled ice caves, and get inside the Frozen Shuttle.

Outer Wilds Interloper Walkthrough

The Interloper is a small ice comet which orbits around the sun in Outer Wilds. It’s home to a rather tragic Nomai story, which you’ll need to reach the Interloper Core to know the full details. Below, we’ve outlined how to get into the Interloper Core, where the Frozen Shuttle is, and how to get inside it.

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Full spoilers for the Outer Wilds Interloper storyline follow. Proceed with caution.

How to Land on the Interloper in Outer Wilds

The first thing you’ll need to do is land on the Interloper. This is easier said than done, as it has one of the fastest orbits in Outer Wilds. We recommend that you do the following:

  • Use Auto-Pilot to get within 500m of The Interloper
  • Switch to manual controls, and hold A to match its velocity.
  • You’ll want to land on the rocky, sun-faring side of the comet, so use your landing view to make a safe landing.
  • If you cannot make it to the Interloper, use your ship’s eject system to fire yourself at the comet, it’s an easy way to guarantee a landing, just make sure you’re wearing your spacesuit

Outer Wilds Frozen Shuttle: How to Find the Frozen Shuttle and Use the Gravity Cannon to Get Inside

On the icy backside of The Interloper, you’ll find a frozen Nomai shuttle. You can’t enter it from here, though there is a log nearby that will reveal that two of the three party members made their way to the core of the Interloper. If you wish to get inside the Frozen Shuttle, you’ll need to head to The Ember Twin. There’s a gravity cannon there that will allow you to recall the shuttle, at which point you can head inside.

The Frozen Shuttle | Jake Green/USG

Outer Wilds: How to Get to The Interloper Core

The Interloper Core is located underneath the surface ice. To get to it, head to the rocky side of the comet. You’ll notice an icy fissure between some of the rocks, this is your point of entry. You’ll need it to melt, so wait until The Interloper is close to the sun and it will start to melt away. You can then jump down. From here it’s a case of navigating the icy caves using your Scout to detect Ghost Matter. Fire your Scout down each path before going through it to check which ones are Ghost Matter free. We’ve listed the way forward below:

  • The path on the right upon landing in the underground cave is riddled with Ghost Matter.
  • Take the path on the left.
  • Now, you have the choice of three paths, take the middle one, as slowly as you can.
  • There are a series of forked paths ahead. Take the right path, then the left, then head forward.
  • You’ll come to a hole in the ground, you cannot go down here. Instead, fire your Scout at the ground to light up the cave. Look up to the ceiling of the cave and you’ll see another way forward, we’ve included an image below.
  • Another hole now, so just head down the other path in the room.
  • There is a crack next to the dead Nomai, head down it to get to the core.
The path can be seen in the top-right | Jake Green/USG

Outer Wilds: What Happened to the Nomai on The Interloper?

As we explained before, three Nomai made their way to The Interloper to survey its core. One Nomai had to stay with the ship to keep it warm, while the other two headed to the core. Upon reaching the core, it became clear just how dangerous it was. One of the remaining two left the core cave to warn their people, while one stayed behind to further examine the core. The Core ruptured, spewing Ghost Matter across the galaxy, and killing all of the Nomai on The Interloper, and many of them across the Universe also.

If you're looking for more on Outer Wilds, there's plenty more guides to be found right here on USG. First up is our detailed Outer Wilds Interloper Guide. Then, why not check out our guide on How to Save in Outer Wilds. There's also our look at Outer Wilds Ghost Matter. There's also our look at getting into the Tower of Quantum Knowledge. If you're looking for help on some of the game's harder puzzles, visit our Outer Wilds Quantum Trials Guide. For a look at how to get to the core of Giants Deep, head to our Outer Wilds Giants Deep Walkthrough.

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