Balatro has over 100 Jokers, Astronomer being one of them. This Joker helps you shoot for the stars and you’ll be over the moon once you unlock it. Astronomer helps to tighten the purse strings and is a freeing Card—in more ways than one.
I try my best to avoid using my favorite Jokers. This seems counterproductive to a victory-worthy run, but I broaden my horizons if possible. Brainstorm is one of my favorite Jokers—and its similar counterpart Blueprint—but if a Joker appears I haven’t used or barely glanced at, I try to take them. Balatro’s diversity means most Jokers can result in a win, but Astronomer favors certain deck types.
There’s no doubting how strong Astronomer is, but unlocking should take you a few hours first.
What Does Astronomer Joker do in Balatro?
The Astronomer Joker makes it so “All Planet cards and Celestial Packs in the shop are free” in Balatro.
This card does exactly what it says on the tin. If it’s in your possession, any subsequent Celestial Packs found in the Shop won’t cost you a penny: Celestial Packs, Jumbo Celestial Packs, or Mega Celestial Packs.
Packs range from $4-8, meaning you can save a ridiculous amount of money to spend on other goodies including the Blank Voucher or Hit The Road and Séance Jokers.
How to Get Astronomer Joker in Balatro
To unlock the Astronomer Joker, you must discover all Planet Cards in Balatro.
Planet Cards level up hand types when used. For instance, if you open a Celestial Pack and use Pluto, the High Card hand levels up—giving you extra Chips and Mult if you successfully score from one.
Throughout Balatro, you need to discover all 12 Planet Cards to make Astronomer available. You do this by playing the applicable hand and buying the Card associated with the hand.
Here’s a handy list of every Planet Card in Balatro:
- Pluto: Levels up High Card.
- Mercury: Levels up Pair.
- Uranus: Levels up Two Pair.
- Venus: Levels up Three of a Kind.
- Saturn: Levels up Straight.
- Jupiter: Levels up Flush.
- Earth: Levels up Full House.
- Mars: Levels up Four of a Kind.
- Neptune: Levels up Straight Flush.
- Planet X: Levels up Five of a Kind.
- Jupiter: Levels up Flush.
- Ceres: Levels up Flush House.
- Eris: Levels up Flush Five.
Should You Get Astronomer in Balatro?
Adding Astronomer to your in-game Joker set depends on whether you’re building a deck around particular Card hands scoring higher.
Let’s use the Chequered Deck as an easy demonstration. The Deck consists of 26 Spades and 26 Diamonds: Making Flush builds more consistent and Jupiter Planet Cards beneficial.
Yes, they don’t scale well at higher levels, but a Flush hand at Level 10 or more secures a lot of Chips and Mult.
Astronomer makes it so that if you need Celestial Packs to improve your favorite hand, you can do so for free. Throw in a Telescope Voucher to ensure your most-played hand in this run appears, and Planet Merchant (Planet cards appear 2X more frequently in the shop) and Planet Tycoon Vouchers (Planet cards appear 4X more frequently in the shop) and you’ve got a calculated combo of Celestial goodness.
Keep on top of all things Balatro such as the latest on cross-save and cross-progression, and best Balatro Seeds.
Also, let me know if Astronomer helps you in Balatro, along with your favorite hands to build decks around.
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