Greetings, survivor! Librarian Husky here. When crafting ammunition, steer clear of AP ammo—whether it’s steel or copper. AP rounds consume precious Stardust, which you’ll need later for essential gear upgrades, and the damage boost isn’t worth the trade-off. For instance, my steel sniper rifle ammo does 5% damage per shot, while AP ammo only raises it to 8%. That extra 3% won’t make a real difference, so save your Stardust and focus on smarter investments to stay ahead in the game.

The Downside of Tungsten Ammo

Crafting tungsten ammo is even worse, as it requires acid, one of the rarest resources. Acid is crucial for crafting batteries, generators, and many other items, yet it’s incredibly hard to obtain. You need to kill zombies and hope they drop acid, which can be frustrating since they often drop only a few units.

The Best Ammo to Craft

Steel ammo is by far the most efficient option, requiring only iron to produce. It’s easy to obtain as well, as your workers can gather iron ore while you rest. With 210 to 250 iron ore stockpiled, you’re set for ammo crafting without exhausting your rare resources.

Finding Deviant Materials

If you’re unsure where to locate specific resources, there are simple ways to gather deviant materials.

Choosing the Perfect Base Location

One of the most common mistakes when setting up your base is neglecting proximity to a river. Rivers allow you to install hydraulic energy generators and water pumps, providing a sustainable water system. Ideally, even polluted water can be used effectively. My setup, for example, pumps water into my base, powering the entire automated system. Hydraulic generators produce 32 watts, enough to power everything efficiently.

Acquiring Essential Gear and Blueprints

The equipment I currently use, including my sniper rifle, came from open-world boss drops and repeated dungeon and stronghold clears. For those seeking specific legendary blueprints, check the blueprint shop by pressing G. These blueprints cost around 8,000, which may seem steep, but leveling up to 45 can yield about 20,000 Star Chrum. Instead of spending on unnecessary rolls, investing in a full legendary set provides significant benefits.

Besti Set: Ideal for Sniper Playstyle

I found the Besti set particularly useful as it grants a 10% weapon damage boost and a 20% reload speed increase when HP is above 70%. This boost is invaluable for sniper rifles, as the faster reload speed complements critical hits. Additionally, crouching for 0.5 seconds boosts weapon damage by another 40%, making it ideal for taking down bosses and elites with critical shots.

Maximizing Acid Production and Energy Links

Acid and energy links are vital resources, with acid production achievable through specific setups. My synthesis bench, for example, has multiple acid stacks ready. To increase both resources efficiently, utilize medics and focus on specific abilities in the specialization tab.

Essential Specializations for Resource Production

One key specialization to acquire early is the Sulfur Chemist. This skill allows you to convert sulfur and energy links at the synthesis bench to gradually produce acid, taking around 3 to 4 hours for 99 units. By simply leaving it overnight, you can wake up to a stockpile of 500 acid. This could be an early-level skill or, unfortunately, a much later unlock, but securing it mid-level is ideal.

Alternative Acid Production with the Stardust Water Pump

Another useful method for producing acid is the Stardust Water Pump, which operates by being placed in contaminated water. Although effective, the Sulfur Chemist specialization remains superior for steady acid production, offering a more straightforward approach to gathering this essential resource.

Refining Specializations for Wealth Generation

In addition to acid production, other valuable specializations include Precious Metal Refining, which lets you produce gold and silver ingots. Gold ingots can be sold for 12,000 energy links, while silver ingots yield 6,000. If you lack Precious Metal Refining, consider alternatives like Microchip Refining or Crystal Refining, both of which can generate energy links efficiently.

Profiting from Rare Plants

A great way to earn energy links is by selling rare plants such as cabbage, saffron, or bell flowers. Each of these sells for around 800 energy links. As you explore, keep an eye out for plants with a red aura, especially at night, as these indicate rarer varieties that yield higher profits when sold.

Leveling Tips: Mana Bus and Season Goals

For players focusing on leveling, it’s crucial to complete season goals and mana bus challenges. Achieving one, two, and three stars in these goals rewards you with meme points and significant amounts of Star Chrum. Prioritizing meme points early on is wise, as they unlock valuable crafting techniques, like bronze crafting and forging methods, which ultimately lead to tools such as chainsaws and electric drills.

Essential Tools for Resource Gathering

Unlocking tools like chainsaws and electric drills can dramatically enhance your resource-gathering efficiency. They make the tungsten alloy pickaxe almost unnecessary since the drills handle most of the workload. Additionally, consider unlocking the rainwater collection system and water filters early, ideally progressing to the reverse osmosis purifier to maintain a steady water supply.

Efficient Water Purification and Crop Irrigation

Using a reverse osmosis filter combined with a water pump allows you to convert dirty water into clean water automatically. This setup is ideal for irrigation, keeping your crops growing, and ensuring your workers are well-supplied. It also helps maintain a steady supply of harvested crops, which can be used to make Mal Ale. This homemade ale not only sells well for energy links but provides 100% hydration and helps maintain character sanity for 30 minutes.

Brewing and Cooking Benefits

Brewing Mal Ale is valuable not only for profit but also for keeping your character’s hydration and sanity levels high. In addition, cooking on a standard stove is more beneficial than making sanity gums. A simple fruit tea, crafted from easily collected flowers like bellflower and honeysuckle, offers 50% hydration and 400 sanity. This tea is more useful than sanity gums and also sells well.

Crafting and Resource Management

Crafting is a powerful tool but can be costly in resources. It’s generally better to hold off on intensive crafting until you reach tier three, where you’ll have the necessary materials and techniques to make it worthwhile without exhausting your supplies.

Crafting and Upgrading Strategy for Weapons

When reaching tier two, it’s best to hold off on upgrading your weapon significantly until you reach tier three, ideally around level 30. This is the first time it becomes worthwhile to upgrade for noticeable impact, especially for one-shot kills if using a sniper rifle. In tier four, calibrating your weapon more than three times is unnecessary. Avoid over-investing in calibration at this stage, as you’ll quickly move to tier five, where upgrades offer greater long-term value.

Managing Resources in the Aluminum and Tungsten Eras

Be cautious with aluminum and acid use in tier four, as tier five crafting will require significant tungsten. Each power facility, for instance, needs around 25 tungsten ingots, while larger constructions can demand even more. Acid is essential in tungsten production, so reserving it for tier five construction projects instead of short-term weapon upgrades is crucial to resource efficiency.

Armor Crafting and Special Plastics

For armor, careful planning is even more critical due to the high cost of special plastics in tier five. Prioritize crafting essential armor pieces before investing heavily in calibration. Since plastic is also needed for other constructions, avoid excessive upgrades on gear that will soon be obsolete.

Calibrating vs. Upgrading Blueprints

Calibration strengthens a weapon and unlocks special bonuses. For example, my weapon gains bonus range at three calibrations, weak spot damage at seven, and critical rate at ten. These enhancements can be valuable, but understanding when and where to invest is key to preserving resources.

Understanding Blueprint Upgrades

Upgrading blueprints is essential for boosting your gear’s baseline stats. For instance, my current sniper blueprint is at two stars, allowing every crafted gun to come with a base damage of 1,755. Each blueprint upgrade increases the base damage or other key attributes, applying to both weapons and armor.

Fragment Requirements for Armor Upgrades

To upgrade armor, you’ll need specific fragments, visible next to the item’s name. My Scout Frack currently has 10 out of 10 fragments, while other items like leather and Earthly boots require 15 fragments each. Collecting 30 or even 45 fragments allows for substantial upgrades, enhancing stats like bonus health.

Star Ratings and Health Boosts

Each star level in gear blueprints grants significant health increases. For example, my Falcon shoes provide 1,179 health at three stars but would reach 1,243 health if upgraded to four stars. Star ratings maximize the effectiveness of crafted gear, especially in tier five, where items can reach five stars, providing the highest possible health and durability.

Efficient Use of Heavy-Duty Blueprints

Instead of using my heavy-duty blueprints to craft items, I prefer to feed them into my gear upgrades. This approach maximizes my resources without creating unnecessary items.

Importance of Set Bonuses

Set bonuses provide significant advantages as you progress. For example, my helmet offers a 10% bonus damage increase, while the Falcon mask set reduces stamina cost for rolling, boosts crit damage, and, when stamina is above 90%, increases crit rate by 5% and crit damage by 20%. Adding a piece of heavy-duty gear gives an extra 10% max HP, and specialized gear can further enhance abilities, such as increasing the target count with bounce weaponry.

Automating Resource Collection

Automating resource collection at your base is crucial. My “logging beavers” consistently gather wood and crystals overnight, while collection teams handle everything from animal statues to water bottles. This automation, paired with the assistance of “dickb boys” who gather ore, allows my base to function and gather resources while I rest, ensuring steady supplies for continuous progress.

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