Scrap Mechanic Crafting Guide

Mini Craftbot vs full Craftbot

Early quests may grant a Mini Craftbot — enough for hammer extensions and basic blocks, but not for engines or advanced interactive parts. Prioritize reaching the main Mechanic Station Craftbot dock; the full bot supports tier upgrades and longer recipe queues.

In co-op, one player can manage queues while others gather — leave signs or Logbook notes listing which tier you are pushing so teammates do not burn kits on cosmetic recipes.

Master Mechanic Station (late game)

Chapter 2 / 1.0 content adds expanded POIs including Master Mechanic Station variants and new bots like Ore Crusher, Battery Generator, and Freezer. These extend the same crafting loop: unlock tier → queue batch → haul output. See chapter 2 for new recipe families.

Queue discipline

Open the Craftbot UI and queue multiples of anything you need more than once — ten Metal Block 1, five Bearings, twenty potatoes for ammo. The bot crafts while you sleep or drive. Empty queues waste real-time; before every expedition, top up Glue, metal, and circuit boards.

Pin frequently used recipes in the Handbook (in-game) and mirror that list in your base chest labels so co-op partners drop off the right scrap.

What not to craft early

Decorative parts, duplicate paint tools, and extra lifts clog tier progression. Skip cosmetic blocks until Tier 4+ engines are online. One lift, one connect tool, one weld tool — duplicates belong in warehouse loot chests, not fresh crafts.

Spend order (recommended)

1. Craftbot tier to unlock engines and suspension · 2. Refinebot (if not world-looted) · 3. Cookbot for food security · 4. Logic/automation parts once farms run overnight · 5. Cosmetic Dressbot recipes last.

Hoarding kits without upgrading tiers stalls the whole run — if your queue still crafts wood blocks only, spend kits immediately on the next tier instead of banking for hypothetical late recipes.

Glue & circuit boards

Kits often pair with Glue and Circuit Boards on the same recipes. When farming warehouses, prioritize chests that mix all three; Refinebot can convert some scrap chains into glue inputs, but boards usually come from robot drops and trader packages.

Placement & power

Dock Refinebot beside Craftbot at the Mechanic Station so refined blocks feed directly into the next queue. Late game, duplicate refining at an outpost near mines or forests to avoid hauling raw scrap across the map.

When refining beats looting

If your building guide project needs fifty Metal Block 1, refining beats searching ruins. If you need Warehouse Block or rare tiers, looting still wins — Refinebot cannot shortcut POI-exclusive materials.

Farm → kitchen pipeline

Plant near water, harvest on a schedule, and queue Cookbot recipes before raid nights. Broccoli and pineapple grow slower but spike raid value — cook them into meals rather than losing crops to Totebots.

Co-op split

Designate one player as "quartermaster" — maintains Cookbot and Craftbot queues while builders tune vehicles. Communication reduces duplicate crafts and starving explorers.

Handbook vs this guide

The in-game Handbook lists exact counts per recipe. This site focuses on priority and chains — use the crafting calculator for recursive material math, or queue double what the Handbook shows for your first build.

Chapter 2 additions

1.0 adds underground mining, ice caves, and new refine loops (ore crusher, freezer). Update your Refinebot placement when you start hauling ember and rare ores — see chapter 2.

Trader-driven pivots

Trader orders sometimes force a detour — if the next crate demands twenty tomatoes, pause engine upgrades and run farming guide cycles. Trader income feeds kits, which feed Craftbot tiers; the loop is intentional.

Dispenserbot & chest loops

Pair Dispenserbot with chests to feed Craftbot-adjacent builds — ammo potatoes, glue stacks, or fuel canisters routed to a workshop floor. See logic guide for sensor triggers that start/stop production when storage fills.

Resource Collector overlap

Tree and scrap collectors reduce Refinebot input grind. Automate collectors first on farms, then duplicate the setup at mining outposts. The crafting win is indirect: less time chopping = more time queuing tier upgrades.

Workshop blueprints

Export a "factory shell" blueprint from Creative test worlds via mods / Workshop and import in Survival once kits allow — valid lazy shortcut for standardized bot layouts.