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11 Overview
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33 Crafting is a core system in Rooted that allows players to build tools, structures, furniture, and survival equipment from gathered resources. The crafting system is tied to the Workbench and the Survivor Guide, which together form the progression backbone of the game.
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55 Crafting Stations
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77 StationFunctionWorkbenchPrimary crafting station that players build in their base. Constructing a Workbench unlocks new blueprints in the Survivor Guide. Also used to repair post-apocalypse items.Mechanical WorkbenchAdvanced crafting station for more complex items. Inventory now saves correctly between sessions (fixed in a recent patch).
88 Survivor Guide
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1010 The Survivor Guide is an in-game reference that stores all discovered blueprints and crafted item knowledge. As players build crafting stations and discover new materials, the Survivor Guide expands with additional recipes. It is both a crafting menu and a progression tracker.
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1212 Resources
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1414 Crafting requires materials gathered from the world through salvaging, logging, and exploration:
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1616 ResourceSourceLogsHarvested from trees.PlanksProcessed from Logs at crafting stations.SlabsCut lumber for construction.Metal SheetsSalvaged from structures and vehicles.BerriesFound scattered throughout the world.Junk itemsCollected and broken down via salvaging.
1717 Confirmed Craftable Items
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1919 ItemCategoryDescriptionStorage ChestsStorageContainers for organizing collected materials and equipment.Slabs RackStorageDedicated rack for storing processed slabs.Planks RackStorageDedicated rack for storing planks.Metal Sheets RackStorageDedicated rack for storing metal sheets.Cooking PotFoodUsed for boiling water safely. See food management.Water CollectorWaterCollects rainwater for drinking and crafting.Water FilterWaterPurifies collected water for safe consumption.CampfireFoodCooking and heating station. Requires fuel with variable burn times depending on fuel type.TentShelterPortable shelter that is a respawn point. Can be packed into a backpack for transport.BedShelterPermanent respawn point for a base.HammockFurniturePart of the outdoor furniture set.BenchFurniturePart of the outdoor furniture set.Garden SetFurniturePart of the outdoor furniture set.BrazierFurniturePart of the outdoor furniture set.Geodome PodShelterExclusive item for Kickstarter founders.DoorsBuildingInteractive doors for base construction.BarricadesDefenseDefensive structures to block enemy access.PartitionsDefenseWalls and dividers for base segmentation.TrapsDefenseDefensive devices to damage or slow enemies.Respirator MaskSurvivalProtection against spore contamination in hazardous zones.
2020 Repair System
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2222 Post-apocalypse items found in the world can be repaired at a Workbench. This allows players to restore functionality to scavenged equipment rather than needing to craft everything from scratch, encouraging salvaging and exploration.
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2424 Production Loop
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2626 Crafting in Rooted starts at the workbench and scales outward as base utilities come online. Early crafts cover melee tools, traps, basic clothing, and simple containers. Mid-game expands into vehicles, repaired weapons, and electrical components. Late-game work reaches into automation, advanced clothing, and recovered 2080-era tech as players push deeper into the contaminated city.
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2828 Resource Inputs
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3030 InputSourceTypical useLogsTree harvesting, basic salvagePlanks, simple constructionsPlanksSawn from logs, recovered debrisBuilding, furniture, racksMetal SheetsSalvaged from electronics and vehiclesAdvanced construction and crafting recipesSlabsQuarry-style yields, salvageHeavy constructionElectrical componentsDrones, sensors, power-system salvageWorkbench upgrades, electricity and automation
3131 Electricity-Tied Recipes
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3333 Once a base has functional electricity, automated stations cut the manual time spent at the workbench. Power supply, basic automation, and workshop upgrades unlock chained recipes that turn surplus salvage into finished goods. The studio's design notes confirm that the workshop expansion path continues into Phase 3 with deeper automation.
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3535 Steam Workshop Sharing
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3737 Modding support with Steam Workshop integration for sharing blueprints is announced as planned. This will let players exchange custom base designs and crafted layouts once the Early Access window opens in 2027, supporting community-driven extension of the build system.
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3939 Phase 3 Crafting Cadence
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4141 Phase 3 has expanded craftable options alongside other content drops. Hunting traps came in with the wildlife rollout; firearms training and ammo crafting touched the December 2025 weapons patch; UI refinements continue to make recipe management cleaner. Players returning between patches should expect the recipe tree to keep widening through 2026.
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43+The studio has since described the crafting layer in the production build in three words: workbenches with tiers, salvage, and repair. Those are the three axes it is being built along. Tiers give a bench somewhere to climb to and gate the recipes worth climbing for, salvage supplies the parts, and repair is the alternative to consuming those parts on something new. Exclusive blueprint guides sit at the top of the tier ladder as the reward for pushing a bench further.
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45+Because the tier level is shared across everyone crafting at the same bench, the loop pulls toward a single well-supplied workshop inside a defended base rather than several half-finished ones. That work is in the unreleased build and is not part of the public alpha.