Wet Resin Crafting and Calcification (1 of 2) (Patreon)

I received a request a while ago from a patreon (yup I take article requests!) to write a piece on Wet Resin Crafting (and the calcification process) because their group wasn't keen on it overall. 

It's actually one of the more complicated crafting processes in the game; not because it's mechanically complex as such, but because it can be tricky to remember the processes when you are playing the game over several weeks.

However, this is a process you do need to learn to navigate, for two reasons. 

• Calcified Rolling Armor is the best non-Green Armor set in the game and the most versatile
• Green Armor is based on parts of the Rolling Armor set so you have to learn the cycles to perfect making Green Armor in a timely fashion.

A full set of Rolling Armor costs the following:

• 1 x Scarab Wing
• 2 x Scarab Shell
• 1 x Compound Eye 
• 1 x Century Fingernails
• 1 x Underplate Fungus
• 5 x Leather
• 2 x Iron
• 2 x Hide
• 2 x  Bone
• 1 x Organ
• 2+ x Caustic Dung
• 3-4 Lantern Years

Calcifying the Armor set costs an additional:

• 3-4 Lantern Years
• 2 Caustic Dung

This is without considering the endeavors, the loss of survivor lives and any other incidental calcification that might be happening at the same time.

As you can see, it is not a fast armor set to build at all, and it can feel rather overwhelming to get it all done. But there are things that will make it easier. We'll look at Crafting first and the Calcification in a separate article later.

Crafting Rolling Armor

Here is a visual guide to help you understand the various 'tiers' that the gear sits at for the Wet Resin Crafter.

The caustic dung image shows the total number of caustic dung and endeavors that you need to spend to get to the relevant tier of Black Harvest (via the Subterranean Agriculture) card. I have included the Digging Claws on this key because they can be calcified.

You can always craft anything of the lower tiers than the harvest you have triggered and as such you should generally aim to complete your crafting in one of two methods. Either you are going to aim to go for a Level 2 Harvest and Craft all the parts, and then you will Calcify while setting up for the L3. Or you are going to do an L3 Harvest and then a separate Black Harvest for calcification. These are the two most efficient cycles to go for, anything else can take a long, long time to complete.

Level 3 Black Harvest First

To complete this version you are normally going to grab most of the parts of the armor in advance. This is the best method to take if you do not plan to calcify as it can get you a complete set(s) of Rolling Armor in 3-4 years.

You will beat the Dung Beetle Knight, activate Underground Sow, craft whatever parts of the armor/gear that do not require  and then you go out and hunt the Dung Beetle Knight multiple times in order to gather up the various other parts that you need. 

This method means that you don't need to worry about hunting a lot of higher level Dung Beetle Knights.  You do not need the Scell to guarantee the safety of your gear - because you won't be calcifying. If you do decide to calcify then you can take your time before doing it.

The steps are as follows:

• Activate Underground Sow (1 Endeavor)
• Upgrade the Harvest Twice (2 Caustic Preserved Dung + 2 Endeavors)
• Craft the Century Shoulder Pads + Rainbow Wing Belt
• Once Black Harvest L3 triggers Craft all the L2 and L3 gear you want

This can get you an entire set ready within three or four years, however if you lose/spend the resources required for the higher level stuff, you will have a harvest with no ability to craft.

Level 2 followed by Level 3 Black Harvest

This is the fastest route to take if you want to calcify your armor set and get it active as fast as possible.

The steps are as follows:

Cycle 1

• Activate Underground Sow (1 Endeavor)
• Upgrade the Harvest once (1 Caustic Preserved Dung + 1 Endeavor)
• Craft the Century Shoulder Pads + Rainbow Wing Belt 
• Level 2 Harvest Triggers - Craft Scarab Circlet + Century Greaves

Cycle 2

• Activate Underground Sow (1 Endeavor) 
• Bury Century Shoulder Pads + Century Greaves
• Upgrade the Harvest Twice (2 Caustic Preserved Dung + 2 Endeavors) 
• Beat 2 x L2 Dung Beetle Knights for Scell
• Level 3 Harvest Triggers - Recover Calcified Gear (spend Scell or SotF rerolls to avoid losing it) and craft Rubber Bone Harness

That will give you a full set of Calcified Rolling Armor in 6 to 8 Lantern Years and allows you to hunt for the parts you need in two batches. 

NOTE: While it is tempting to hunt the L3 Dung Beetle Knight for more Scell + a Regeneration Blade exercise EXTREME CAUTION when you consider going against an L3 DBK. They are the most dangerous non-legendary monster in the game and can utterly destroy unprepared hunt parties. It is better to get your Regeneration Blade(s) by crit farming L1 and L2 DBKSs - you are absolutely never safe ever when you hunt L3 DBKs, even the best survivors can be destroyed by a single mistake or unfortunate ordering/event.

Downsides to Underground Sowing

The cost to life and capability is not something that can be overlooked during this process. It has become especially difficult with the changes to Doomed. 

For a starter, the process of sowing places the Vermin Obsession disorder onto the survivors doing it when you achieve the 3 year harvest. Which causes them to be doomed if there is a vermin patch on the board (Doomed = Do nothing at all). Also gathering is often fatal for the gatherer at the L3 level and being a restorer is also fatal if you end up with a Trash Crown (Trash Crowns are REALLY GOOD and you want at least 1).

So you do not ever want hunters/valuable survivors to be involved in the Sow/Harvest process. Instead you want a pool of disposable survivors to do the farming, preferably ones with the Survival of the Fittest lifetime reroll available to them.

Next time; Calcification!