Evidence: Third-party community guides and research; source-reported versions below; not independently playtested.
Process a batch from plant to product
The community chemistry guide describes a sequence rather than a single recipe button: blend the plant material into a container, heat it with a solvent to extract its contents, clean the batch, evaporate it and finish the dry material. The Composition Spectrometer lets you inspect what is actually in a container as the batch moves between stages.
- Blend: put plant material into a container and make the mush for extraction.
- Extract: add the appropriate solvent and control the Heating Plate while watching the thermometer.
- Clean: inspect the composition and remove unwanted material where the process permits.
- Dry: use the Evaporator before moving the batch to the Chem Finisher.
- Finish: turn the dry batch into individual products and check the result.
A container can look ready while still holding a solvent. Check the Spectrometer before moving to the next machine, especially after heating or evaporation. The source describes machine roles, not a universal recipe for every product; the ingredient and reaction for a particular product still matter. Source: community chemistry guide, community reports for 1.0.
Choose modules for the bottleneck
| Machine | Without modules | Upgrade effect |
|---|---|---|
| Blender | 35% loss | Four modules reduce reported loss to 0%. |
| Finisher | 12% added contamination | Four modules reduce added contamination to 0%. |
| Heating Plate | Fixed 99°C target | First module raises the ceiling; second allows a target; third and fourth speed heating. |
If too little material survives blending, improve the Blender. If the output exists but purity is disappointing, the Finisher’s own contamination matters as well as the cleanliness of the input. A Heating Plate upgrade addresses a different problem: control and temperature, not the Finisher’s contamination. The underlying community guides may share information, so their agreement is not necessarily independent confirmation. Source: chemistry guide.
Dry mixture required per product
The following amounts are the reported dry batch consumed for one item in the Finisher, not complete ingredient recipes or guaranteed yields from one plant.
| Product | Dry mixture per item |
|---|---|
| Dream Dust | 2 mL |
| Nightmare Dust | 4 mL |
| Caffeine Pill | 5 mL |
| Phanta Pill | 0.5 mL |
Use the amounts to decide whether a remaining dry batch is large enough for another item. They do not say how much raw material or solvent is required to make that batch. Source: community chemistry guide.
Control extraction temperature
For mushroom mush, the guide quotes the in-game manual as giving 40–60°C. Players instead recommend 40–49°C and report losing material above 50°C. These accounts conflict. The narrower range sits inside the quoted manual range; watch both the thermometer and the batch rather than leaving the plate unattended.
An unupgraded plate targets 99°C, so controlling lower temperatures requires attention. Upgrading the plate makes its target adjustable after the second module. Do not assume that a temperature suitable for extraction is suitable for every later reaction. Source: community comparison, version 1.0.
Diagnose a poor or blocked batch
- Finisher refuses the mixture: check for remaining water, alcohol or Lipobond Agent and evaporate fully. The sources differ on exact residual tolerances.
- Purity drops: inspect inputs with the Spectrometer. The guide reports heavy metals in acid and base bottles and recommends choosing cleaner bottles.
- A purification tablet appears ineffective: the community guide says water must be present for it to work; a dry mixture does not meet that condition.
- Less material than expected: inspect Blender modules and the temperature used during extraction before repeating the same batch.
The existing crafting guide’s 1.0.0.5 moisture notes provide patch context; the official Steam note could not be reopened during this revision. See also water purification and hydroponics. Source: community chemistry guide.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature should I use for mushroom extraction?
The in-game manual is reported to give 40–60°C, while community guides recommend 40–49°C and report losses above 50°C.
Why will the Finisher not accept my batch?
Community guides report that remaining water, alcohol or Lipobond Agent prevents finishing; evaporate the batch fully and inspect its composition.
Which machine needs modules for better purity?
The Chem Finisher adds contamination without modules. The community guide reports that four modules reduce this added contamination to zero.
How much dry mixture does one product use?
The reported amounts are 2 mL for Dream Dust, 4 mL for Nightmare Dust, 5 mL for a Caffeine Pill and 0.5 mL for a Phanta Pill.
Processing Nightmare Cap
Community reports describe blending Nightmare Cap, heating the resulting material with alcohol to obtain Nightmare Extract, and finishing it as Nightmare Dust. One report says the finisher uses 4 mL of total mixture rather than necessarily 4 mL of pure extract. These details have not been independently verified.
Reports disagree on extraction temperature: a cited in-game instruction gives 40–60°C, while another report warns of breakdown from 50°C. Check the current in-game instructions and treat the upper range as unconfirmed. See growing Nightmare Cap and the Cartel guide.