Lightyear Frontier Resources Guide

Our Lightyear Frontier Resources Guide will tell you how to find the crafting materials you'll need to power up your Mech and explore the world!

A big part of Lightyear Frontier is building a Homestead from nothing and gradually expanding your abilities to farm crops and craft new materials. In this guide, we'll tell you where to find all of the crafting goodies you'll need!

How to Get Crafting Resources to Spawn

As you explore outside of the Meadows, you will likely see nodes for crafting materials (such as Iron Ore) that are empty. Generally speaking, you will not be able to get most crafting resources until you Restore a Region by removing enough of the Noxious Slime and Noxious Weeds; you can learn more about this in our Map Guide.

Additionally, resources will not respawn right away. In some cases, it can take a couple of days for everything to fully respawn. You can speed the respawn process up by getting help from the local wildlife.

Lightyear Frontier Resources List | How to Get Crafting Materials

Here's how to harvest many of the important crafting resources and farming seeds that you'll need for your adventures in Lightyear Frontier!

How to Get Aluminum Rod

• Region: The Meadows, Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

You can get Aluminum Rod by hitting an Aluminum Rod Deposit with the Spike Saw. These deposits can typically be found in the central and western areas of The Meadows.

Aluminum Rods (and the items you can subsequently craft from them) are used for many of the early-game workstations and some of your first Mech Upgrades. You should always grab some whenever you can!

Aluminum Rod Locations Map

How to Get Black Colorflower

• Region: Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Spike Saw, Vacuum Harvester

You can get Black Colorflower by harvesting the flower with the Vacuum Harvester. You can get the seeds by hitting the leftover stem with the Spike Saw.

Black Colorflower is the rarest flower in Lightyear Frontier and you won't be able to get it until you've successfully explored the Vault after unlocking all of the core Regions.

How to Get Blue Colorflower

• Region: The Meadows, Yellow Forest, Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Spike Saw, Vacuum Harvester

Blue Colorflowers can be picked by using the Vacuum Harvester to suck them off of their stems. You can then break the stems with a Spike Saw to get seeds for the Blue Colorflower.

The Blue Colorflower is one of the first Colorflowers that you're likely to encounter. If you'd like to paint your Mech blue, you won't have to wait very long to do it!

How to Get Blue Crystal

• Region: Yellow Forest, Lowland Plains
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Blue Crystal is mostly found in a small area of the Yellow Forest. You can also find a small amount of Blue Crystal in the Lowland Plains' eastern ruins.

These Blue Crystals are used in a fair few crafting recipes on their own, but the Blue Lens and Blue Glass that you make with them are equally important.

How to Get Caroot

• Region: Edge Cliffs
• Tool Required: Vacuum Harvester

You can get Caroot by using a Vacuum Harvester on them in the Edge Cliffs once the area has been cleared. The bright orange coloring makes them fairly easy to spot once you've restored the Region.

How to Get Chromaize

• Region: Stepstone Peak
• Tool Required: Vacuum Harvester

Chromaize can be acquired by using the Vacuum Harvester on them when the area has been cleared of Noxious Slime and Weeds. Its main use is to make Chromaize Oil, a substance that is used in several Tier II upgrades for your Mech.

How to Get Clay

• Region: N/A
• Tool Required: N/A

You can get Clay by converting Stone Dust into Clay at the Assembler; Stone Dust can be acquired by putting Stone into a Grinder. You'll need to have access to Copper, and that means you'll have to clear out the Slime and Weeds in the Edge Cliffs first.

Critically, Clay is needed to build a Furnace — a crafting station that opens the door to more complex materials such as metal ingots and glass.

How to Get Coal

• Region: All Regions
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Coal can be acquired in every region; it is typically found in caves or near cliff walls. That said, don't forget that you won't really be able to harvest Coal in regions that you have not fully restored by removing all of the Noxious Slime and Noxious Weeds.

You should always grab Coal whenever you see it. It's needed to make metal ingots, glass, and other materials, many of which are used for expanding your capabilities and improving your Homestead.

Coal Locations Map

How to Get Coilvine Stem

• Region: Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Vacuum Harvester

Coilvine Stem can only be found on Tornado Rock Isle, a location that is particularly difficult to access until you've upgraded your Mech's Thruster Boost and unlocked the Water Walking ability by clearing out the Vault.

Some of the best Mech Upgrades are dependent on the products you make with Coilvine Stems. Getting your hands on this plant will help make your Mech run faster and use its Thrusters for a longer duration.

How to Get Copper Ore

• Region: Edge Cliffs, Lowland Plains
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Copper Ore can be acquired in the Edge Cliffs region after you've cleared it out. You can also find a small portion of Copper Ore in the southeast area of the Lowland Plains.

Although Copper Ore is used for a handful of items, its true utility is realized when you use it to make Copper Wire — a valuable material that is required for several important Mech Upgrades.

Copper Ore Locations Map

How to Get Fractalite Ore

• Region: Lowland Plains, Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Fractalite Ore can be acquired in the Lowland Plains, the last area that you'll be able to unlock in the game. You'll have to unlock all of the other regions before you'll be able to reasonably get it. This is the best ore that you'll be able to get in the Early Access launch version of Lightyear Frontier.

Fractalite Ore Locations Map

How to Get Glo Fruit

• Region: Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Vacuum Harvester

You can get Glo Fruit by chopping down Glo Trees on Tornado Rock Isle. You'll also get Glo Wood from the same trees. Glo Fruit doesn't appear to have very many uses in the Early Access launch version of the game.

How to Get Glo Wood

• Region: Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Glo Wood can be acquired from Glo Trees on Tornado Rock Isle. These distinctive trees will also give you Glo Fruit once you harvest them. Glo Wood is used for a handful of Homestead decorations and not much else.

How to Get Gravelgourd

• Region: Mountainside Coast
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Gravelgourd can be found throughout the Mountainside Coast. When destroyed, these plants will give you Stone. In essence, these are growable Stone trees. You can find Stone in pretty much every region on the Map, so Gravelgourd isn't terribly useful unless you want to use it as a decoration.

How to Get Hardwood

• Region: All Regions
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Hardwood can be found throughout the world, typically by chopping down the larger, thicker trees. However, you won't be able to chop down the larger trees until you upgrade your Spike Saw.

You're going to need Hardwood to make some of the better storage options, a better Homestead, and a handful of decorations.

How to Get Honeybottle

• Region: Mountainside Coast, Lowland Plains
• Tool Required: Vacuum Harvester

Honeybottle can be found in both the Mountainside Coast and the Lowland Plains. It can be used to make Honeybottle Oil and Wax. This plant grows pretty quickly on your farm — it takes just two days for it to grow to maturity.

How to Get Iron Ore

• Region: Yellow Forest, Stepstone Peak, Mountainside Coast, Lowland Plains, Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Iron Ore can be found in most regions. It's used for much of the crafting and Mech upgrades after you've finished making everything that you can with Aluminum. You'll often find Coal nearby, which is good — you'll need to convert this ore into Iron Bars before you can really use it for anything.

Aside from its use for certain Mech Upgrades, Iron Bars are needed to make Steel Bars. There is plenty of Iron to be found on the map and you'll want to grab as much of it as you can whenever you have the opportunity.

Iron Ore Locations Map

How to Get Lumbloom

• Region: Mountainside Coast, Lowland Plains, Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Vacuum Harvester

Lumbloom has the distinction of being a plant that can be found in three regions. It takes quite some time to grow, but it's needed for some of the most powerful upgrades for your Mech.

How to Get Noxious Pod

• Region: Wherever Your Crops Are
• Tool Required: Irrigation Hose, Vacuum Harvester

Noxious Pod can only be acquired by completing the "Weed Seeds" or "Noxious Bubbles" hazardous events. You can find out when these events are happening next by building a Weather Station.

Weed Seeds can be destroyed by using the Vacuum Harvester before they fall. Noxious Bubbles are a little more challenging — you'll have to use the Irrigation Hose to shoot them before they turn dark purple and pop. If you fail to stop either of these events, they can ruin the crops on your farm.

Either way, the Noxious Pods you get are critical for crafting Power Cores. Even if you don't have crops, you'll want to take the time to complete this event.

How to Get Plant Fiber

• Region: All Regions
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Plant Fiber is ubiquitous throughout the world of Lightyear Frontier. It can be found by destroying bushes, Noxious Weeds, and most other plants. You are going to have way more of this stuff than you'll ever need.

You'll only really need to hold on to a few hundred Plant Fiber at any one time. If you start building up too much, you can convert it into Plant Oil and sell it to the Merchant for a better profit.

How to Get Polyberry

• Region: The Meadows
• Tool Required: Vacuum Harvester

Polyberry is the first crop that you'll be able to get; you can easily harvest the blue spheres lying on the ground all throughout The Meadows. The Polyberry Oil that you can make with it is used in many early-game crafting recipes.

If you're looking to customize your Mech, you'll definitely want to farm Polyberry and convert it into Polyberry Oil — selling these items is one of the best renewable ways to earn money in the early game.

How to Get Pondpitcher

• Region: Lowland Plains
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Pondpitchers can only be found in the Lowland Plains, the last area that you'll unlock on the main island. These unique plants are essentially the equivalent of wells in other games, allowing you to put a source of renewable water anywhere you'd like.

It takes a few days for a Pondpitcher to grow to full maturity and be ready to use. It's best to plant several of them and spread them out over your farming area so you don't have to run around too much when you're low on water.

How to Get Rabbage

• Region: Pine Heights
• Tool Required: Vacuum Harvester

Rabbage can be found in Pine Heights, one of the first two regions that you'll be able to unlock with the default equipment available on your Mech.

How to Get Red Colorflower

• Region: Pine Heights, Edge Cliffs, Lowland Plains, Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Spike Saw, Vacuum Harvester

Red Colorflowers can be found in  multiple regions, including the two areas that you can unlock with your default equipment (Pine Heights and Edge Cliffs). As with other Colorflowers, you can get the flower with your Vacuum Harvester and the seed by destroying the plant with your Spike Saw.

How to Get Red Crystal

• Region: Pine Heights
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Red Crystal can be found in Pine Heights once you've fully restored that Region. However, you'll need to upgrade the Spike Saw on your Mech before you're able to harvest it.

You're going to need Red Crystals for some of the Mech Upgrades required for restoring Regions on the map.

Red Crystal Location Map

How to Get Softwood

• Region: Pine Heights, Tornado Rock Isle, Most Other Regions
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Generally speaking, you can get Softwood by chopping down the lighter, yellow-ish trees in some areas. That said, it's easiest to get Softwood by chopping down the Pine Trees in Pine Heights if you're looking to get a large amount of Softwood.

Softwood is primarily used for crafting Homestead decorations, so don't worry too much about collecting it in quantity in the early game.

How to Get Stone

• Region: All Regions
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

As with Plant Fiber, Stone can be found throughout the world. You can get it simply by smashing rocks with your Spike Saw. Do keep in mind that it's quite heavy, however, so you won't be able to carry very much before you get Overencumbered.

You won't use Stone much on its own after you've played for a while, but it can be used to make Glass and Clay for higher-Tier upgrades.

How to Get Water

• Region: All Regions
• Tool Required: Vacuum Harvester

Bodies of Water can be found throughout the world and are easily spotted on the map. It's a good idea to build your main Homestead (and more importantly, your farm) near an infinite source of water.

How to Get White Colorflower

• Region: Lowland Plains, Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Spike Saw, Vacuum Harvester

As far as we can tell, the White Colorflower can only be found in the Lowland Plains and in a cave on Tornado Rock Isle. You can get the flower by using a Vacuum Harvester and the seeds by attacking the plant with a Spike Saw.

How to Get Wood

• Region: All Regions
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

You can get Wood by cutting down most trees found throughout the world. Larger trees or Pine Trees will give you different resources, but largely, chopping down trees will give you regular Wood.

You're going to need a lot of Wood if you're going to do a lot of farming or build dozens of Storage chests. Fortunately, you won't have a hard time finding it!

How to Get Yellow Colorflower

• Region: Stepstone Peak, Mountainside Coast, Tornado Rock Isle
• Tool Required: Spike Saw, Vacuum Harvester

Yellow Colorflowers can be found in multiple Regions. You can harvest the flower by using a Vacuum Harvester, but getting its seeds will require the use of a Spike Saw.

How to Get Yellow Crystal

• Region: Mountainside Coast
• Tool Required: Spike Saw

Yellow Crystal can only be found in a small area on the western side of the Mountainside Coast Region. As with other Crystals, you can use it to make glass and lenses of the same color.

The later stages of the Early Access launch version will require Yellow Crystals and they only really spawn in one small area, so make sure to collect a few dozen of them if you can.

Yellow Crystal Location Map

How to Get Zappertwig

• Region: Yellow Forest
• Tool Required: Vacuum Harvester

Zappertwig can be found throughout the Yellow Forest once you've restored the area. It's easy to spot it since the blue color contrasts strongly against the yellow background of the Region.

Unlike most other crops you can farm, unprocessed Zappertwigs are needed for making certain critical items such as Batteries. Make sure to avoid processing all of them into Zappertwig Oil.

That's the end of our Lightyear Frontier Resources Guide — have a gander at our other guides below!