Resources, Ores & Food

🐾 Mounts & Animal Locations

Mounts are essential for carrying resources. A loaded Alpaca triples your expedition yield.

Cloud Mist Forest

Animal	Use
Alpaca / Llama	Pack mount — massive carry capacity bonus
Ostrich	Fast land mount for exploration
Jaguar / Snow Leopard	Combat mount — attacks enemies
Capybara	Pen breeding for fertilizer and meat
Turkey	Coop farming for eggs, feathers, meat
Monkey	Shoulder pet — gathers fruits/nuts autonomously

Shifting Sands

Animal	Use
Lion	Elite beast lairs — tame as combat companion
Cobra	Beast lair creature — rare tame
Elephant	Heavy mount — combat and pack carrying
Rhino	Heavy combat beast
Jackal	Scout companion — fast and light

🌿 Cloud Mist Forest — Rare Ores & Where to Find Them

Progression ore table from bronze through endgame, with location, hazards, and what you get from it

Ore / Resource	Location	Hazards	Pickaxe Needed	What It Makes
Copper Ore	Desert Highlands (northwest of jungle). Also in Flint Tribe barracks chests as ingots	Desert heat during day, barbarian patrols	Stone or Bone Pickaxe	Bronze Ingot (needs Tin too). First metal tier in the game
Tin Ore	Desert Highlands alongside Copper deposits. Same region	Desert heat, barbarians	Stone or Bone Pickaxe (Bronze gets better yield)	Bronze Ingot (1× Copper + 1× Tin → 1× Bronze). Also drops from some barracks chests
Iron Ore	Best mine: northern desert region. Also from dungeon metal scraps and enemy camp chests	Claw Tribesmen level 40+, heat damage by day, frost damage at night in northern areas	Bronze Pickaxe minimum	Iron Ingot (2× Iron Ore + 1× Carbon Powder in Furnace). Required for Iron Age gear
Silver Ore	Byproduct of Iron and Meteorite mining. Also from camp chests at higher-level barracks	Same as Iron / Meteorite zones	Bronze or Iron Pickaxe	Silver Ingot (2× Silver Ore or 2× Silver Trinket in Furnace). Used in mid-game gear, some duel challenge costs
Gold Ore	Byproduct of Iron deposits (random chance). Also from high-level camp chests	Iron-zone level enemies	Bronze or Iron Pickaxe	Gold Ingot (2× Gold Ore or 2× Gold Trinkets in Furnace). Armour upgrades, mask upgrades, boss duel costs. Required to craft the Gold Pickaxe needed for Meteorite
Obsidian Ore	Volcanic / Scorching Volcano region — southern endgame biome. Obsidian deposits on volcano slopes	Extreme heat (fire-resist gear essential), fire-based enemies, level 40–50 zone	Iron Pickaxe	Obsidian Ingot — Steel Age crafting, obsidian armour, obsidian potions, obsidian tools (including Obsidian Pickaxe and boots needed for Meteorite zone)
Meteorite Ore	Meteor craters in the northern Snow Mountain region (northwest from Snow Mountain portal). Also in chests on top of Ancient Altars in Scorching Volcano	Level 60–65 Snow Leopards and Arctic Wolves, extreme cold (cold-resist gear required). Elite Snow Leopard guards the crater pit	Gold Pickaxe (required). Explosives also work	Steel Ingot: 1× Iron Ingot + 1× Meteorite Ore + 1× Coking Coal in Powered Refined Furnace. The primary Steel Age material
Crystal (Green)	Ancient Ruins chests, Holy Ruins Dungeons, Barbarian Fortresses. Temple Guardians always drop them. Best bulk: Snow Mountain Holy Ruins	Dungeon enemies, boss encounters	N/A — loot, not mined	Mask Node upgrades. The main bottleneck for mask progression — not smelted into gear
Coking Coal	Coal deposits in forested and highland zones. Also produced via Kiln from Logs → Charcoal → Coking Coal	Low — coal is broadly distributed	Stone Pickaxe	Required for Steel Ingot recipe alongside Iron and Meteorite. Also used in some duel challenges
Phosphate	Cave systems and underground mines in the jungle and highland zones	Cave enemies, darkness	Bronze Pickaxe	Fertiliser production for farming. Also used in some alchemy recipes

⚗ Steel Ingot — Full Production Chain

The most complex ingot recipe in the game — three separate inputs, all of which need automation

🏜 Shifting Sands — Rare Ores & DLC Equivalents

The desert map has its own ore set alongside familiar minerals. Some are unique to Shifting Sands, others replace Cloud Mist Forest sources

Ore / Resource	Location in Shifting Sands	CMF Equivalent	What It Makes
Copper Ore	River Delta and Coastal Dunes. White Sand Lake has the largest single copper mine on the map	Same as CMF — no change	Bronze Ingot (still needs Tin)
Tin Ore	Coastal Dunes, scattered near copper deposits in River Delta area	Same as CMF	Bronze Ingot alongside Copper
Iron Ore	Inland desert mines, guarded camps. Scout-revealed map shows deposit locations	Same as CMF	Iron Ingot via Furnace + Carbon Powder
Salt	River delta coastal regions and salt flats. More abundant than in CMF	Crude Salt from CMF beach camps / SW Barracks salt pan	Food preservation (jerky, curing), cooking recipes, craft uses
Niter (Saltpetre)	Dry desert interior deposits and cave systems across the Shifting Sands map	No direct CMF equivalent — new to DLC	Gunpowder-type crafting, explosives, advanced recipes
Sulfur	Burning Plateau volcanic pocket zones in Shifting Sands	Partial equivalent: Obsidian zone hazards in CMF. Different use	Explosives, alchemical recipes, Airship weapon ammunition
Phosphate	Underground ruins and deep cave systems in the desert	Cave systems in CMF jungle	Fertiliser, alchemy. Same use as CMF phosphate
Meteorite Ore	Impact craters near pyramid areas in the Barren Sandland region. Multiple crater deposits	Snow Mountain craters in CMF (same ore, different biome hazard)	Steel Ingot — same recipe as CMF. Desert version avoids the cold-zone hazard but brings elite guards and hyenas
Crystal Ore	One major crystal cavern near Dark River Valley — large cave filled with deposits. Only significant crystal location on the map	Green Crystals from CMF dungeons (different — CMF crystals are mask upgrades, not a mineable ore)	High-tier Shifting Sands gear, Airship components, advanced crafting
Mysterious Alloy	Crafted or found in floating pyramid ruins and endgame dungeon chests	No CMF equivalent — endgame DLC exclusive	Shark and Ray-class Airship components (bows, hull plating). Required for the heaviest ship classes

💊 Other Hard-to-Find Ingredients

Non-ore materials that block progression and where to actually get them

Ingredient	Where to Get It	Used In
Rare Fresh Meat	Hunting rare-quality animals (blue rarity or above). Certain boss creatures drop it reliably. Piranha Pools with assigned butcher tribesman	Fried Rare Steak, Jerky, boss summon tokens (Vajra Ape, Sobek). One of the most frequently needed rare ingredients
Premium Fresh Meat	Purple and gold rarity animals only. Elite beast lairs, specific boss creature drops	Highest-tier food recipes, multiple boss summon tokens. Farm Sunken Temple Trials to earn without risking rare animals
Rare Beast Bone / Blood	Rare and elite animal kills only — does not drop from normal beasts	Boss summon tokens: Sobek Croc of Doom, Saber-toothed Predator of Doom, Anubis Hound of Doom
Bee Wax	Own Beehive — only produced after the hive has accumulated enough honey first. Requires 500 bees and patience	Boss armour sets, radiation protection mods, Fang Tribe War God duel challenge requirement
Plant Essence	Alchemy station from specific plants. Also drops in Ancient Ruin and dungeon chests	Fogfrog of Doom boss token, Flint Tribe Leader (Hardbone) duel challenge, alchemical recipes
Excitant	Alchemy station. Also looted from mid-to-high level camp chests	Boss summon tokens (Tempest Griffin, Onyx Scarab). Alchemy recipe — check Brewing Stand or Alchemy Bench
Yerba Mate Leaf	Wild harvest plant in the jungle biome — low-growing shrub, easy to miss. Also from wild harvest gatherer assignment	Cigar (6th food buff slot). One of the easiest endgame ingredients to miss entirely because the plant is hard to spot
Mysterious Metal Chunk	Mechanical enemies (mid-to-late game), level 40+ dungeon chests, Plateau Woodland Dungeon	Substitute for Meteorite Ore in the Steel Ingot recipe. Farm this before venturing to Snow Mountain if you are under-geared
Gravity Core	Exploration rewards — found in pyramid ruins, dungeon chests, and boss drops in Shifting Sands	Falcon-Class Airship upgrade. Required alongside a Medium Energy Core to unlock the Falcon hull
Power Crystal	Sobek pyramid chest (first kill), Patroller III dungeons, enemy airship scout camp guarded chests (blow nearby red barrels to access)	Airship engine fuel. Never leave for a long flight without a full stock — running out mid-flight kills you

🔓 Unlocking & Building the Beehive

Requires Bronze Age progression — not available from the start

🐝 Attracting Bees — Bee-drawing Syrup

The hive does nothing until bees fill it. This takes time and a lot of fruit

Bee-drawing Syrup Recipe

Brewed at a Level 1 Brewing Stand. You need one fruit from each of two groups:

Group A (pick one)	Group B (pick one)
Papaya	Banana
Pineapple	Guava

So for example: 1× Papaya + 1× Guava = 1 batch of Bee-drawing Syrup. Once you have Papaya and Guava trees growing on your farm, you no longer need Pineapple or Banana at all.

How Many Syrups You Need

• Each batch of syrup attracts roughly 1 bee per 2 syrups on standard difficulty (up to 1 per 5 on hard)
• After ~50 bees (around 100 syrups), bees become self-replicating — you can stop adding syrup and they fill to 500 on their own
• Full hive = 500 bees. Expect to use 100–150 syrups total to trigger self-replication
• Once at 500/500, the hive produces roughly 10 honey per hour
• Beeswax only starts producing after enough honey has accumulated — leave honey in the hive and wax will follow
• Place syrup directly in the Beehive's slot and monitor the bee counter by hovering over it

🌿 Fruit Locations — Cloud Mist Forest

Where to find the fruits you need for syrup, seeds, and cooking

Fruit / Crop	Where to Find	Notes
🌶 Chilli	Northwest Barracks (Flint Tribe, northwest of the Jungle) farmland plots	Also found with pumpkins, potatoes, corn, cotton, and tomatoes at the same NW barracks location
🍅 Tomato	Northwest Barracks (Flint Tribe) farmland plots	Grows alongside chilli at the same barracks. Also found in chests at barracks and camps
🍌 Banana	Monkey loot — tame monkeys and set them to collect Bananas; also supply chests in camps	Not a farmable crop — cannot be grown on farmland. Monkeys are the most reliable source. Assign tamed monkeys to collect Bananas specifically
🍍 Pineapple	Monkey loot — same as banana; supply chests in camps	Also not farmable. Tame monkeys are the primary sustainable source. Once you have Papaya and Guava trees you no longer need Pineapple for bee syrup
🧃 Papaya	Southwest Barracks (Flint Tribe, southwest of the Salt Pan, Mangrove Swamp area) farmland; also Fang Tribe Pit Hill barracks	Farmable once you have seeds — grind fruit in the Grinder to get Papaya Seeds. One of the best sustained bee syrup ingredients once you have trees growing
🍈 Guava	Southwest Barracks (Mangrove Swamp Flint Tribe) farmland; Frostleaf Grove Flint Tribe barracks; level 50 Fang Fortress chests (advanced loot)	Farmable. Scout boxes and supply chests also contain it. One player noted finding guava only in a Level 50 Fang Fortress advanced chest — it can be rare early. Grind to make Guava Seeds for your farm
🌽 Corn	Both NW and SW Barracks farmlands	Common across multiple barracks locations; also grows at various Flint Tribe camps
🥜 Peanut / Cashew	Fang Tribe Pit Hill barracks; Frostleaf Grove Flint barracks; monkey loot	Peanuts also dropped by monkeys. Cashew at SW Mangrove barracks
🍫 Cocoa	SW Mangrove Barracks; Fang Tribe Pit Hill barracks	Also found in chest loot at relevant camps
🌿 Wild Fruit	Harvesting bushes anywhere in the jungle; Monkey Storage Nests; monkeys following you	General-purpose fruit usable in Juice, Yeast, and Fruit Wine recipes. Gatherer tribesmen assigned to wild harvest will collect it — but keep food nearby as they will eat berries they collect

🏜 Fruit & Crops — Shifting Sands

The DLC uses an almost entirely different set of crops replacing most Cloud Mist Forest recipes

Fruit / Crop	Notes
🍇 Grape / Fig	Used in Yeast recipes (replacing forest fruits). Find at desert barracks farmlands and supply chests. Figs also found wild near river delta areas and oasis locations
🌴 Date Palm	Dates produce Date Palm Syrup used in Shifting Sands cooking recipes (e.g. Corone). Found at desert barracks farmlands, especially in river delta camp regions
🌾 Wheat	New to Shifting Sands. Used to make Flour for cooking. Found at desert barracks farmlands
🐝 Bee Syrup fruit (SS)	The bee syrup recipe still requires tropical fruits. Beehives in Shifting Sands need Grape or Fig as substitutes where Papaya/Guava aren't available — check the in-game Mask Knowledge Base for the exact current recipe, as it may vary from the Cloud Mist Forest version
🍊 Grapefruit	No confirmed common spawn location in existing guides for either map. May appear in higher-level camp chests or as a rarer loot item. Use the in-game Mask Knowledge Base (added in 1.0) to search for its acquisition location with a map marker, or check the interactive map at saraserenity.net/soulmask/map

🌱 Turning Fruit Into Farmable Seeds

The Grinder is how you build a sustainable fruit supply from foraged or raided specimens

🍽 How the Buff System Works

Five food categories stack simultaneously — one buff from each at a time

Every dish belongs to one of five categories: Staple, Meat, Fruit & Vegetable, Beverage, and Indulgence. You can have one buff active from each category at the same time, giving you up to five food buffs simultaneously. A sixth bonus slot is reserved for Cigars, unlocked at Awareness Strength 30. Plan your food set around what you are doing — dungeon runs, boss fights, and levelling sessions each benefit from different combinations.

🔥 Cooking Stations — Unlock Order

Each station unlocks new recipe tiers via the tech tree (T key). Always assign a high Cooking-proficiency tribesman to your main cooking bench

Station	Unlock	What It Adds
Campfire / Bonfire	Start of game	Basic cooking: Cooked Meat, Broth, Roasted items. Limited but essential early on
Cooking Stove	Awareness Strength 8	Mid-tier recipes: Fish Soup, Stews, Quinoa Porridge, Dried Meat, more complex dishes. The biggest early upgrade
Drying Rack	Awareness Strength 18	Jerky and preserved foods — doesn't spoil quickly, essential for long expeditions and dungeon runs
Brewing Stand (Level 1)	Awareness Strength 20	Beverages: Juice, Fruit Wine, Beer, Mescal, Mead, Bee-drawing Syrup, Broth
Oil Press	Awareness Strength 30 (Level 2 Carpenter's Table required)	Cooking Oil — unlocks Worktop recipes
Worktop	Awareness Strength 30	Endgame meals: Fried Taco, Spicy Soup, Fried Rare Steak, Seafood Quinoa Rice, Hot Cocoa, Dumplings — the highest-tier buff foods in the game
Ice Cellar	Mid-game build	Dramatically slows food spoilage — stock cooked meals here to reduce constant re-cooking. Place next to your Dining Table

📋 Essential Recipes — Ingredients & Where Made

The most impactful recipes at each stage of the game

Early Game — Stone Age to Bronze Age

Dish	Category	Ingredients	Station	Key Buff
Broth	Staple / Liquid	1× Fresh Meat + 1× Water	Campfire / Brewing Stand	Satiety +60, Hydration +60. Auto-consumed by tribesmen — ideal for Dining Table stock
Cooked Meat	Meat	1× Fresh Meat	Campfire / Bonfire	Basic satiety. Upgrade to Dried Meat or Cured Beef as soon as possible
Roasted Pumpkin	Fruit & Veg	1× Pumpkin	Campfire	Satiety boost + small stamina buff. Pumpkin seeds from NW Barracks raids
Cooked Fish	Meat	1× Fish	Campfire / Cooking Stove	Reliable early meat buff. Fish from Piranha Pools or fish traps near water
Juice	Beverage	1× Guava or Pineapple or Banana + 1× Wild Fruit (optional)	Brewing Stand	Poison Resist +10, Max Hydration +10 for 20 min, Hydration +100, Satiety +20, uplifts Mood
Fruit Wine	Indulgence	2× Wild Fruit or Guava / Pineapple / Banana + Yeast	Brewing Stand	Damage +3%, max morale stops decaying for 20 min, Hydration +40, Satiety +20, uplifts Mood

Mid Game — Cooking Stove Unlocked

Dish	Category	Ingredients	Station	Key Buff
Quinoa Porridge	Staple	2× Quinoa + 1× Water	Cooking Stove	Crit Damage +5%, Body Skill XP +100% for 20 min. Best pre-30 staple — stack with everything else
Fish Soup	Staple / Liquid	1× Fish + 1× Water (+ optional veg)	Cooking Stove	Good satiety, hydration, and a health regen buff. Auto-consumable by tribesmen — great Dining Table food
Good Cured Beef	Meat	2× Fresh Meat + 1× Crude Salt	Cooking Stove / Drying Rack	Max Health +100, Attack +5 for 20 min. Crude Salt from beach camp salt nodes or SW Barracks salt pan
Pumpkin Salad	Fruit & Veg	1× Pumpkin + 1× Cooking Oil	Cooking Stove	Max Stamina +10 for 20 min. Requires Oil Press unlock
Good Dried Meat / Jerky	Meat	2× Rare Fresh Meat or Premium Fresh Meat + 1× Crude Salt	Drying Rack	Doesn't spoil quickly — essential for dungeon runs and expeditions. Higher-tier meat = better buff
Mescal	Indulgence	Agave + Yeast + Water	Brewing Stand	Crit Chance +3%, max morale stops decaying for 10 min. Alternative to Fruit Wine. Agave from Fang Tribe Pit Hill barracks
Mead	Indulgence / Beverage	1× Honey + 1× Water + Yeast	Brewing Stand	Combat and morale buffs. Required for some boss summon tokens (Vajra Ape)
Roasted Mushroom	Fruit & Veg	1× Mushroom	Campfire / Cooking Stove	Small stamina and satiety boost. Mushrooms from wild harvest in jungle — easy gather task for tribesmen

Late Game — Worktop (Awareness 30+)

Dish	Category	Ingredients	Station	Key Buff
Fried Taco	Staple	Tortilla (Corn Flour) + Cooking Oil + Cooked Meat + Boiled Egg	Worktop	Max Satiety +40, DEF +20. Required for Berserk Mammoth and Titan Mammoth boss tokens
Seafood Quinoa Rice	Staple	Quinoa + Fish + Water + Cooking Oil	Worktop	Crit Damage +10%, Body XP +200% for 30 min — the best levelling food in the game. Required for Tempest Griffin boss tokens
Spicy Soup	Meat / Staple	Fresh Meat + Chilli + Water	Worktop / Cooking Stove	Attack boost, required for certain Fang Tribe Leader duel challenges
Fried Rare Steak	Meat	Rare Fresh Meat + Cooking Oil + Salt	Worktop	Major attack and health buffs. Required for Vajra Ape boss tokens and Frostleaf Guardian duel
Hot Cocoa	Beverage	Cocoa Fruit + Water + Honey	Worktop / Cooking Stove	Cold resistance + morale buff. Required for Frostleaf Guardian duel challenge. Cocoa from SW Mangrove barracks
Dumplings	Staple	Corn Flour + Fresh Meat + Water	Worktop	High satiety + stamina regeneration buff
Mixed Jam	Fruit & Veg	Wild Fruit × 3 + Honey	Cooking Stove	Mood uplift + satiety. Required for Vajra Ape boss tokens
Cigar	Special (6th slot)	Yerba Mate Leaf + Corn Husk (from Corn)	Worktop	Sixth independent buff slot. Unlocked at Awareness Strength 30. Yerba Mate Leaf is a wild-harvest jungle plant

Shifting Sands DLC — Desert Cuisine

Dish	Replaces	Ingredients	Notes
Corone	Fried Taco (Max Satiety + DEF)	Flour (Wheat) + Date Palm Syrup + Yeast	Max Satiety +40, DEF +20. Wheat and dates from desert barracks farmlands
Fish & Wheat Porridge	Quinoa Porridge	Fish + Wheat + Water	XP and crit buffs. Required for Onyx Scarab boss tokens
Fried Onion Ring	Pumpkin Salad	Onion + Cooking Oil + Wheat Flour	Stamina buff. Onions from desert barracks farmlands
Date Palm Syrup	Honey syrup	Dates (farm-grown)	Brewing Stand / Worktop. Used in Corone and Shifting Sands cooking chains
Beer	Fruit Wine / Mead	Wheat + Yeast + Water	Brewing Stand. Morale and combat buff alternative for Shifting Sands. Wheat-based, no jungle fruit needed
Blue Lotus Nectar	Special beverage	Blue Lotus Flower + Water + Honey	Brewing Stand. Blue Lotus is a rare desert plant found near oases and river deltas. Gives unique resistance buffs
Chili Sauce Locusts	Meat dish (desert)	Locust + Chilli + Cooking Oil	Cooking Stove / Worktop. Locusts are an insect ingredient found by wild harvest in desert grasslands

🧊 Ice — Where to Find It & What to Do With It

A Snow Mountain exclusive resource that has more uses than most players realise

Where to Find Ice

• Mine small blue ice chunks floating on and surrounding frozen lakes in the Snow Mountain region (northern Cloud Mist Forest) with any pickaxe
• Ice decays rapidly in your inventory — 2 hours per piece while carried. Plan your run around how much you can bring back before it melts
• One piece of Ice powers an Ice Cellar for 10 hours once placed inside it
• Bring a mount — each frozen lake has multiple nodes and you can mine a large stock per visit
• Unlock the Snow Mountain Portal first (via the Mammoth Boss Arena or Frost Canyon fast travel) to cut travel time significantly