Getting Started in Scrap Mechanic
Welcome to Scrap Mechanic! Whether you're a brand-new player or returning after the 1.0 Drilling Thunder update, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know for your first hours in the game.
Choose Your Game Mode
Scrap Mechanic offers three distinct game modes:
- Creative Mode — Unlimited resources, no enemies, pure building freedom. Perfect for learning mechanics and testing designs.
- Survival Mode — Gather resources, craft tools, build bases, farm crops, and defend against robot raids. The core experience.
- Challenge Mode — Pre-built puzzle challenges that test your engineering skills.
New player tip: Start with Creative Mode to learn the building controls and physics, then jump into Survival for the full experience.
Your First Day in Survival
1. Gather Basic Resources
You wake up near a crashed ship. Start by punching trees for wood, collecting stone from rocks, and scavenging scrap metal from containers and wreckage. In the 1.0 update, resource gathering has been streamlined — trees fall faster and refining is quicker than in Early Access.
2. Craft Your First Tools
At the crashed ship, you'll find a Portable Craftbot — a new addition in 1.0 that looks like a beat-up suitcase. Place it down and craft essential tools:
- Sledgehammer — Your primary weapon and gathering tool
- Resource Collector — Vacuums up dropped items automatically
- Basic Building Blocks — Wood, metal, and scrap blocks
3. Follow the Quest Line
The 1.0 update introduces a full story campaign with voice-acted NPCs. Open your log (default key L) to track main and side quests. The early quests will guide you through:
- Putting out the ship fire (use a water bucket)
- Finding the main battery and restoring power
- Building your first vehicle (the game provides a step-by-step tutorial)
- Reaching the Mechanic Station
4. Find a Base Location
Look for a spot with these qualities:
- Flat terrain for easy building
- Nearby water for farming
- Access to roads for vehicle travel
- Natural defenses (cliffs, water) against bot raids
Survival Mechanics in 1.0
Health and Food
In the 1.0 Drilling Thunder update, the survival mechanics have changed significantly. The hunger and thirst bars have been replaced with a single health bar. Food and drinks now restore health instead of filling separate meters. This makes survival less punishing while still rewarding farming and cooking.
New food items like Flower Tea and Sunshake can be found in crates. Cooked meals from the Cookbot provide temporary buffs:
| Buff | Effect |
|---|---|
| Movement Speed | Run faster |
| Fall Damage Reduction | Take less fall damage |
| Faster Hammer Swing | Mine and attack faster |
| Health Regeneration | Slowly regenerate health |
Day-Night Cycle and Bot Raids
The 1.0 update introduces a dynamic day-night cycle with a moving sun (in Early Access, the sun was stationary). At night, hostile bots become more active. Build walls at least 3 blocks high — Haybots can climb over lower walls.
Essential Tips for New Players
- Always carry food — Health doesn't regenerate on its own, so keep food or tea handy.
- Build walls early — A simple 3-block-high wall around your base keeps most bots out.
- Light up your base — Bots spawn more frequently in darkness.
- Follow the quest line — The story quests guide you through essential progression and unlock new areas.
- Use the Portable Craftbot — Place it in your vehicle for on-the-go crafting.
- Learn the connection tool — Used to wire engines to wheels, controllers to pistons, and more.
- Store valuables underground — Protect your resources from raid damage.
- Explore ruins — Abandoned structures contain rare loot, clothing, and crafting recipes.
Key Items to Find Early
| Item | Where to Find | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Main Battery | Crashed ship / Mechanic Station | Restore power, unlock crafting |
| Spud Gun | Ruins / Warehouses | Ranged weapon against bots |
| Schematic Box | Ruins (rare blue glow) | Unlock new crafting recipes |
| Clothing Crates | Ruins, bot drops | Customize your mechanic |
| Component Kit | Bot drops, crates | Craft advanced parts |
Next Steps
Once you've established a basic base and crafted your first vehicle, you're ready to dive deeper into Scrap Mechanic's systems. Check out these guides to continue your journey:
- Survival Mode Complete Guide — Master the full survival loop
- Farming & Crop Guide — Grow food and trigger bot raids
- Base Building Guide — Design a defensible, automated base
- Vehicle & Truck Building — Build your dream machine
- Drilling Thunder 1.0 Update — Everything new in the full release