Steel question

[Toomah]

I'm running a mainly strength build with shotguns and clubs, miner 69er and motherlode for digging under my base at night (haven't hit anything but stone and nitrate in 13 nights) but that's not the question I have. I'm currently looking for other ways of obtaining a crucible to make steel since I have barely any points into intellect. Haven't seen one on the trader (are they purchasable?) and I haven't found a book to craft one yet (is it a book recipe?) Anybody know how to get one if you don't go to 10 int? Thanks all.

[Orclover]

Lucky Looter. Ask for it by name. That and praying to RNGeezus. Lucky goggles probably helps.

 

In the last few server restarts since A18 hit I have found crucibles (plural) as loot all within a week in game or less. Sometimes before we even had a forge up and running. I always put points into lucky looter, might be a coincidence. I sometimes even find schematics for the crucible. I have seen the crucible for sale but only at later game stages (expensive too, 9k or so). I have at least once seen the crucible as a reward for a level 3 or 4 fetch quest. Our INT player never gets to INT 10 before I have found 2 or 3 of these things. I honestly just feel bad for the INT players.

 

Mind you I am a high end POI looting Fetch-Questing machine that can not be stopped so that might have something to do with it....Server settings at default for loot/difficulty.

[meganoth]

Yes, there are crucibles and crucible recipes that can be bought at traders or found in loot. Getting to know more than one trader is a good idea as well as looting libraries (which you probably do anyway). In both games I participate the crucible was found looong before steel became an important ingredient. But well, its RNG

 

There is a third possibility where you perk into int, build the crucible and then use the forgettin-elixier to redistribute perk points. Not necessary and smells a bit cheaty IMHO, but well, part of the game.

[jdm311]

Increasing your better barter skills will increase your chance of finding them at the trader, I think.

[jackhimer]

Increasing your better barter skills will increase your chance of finding them at the trader, I think.

 

True. One I got my barter skill to level 3 I think it started showing up in the secret stash. I'm not sure if that's the magic number, but once I got level 3 it showed up multiple times

[Toomah]

Thanks everybody. Glad there's hope for me, was starting to feel a bit discouraged, would like to make a better shotgun also but no steel. I'll definitely have to dump a few points in those skills and pause my strength training. Really appreciate it.

[Jugginator]

Thanks everybody. Glad there's hope for me, was starting to feel a bit discouraged, would like to make a better shotgun also but no steel. I'll definitely have to dump a few points in those skills and pause my strength training. Really appreciate it.

 

There's a house with a secret... research facility(?) that has a library in it upstairs, quite a few bookshelves. Don't have a screenshot of it, but it's got fancy things outside of it, like a gazebo and a 2nd flood deck with beverage coolers, grill and such. Just wanted to throw that out there too lol

 

Btw, IT'S NAWT A TOOMAH!

[Limdood]

at 5 INT, you can get better barter lv 3. The new, upgraded secret stashes seem (to me, at least) to be overflowing with crucibles...like 2-3 crucibles in each stock day.

 

Focusing on working stiffs stores and boxes will increase your chances of getting a crucible, as that's the kind of loot container that drops it.

 

Getting about 70k dukes and waiting 6 days will guarantee you to get a crucible:

Getting enough dukes to buy TWO fergettin elixirs means you can respec into intelligence, make however many crucibles you want, and respec back out.

 

Alternatively, salvage operations increases loot from wrenching, and there are numerous items that break down to steel. Safes, electrical and light pole-tops, and munitions boxes, to name a few.

 

You can buy steel from a trader as well.

 

High end quests will give Q5+ tier 3 items, like steel tools, augers, top end guns, top end armor, and top end weapons. meaning you don't have to craft them yourself, making steel unnecessary for anything except base fortification (which pretty much requires crucible for the sheer quantity you need) and building the top end vehicles.

[Ghostlight]

Day 40, never seen a Crucible nor the recipe. I have Lucky Looter 3, Better Barter 3. Diligently visited 3 traders every 3 days without fail; no sign. (Also lacking a Pump Shotgun but that's not so crippling).

 

I also have Int 10 and finally just perked into Steel and made 4 of them. I still feel it should not be gated behind Int 10.

 

And having faced a gamestage 500 horde in A18, all I can say is.....good luck with a non-Steel base if you are not prepared to exploit the AI with infinite ramps or mazes.

[jackhimer]

Day 40, never seen a Crucible nor the recipe. I have Lucky Looter 3, Better Barter 3. Diligently visited 3 traders every 3 days without fail; no sign.

 

You need to sacrifice a goat or something to the RNG gods. You obviously made them angry.

[Orclover]

I also have Int 10 and finally just perked into Steel and made 4 of them. I still feel it should not be gated behind Int 10.

.

 

Agreed. It absolutely should be an INT 5 or 7 at most. But I find it hard to believe you are not just tripping over them by day 40 with those stats. Unless you have difficulty turned up and or looting turned way down.

 

EDIT: or maybe not hitting Tier 4/5 POI's or doing Tier IV/V quest?

[Jugginator]

Agreed. It absolutely should be an INT 5 or 7 at most. But I find it hard to believe you are not just tripping over them by day 40 with those stats. Unless you have difficulty turned up and or looting turned way down.

 

EDIT: or maybe not hitting Tier 4/5 POI's or doing Tier IV/V quest?

 

Hmm something I noticed and with his post it really hit me. I went until day 43 on Warrior / Nomad (warrior mid game, put it on insane after steel), and had lucky looter 3 / goggles until I finally found a crucible schematic - alas through a trader. Never actually looted one.

 

Playthrough before that one and after that one I've only invested 1 point in lucky looter and found one day 21 - 28 and day 17, respectivly. Maybe higher lucky looter saturates the crucible roll down a lot?

[Ghostlight]

In my parallel co-op play-through we had 3 Crucibles by day 14. I'm not quite sure how we got them, it was one of the other players who picked them up. I think it was combination of looting and buying from trader. So yeah RNGeezuz hates me.