Progression diagnosis

The four-link upgrade chain

Official pages confirm that gadgets collect, build, glide and fish—and that they can be upgraded. Launch guides consistently describe the practical chain below, but menu names and exact values still need first-hand verification.

  1. CollectUse the right gadget and level for the raw resource.
  2. RefineConvert the raw resource if the requested part needs processed material.
  3. ManufactureProduce the required component once its recipe is available.
  4. UpgradeReturn to the upgrade contact after prerequisites are complete.

Fast diagnosis

Find the broken link

You cannot gather it

Assume a tool prerequisite before assuming the resource is bugged. Check the resource type against your current gadget and upgrade level.

You have raw material

Look for a refining step. Carrying the input does not necessarily mean the manufactured part can be made directly.

The recipe is missing

Treat this as an unlock problem. Community guides associate jobs and Spark Cores with recipes, but the full unlock matrix is not yet verified.

The upgrade is unavailable

Check quest progression and the upgrade contact before farming more currency. Exact gates can vary with progression and need retail-build captures.

Known gadget families

Use the family name as a clue—not a full cost table

Two launch-week guides describe five gadget families: Builder, Fishing Rod, Glider, Scooper and Swirler. That is useful orientation, but it remains a community observation until the menus are captured and compared directly.

Official gameplay footage frame showing the Swirler collecting material in the world
Official gameplay frame: supports the Swirler's collection role, not any exact upgrade recipe.
Field note · Aug 28

A cautious early priority

Launch guides commonly recommend improving the Swirler early because later materials can gate other gadgets. Treat that as route advice, not a universal “best build”: preserve scarce materials and confirm your own next requirement before spending.

  • Do not farm a material your current gadget cannot collect.
  • Do not spend rare inputs until you know which manufactured part needs them.
  • Do not trust an exact cost without checking the current build and platform.

Continue the task

You know the gadget, but not how to obtain the inputCheck materials → The part belongs to a plane, tower or turbine repairRead repair context → You are deciding whether this upgrade should be firstUse the beginner route →

Held back on purpose

What this page does not claim yet

This page does not publish exact Shelling costs, full recipe quantities, complete gadget levels, Heavy Ore respawn behavior or a Spark Core reward matrix. Those claims need in-game captures and a known retail version.

Still stuck after checking all four links?

Record the gadget name and level, the missing part, your current quest, platform and visible game version. That turns “it does not work” into evidence we can test.