To upgrade a tool in Loftia, you need three things: its recipe from a Research Station, a high enough Project Station and the materials, including the old tool. The recipes are what catch people out: Notes From the Land asks you to get the Hammer Lv.2 recipe, and it’s actually a reward for handing four fish to a Research Station.
Pets take longer. You collect Location pieces until you can find the animal, then fill its Pet Bowl with treats. You can’t buy them, and each pet has its own route.
How to Upgrade Your Tools
Finish these in order and you won’t get stuck halfway:
- Reach the Hanging Gardens and pick up Field Research. That quest opens the Research Stations in the Gardens.
- Upgrade your Project Station to the level the tool needs.
- Hand in the Research Station bundle that gives the recipe.
- Craft the upgrade at your Project Station. It uses up the old tool, so you end up with one tool, not two.
This table lists every tool upgrade. Recipe from is where you get the recipe, Station is the Project Station level it needs, and Materials is what the craft consumes.
| Tool | Recipe from | Station | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammer Lv.2 | Heavy-Weight Titans bundle, Central Lake Research Station | Lv. 2 | Hammer ×1, Rattan ×10, Copper Scraps ×10, Rubber ×2 |
| Hammer Lv.3 | Advanced Mechanics bundle, Museum Research Station | Lv. 3 | Hammer Lv.2 ×1, Electronic Scraps ×5, Rust Resistant Alloy ×3, Lignin ×1 |
| Pruners Lv.2 | Murky Waters bundle, Central Lake Research Station | Lv. 2 | Pruners ×1, Copper Bar ×2, Flexible Lumber ×2 |
| Pruners Lv.3 | Nurturing Nature bundle, Museum Research Station | Lv. 3 | Pruners Lv.2 ×1, Copper Bar ×2, Electronic Scraps ×5, Rust Resistant Alloy ×3 |
| Advanced Watering Can | Seedy Stories bundle, Community Farms Research Station | Lv. 2 | Watering Can ×1, Plastic Sheet ×2, Metal Plate ×2 |
| Collector Rod Lv.2 | Fluffy and Squishy bundle, Museum Research Station | Lv. 3 | Collector Rod ×1, Carbon Fiber ×5, Vines ×5, Magnets ×2 |
| Propeller | Mending What’s Broken quest | Lv. 3 | Glider ×1, Hard Lumber ×2, Aluminium Bar ×2, Resin ×10 |
Lv.3 tools can’t be rushed. The Museum Research Station opens during Field Notes and Loose Bolts in Gridfall, so plan on finishing the Gardens first.
Upgrade the Project Station
You place the Project Station yourself early on. Both upgrades are cheap, so don’t put them off: nearly every tool upgrade is locked behind them.
| Level | Materials | How to unlock it |
|---|---|---|
| Lv. 2 | Copper Scraps ×3, Screws ×5, Scrap Wire ×5 | Complete the quest “Welcome to the Gardens” to unlock this upgrade. |
| Lv. 3 | Electronic Scraps ×5, Rusted Metal ×2, Scrap Wire ×10 | Complete the quest “Keeping the Lights On” to unlock this upgrade. |
The Lv.2 recipe also comes from the Anadromous Odyssey bundle at the Central Lake Research Station, if you missed it.
Catch the Fish for the Lv.2 Recipes
The Hammer Lv.2 and Pruners Lv.2 recipes are both fish collections, and you’ll need the Collector Rod from Fish Are Friends first. Hand in one of each fish. Best pool is the fishing spot with the highest chance of that fish in its Good tier.
| Bundle | Fish | Best pool |
|---|---|---|
| Anadromous Odyssey | Allis Shad | Floating Village (Common), 100% |
| Anadromous Odyssey | Atlantic Salmon | Floating Village (Uncommon), 100% |
| Anadromous Odyssey | Atlantic Sturgeon | Floating Village (Rare), 100% |
| Anadromous Odyssey | Rainbow Trout | Lake (Rare), 88.89% |
| Heavy-Weight Titans | Seventyfour Seabream | Deep Lake (Common), 88.89% |
| Heavy-Weight Titans | Nassau Grouper | Deep Lake (Uncommon), 44.44% |
| Heavy-Weight Titans | Giant Sea Bass | Deep Lake (Uncommon), 44.44% |
| Heavy-Weight Titans | Southern Bluefin Tuna | Deep Lake (Rare), 88.89% |
| Murky Waters | Spring Pygmy Sunfish | Forest (Common), 100% |
| Murky Waters | Dalhousie Catfish | Forest (Uncommon), 50% |
| Murky Waters | Moapa Dace | Forest (Uncommon), 50% |
| Murky Waters | Red Handfish | Forest (Rare), 100% |
Heavy-Weight Titans gives the Hammer Lv.2 recipe and Murky Waters gives Pruners Lv.2. Do Anadromous Odyssey first, since it sits on the Central Lake station’s first page. The interactive map shows every pool and its odds, so search a fish’s name to find the nearest one.
Crafted Materials
Most upgrade materials come from the Refining Station, at five raw materials for one refined item. The catch is that the station has levels of its own, so check this before you plan an upgrade:
| Material | Made from | Refining Station |
|---|---|---|
| Rubber | Tire ×5 | Lv. 1 |
| Copper Bar | Copper Scraps ×5 | Lv. 2 |
| Flexible Lumber | Rattan ×5 | Lv. 2 |
| Lignin | Bioluminescent Ivy ×5 | Lv. 2 |
| Rust Resistant Alloy | Rusted Metal ×5 | Lv. 3 |
Pruners Lv.2 needs Copper Bar and Flexible Lumber, so upgrade your Refining Station first or you’ll have the recipe and nothing to make it with. Refining Station Lv.2 comes from the Central Lake Research Station, and Lv.3 comes from the first page of the Museum Research Station.
A Hammer Lv.2 needs 2 Rubber, so that’s 10 Tires on top of the 10 Rattan and 10 Copper Scraps in the recipe. Budget for it before you sit down to craft. A critical craft gives you 2 refined items for the same materials.
Every Other Tool
These don’t upgrade an older tool, or they’re where you start. A few come straight from a quest, so you won’t need to craft them.
| Tool | Where it comes from | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Hammer | A Fresh Start quest | Screws ×5, Plastic Discards ×5 |
| Pruners | Available from the start | Plastic Discards ×10, Screws ×10, Metal Plate ×2 |
| Watering Can | The First Sprout quest | Plastic Discards ×5, Metal Scraps ×5 |
| Glider | Certified Flying Loftian quest | Rubber ×3, Straw ×3, Glass Cullets ×5 |
| Collector Rod | Fish Are Friends quest | Rattan ×5, Jute ×5, Plastic Sheet ×1 |
| Bounce Shoes | Everything Is Connected quest | Aluminium Bar ×2, Resin ×10, Banana Leather ×2 |
| Rail Boots | Slip, Zip, Hooray! quest or Electric Dreams bundle, Museum Research Station | Magnets ×5, Carbon Fiber ×3 |
| Trowel | Root Veggies bundle, Community Farms Research Station | Aluminium Bar ×2, Bamboo ×10 |
| Wrench | Keeping the Lights On quest | Given by the quest |
| Locator | The Art of Letting Go quest | Magnets ×5, Carbon Fiber ×2, Glass ×2 |
How to Get Pets
Every earnable pet works the same way:
- Collect Location pieces until you have enough to make the animal’s Location.
- Find its Pet Bowl and fill it with treats.
Pieces stop dropping once you have that pet’s Location, so you can’t overcollect. Start with the Dog: its quest, Notes From the Fauna, opens up the Cat’s quest and all three Treasure Hunt pets.
This table lists each pet. Pieces is how many Location pieces you need, Where to get pieces is the only source for them, and Pet Bowl is the nearest named area. Turn on the Pet Bowls layer on the interactive map for the exact spot.
| Pet | Pieces | Where to get pieces | Pet Bowl | Treats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dog | 5 | Search for tracks during Notes From the Fauna | The Grove, the Hanging Gardens | Lettuce ×4, Carrot ×2 |
| Cat | 10 | 5% chance from gathering in Loftia City during Fur Real? | Scrap Quarter, Loftia City | Cauliflower ×6, Watermelon ×3 |
| Capybara | 30 | 5% chance from gathering in any district during Fur-ther Investigation | Concrete Jungle, Gridfall | Spinach ×10, Wild Greens ×10 |
| Alpaca | 50 | Treasure Hunt chests in Loftia City | Global Village, Loftia City | Straw ×8, Garden Salad ×10 |
| Tortoise | 50 | Treasure Hunt chests in the Hanging Gardens | Overgrowth, the Hanging Gardens | Banana ×15, Ratatouille ×10 |
| Duck | 50 | Treasure Hunt chests in Gridfall | Historical Quarter, Gridfall | Vines ×20, Fruit Salad ×10 |
The Dog
Talk to Joanna in the Hanging Gardens once Field Research reaches its notes step, and she starts Notes From the Fauna. Look around for tracks, and each one gives you a piece, so this is the quick one. The bowl is near The Grove, and you’ll need 4 Lettuce and 2 Carrots, so plant those before you go. Joanna also gives you the Basic Habitat recipe when you report back.
The Cat and the Capybara
Both start with Joanna, and pieces only drop once you’ve taken her quest. Take it first, or the nodes you gather before then count for nothing.
Fur Real? follows the Dog. Each gather in Loftia City has a 5% chance of a piece, and you need 10, so expect around 200 nodes. Tall grass, clay mounds, wooden crates and most other Loftia City gathering spots all count, so stick to a dense patch and work through it.
Fur-ther Investigation opens after Mending What’s Broken. It’s the same 5% chance, but it works in all three districts and you need 30, so expect around 600 nodes. Don’t farm for it. Take the quest and let it fill while you gather for everything else.
The Alpaca, Tortoise and Duck
These need 50 pieces each, and they come from Treasure Hunt chests in one district only: the Alpaca in Loftia City, the Tortoise in the Hanging Gardens and the Duck in Gridfall.
A regular chest has a 10% chance of 2 to 3 pieces. A Golden Treasure Chest raises that to 40%, so a golden chest is worth about four regular ones here. On average that’s 200 regular chests or 50 golden ones for a single pet, so treat it as a long-term goal. Spend your Golden Chest Keys in the district of the pet you want most.
Waddle and Wheelie
You can’t earn these two in the game. They’re Kickstarter backer rewards, so don’t go looking for their pieces.