Crafting Basics That Actually Help

Read the recipe list before gathering anything. Gather only the materials the next recipe needs. Every game teaches its rules before it tests them, so the first hour is worth paying attention to.

Understand the system first

Check whether crafted gear is better than the loot you already have. Look for recipes that unlock other recipes rather than one-off items. Preparation is usually the difference between a fair challenge and a frustrating one.

Prepare before the hard part

Keep a stock of common materials, which most recipes need. Do not sell rare materials before checking the full recipe tree. A failed attempt is information, not a verdict, provided you change one thing next time.

Before looking up a solution, spend one attempt watching what the game is actually asking for. Most hard sections telegraph the answer through enemy behaviour, level design, or a line of dialogue. Write down what killed you and change one variable next time: position, timing, or equipment. A guide is most useful after you understand the problem, not before. Keep a short note of what you tried and what changed, because memory after a failed attempt is unreliable.

Check the crafting station requirements, which may need an upgrade. Guides are most useful when they explain why a tactic works rather than only what to press.

Before the next attempt

• Read recipes first
• Gather for one recipe
• Keep common materials
• Compare with loot

Learn from one attempt

Note the time cost of crafting, which is sometimes long. Craft consumables in batches rather than one at a time. The difficulty setting exists to keep the game enjoyable, and using it is not cheating.

Check whether the game has a recipe vendor with limited stock. Compare the crafted item value with the materials value.

Stop when it stops being fun

Keep one of each rare material rather than none. Use the crafting system for repairs if it is cheaper than buying. Take a break when progress stops, because fatigue makes the same mistake feel unavoidable.

If progress stalls for several sessions, lower the difficulty or take a longer break rather than repeating the same attempt. Games are designed to be finished, and the setting is part of the design. Keep notes short, avoid spoiling the parts you have not reached, and remember that a guide is a tool for enjoying the game, not a measure of how you played it. Play a short session with the new approach before judging it, and stop when the game stops being enjoyable rather than proving something to the difficulty setting. Note the attempt number and what changed, since the pattern of failures names the missing skill more clearly than the guide does, and change the approach rather than the effort when the same mistake repeats.

Craft the upgrade you will use now, not the one for a future build. Check the patch notes, since recipes change between versions. Crafting is a tool, not a collection. If you want the wider picture, read Stealth Games: Patience Beats Speed before you decide.

For the underlying guidance, see the PC Gamer guides.