DragonSword Crafting Materials – Where to Find Resources

Crafting in DragonSword: Awakening is the primary method for obtaining and upgrading equipment, consumables, and key progression items. Unlike games where crafting is a supplementary system you can safely ignore, the crafting system in DragonSword: Awakening is tightly integrated into the core progression loop. The best weapons, the most powerful accessories, and the essential dungeon-consumable items are all produced through crafting. Understanding where to find each crafting material and how to farm them efficiently is a fundamental skill that separates struggling players from those who consistently clear Very Hard content.

This guide covers the entire crafting system, from the basic material types to the most efficient farming routes for rare resources. Whether you are crafting your first Flamberge for Lute or farming Abyssal Salt for master-tier cooking, this guide provides the detailed information you need to manage your materials effectively.

The Crafting System Overview: How It Works

The crafting system in DragonSword: Awakening is accessed through crafting stations located in hub areas, with the primary workshop in the Red Fox Mercenaries' base camp. Crafting allows you to create weapons, armor, accessories, consumables, and upgrade materials. Each crafted item requires a specific combination of materials and Gold, with the Gold cost scaling based on the item's tier.

Crafting proficiency increases as you craft items. Higher proficiency levels unlock the ability to craft higher-tier items and provide a small chance to produce a "masterwork" version of the item with bonus stats. Masterwork weapons, for example, may have 5-10% higher base damage than the standard version. The masterwork chance starts at 5% and increases by approximately 1% per proficiency level, capping at around 20% at max proficiency.

Crafting Categories

The crafting system is divided into four categories:

1. Weapon Crafting: Create and upgrade weapons for each hero. Weapon crafting is the most material-intensive category because each hero has a unique weapon line that requires specific regional materials.

2. Armor Crafting: Create and upgrade armor pieces. Armor crafting uses more common materials than weapons but requires larger quantities.

3. Accessory Crafting: Create rings, amulets, and medallions. Accessories often require rare materials that are dungeon-specific.

4. Consumable Crafting: Create items like healing potions, ailment-clearing remedies, and dungeon-specific tools. Consumable crafting is the least material-intensive and should be maintained regularly.

Material Rarity Tiers Explained

Crafting materials in DragonSword: Awakening are organized into four rarity tiers that determine how difficult they are to obtain and what types of items they are used for.

Material Rarity Tier Summary

Tier 1: Common Materials

Common materials are the backbone of the crafting system, used in virtually every recipe in some quantity. They drop from standard enemies, can be gathered in the open world, and are available from merchants in hub areas.

• Iron Ore: Mined from ore deposits throughout the Continent of Orbis. Used in all weapon and armor crafting as a base metal. Each ore deposit yields 3-5 Iron Ore.

• Orbis Herbs: Gathered from herb clusters along pathways. Used in consumable crafting and cooking. Each gathering yields 2-3 herbs.

• Animal Hide: Drops from wildlife enemies. Used in armor crafting. Common and reliable source of armor materials.

• Mountain Salt: Mined from salt deposits in mountainous regions. Used in cooking and some consumable recipes.

Common materials are never a bottleneck for crafting because they are so abundant. If you find yourself running low on Iron Ore, a 10-minute gathering run through any mining area will restock your supply.

Tier 2: Uncommon Materials

Uncommon materials are region-specific and drop from particular enemy types or appear in specific gathering nodes. They are used in intermediate and advanced crafting recipes.

• Glacial Crystals: Found in the Glacial Rift region, dropping from ice-element enemies and mined from frozen deposits. Used in crafting Frost-aligned weapons for Dana and Freeze-related accessories.

• Volcanic Ash: Found in the volcanic region, dropping from fire-element enemies. Used in crafting attack-boosting weapons and accessories for DPS builds.

• Gale Feathers: Dropped by flying enemies in mountainous and high-altitude areas. Used in crafting Castella's Gale-aligned weapons and Airborne-related accessories.

• Deep Sea Pearls: Harvested from underwater gathering nodes in the deep sea exploration area. Used in crafting defense accessories and tank equipment.

Uncommon materials require targeted farming because they only appear in specific regions. A dedicated farming run to the Glacial Rift for Glacial Crystals takes approximately 20-30 minutes and yields 8-12 crystals, which is sufficient for one intermediate weapon or two intermediate accessories.

Tier 3: Rare Materials

Rare materials are the bottleneck for advanced and master-tier crafting. They drop from dungeon bosses at low rates or are found in hidden locations with limited spawns.

• DragonSword Shards: Drop from dungeon bosses at approximately 15-20% rate. Used in crafting the best-in-slot weapons for each hero. Each weapon requires 3-5 shards.

• Nameless Essence: Drop from Very Hard dungeon bosses at approximately 10-15% rate according to community reports. Used in crafting master-tier accessories and upgrading the Rift System. This is the most contested rare material.

• Abyssal Crystals: Found in hidden caves within the Crimson Hollow dungeon. Limited to 2-3 spawns per dungeon run. Used in crafting the Abyssal Stew master-tier meal and tank accessories.

Rare materials dictate the pace of endgame progression. The average player needs to complete 15-20 dungeon runs to accumulate enough DragonSword Shards for one best-in-slot weapon, making dungeon farming a core endgame activity.

Tier 4: Legendary Materials

Legendary materials are the rarest crafting resources in the game, used exclusively in the most powerful crafted items. They are obtained only from specific endgame activities.

• Dragon Heart: Drops from the final boss of the hardest Very Hard dungeon at an estimated 5% rate. Used in crafting legendary-tier weapons that exceed dungeon drop weapons in power.

• Orbis Core: Obtained from completing the Rift System at maximum depth. Used in legendary accessory crafting.

Legendary materials are long-term goals that most players will not obtain for weeks or months after reaching endgame. They represent the absolute ceiling of crafted equipment power.

Efficient Farming Routes by Region

Farming efficiency in DragonSword: Awakening depends on knowing which regions contain the materials you need and planning routes that minimize travel time. The following routes are optimized for common material needs.

Farming Route Comparison

Glacial Rift Farming Route

The Glacial Rift is the primary source of Frost-aligned uncommon materials. Start at the northern entrance and follow the frozen river path, mining Glacial Crystals from ice deposits and defeating ice-element enemies for additional drops. The route takes approximately 20 minutes and yields 8-12 Glacial Crystals, 2-3 Frostpeak Truffles, and 5-8 Iron Ore from side deposits.

This route also provides experience and Gold from enemy kills, making it an efficient dual-purpose farming activity. Cook a Frostpeak Soup before starting to extend the farming session duration.

Volcanic Region Farming Route

The volcanic region yields Volcanic Ash and Volcanic Chili, both needed for DPS-focused crafting and cooking. The route follows the lava flow paths, where fire-element enemies spawn densely. Each run takes approximately 25 minutes and yields 6-10 Volcanic Ash, 3-5 Volcanic Chili, and moderate Gold from enemy drops.

Be cautious of environmental lava damage in this region — the area deals tick damage to heroes standing near lava flows. A meal with damage reduction, such as Ocean's Embrace, significantly improves farming comfort. For meal details, see our best cooking recipes guide.

Deep Sea Exploration Farming Route

The deep sea area provides Deep Sea Kelp and Deep Sea Pearls, used in tank and defense crafting. This route requires the underwater exploration capability, which is unlocked through a specific story quest. The underwater gathering nodes are spread across a large area, making this the longest farming route at approximately 35 minutes. Yields include 5-8 Deep Sea Kelp, 2-4 Deep Sea Pearls, and various common materials from defeated sea creatures.

Gold Economy and Crafting Costs

Crafting costs Gold in addition to materials. The Gold costs scale with item tier:

Gold income comes primarily from enemy drops, dungeon completion rewards, and selling excess materials to merchants. A standard dungeon run yields approximately 1,000-3,000 Gold depending on difficulty. Selling excess common materials is a reliable Gold source — most players accumulate far more Iron Ore and Orbis Herbs than they need.

FAQ

What is the most important material to farm?

DragonSword Shards are the most impactful rare material because they are required for best-in-slot weapons, which provide the largest power increase of any single equipment slot. Focus dungeon farming on encounters that drop DragonSword Shards, and you will see the most meaningful progression for your effort. For weapon details, see our best builds guide.

Can I buy crafting materials from merchants?

Common materials (Iron Ore, Orbis Herbs, Mountain Salt, Animal Hide) are available from merchants in hub areas at reasonable prices. Uncommon and rare materials are not sold by merchants — they must be gathered or earned through combat. This design ensures that crafting progression requires active gameplay rather than just Gold accumulation.

How do I unlock the deep sea exploration area?

The deep sea exploration area is unlocked through a specific story quest that becomes available after completing the main story chapter in the coastal region. The quest involves finding diving equipment and defeating a sea guardian boss. Once unlocked, the deep sea area provides unique uncommon and rare materials not available elsewhere. For more exploration details, see our deep sea exploration guide.

Is crafting better than dungeon drops for equipment?

Crafted equipment at the same tier is comparable to dungeon drops, but crafted items have the advantage of being targetable — you choose exactly which item to craft rather than relying on random dungeon drops. Additionally, masterwork crafted items can exceed standard dungeon drops in power. The legendary-tier crafted weapons surpass all dungeon drops, making crafting the ultimate path to best-in-slot equipment for most slots.

How do Nameless Souls relate to crafting materials?

Nameless Souls are not traditional crafting materials — they are used exclusively for skill tree respec and Rift System progression. However, they share drop sources with rare crafting materials (dungeon bosses), creating a resource allocation decision: do you farm bosses for Nameless Souls or for DragonSword Shards? The practical answer is both, since each boss kill has a chance to drop either. For focused Nameless Soul farming, see our Nameless Soul guide.