Metal Gear Survive Crafting Station Upgrade Order: Priority

Forging Your Path: A Strategic Blueprint for Metal Gear Survive's Crafting Station Upgrades

Welcome, Survivor. You've stepped through the Dite gate into a world of dust, danger, and desperate resource management. In the barren landscape of Metal Gear Survive, your base camp isn't just a safe haven; it's the throbbing heart of your entire operation. Every Kuban crystal you harvest, every piece of scrap you salvage, is a lifeline. But with so many pressing needs—better weapons, stronger defenses, a steady food supply—knowing where to invest your hard-earned materials first can feel like its own survival puzzle. The single most critical decision you'll make in the early and mid-game is your crafting station upgrade order.

This guide is designed to be your strategic companion, offering a clear, logical priority list that will streamline your progress, eliminate wasted resources, and ensure you're always building towards self-sufficiency and power. We won't just give you an order; we'll explain the why behind it, creating a holistic strategy that addresses your core survival needs.

Phase 1: The Foundation of Survival (The First 24-48 Hours)

Your initial hours in Dite are about reacting to immediate threats and establishing a bare-minimum production loop. Your primary goal here is to stop the bleeding of resources and start generating a trickle of essentials.

1. Medical Bench: Level 1

   • Why First? You are your most important asset. A simple injury can spiral into a game-over screen if not treated. The basic Medical Bench allows you to craft Dirty Bandages, the first step in managing your health and curing the debilitating Tetanus status effect. Without this, a single stray Wanderer bite can spell the end of your exploration run. This is the most fundamental survival gear crafting upgrade.

2. Campfire: Level 1

   • Why Second? Hunger and thirst are relentless timers. The Level 1 Campfire unlocks the ability to cook basic food and, crucially, purify dirty water into clean drinking water. This directly counters two of your most constant survival meters. It also allows you to cook Grilled Beast Meat, a more efficient food source than raw ingredients. Securing your basic sustenance crafting is non-negotiable.

3. Workbench: Level 1

   • Why Third? Now that you're no longer immediately dying from wounds, hunger, or thirst, you can focus on your tools of interaction. The Level 1 Workbench lets you craft your first real melee weapons like the Javelin and basic tools like the Iron Arrow. This upgrade directly impacts your ability to defend yourself and hunt for more food, creating a positive feedback loop. It's the cornerstone of your early game weapon crafting strategy.

Phase 2: Establishing Base Camp Autonomy (Unlocking the Fabricator)

This phase is a short but vital bridge. Your goal is to unlock the Fabricator, the central hub for all your base-building needs.

• Priority: Build the Fabricator. This isn't an upgrade to an existing station, but a new construction that becomes your next primary focus. You'll need to gather a substantial amount of resources, but this is the gateway to automating your resource generation through base facilities. The Fabricator is the brain of your entire base development progression.

Phase 3: The Automation and Expansion Boom (Mid-Game Priority)

With the Fabricator built, your world opens up. This is where your strategic crafting station upgrade order truly takes shape. The focus shifts from personal survival to base-wide efficiency and unlocking higher-tier gear.

1. Workbench: Level 2

   • Why First in Mid-Game? This is arguably the most impactful single upgrade in the entire game. Level 2 unlocks a massive suite of essential gear, including the Heavy Arrow (a game-changer for hunting and combat), the Pilot's Cestus (a powerful fist weapon), and most importantly, the Wormhole Generator and Interceptor Pylon. These two items are fundamental for base defense missions, which are your primary source of Kuban Energy and other vital materials. Upgrading your Workbench is the key to unlocking advanced gear schematics and dominating the battlefield.

2. Base Digger: Level 2 (via Fabricator)

   • Why Second? Your base's facilities—the Farms, Cages, and Wells—are the engines of your automation. Upgrading the Base Digger to Level 2 significantly increases the efficiency and output of these facilities. This means more food, more water, and more crafting materials passively generated over time. This upgrade directly supports your entire operation, reducing the time you need to spend manually hunting and gathering and allowing you to focus on exploration and story progression. It's the heart of efficient base resource farming.

3. Medical Bench: Level 2

   • Why Third? With your offensive and resource-generating capabilities secured, it's time to bolster your resilience. The Level 2 Medical Bench unlocks advanced healing items like Clean Bandages and Antidotes, which are essential for tackling more dangerous areas of the map filled with toxic Wanderers and tougher enemies. This upgrade is a critical part of your character durability enhancement plan.

4. Campfire: Level 2

   • Why Fourth? The Level 2 Campfire provides more efficient and potent recipes. You can create rations that restore more hunger and thirst, and unlock stat-boosting meals. While powerful, its benefits are often outshone by the raw utility of the Workbench and Base Digger upgrades. It solidifies your personal sustainability, making long treks into the dust far more manageable.

Phase 4: Late-Game Specialization and Optimization

Once your core stations are at Level 2, you enter the late game. Your priorities will now depend on your playstyle.

• For the Aggressive Explorer: Pushing the Workbench to Level 3 is your goal. This unlocks the absolute top-tier weapons and gear, allowing you to craft powerful firearms, advanced explosives, and the best armor sets. This is the final step in maximizing combat effectiveness through crafting.
• For the Base-Building Perfectionist: Achieving Base Digger Level 3 should be your focus. This maximizes the passive output of all your farms and cages, potentially making you entirely self-sufficient and freeing you up to focus on large-scale construction projects and perfecting your base's defenses.
• Utility Upgrades: Don't neglect other stations like the Chemistry Bench. Upgrading it becomes crucial for mass-producing ammunition and specialized items like the Oxygen Tank, which is essential for exploring the Dust-filled areas for extended periods.

Troubleshooting and Synergy: Solving Common Problems

This guide's crafting station priority system is designed to prevent common bottlenecks. If you find yourself constantly low on food, you may have neglected your Base Digger upgrades. If you're struggling to kill Bombers or Trackers, your Workbench level is likely too low. Remember that these systems are interconnected: a higher-level Base Digger supports your resource pool for Workbench upgrades, and a higher-level Workbench creates the tools you need to gather resources for the Base Digger.

By following this structured approach—Foundation, Automation, Expansion, Specialization—you will navigate the harsh world of Metal Gear Survive with confidence. Your resource investment will always feel purposeful, driving you steadily towards becoming the master of Dite, rather than its next victim. Now go forth, Survivor, and build your legacy.