In the heat of the moment in Dying Light, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the options. Because on top of having to dance on the top of the zombies' bald heads with parkour, players will also have to be on the lookout for some precious crafting materials. Crafting materials in Dying Light are the players' lifeline, after all.
Weighing each one based on one's needs or plans for future crafting is one of the most tedious decisions in the game. Thankfully, once players narrow it down, they'll see an emerging pattern; some crafting materials are more commonly used as components compared to others. These are the most important ones that players will need to hoard.
8 Gauze
- Where to find: Hospitals, pharmacies, and bathrooms or garages with first aid kits
Contrary to what the material implies, Gauze has a lot more use other than healing. Well, that is the most important use for Gauze as one can never get enough med-kits or bandages in Dying Light. However, once players have a surplus of Gauze they might want to consider crafting other utility items.
Gauze is a common ingredient in crafting all kinds of Throwing Stars. If not those, then some DIY weapons will require a small amount of Gauze. One other highly useful item that needs Gauze is the Cloak Potion; players can use this in order to blend in with infected crowds for a rather easy traversal.
7 Electronics
- Where to find: Buildings in the Slums
For years, one of the best areas to find Electronics has always been in the Slums district on the map. A disclaimer is in order here though; Electronics are very rare components so don't expect to find them just lying around. But there are usually a few in some pharmacies or buildings due west of the tower in the Slums.
They're not as ubiquitous as the Gauze when it comes to crafting recipes but players will need Electronics for weapons that can shock or inflict electric damage. It just so happens that those kinds of weapons (be it guns or melee) tend to be the best in Dying Light.
6 Metal Parts
- Where to find: Random. Can also be found on infected and as yield from dismantling weapons
It's obvious why Metal Parts are important in Dying Light. If it was a traditional multiplayer survival game, Metal Parts would be the iron ore or that one particularly catalytic ingredient that will improve the players' quality of life. Sure enough, it allows players to craft tougher and stronger weapons.
Metal Parts are necessary for all kinds of weapons and offensive items. Arrows use them and so do the legendary blueprints. Luckily, Metal Parts are common enough for players to almost never experience scarcity. One can even dismantle junk weapons or even loot zombies for Metal Parts.
5 Herb
- Where to find: On fields or rocks, some fields are marked on the map with leaves
Herbs are in the same league as Gauze when it comes to usefulness except weapons don't require them as much. In terms of crafting, they're needed for mostly poison weapons which are quite few in numbers in Dying Light. That doesn't mean players can ignore these herbs.
For one, three pieces of these herbs can be used to craft a Natural Medkit. That's a very handy alternative to traditional Medkits that require Gauze. Moreover, Herbs are the primary ingredient for Cloak Potions. So farming these leaves can be a lifesaver.
4 Household Supplies
- Where to find: At a safe zone north of the school
Household Supplies are as common as Metal Parts in Dying Light so there's really no need to fuss over where to farm them efficiently. Players can just keep murdering and looting all over Harran and they'll get a decent hoard of Household Supplies.
However, one sure and accessible place is in the safe zone north of the school in a room next to the area. Household Supplies are typically used for crafting various weapons but they're most useful when making bombs. Those are cheap and effective ways to deal with infected hordes.
3 Batteries
- Where to find: Vendors, ambulances, and supply caches
Batteries are in the same boat as Electronics but they're more common. These two ingredients usually go hand-in-hand in blueprints for electric weapons so players will want to grab any battery they can find when they're aiming to craft some shock batons, etc.
Vendors and stores will sell them so players will want to try to grab these bargain items as often as they can since they can also have a random spawn rate among merchants. Other places include military convoys with an ambulance among them.
2 Chemicals
- Where to find: Slums, Old Town sewers, schools, and cabinets
Chemicals, true enough to their name, are good for making dangerous things in Dying Light. Almost all craftable explosives require a pinch of Chemicals in their ingredients. Grenades, Explosive Arrows, Bombs, and even Throwing Stars love this ingredient.
They can be fairly uncommon, however, but the more players explore, the more they'll find these lying around. Chemicals are almost always present in the houses in the Slums. In Old Town, there's also a sewer area with locked doors. Behind these doors is a room filled with a few Chemicals that respawn.
1 Nails
- Where to find: Yellow boxes, dismantling wood weapons, and infected loot
Nails can be even more common than Metal Parts in Dying Light. These two also go hand-in-hand for most weapon blueprints. Players will want a surplus of Nails in their inventory if they want cheap and easily replaceable but efficient melee weapons.
Meanwhile, other uses for Nails include crafting arrows and even the bows themselves. Bows have established themselves as some of the best weapons in Dying Light and they and their ammunition all thrive off Nails. Thankfully, even just looting infected can yield Nails, especially after players have nailed them!
Dying Light: Definitive Edition is currently available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.