Collection nets are some of the earliest items players should start crafting in Raft. There's a constant stream of valuable flotsam on the ocean current, and the collection net will grab whatever happens to cross its square.
This is the first step towards automation that Raft offers, and with a few collection nets on the raft, players can focus more on using their equipment, saving their hook for valuable crates and digging up clay, and fending off the shark more rapidly. However, collection nets have a set of strengths, weaknesses, and exploits players should be aware of.
How Collection Nets Work
A simple collection net costs 6 planks, 8 ropes, and 2 nails. Once built, players can place collection nets next to any foundation square or any other collection net. Like other raft objects, players can remove collection nets (default key X) and place them somewhere new. However, this can destroy parts of the raft if the net is the only thing connecting them to the main body of the raft.
Collection nets work like foundation squares in many respects. Players can walk on top of them without issue, sharks can attack them, and players can add foundation armor to protect them against these attacks. However, most types of objects can't sit on top of a collection net, and players can't build structures directly on top of them.
Another way to protect collection nets is to build an extra layer of foundations around them. Foundations are much cheaper to build than collection nets, so this can keep the nets safe long enough for players to armor every edge of their raft. Collection nets will also lose their armor without returning the materials if players remove them, which is another reason not to place them at the edge of the raft.
Collection nets will gather every bit of flotsam that passes through their squares, including crates and barrels. All players have to do is run along them and gather all the items they've collected with the interaction button (default E). A simple collection net will hold up to 10 items before it starts letting things get through.
Something players should note is that many pieces of flotsam are bigger than one foundation square, or else they aren't lined up perfectly with each line of squares. This means players can catch most of the flotsam that goes under their raft by setting their collection nets one square apart. Players who like big rafts should also note that the flotsam stream is about 32 squares across, so collection nets beyond that width will catch nothing.
Another important fact is that net orientation doesn't matter. A net can be at the front or back of the raft, and it can face the current or be sideways to it. So long as a bit of flotsam crosses the net's square, it'll catch it.
On the other hand, the raft's orientation is very important. If the collection nets are sideways compared to the raft's movement, the first one will grab flotsam, and the rest will grab nothing. To account for this, players may want to build two lines of collection nets on two sides of the raft to always collect as much as possible, or else they can remove nets from one side and place them on another side. However, players will eventually get a steering wheel that lets players turn the raft, and after that point, only one line of collection nets is necessary.
Advanced Collection Nets
Later in the game, players get access to titanium, and using titanium in the research table will unlock the advanced collection nets. These nets cost 6 planks, 10 ropes, and 4 titanium ingots.
The difference between simple and advanced collection nets is small. Advanced nets are just as vulnerable to sharks, and they only collect what floats across their square, but instead of holding up to 10 items, the advanced nets can capture up to 15. This higher limit may not be worth the cost of titanium, especially since players will never find titanium in any floating crate or barrel.
Raft is available now on PC.
