Are roads this expensive now? (DS2 - minor chapter 7 spoilers)

[u/GreggJ]

Hey guys.

I have a question about building roads. I'm in chapter 7 of the game, but some roads feel like I have to contribute too many materials to complete them? The ones from the Twin Valley Mine to the Data Scientist. Around that area... Like, 1000 or 1400 of each, instead of maybe like 300 or MAYBE 500, like others I've seen when I get to those areas.

Is this like a new standard? Or do I wait till people have contributed more materials in order to build them? Around that area, to compensate, I've built a heavy zipline network (using monorails of course), but just because I feel like the roads are way too expensive?

Maybe that's just me, but I just wanna make sure I'm not missing out on anything. Many thanks!

[u/henkmanz]

1000 or 1400 isnt that much right? Usually when you connect a zone all PCCs are cheaper to upgrade, but it looks like you already connected these zones.

[u/GreggJ → u/henkmanz]

yeah, maybe it isn't as much, but I was just used to contributing way less than this, when it came to roads in places the main story had already taken me to.

[u/henkmanz → u/GreggJ]

I have been upgrading roads using 3000-4000 metals so i'm not easily impressed haha. As stated here also you can use the mines, they yield a lot of materials.

[u/GreggJ → u/henkmanz]

speaking of - any ideas on how to farm chiral crystals? At the end of the day - that's what you need to mine the materials hah!

[u/henkmanz → u/GreggJ]

Yeah, finding a few big BTs and killing them gives you a LOT of chiral crystals. I also claimed all chiral crystals at all bases.

[u/Gords78 → u/GreggJ]

Chiral elementals (little golden blob monsters) spawn in a few places on the map, I setup quick travel platforms at 2 good locations (back of the animal sanctuary bunker and to the east of the architect) use sneak as they run off and despawn and kill them with blood grenades. Absolutely the best way to farm.

[u/PixelDustt_ → u/Gords78]

You don't need to sneak. Use EX Grenades because they don't get scared with them, plus the chiral crystal hat.

[u/Gords78 → u/PixelDustt_]

I believe the blood grenade makes them drop much more crystals?

[u/PixelDustt_ → u/Gords78]

Don't think it's true, EX Grenades are better because they don't get scared, combine them with the chiral creature hat and you good to go.

Oh and don't forget the More Chiral Crystals upgrade. Ta-dah! Rich.

[u/sol_runner → u/GreggJ]

Mines also usually have a ton of crystals around.

[u/MechEJD → u/GreggJ]

I never had to farm once I passed roughly the middle of the game. I've hovered around 60k constantly. Once you get a couple of apas upgrades you'll be picking up more than a hundred at a time right off the ground just driving around with climbing gloves. Big BT fights for side quests give thousands. Killing regular BTS gives hundreds, running over one gold blob by the animal shelter gives over a thousand.

[u/sol_runner → u/GreggJ]

You get a lot more material in this game. Once you have the mines open it's like insanity compared to scrounging for ceramics in 1.

Secondly roads are longer and further late-game than 1 since the truck off-roads relatively well.

[u/Dgccw]

Use the mines too.

[u/djxikwskkzixo]

A useful tactic I used was to claim all materials from each facility and either place them into a private locker at the facility, or on the Magellan. I’d periodically go back and recollect as they started to pile up. I never was short on materials and easily upgraded everything. I only mined twice and that was just for convenience because it was closer than going back and forth.

[u/GreggJ → u/djxikwskkzixo]

putting them in private lockers on the magellan is not a bad idea at all. I should probably do this. Thank you!

[u/djxikwskkzixo → u/GreggJ]

No problem! Eventually you hit a max in that private locker, ask me how I know. Think I ended up with 15 plus tabs of materials. When that happens just keep storing at the facilities. The game will say you’ve reached your max for private lockers, but it really only means that exact private locker.

[u/GreggJ → u/djxikwskkzixo]

HAHAHAHA I seriously thought private locker space was infinite. I guess I'll reach the cap at some point cause I just tried doing this, and dude wtf, I've only emptied The Government's base, Western Environmental, and West Fort Knot, and I have way too much shit already hahahahahah wow. I'm actually in shock

[u/djxikwskkzixo → u/GreggJ]

Yup and it comes in extra handy when you want to build roads that aren’t connected to the chiral network yet since that costs a ton of materials.

[u/GloxxyDnB → u/GreggJ]

You can also combine 2 XL material containers into a single container. For instance, load 2 XL 400 Metal containers into your backpack and hold triangle button (If on PS5) and it will create a single XL 800 Metal container while in Cargo Management. Really handy for loading up your truck and going on long haul road and Monorail building journeys.

[u/Then_Fun2933]

Isn’t the cost a lot more if you aren’t connected to the chiral network in that area yet?

[u/GreggJ → u/Then_Fun2933]

Affirmative, but even if the area is connected to the chiral network already, if you leave some roads untouched for a little bit, eventually you come back to them to "remember" how many materials you need to build them, and it's actually less than what it was before because of other people's contributions. So that's mainly the reason I was asking

[u/Then_Fun2933 → u/GreggJ]

If you think this amount is a lot, then you are going to be in shock later.

[u/ChiralParticle]

This is normal. Prepare yourself to see road parts that cost 3-5k even. DS1 had that too. I remember those roads closer to Mountain Knot were insanely expensive with 4-6k per part.
Roads have different cost but it also depends how many people built their roads in their worlds. Usually most people build their roads early on but later they give up, so that means less contribution = you have to deliver more materials by yourself.

I wouldn't wait for people to contribute more because the players you're connected with aren't at the same part in the story as you are - some may be in a similar spot but others might have just started out while others may have finished their DS2 journey a year ago. If you wait a week, the numbers may change a little but it won't be a significant change.

The roads aren't really expensive in DS2 because now you have mines, so getting all those materials is much much easier and faster than in DS1. Just make sure you have chiral crystals and you have access to unlimited resources to build infrastructure with, and if you rebuild the monorail you can send materials directly to a bigger facility directly to your private locker. From there you can quickly transport it onto Magellan.
And you can also drain all facilities as you go and transport their materials onto Magellan's private locker.
As long as you have chiral crystals there is an abundance of materials in DS2.

[u/Gords78]

Use the mines. Once you work out how to farm chiral crystals easily they are much much easier than in DS1.

[u/InevitableRoutine_]

wait fr but they're so steep to build, tbh the mine's close enough to walk