Frostrail Resources: Scraps, Recycling and Fuel

Quick answer: Frostrail has four resources worth carrying — metal scraps, wood scraps, branches and textile scraps — and one machine that makes them: the sorting table. Metal is the bottleneck because it feeds tools, guns, ammo and heaters at the same time. Wood and branches are fuel first and building material second.

What the sorting table converts

The sorting table also unlocks schematics the first time it processes some item types. In our run the torch recipe came from recycling, not from the tutorial.

Metal scraps: the only real bottleneck

Metal feeds almost every progression step:

• Makeshift wrench (repairs, which keep the sorting table alive)
• Zip gun and scrap ammunition
• Small heaters
• Station builds

A realistic first two stops yields enough metal for a wrench, one heater and part of a workbench. That is why the game feels tight: the design wants you to choose between warmth, tools and firepower.

Where to farm metal in the demo

1. Village kitchens — pans, cutlery, pots, all over the counters.
2. Workshops and sheds — tools that recycle into more than they are worth as loot.
3. Metal crates — the box itself recycles after you empty it.
4. Train wreckage and rail-side clutter — scrap plates, fittings, bolts.
5. Revenant bodies — small but free, and you are killing them anyway.

Wood and branches: fuel versus building

The Eden Engine burns wood. Walls, doors and chests also need wood. The same pile cannot do both.

• Branches — light, plentiful, best pure fuel. Burn these when parked.
• Logs — heavy, efficient fuel, but recycling one gives branches and wood scraps you may need for a wall.
• Wood scraps — building material first; only burn surplus.
• Furniture — recycle at the train, not in the field.

Rule of thumb from our run: keep 6 logs and 10 wood scraps in the chest, burn everything else that is wood.

Textile scraps: bandages and insulation

Textile is the quiet resource. It turns into:

• Rag bandages — roughly 35 health each, your only healing item in the demo
• Insulation and some furniture in later builds (unconfirmed)

Because bandages are the only heal, textile is effectively your health pool. A run with twenty textile scraps is a run with six bandages; a run with none is a run that ends at the first bad Revenant fight.

Weight is the real storage system

With a 40 weight cap, carrying loot home is a losing strategy. The efficient loop is:

1. Clear a building.
2. Sort on the spot: eat, bandage, recycle what the sorting table can take.
3. Carry only scraps, ammo, food and one tool set.
4. Return to the train under 38 weight.

Anything above 40 flags Overcumbered: half movement speed, no sprint, no stamina regeneration. A full inventory is not wealth, it is a target.

Resource routes that work

The village sweep (safe, repeatable)

Station → village houses → recycle at the train → repeat. Best for metal and textile. Kill pairs of Revenants only; skip groups.

The bunker run (high value, one way)

Load the train with fuel, seal a warm room, then take the crowbar, zip gun, ammo, two bandages and an empty inventory into the bunker. Bring back relics, notes and metal. Do not try to haul furniture out.

The rail-side scavenge (low risk)

Walk the tracks between stops. Scrap plates, abandoned carts and bodies. No buildings, no ambushes, but low yield.

What Early Access changes

The announced systems that will affect farming:

• Persistent progression between stops, so stockpiles may carry over (scope unknown)
• Relics found in dungeons that buff the train while carried
• Reworked dungeons with multiple exits, which should shorten the walk back
• Dedicated repair workstations, reducing the wrench tax on metal

None of the yields or caps are published. We will update this page with measured numbers once Early Access ships.

Next: crafting recipes, Eden Engine fuel rules, and train layouts.

FAQ

What resources matter most in Frostrail? Wood scraps and logs for fuel and building, metal scraps for tools, ammunition and heaters, and textile scraps for bandages. Branches sit between logs and wood scraps and are needed for torches.

How do I get metal scraps fast? Recycle metal objects: knives, pans and similar junk from village houses convert into metal scraps at the sorting table. Bunkers and crates hold more per container, but you need a crowbar to open some of them.

Does loot respawn? Nothing in the demo suggests containers refill. Once a house or bunker is stripped, it stays stripped, which is the main argument for moving the train instead of farming one station.

Sources

Official reference: Frostrail on Steam for the store page, system requirements and supported languages, and the Frostrail Demo page for the build tested here.

• Frostrail Demo Out Now! - official Steam announcement
• Play Frostrail Demo Until October 26th - official Steam announcement
• FakeFish - developer website