Exploration & gear
Core Keeper Early Armor Progression: Copper to Scarlet
Plan Copper, Bronze, Iron and Scarlet armor with crafting stations and full-set material totals. Know when to save wool and compare set bonuses.
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A straightforward crafted-armor route is Copper → Bronze → Iron → Scarlet. Use it as a shopping plan while your crafting stations advance. Bronze is made at the Tin Anvil; Scarlet introduces wool as a material.
Materials for a complete set
Budget for the next armor tier
- Copper · Copper Anvil21 Copper Bars for one complete three-piece set.
- Bronze · Tin Anvil15 Tin Bars + 15 Copper Bars + 12 Fiber.
- Iron · Iron Anvil38 Iron Bars + 6 Gold Bars + 17 Fiber.
- Scarlet · Scarlet Anvil47 Scarlet Bars + 9 Iron Bars + 12 Wool.
Each total in the diagram above is the sum of one helm, one breastplate and one pair of pants. It excludes the station, tools and later upgrades.
Build one useful step at a time
Craft each anvil at its matching workbench: Copper costs 8 Copper Bars, Tin costs 8 Tin Bars, Iron costs 10 Iron Bars and Scarlet costs 15 Scarlet Bars. These are additional to the armor totals above.
Start by opening the anvil for your current material tier and checking which slots need replacing. You can craft a single piece before saving for the whole set. For example, a Copper Helm costs 6 Copper Bars; a Bronze Helm costs 4 Tin Bars, 4 Copper Bars and 3 Fiber.
Keep some material aside for your next tools and workbench. The diagram is a budget for choosing purchases, not a requirement to make every set before continuing the boss route.
For Scarlet armor, establish a wool supply from Bambucks before you need all twelve wool. The helm alone uses 3 wool with 13 Scarlet Bars and 2 Iron Bars.
Compare the bonus as well as the armor number
The Bronze Helm includes a mining-damage bonus. Scarlet pieces support critical hits, and the complete three-piece Scarlet set adds a stacking critical-hit effect after kills. Decide which benefit suits the task you are preparing for.
When comparing a found item with crafted gear, compare the actual values shown on your equipped pieces. The reference entries list both base and upgraded levels, which can produce very different numbers for the same item name. Ordinary armor also does not replace the protection needed when collecting Radiation Crystals.