Bonfire levels are the craft gate
Official badges track Bonfire 1 through 7 as reaching that level. Bonfire 8 is different: burn 1,500 items in a single session. Bonfire 9 is reaching max bonfire level with 4 or more people. Bonfire Master is max bonfire before day 3.
An 8 August 2026 crafting tutorial describes seven craft tiers unlocked by Bonfire level. In that explanation, Bonfire level 5 opens recipes through tier 5, and level 7 opens the full menu. A missing recipe can be a Bonfire lock rather than a bug. Check the craft table on your raft.
Materials those guides name
The same tutorial says recipes use wood, metal, and glue. Wood comes from floating wooden debris. Metal comes from floating metal. Glue comes from defeated pirate enemies. Other raft notes use the name Green Gum for a material processed from Ghost Pirate bodies at the crafting machine. Treat those as two reported names until the craft menu shows one ingredient. Do not assume they stack.
Reported station costs
| Station | Reported requirement | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Sawmill | Bonfire 3, 10 Wood + 2 Metal | Repeatable planks, 3 per use |
| Crab Trap | After Sawmill; read the menu | Passive food |
| Map Radar | After food is stable; read the menu | Island marks |
| Magnet | Bonfire 4, 30 Metal + 10 Wood | Passive metal |
| Auto Turret | 150 Doubloons at the Travelling Merchant | Night defense |
| Radio | Placed after Magnet in beginner routes | Marks survivors; read the menu for cost |
| Cooking pot | On the raft | First chowder awards We Cookin |
These costs are community reports from July 2026, not a patch note. If the preview disagrees, trust the preview.
Fuel versus floors
Keep a wood reserve for the Bonfire. Spending every plank on floors leaves the raft dark. Player comments on March and June 2026 walkthroughs say the day does not advance to night unless wood is put on the fire. That is player-reported, not an official rule, and it may have changed. Test it on a run you can afford to stall, and do not rely on it once a raid timer is already active.
A stable raft
A stable early raft has a fed Bonfire, plank income, a food station, storage you can reach without swimming, and a planned return. Walls and guns matter after that, not before the fire stays lit.