Agricultural Research
What does the quest Agricultural Research give? The seeds of the base farm's crops and the Hydroponic Trays to grow them in: the base farmer hands over a crop, asks you to grow and harvest it, and gives the next, from the Gutrot Flower to the Mordite Root, across its 10 parts.
How it starts
The quest opens once you have hired a farmer at the Agricultural Terminal, which Expanding the Base gives.
The steps
Each part is one entry of the log, and the next opens when it ends. Each asks you to grow and harvest the crop the part before it gave. The table gives every step as the log names it, with the hint the game shows under it, and on a part's last step everything that part gives along the way.
| Part | Step | Hint | Gives |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Build an Agricultural Terminal | Use to access the Build Menu. Structural components can be built only within the bounds of a base. General technology parts maybe be constructed further afield. | |
| 1 | Hire a base Farmer | The Overseer will help expand your base. | |
| 1 | Return to the Farmer | The Farmer awaits at their terminal | Gutrot Flower, Large Hydroponic Tray, Hydroponic Tray |
| 2 | Return to the Farmer | The Farmer awaits at their terminal | |
| 2 | Grow and harvest Gutrot Flowers | Plants can be grown outside if the weather matches their natural habitat. | Frostwort, Faecium |
| 3 | Return to the Farmer | The Farmer awaits at their terminal | |
| 3 | Grow and harvest Frostwort | Plants can be grown outside if the weather matches their natural habitat. | Solar Vine, Frost Crystal |
| 4 | Return to the Farmer | The Farmer awaits at their terminal | |
| 4 | Grow and harvest Solar Vines | Plants can be grown outside if the weather matches their natural habitat. | Fungal Cluster |
| 5 | Return to the Farmer | The Farmer awaits at their terminal | |
| 5 | Grow and harvest Fungal Clusters | Plants can be grown outside if the weather matches their natural habitat. | Gamma Weed, Fungal Mould |
| 6 | Return to the Farmer | The Farmer awaits at their terminal | |
| 6 | Grow and harvest Gamma Weed | Plants can be grown outside if the weather matches their natural habitat. | Gravitino Host, Venom Urchin, Albumen Pearl Orb, Gamma Root |
| 7 | Return to the Farmer | The Farmer awaits at their terminal | |
| 7 | Grow and harvest Gravitino Hosts | Plants can be grown outside if the weather matches their natural habitat. | Echinocactus |
| 8 | Return to the Farmer | The Farmer awaits at their terminal | |
| 8 | Grow and harvest an Echinocactus | Plants can be grown outside if the weather matches their natural habitat. | Star Bramble |
| 9 | Return to the Farmer | The Farmer awaits at their terminal | |
| 9 | Grow and harvest Star Bramble | Plants can be grown outside if the weather matches their natural habitat. | Mordite Root, Star Bulb |
| 10 | Return to the Farmer | The Farmer awaits at their terminal | |
| 10 | Grow and harvest Mordite Root | Plants can be grown outside if the weather matches their natural habitat. |
What the items do
Everything the quest hands over, with the description the game gives it: the seeds, and the products the farmer teaches you to make from the harvest.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
Gutrot Flower | A foul-smelling, farmable flower that replicates the chemical structure of faecal matter. When planted inside, yields a harvest of Faecium. |
Large Hydroponic Tray | A self contained growth system for the indoor cultivation of agricultural crops. Can support up to four plants. |
Hydroponic Tray | A self contained growth system for the indoor cultivation of agricultural crops. |
Frostwort | A large crystal flower with radiant blue blooms, found only in snowy biomes. Frostwort can be farmed and makes a reliable crop, and its adaptation to harsh conditions results in highly frequent harvests. |
Faecium | A foul-smelling compound that can be harvested from the Gutrot Flower, or less desirably from the faecal matter of some species. |
Solar Vine | This 'living rock' is adapted to live in the extreme heat of scorched biomes. However, it can be farmed in most environments and, once established, yields a moderate harvest. |
Frost Crystal | A beautiful blue crystal, this organic compound possesses both great hardiness and a shimmering translucence. It is harvested from the leaves of Frostwort. |
Fungal Cluster | A spherical fungus with internal gills, found only in toxic biomes. Fungal Clusters can be transplanted for cultivation, yielding a bountiful harvest. |
Gamma Weed | A luminous, leafy flowering plant that thrives in radioactive biomes and can be cultivated to yield a bountiful harvest. |
Fungal Mould | An oddly-glowing substance, harvested from the gills of Fungal Clusters. |
Gravitino Host | A strange, potentially parasitic plant that yields an occasional harvest of the highly tradable commodity, Gravitino Balls. |
Venom Urchin | A small, innocuous looking plant whose leaves periodically secrete a small amount of potent Sac Venom, a valuable trading commodity. |
Albumen Pearl Orb | A medium-sized, farmable Crystal Orb that yields an occasional harvest of valuable Albumen Pearls. |
Gamma Root | A strange substance that seems to slowly shift the air around it. It is found in the roots of the Gamma Weed plant. |
Echinocactus | Native to barren biomes and capable of withstanding long periods of drought, Echinocactus is an edible succulent that responds well to cultivation, yielding a large but occasional harvest. |
Star Bramble | A medium-sized, farmable plant that yields an occasional harvest of valuable Star Bulbs. |
Mordite Root | An inedible tuber that produces a small yield of Mordite crystals. |
Star Bulb | A beautiful gemstone, this prized product is the engorged, luminescent berry of the Star Bramble. |
The other base quests start from Expanding the Base.