How to Farm Mechanical Parts Efficiently: Merchants, Drops, Bosses, and More
Scanners, the Recall Idol, automation machines: in Core Keeper, the Mechanical Part is a material you end up needing far more of than you might expect. Because it comes from several different sources, it is easy to lose track of where to get it.
This article covers every way to get Mechanical Parts, the most efficient ways to farm them, boss drops, how salvaging works, and what they are used for. Combine buying from the merchant, mob farming, and exploration and you will never waste time collecting them.
What is a Mechanical Part? The basics
The Mechanical Part is a rare material described in game as a piece of an ancient machine.
It sells for 11 Ancient Coins, and the Cloaked Merchant sells it for 55 coins.
You will need it in many places throughout the game, so as a rule, use it rather than selling it.
Its main uses are boss scanners, the Ancient Hologram Pod, the Recall Idol, and vehicles such as boats and go-karts. Updates have also added it to the recipes of automation machines like the Shredder, Seed Extractor, and Incinerator.
Most recipes also call for the same number of Ancient Gemstones, so it is efficient to collect both together. You barely use them early on, but demand jumps once you activate the Core and head toward the outer areas.
All the ways to get Mechanical Parts
There are currently six main sources. Only buying from the merchant is guaranteed; everything else is chance-based.
- Cloaked Merchant: 55 Ancient Coins each. Available after you activate the Core, and the stock refills over time.
- Locked chests: Locked Copper, Iron, Scarlet, Octarine, and Galaxite Chests. 3–6 at a time.
- Ancient crates: A Large Ancient Crate has about a 45% chance to drop at least one.
- Enemy and boss drops: Caveling enemies, mechanical enemies such as Geobots, and many bosses.
- Dig spots: Dig spots in the excavation area give 1–5 at about 19%; lava dig spots give 2–3 at about 14%.
- Arena rewards: The Alien Tech Chest gives 2–3 at about 41%.
For the full list of sources, see the Mechanical Part page.
The most efficient ways to farm Mechanical Parts
For efficiency, combine the three methods below: buy them when you need them fast, let a trap stock them up while you are away, and explore when you are progressing anyway.
Method 1: Buy from the Cloaked Merchant
You can only buy 5 at a time, but the stock refills over time. A good way to fund your purchases is to collect wood with an automated tree farm, turn it into Planks with a Table Saw, and sell them. Since this earns coins while you wait, build an automated wood farm early.
Method 2: Collect them with a mob farm
Build a trap floored with Stone Moss from the Forgotten Ruins and caveling enemies will spawn there, giving you a steady trickle of Mechanical Parts. Cavelings drop them about 5% of the time and Caveling Brutes about 10%. (On average, that is roughly one part per 10 Brutes or 19 Cavelings.)
Method 3: Locked chests
Locked chests have a fairly high 33–46% chance of containing at least one Mechanical Part, and you get gems and other materials at the same time.
You will find plenty while clearing large areas or branch mining. We recommend carrying them back to base still locked, then crafting keys and opening a batch at once.
Bosses and enemies that drop Mechanical Parts
Bosses drop Mechanical Parts too. Here is the chance of getting at least one per kill:
| Source | Amount | Chance of 1 or more |
|---|---|---|
| Malugaz the Corrupted | 4–7 | about 57.6% |
| S.A.H.A.B.A.R. | 1–12 | about 54.0% |
| Ghorm the Devourer | 1–2 | about 33.8% |
| Ivy the Poisonous Mass | 2–4 | about 32.2% |
| Morpha the Aquatic Mass | 2–4 | about 28.7% |
| Glurch the Abominous Mass | 1–2 | about 23.3% |
| Geobot Patroller | 1–3 | about 42.0% |
| Caveling Brute | 1 | about 9.6% |
Malugaz and S.A.H.A.B.A.R. stand out for dropping a lot per kill. The Malugaz Summoning Idol is fairly easy to make early on, so fighting Malugaz over and over is a great way to stock up quickly.
Can you get Mechanical Parts from salvaging?
You can salvage items with the Salvage and Repair Station or the Shredder, but at the moment salvaging never gives Mechanical Parts.
Mechanical Part uses and amounts needed
The main uses are scanners and the Recall Idol.
| Item | Mechanical Parts | Ancient Gemstones | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recall Idol | 1 | 1 | — |
| Ghorm the Devourer Scanner | 3 | 3 | — |
| Hive Mother Scanner / Malugaz the Corrupted Scanner / Ancient Hologram Pod | 5 | 5 | — |
| Ivy the Poisonous Mass Scanner | 8 | 8 | 40 Poison Slime |
| Azeos the Sky Titan Scanner | 10 | 10 | 10 Ancient Feathers |
| Ra-Akar the Sand Titan Scanner | 15 | 15 | 15 Scarab Wingcovers |
| Atlantean Worm Scanner | 15 | 15 | 30 Solarite Bars |
| Urschleim Scanner | 20 | 20 | 20 Cytoplasm |
And more.
On top of that, the Boat uses 8 and the Speeder 15, while the Shredder, Seed Extractor, and Incinerator use 2 each. Building every scanner alone takes over 100 parts. Numbers can change between versions, so double-check the in-game recipe before crafting.
For the full list of uses, see the Mechanical Part page.
Tips when you are short on Mechanical Parts
First, decide what to build first. Make the scanners and Ancient Hologram Pod you need to progress, and leave vehicles and automation machines for later.
Next, always keep spare Ancient Coins. The merchant's stock refills regularly, so with coins on hand you can restock parts and gems in one go. Parts sell for 11 coins but cost 55 to buy, so selling them is a big loss.
Most importantly, explore, run traps, and buy in parallel. Instead of relying on a single method, doing several things at once means you will rarely run short. Numbers change with updates, so when in doubt, treat the in-game recipe as the final word.
