Scrap is the core progression currency—it’s used to research blueprints at workbenches and unlock tech. Want to craft better tools or weapons? You need scrap.
Fish Trap Base
One of the most popular and safe ways to earn scrap in 2025 is via fish trap farming:
- Build a base near fresh or brackish water, set up multiple fish traps, use bear meat, wolf meat, or grubs as bait, and let them auto-catch fish over time.
- Sell high-value fish like catfish or salmon at the fishing village, especially during surge pricing
- Players report: up to 4k scrap/hour solo, or 1500+ scrap per night in low-risk settings.
Also, using scrap tea buffs (e.g. 350% increased scrap from barrels) alongside fish farming or road runs can push yields to 2000+ scrap/hour early in wipes.
Underground Train Tunnels
For players comfortable with mid-risk PvE:
- Run through underground tunnels, looting dwellers, recyclables, military crates, and environmental loot.
- Stack cloth for healing, bring a SAR or P2/Revolver for efficiency.
- With skill, you can net ~2000 scrap in just over an hour, cycling stations and recycling everything.
This method is often safer than overland monuments if done efficiently.
Recycling Runs and Barrel Farming
A core staple of scrap farming - especially for beginners or low-risk players:
- Barrel farms along roads and at monuments: Use bone knives early, long swords later—they help break barrels faster. Add scrap tea buffs for huge gains.
- Recycle component loot (road signs, tech trash, springs, gears, gun bodies) at recyclers located at monuments.
Easy to scale, minimal PvP, and great for snowballing into better equipment.
Creating a Scrap Tea Farm
- Brew scrap tea using brewing setups (flasks, composters, fertilizers) for large scrap boosts.
- Use it during runs of barrels or monuments to multiply your output.
This combo is especially strong early game to get blueprints quickly.
Monuments & Raiding
For teams or experienced players:
- Hold high-tier monuments like Labs, Silo, Launch; loot elite crates, recycle HQM and components. Groups holding labs high-pop can extract thousands of scrap in under an hour.
- Raiding bases yields high scrap fast—but be cautious of counter-raiders. Loot crates inside bases often store large scrap.
This is risky but can be the fastest if you control a location.
Which Method is Right for You?
- Playing solo and don’t want to take risks? Use fish traps — set it and forget it.
- Need a fast start? Drink tea and farm roadside barrels.
- Confident in your aim? Hit the tunnels. Tons of loot, minimal risk.
- Got a team and weapons? Go for monuments, raid bases, and reap the rewards.
Tips to Optimize
- Sell fish at fishing village only during surge pricing for max profit.
- Run tunnels smartly—station to station, recycle all loot.
- Farm barrels in early low-pop time windows for uncontested spawns.
- Pair composters (fertilizer farm) + fish traps for dual income.
- Monitor server economics: excessive fish trap use can trigger dynamic price drops.
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