Metal Gear Survive: Don't Miss These Essential Recipes & Items

The machine gun turret is *so important*, you guys.

Not all recipes are created equal in the ruined world of Metal Gear Survive. Some recipes are so important, it’s basically a death sentence if you miss them. Same goes for items — especially vegetables that can be used to grow crops to keep your fledgling base camp survivable.

To find recipes, you’ll need to locate large containers. These metal treasure chests glow with two bright blue lights. If you spot two blue dots in the distance while exploring the Dust, it’s always a good idea to investigate. Items, on the other hands, are a lot easier to miss. All items respawn after a set amount of in-game time passes, so if you’re looking to stock up on essentials, just complete some quests and return to the scene of the crime later.

For all the recipes we’ve found so far, check out the expansive Metal Gear Survive crafting list here.

More Metal Gear Survive guides on Gameranx:

Essential Recipes & Items | Locations Guide

Rare Items / Blueprints:

Sensor Units: Find [x3] Sensor Units in one of the interior rooms at the FOB Transporter 03 base. Very useful for constructing end-game AI-controlled turrets you’ll earn after completing the first base defense.
Canteen (Empty): Canteens provide a significant boost over regular clean water bottles, making them an ideal item. The recipe is located on the Base Camp map, in the Transporter 04 outpost.
Goat Cage: Boost your food output with the goat cage, which will automatically spawn goats for a steady supply of meat you can cook. Find this container in the Base Camp Transporter 07 Clear Zone. On the hill where you first rescue Chris, check the west face — you really can’t miss it.
Oxygen Supply Camp Unit: An important gadget for later missions, the oxygen supply unit is a placeable that can refill your oxygen infinitely — as long as it doesn’t get destroyed. Found in the FOB map, in the Transporter 03 outpost.

Inventory Upgrade Recipes:

Primary Weapon Holder: Add another slot to your primary hip weapon holder with this recipe, found in the Transporter 09 outpost in the Base Camp map.
Secondary Weapon Holder: Carry another pistol or sawed-off shotgun — the recipe is in the large container in the Transporter 08 outpost in the FOB map. It comes included with an awesome revolver.
Small Left Gadget Bag: Carry more gadgets with this bag equipped. It’s found in the Transporter 05 outpost, in the Base Camp map.
Small Planted Explosives Pouch: This one is easy to miss. Travel northwest of Transporter 09 to find a small abandoned base area with a large container.

Vegetables:

Potatoes: The first crop you can grow in gardens is one of the easiest to miss. After saving the nurse, return to the Transporter 03 outpost and look in the fire pit near the dirty water supply. There are potatoes in the blackened area.
Onions: Found in the large village labeled “Singularity Area 02” after completing the chapter, look along the east border of the village to find these onions planted in a garden. Perfect for adding another crop to your base.
Tomatoes: The best possible vegetable is located late in the game. Find the tomato garden behind the Ruins 03 mansion.

Defense Recipes:

Heavy Machine Gun Type M: The best defense gadget has to be the heavy machine gun turret. With 150 rounds, it’s a much cheaper option than building 150 bullets for your Assault Rifle. This is easy to miss, too. Find the container south of Transporter 10 in the Base Camp map, just north of the Singularity Area 02 village. There’s a crashed convoy left of the road with a large container.
M21 D-Mine: This simple mine can wipe out entire groups of wanderers. Just becareful they don’t set it off when you’re placing it. Get the mine near Transporter 03, just outside Ruins 01. There’s a building next to the helicopter crash site.
Decoy: If you’re overwhelmed, a decoy can distract (or lure) enemies to a better location. To get decoys, look for a wooden tower outpost on the road between Transporter 06 and Transporter 07.
Mortar: Hardly essential, but very powerful if you can get the hang of its firing arc. Find it in the FOB map, on the bridge outpost you’ll encounter on the path to Ruins 03.
Flame Trap: A powerful trap that unfortunately requires rare sensor units to build. Find the recipe in a cave down the road from the FOB Transporter 07 camp.

Spear Recipes:

Survival Spear: Spears are, for my money, the best melee weapon in the game. Find the first Spear upgrade in the Clear Zone, south of Transporter 02 in the Base Camp map.
Bayonet Spear: This Spear upgrade is from the large Singularity Area 02 village. Look in the two-story house near the Wormhole Digger spawn.
Shock Spear: Found on an optional hill near the FOB Transporter 02. Use the metal ramp on the waterfall river to reach the high hill with a bonus shotgun recipe.
Armor-Piercing Spear: The best spear for the almost-end of the game, you’ll want to grab this in the FOB Transporter 07 outpost.

Projectile Weapon Recipes:

[Ammo recipes are almost always found in the same large container as the weapon recipes. Beware of a bug that doesn’t register the ammo recipe, even if you’ve collected it.]

Burke Pistol: The first pistol in the game. Find it in the first large container you’re likely to find while completing the main story. Find it in the north outpost in the dust while hunting down the third Memory Board in the story.
Survival Bow: Hard to miss the all-around useful bow. It’s in the large container, in the Base Camp Transporter 01 outpost.
RASP TB-SG Shotgun: This secondary shotgun is great for close encounters, and for dishing out a whole lot of damage. Travel south of the Transporter 02 base and unlock the gate near the driveable vehicle.
AM D114 Pistol: Locate an improved pistol when exploring the interior of Ruins 02. In the first hallway, there are three rooms on the left. One of the rooms has a large container.
AM MRS-4 Assault Rifle: An absolutely essential weapon. The Assault Rifle can carry more ammo than any other weapon in your inventory. Find it in the center of the Singularity Area 02 village, right next to the spot where you’ll place the Wormhole Digger for a main story mission.
S1000 Shotgun: An absolute monster of a shotgun. Great for taking out tougher enemies — find it on the hill above Transporter 02 in the FOB map. Drop down into the river canyon and use the metal ramp to reach this hill.
WU S362SB Revolver: This ultra revolver works wonders paired with the shotgun. It’s hard to miss the container for this bad boy. It’s in the FOB Transporter 08 outpost.
Recurve Bow: Grab the enhanced bow in an inactive base that looks like a Transporter outpost, to the left as you approach Ruins 03.