The bulk crafting of Hydrilium and Hydrilium Bars requires a number of specialized gear sets for gathering the necessary materials, processing them, and finally crafting what you wish out of them. This guide intends to present a BiS gear set for each activity in the first two with some potential tradeoffs for other possible outcomes for the final crafting my recommendation is here. If you have yet to unlock the 6th tool slot then then top 5 in the Tools list are the best to use.
Eternal vs. Other Quality Crafted Gear
All crafted gear is assumed to be Eternal quality, generally lower quality can be used but it's possible depending on your levels and the exact qualities that other looted gear may outperform it. For the Diving Sets, we're using all the underwater services for the bonus No Materials Consumed and to minimize travel time so you will need some pieces anyways. Generally as long as it is Excellent quality and especially for Perfect Quality it should still be the best (the exception is Craft Hydrilium where protective glasses beat all but eternal). For the Jellyfish Net and Hydrilium Miner's Magnet as long as you have Great or better quality they will still work well.
Notes:
We will ignore consumable use but there are potential speed ups if you have a surplus.
Hydrilium requires Kelp and Volcanic Rock as the raw ingredients needing two of each to craft one hydrilium. The Bars additionally require an extra kelp to complete the craft.
Kelp
The best, and currently only, source of Kelp is from Kelp Foraging with a wear of 58 steps and a drop rate of 95.238%.
The below gear set gives you the best results at an average of 17.8 steps per Kelp drop.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
This brings the rate to 775.2 Steps/Fine Item.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
Volcanic Rock
The best source of Volcanic Rock is from Mine Volcanic Rock with a wear of 70 steps and a drop rate of 95.238%.
The below gear set gives you the best results at an average of 33.6 steps per Volcanic Rock drop. Optionally you can swap the Miner's Bear for the Rock-Star Amulet for a loss of 1.1 steps per item (34.7 total) but be able to farm gems at the same time.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
This brings the rate to 900.5 Steps/Fine Item.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
Processing
There are two processing steps needed to craft Hydrilium and an extra to make the bars.
Harden Kelp (Cooking)
The first step is to take the Kelp you have foraged and harden it through the cooking recipe. The gear set below is optimized for using the Underwater Kitchen for the additional No Materials Consumed chance. Note the rings are optional but give good bonus XP.
This gives you an approximately 1.26 times increase from base materials, needing a calculated 794 Kelp to produce 1000 Hardened Kelp. Though this is obviously RNG dependent it gives a baseline of actual crafts needed.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
This set optimizes for the highest possible crafts / material at 3.00, but this comes at the expense of more steps overall.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
Craft Hydrilium (Crafting)
The next step is to take the Hardened Kelp you have cooked and combine it with the Volcanic Rock via crafting. The gear set below is optimized for using the Tidal Workshop for the additional No Materials Consumed chance. Note the rings are optional but give good bonus XP.
This gives you an approximately 2.09 times increase from base materials, needing a calculated 480 Hardened Kelp and 960 Volcanic Rock to produce 1000 Hydrilium. Though this is obviously RNG dependent it gives a baseline of actual crafts needed.
Note: The Protective Glasses beat everything except an Eternal Hydrilium Diving Helm and should be used if you do not have an eternal quality helm. Remember to swap in the Oxygen Tank for the Bag of Rocks if you use the Glasses. See Blue’s Bulk Hydrilium for more information on this option.
This set has better economic use of input materials, using the least materials for the most outputs.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
This set has better XP/Step, Lower overall steps, and better Chest Finding. All of this is at the cost of more materials needed as inputs.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
This set optimizes for the highest possible crafts / material at 2.18, but this comes at the expense of more steps overall.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
Smelt a Hydrilium Bar (Smithing)
The final optional step is to take the Hydrilium you have crafted and combine it with more kelp via smithing to create the bar. The gear set below is optimized for using the Underwater Forge for the additional No Materials Consumed chance. Note the rings are optional but give good bonus XP.
This gives you an approximately 1.8 times increase from base materials, needing a calculated 556 each of Kelp and Hydrilium to produce 1000 Hydrilium Bars. Though this is obviously RNG dependent it gives a baseline of actual crafts needed.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
This set optimizes for the highest possible crafts / material at 1.95, but this comes at the expense of more steps overall.
Gear
Tools
ᴄᴀᴘᴇ
ʙᴀᴄᴋ
ʜᴇᴀᴅ
ʜᴀɴᴅs
ɴᴇᴄᴋ
ᴄʜᴇsᴛ
ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ
sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ
ʟᴇɢs
ʀɪɴɢ
ʀɪɴɢ
ғᴇᴇᴛ
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 1
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 2
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 3
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 4
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 5
ᴛᴏᴏʟ sʟᴏᴛ 6
Consumables
ꜰᴏᴏᴅ
ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ
Copy for Gear Import:
Summary
As a closing lets make some assumptions about time spent gathering materials for a number of final goods. Lets first assume you would like to craft 1000 Hydrilium
the materials breakdown looks like this:
1000 Hydrilium can be crafted from:
960 Volcanic Rock and
480 Hardened Kelp which can be cooked from:
382 Kelp
So when gathering materials for every 1000 desired Hydrilium you would spend 32,256 steps to gather the Volcanic Rock, and 6,800 steps to gather the Kelp. The processing takes 8081 steps to make Hardened Kelp and 27,778 steps to make the Hydrilium. For a total of 74,915 steps to craft 1000 Hydrilium.
Next, let's assume you would like to craft 1000 Hydrilium Bars
the materials breakdown looks like this:
1000 Hydrilium Bars can be smelted from:
556 Kelp and
556 Hydrilium which can be crafted from:
534 Volcanic Rock and
267 Hardened Kelp which can be cooked from:
212 Kelp
So when gathering materials for every 1000 desired Hydrilium Bars you would spend 17,943 steps to gather the Volcanic Rock, and 13,671 steps to gather the Kelp. The processing takes 4,495 steps to make Hardened Kelp, 15,445 steps to make the Hydrilium and 38,235 steps to smelt the Hydrilium Bars. For a total of 89,789 steps to craft 1000 Hydrilium Bars.