Upgrading your airship in Solarpunk is a key step towards progressing in the game, but the process is not immediately clear and requires significant material gathering.
Obtaining the Upgrade Component
The airship upgrade component is available through the merchant. When you initiate a trade, a sequence of items will appear at the bottom of the trade menu, displaying both rewards and the materials the merchant requires. The specific component needed for the airship upgrade is the fifth item in this trade sequence. To acquire it, you will need to provide the merchant with the following:
- 4 Watermelon
- 12 Cotton
- 20 Beeswax
- An additional 10 Watermelon (totaling 14)
- 32 refined Copper
Given the substantial Copper requirement, it is advisable to begin collecting this material early, even while waiting for other resources to grow or be produced.
Gathering Essential Materials
Watermelon can be found growing on the island west of the merchant's shop, which is also where Copper nodes are located. By the time you have thoroughly explored the starting island and the Watermelon island, you should have collected all available Cotton. To efficiently manage crop watering, consider unlocking the Energy Table at the merchant's shop by exchanging a blueprint at the adjacent research table. This allows you to build a sprinkler and a generator to automate the watering process, ensuring your crops are hydrated while you focus on gathering other materials.
For Beeswax, constructing at least five apiaries is recommended to expedite the collection process. If you have consistently harvested your crops upon ripening, you should have the required 10 Watermelon by the time the merchant requests them.
Acquiring the necessary 32 refined Copper is often the most time-consuming part of this endeavor. Setting up a drill to farm Copper before you begin trading with the merchant and maintaining a constant power supply to the generator can help accumulate a sufficient amount of ore. Manual mining of Copper veins using a pickaxe, preferably an iron one for durability, can supplement the ore gathered by the drill.
Completing the Upgrade
Once you have obtained the upgrade component from the merchant, return to your airship dock. Interact with the console located next to the manual. The upgrade option, which was previously greyed out, will now be active. Simply select the "upgrade" button to complete the process; no further materials or time are required.
The upgraded airship grants access to new islands rich in resources, including Wheat and Quartz, which are essential for crafting Silicon. This advancement also makes advanced energy projects feasible and allows for the commencement of research into basic animal care.