Water trading is one of the steadier ways I can earn Credits in Probably Stolen, but only when I understand what the purity number means. Buying a cheap bottle is easy; turning it into water that customers actually want is where the profit comes from. This guide covers my starting setup, water quality thresholds, testing, purification, Rustwater processing, machines, dilution, Pure Water, buyers, and selling strategies for the full release.
Complete Water Trading Guide
My basic loop is simple: buy or collect water, identify what is contaminating it, treat it with the right tools, check the result, and sell it to the right buyer. The advanced game is about repeating that loop at a larger volume without wasting filters, tablets, energy, or customer budgets.
What Changed in Water Trading After the Demo?
The largest difference is that the old filter-only approach no longer solves every water problem. The full game puts much more importance on choosing the correct treatment for each contaminant.
- Standard Water Filters no longer remove microbes. I use a purification tablet or UV light for microbial contamination before I expect the filter to finish the job.
- Purification tablets are stronger. Community testing reports that they can lower chemical contamination to approximately 0.71% in some treated batches.
- Water Purifier behavior has been reworked. The developer changed its logic in hotfix 1.0.0.2. Older demo conversion-rate tables and exact module thresholds should not be assumed accurate.
- Water Filter base price dropped from 50 to 25 Credits and Moisture Farm base price dropped from 650 to 350 Credits in hotfix 1.0.0.2.
- Water Purifier base price dropped from 300 to 250 Credits in hotfix 1.0.0.5. Seller markups, difficulty settings and discounts can affect the amount I actually pay.
- Moisture Farms were weakened. The full-release community guide reports a base output of around 850 ml a night at a cost of 6 energy, with diminishing effectiveness when stacking multiple farms.
- Pitcher sales are clearer. Hotfix 1.0.0.5 made customers tell me to remove the installed filter instead of silently refusing a pitcher sold with its filter inside.
I treat the new Water Purifier as the important midgame investment. Moisture Farms are still an option, but I no longer assume that filling a room with them will outperform processing plentiful low-grade water.
How to Start Water Trading
Starter Equipment I Need
The Water Merchant start gives me a useful head start. If I choose a different starting scenario, I can work toward the water-trading unlock through Wild and collect the equipment separately.
- Water Neon Sign: brings water-related trade opportunities when I display it.
- Water Pitcher: my main filtering station; I install a compatible filter and pour water through it.
- Water Filter: removes several kinds of physical and organic contamination but not microbes in the full release.
- Water Testing Kit: contains disposable testing strips for checking purity.
- Water Purification Tablets: an early solution for microbes and part of the chemical contamination.
- Red Labeller: lets me apply the appropriate grade to the finished container.
- Reusable containers: especially the starting 6 L jug, which I prefer to keep rather than sell.
The Water Trading project from Wild has traditionally cost 300 Wild’s Favour and provides a starter bundle of water-trading tools. Exact contents and unlock conditions can differ by starting scenario, so I check the upgrade screen before buying duplicate equipment.
My First Profitable Water Batch
- I put the Water Neon Sign on display and watch for a water seller. I prefer to start with Basewater or Ghostwater rather than gamble on a large purchase of Rustwater.
- I inspect the label and, when I have doubts, test the water before buying. Suspiciously dark water labelled Basewater is a warning sign.
- I transfer similar-quality batches into a larger container where practical, keeping enough free space for any treatment tablet.
- I treat microbes with a purification tablet or UV light, then install a working Water Filter in my pitcher.
- I pour the water through the pitcher and collect it in a clean container. If the result is not good enough, I inspect the remaining contaminants instead of wasting more filters.
- I test the finished batch, label it accurately as Basewater, High-Quality Water, or another grade, and put it up for sale.
For an early run I aim for High-Quality Water, not perfection. Pure Water is worth more, but spending my whole starting budget chasing 99.9% purity usually slows down the business.
Early Mistakes I Avoid
- I do not sell my useful 6 L jug just because a customer offers a good price.
- I keep at least one replacement filter. A filter sitting at 0/400 durability will not rescue a contaminated batch.
- I do not buy a large 2 L or 6 L container of unknown water without considering a strip test.
- I avoid hoarding dozens of tiny bottles when a larger jug could save space and testing supplies.
- I do not assume that repeatedly passing the same water through an exhausted or unsuitable filter will remove chemicals, heavy metals or microbes.
- I do not buy Rustwater and Gutterflow in bulk before I have a reliable plan to upgrade them.
Water Quality Tiers, Purity Percentages, and Prices
Water has six main quality labels. I pay attention to the exact purity, because a small improvement across a tier boundary can raise the selling value far more than an equally small improvement within the same tier.
| Water grade | Purity | Listed price modifier | How I use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pure Water | 99.9% or higher | +100% | Premium sales or valuable dilution stock |
| High-Quality Water | 99% to below 99.9% | +50% | My main target for dependable profits |
| Basewater | 98% to below 99% | 0% | Acceptable starting stock and a candidate for upgrading |
| Ghostwater | 96% to below 98% | −33% | Cheap stock to treat before selling |
| Rustwater | 90% to below 96% | −75% | Feedstock for a more advanced purification line |
| Gutterflow | Below 90% | −90% | A specialist project; poor value without appropriate tools |
These are the quality bands and grade modifiers documented in the existing trading reference, not a guarantee of what every individual customer will pay. Reputation perks, shop markup, market events and buyer budgets can change the actual transaction. Very low water concentrations may be described as Unknown Water while behaving under the Gutterflow category.
How Base Water Value Is Calculated
The reference pricing model values each complete 25 ml at 1 Credit before the quality modifier. That means 2,000 ml has a nominal base of 80 Credits; a High-Quality label applies the 50% quality bonus to that nominal value. The game can also account for containers and other trade modifiers, so I always read the final offer rather than rely exclusively on the simple formula.
Example: Turning an 80-Credit Purchase Into a Better Sale
An older trading example starts with 2,000 ml of Basewater bought for 80 Credits. After removing contaminants, the resulting batch is approximately 1,975 ml of High-Quality Water. A recorded sale reaches about 118 Credits before extra trade bonuses, or 153 Credits with the particular markup and reputation benefits in that example.
At 153 Credits of revenue and 80 Credits spent on the water, the gross difference is 73 Credits, or a 91.25% gain against the purchase price. This is not net profit: filter wear, tablets, power and the costs of obtaining or replacing containers still matter. I use the example to understand the economics, not as a promise of the same return in every full-release run.
How to Test Water and Avoid Bad Purchases
Using Water Testing Strips
I open the Water Testing Kit, take out a strip and drag it onto a water-filled container. A strip reports the purity percentage, which tells me whether the label is plausible and what selling tier the liquid actually belongs to. A kit has ten disposable strips, so careless repeated testing can cost money.
When I already know that several containers came from the same source and have compatible contents, I consolidate them into a large jug and test the combined batch once. I do not mix unknown liquid blindly: one bad container can lower the quality of the entire supply.
Why I Eventually Buy AquaScan
Testing strips answer the first question: how pure is it? AquaScan answers the more useful midgame question: what is still inside it? It lets me inspect contaminant types and amounts without burning through single-use strips. For water trading, the Composition Spectrometer obtained through Chemist-related progression can serve a similar analysis role.
Recognizing Mislabelled Water
Some sellers label their water too generously. I pay attention to color as well as the declared grade. Darker water may be Ghostwater or worse even if the label says Basewater. When the game lets me expose a dishonest seller, the resulting negotiation can reduce the purchase price. Testing is especially valuable on expensive batches where a mistaken label could erase my expected margin.
Water Buyers and How I Attract Better Customers
Lower-Level Water Buyers
Lower-Level customers are useful for regular turnover. The established buyer reference lists them as purchasers of water rations and ordinary grades such as Basewater through High-Quality Water. Many carry testing strips. Special customers differ: a Scav may not test, while Thirsty Spacer and some event buyers may also accept Ghostwater.
Upper-Level Water Buyers
Upper-Level customers can have access to larger budgets and a wider acceptance range, including premium water. However, I never assume that every Upper-Level customer will buy every grade or that nobody will test. The Upper-Level Water Stockpiler is especially demanding and is reported to accept only High-Quality or Pure Water, not water rations.
How to Bring in the Upper-Level Water Stockpiler
My display is part of the business. Community observations suggest that around 350 Credits of displayed water value can help qualify the shop for higher-end water visitors; the appearance chance also depends on progression and shop attractiveness. These visitors are not expected during the first two weeks, so I do not spend all my early Credits chasing them immediately.
A filled 6 L jug of genuine High-Quality Water is an efficient way to build valuable display stock. Premium Spring Water can also act as an attractive display item if I obtain it later in a run. I keep a valuable special item available when it helps attract trade instead of automatically selling everything as soon as it arrives.
Reputation, Store Appearance, and Tips
Upper-Level reputation is worth building. At 20 Upper-Level reputation, community guides report access to a 15% tip or trade benefit in suitable Upper-Level water transactions. Store appearance and related perks can also affect customer budgets. A rich visitor is useful only when the customer has enough money to buy the volume I put in front of them.
Understanding Contaminants and Water Sources
Purity is the total percentage of water in the container. Two containers with identical purity can need different treatment because the remaining percentage can be microbes, chemicals, heavy metals, minerals, organic waste, physical particles or other substances. This is why I eventually make treatment decisions from AquaScan readings rather than from the tier label alone.
Source Water Versus Previously Processed Water
I call water straight from a source source water. For example, fresh Rustwater from a tap still contains a mix of contaminants that can respond to different stages of treatment. A bottle that has already been filtered might show the same overall grade but retain mostly chemicals and heavy metals. Running that processed bottle through the same basic filter again may accomplish almost nothing.
Water Randomization Patterns
The older detailed reference identifies two common source-water contaminant patterns, with ratios listed in this order: heavy metals, organic waste, microbes, chemicals, physical contaminants and minerals. I use them only as background for predicting untreated source composition; I still scan an actual batch when the result matters.
| Pattern | Contaminant ratio in the order above |
|---|---|
| Pattern 1 | 1 : 2 : 2.5 : 2 : 1 : 1.5 |
| Pattern 2 | 1.5 : 2 : 2 : 2 : 1 : 1.5 |
For example, exactly 98% pure source Basewater has 2% contamination in total. With Pattern 1, the ten ratio parts each represent 0.2 percentage points: heavy metals 0.2%, organic waste 0.4%, microbes 0.5%, chemicals 0.4%, physical contaminants 0.2% and minerals 0.3%. These patterns were documented before the full-release rebalances, so I use them as a diagnostic reference rather than a replacement for a current scan.
Where I Find Each Water Grade
- Basewater and Ghostwater: ordinary water sellers and some packaged water supplies; often my best entry-level purchases.
- Rustwater: selected sellers, the Rustwater Tap upgrade, and lower-grade production systems.
- Gutterflow: the Gutterflow Tap and various contaminated liquids or by-products; not all such liquids are sensible trading stock.
- High-Quality or Pure Water: advanced processing, upgraded machinery, premium sellers or some special-event sources.
- Spring Water: a special product with its own customer restrictions. I do not treat it as interchangeable with ordinary purified water.
Every Important Water Purification Tool Explained
Water Filter and Advanced Water Filter
The standard Water Filter fits into a pitcher and is listed with 400 durability. It is useful for plant matter, debris, microplastics, physical contamination, organic matter and minerals. It does not remove microbes in the full release. I inspect remaining durability before each substantial batch; a worn-out filter can make a seemingly correct recipe fail.
An advanced filter is worth comparing with ordinary replacements once I have higher throughput. The earlier equipment reference describes a version that recovers 50 durability per day, although I verify that particular recovery value against the item in my installed build before making a long-term cost calculation.
Purification Tablets
Tablets are my simplest answer to microbial contamination when I do not yet own a UV device. The full-release community guide also reports significantly stronger chemical treatment and a useful rule of thumb of one tablet for 2 L or two for a 6 L jug in a Rustwater-processing setup. Those quantities are an observed recipe, not a guarantee for every possible contaminant mix.
I leave spare room in a container when adding a tablet. The older reference describes an added liquid volume from a tablet, and putting it into a completely full bottle risks losing product. If a batch still tests poorly, I check what kind of contaminant remains before adding another tablet.
UV Light
A UV Light is a reusable way to deal with microbes. I apply it before ordinary filtration if the water contains microbial contamination. It can reduce dependence on tablets, but it does not replace treatment for heavy metals or chemical contaminants. When I use both UV and filter equipment, I prefer to deal with the microbes first and then filter out the removable physical material.
HydraTech Micro Purifier
The handheld HydraTech device is different from the powered Water Purifier machine. The older reference gives it 400 durability and describes it as capable of bringing certain very dirty liquids up toward the Basewater range by adjusting their composition. It can be an efficient bridge from Gutterflow or Rustwater to a grade that is easier to filter.
I do not confuse its portable treatment effect with the overnight powered purifier. If I use HydraTech on a batch, I scan the result and then choose the next treatment according to the contaminants it actually contains.
Kotton Fabric
Kotton Fabric goes into the pitcher and is mainly a specialist tool for removable plant material and insoluble debris. It is not a cheap substitute for every property of the Water Filter: community notes caution that it does not solve the contamination profile of ordinary Gutterflow straight from the tap. I reserve it for a batch where I know the particular removable material is present.
Water Purifier Machine and Heating Plate
The powered Water Purifier is my midgame workhorse for contamination that a normal filter cannot remove. It runs processing cycles over nights and benefits from power and machine upgrades. Separately, the Heating Plate available through Chemist progression can be used for thermal treatment of microbes and some organic material, but overheating risks boiling off the water. I do not recommend the Heating Plate as my default water-trading solution when a tablet or UV device does the job more reliably.
How I Purify Basewater, Ghostwater, Rustwater, and Gutterflow
Basewater to High-Quality Water
For Basewater, I start with a purity reading and check whether microbes are present. I apply UV or a tablet when needed, filter through the pitcher, and test again. Many ordinary source batches cross the 99% threshold after this simple treatment. However, I no longer rely on the old demo claim that every Basewater bottle can be upgraded with a filter alone.
Ghostwater to High-Quality Water
Ghostwater is a good early purchase if the price is right. I combine the batch, treat the microbes with a tablet or UV, then use the filter pitcher. Sometimes the result is High-Quality Water; sometimes it stops in the high-98% Basewater range because chemicals or heavy metals remain. When it misses 99%, I either blend it with cleaner water or save it for a better machine.
Rustwater to Useful Water
Unprocessed Rustwater is generally too contaminated for the simple beginner loop to give the best result in one pass. I soften it first, run an appropriate machine or biological purification stage, then finish with filtration. Without access to that middle step, selling at the correct lower grade can be more sensible than wasting supplies on repeated pitcher passes.
What I Do With Gutterflow
Gutterflow is the lowest regular water tier. I avoid buying it as ordinary resale stock unless it is extremely cheap and I already own the equipment to deal with it. HydraTech treatment can be useful in some cases, and a developed production chain can use tap water as input. For a beginner, Basewater and Ghostwater usually offer a much simpler path to profit.
Why My Water Is Still Below 99%
- Microbes remain: I use UV or tablets; standard filters no longer remove them.
- Chemicals or heavy metals remain: I use a powered purifier, appropriate alternative treatment, or controlled dilution.
- Filter reads 0/400: I replace it before reprocessing.
- The result is 98%–99%: I check whether cleaner water can safely bring the mixed batch above the 99% boundary.
- The machine stops improving it: I check purifier module quality, the current patch behavior and the remaining contaminant composition rather than assume the next night must work.
Best Rustwater Purification Method With a Water Purifier
Once I can afford steady processing, I prefer to work with a larger volume of Rustwater. This creates a repeatable production line rather than depending on random sellers arriving with a good Basewater bottle.
Equipment and Preparation
- An accessible source of Rustwater, preferably the tap upgrade if I plan to process it every day.
- A powered Water Purifier, which has a 250-Credit base price after hotfix 1.0.0.5.
- Sufficient battery or power capacity to run the machine through the treatment cycle.
- A 2 L bottle or, preferably, a reusable 6 L jug.
- Purification tablets, and a UV Light if I own one.
- A pitcher with a functioning Water Filter, plus strips or AquaScan for checking the result.
Step-by-Step Rustwater Processing
- I collect Rustwater in a jug and scan or test it so I have a starting reading.
- I soften the batch with tablets. A commonly documented community setup uses two tablets for 6 L; I leave room to add them.
- If I have a UV Light, I can use it to remove microbes before sending the container to the machine.
- I place the water container in the powered Water Purifier and let it process overnight.
- I check purity and contaminants after each night. Larger, dirtier batches may need several cycles.
- Once the remaining unfilterable contaminants are low enough, I run the water through a pitcher fitted with a healthy Water Filter.
- I test again. If it reaches at least 99%, I label and sell it as High-Quality Water. If it does not, I scan for remaining chemicals or metals and decide between another purifier cycle and dilution.
Community Rustwater Test: 6 L Batch
A full-release community test used 6 L of Rustwater, two purification tablets and an unmodified Water Purifier. The recorded purity improved over three nights as follows. I use this as an illustration of the process, not a fixed conversion schedule for every machine or future patch.
| Stage | Observed purity | What I take from it |
|---|---|---|
| After initial softening | 95.50% | The water still needs machine treatment |
| After night 1 | 97.00% | Noticeable improvement, below the High-Quality tier |
| After night 2 | 98.15% | Basewater range; not ready for a premium label |
| After night 3 | 99.00% | High-Quality threshold reached in that test |
The test notes also show that heavy-metal and chemical contamination may behave differently during the cycles. That is precisely why I check what remains rather than judge progress by the single purity number.
What Purifier Upgrades Actually Matter?
Quality upgrades help a purifier reach cleaner results, while performance and efficiency affect how practical the production line is. The detailed formulas published during the demo are not a safe current recipe after the October 28 rework. I measure my actual batch before and after each cycle, then decide whether another Quality module, more energy capacity, or a second treatment method would give the best return.
Alternative Rustwater Purification: Gutter Tilapia and Hydroreed
I do not have to use a powered purifier for every stubborn batch. Aquaculture and plants can also reduce some difficult contaminants over time. Their biggest advantage is that a productive setup can process water alongside the rest of my shop operations.
Gutter Tilapia: Using Fish to Remove Chemicals and Metals
Community testing used a 12 L fish tank with six adult Gutter Tilapia, Rustwater and five purification tablets. The tester measured heavy-metal and chemical contamination on successive nights. Their combined concentrations fell enough for High-Quality treatment by around the third night in that particular setup.
| Stage | Heavy metals | Chemicals |
|---|---|---|
| Initial | 0.92% | 0.71% |
| Night 1 | 0.79% | 0.57% |
| Night 2 | 0.65% | 0.43% |
| Night 3 | 0.50% | 0.28% |
| Night 4 | 0.34% | 0.15% |
| Night 5 | 0.24% | 0.15% |
| Night 6 | 0.24% | 0.15% |
The test appeared to plateau after several nights, and fish age or total weight may affect the rate. I treat these figures as a helpful benchmark, not a guaranteed daily output. The practical point is that fish can handle contaminants that the basic pitcher does not.
Hydroreed: A Plant-Based Alternative
Hydroreed is a slower-looking but lower-maintenance alternative in the community comparison. The tested batch contained 6 L of Rustwater plus two purification tablets. The reported contamination fell through the first several nights without requiring a powered Water Purifier cycle.
| Stage | Heavy metals | Chemicals |
|---|---|---|
| Initial | 0.89% | 0.71% |
| Night 1 | 0.64% | 0.51% |
| Night 2 | 0.46% | 0.37% |
| Night 3 | 0.33% | 0.26% |
| Night 4 | 0.24% | 0.19% |
| Night 5 | 0.17% | 0.13% |
| Night 6 | 0.12% | 0.10% |
In that example, the tester considered the water ready for a High-Quality finishing step after approximately two nights. The same source describes diminishing gains with each subsequent cycle. For me, the decision is about available space, equipment and upkeep: fish and plants are attractive when I already want to run aquaculture or hydroponics, while the machine is more direct for a dedicated trading business.
How to Make Pure Water in Probably Stolen
The Normal Target: At Least 99.9% Purity
Pure Water begins at 99.9% purity. That is separate from achieving a laboratory-perfect reading of 100%. For trading, I concentrate on crossing the 99.9% tier instead of treating every fraction of a percent as equally valuable. The easiest route is to start with clean High-Quality Water and improve it with a sufficiently upgraded Water Purifier.
One full-release community test reports taking a 6 L jug at 99.00% through a purifier with 103% Quality and 28% Performance. After one night the output measured 99.90% Pure Water. This is strong evidence that high-Quality purifier builds can reach the premium tier, but it is a recorded setup rather than a universal minimum upgrade requirement.
Do I Need Exactly 100% Pure Water?
For regular water sales, usually not. The important trading tier starts at 99.9%. Exactly 100% purity matters more to particular chemistry or laboratory uses. Community experimentation has described ways of converting soluble material with a HydraTech device and then filtering the resulting contaminants. Some versions of the method use animal or rat waste or nutrient tablets.
I treat those 100% conversion loops as experimental and potentially patch-sensitive. They are complicated, can depend on unusual interactions between substances, and are not the first thing I recommend for a profitable shop. When I want maximum-value water, I first test whether my upgraded powered purifier can consistently reach 99.9%.
Using Pure Water for Dilution
High-purity water also has value as a blending ingredient. If I can turn some unsellable Basewater into High-Quality Water by mixing it with a small amount of cleaner stock, I might make more Credits from the combined volume than by selling the premium liquid on its own. I calculate the final purity first so I do not accidentally downgrade an entire jug.
Water Dilution: The Formula and Best Mixing Examples
Dilution is how I stretch an excellent batch further. The final purity is a volume-weighted average of the purities of the liquids I combine, assuming their reported volumes and percentages describe the same sort of water mixture.
My Water Dilution Formula
Final purity % = [(Volume A × Purity A) + (Volume B × Purity B)] ÷ (Volume A + Volume B). I keep both purities written as percentages in this formula; I do not need to convert them to decimals as long as I use the same units for each term.
Simple Example: 1 L at 99.5% + 1 L at 98.5%
If I combine 1,000 ml of water at 99.5% with 1,000 ml at 98.5%, the calculation is (1,000 × 99.5 + 1,000 × 98.5) ÷ 2,000 = 99.0%. I have created 2 L of High-Quality Water instead of separately holding 1 L of High-Quality Water and 1 L of Basewater.
Advanced Example: Turning Ghostwater Into High-Quality Volume
Suppose I have 2,000 ml of High-Quality Water at 99.4% and 450 ml of Ghostwater at 97.4%. The resulting purity is [(2,000 × 99.4) + (450 × 97.4)] ÷ 2,450 = approximately 99.03%. The entire 2,450 ml batch is now above the High-Quality threshold.
I can also calculate how much weaker water I can add without dropping below a chosen threshold. With 2,000 ml at 99.4%, weaker water at 97.4%, and a 99% target, the theoretical upper limit is 500 ml of the weaker water: 2,000 × (99.4 − 99.0) ÷ (99.0 − 97.4) = 500. I leave a small safety margin rather than aim exactly at the boundary.
When Dilution Is Better Than Another Purifier Cycle
I prefer blending when I already have a surplus of very clean water and the lower-grade batch is only slightly short of a valuable tier. If the blend would drag everything below 99%, I keep the stocks separate and purify the weaker batch first. Testing each source once and using a large jug makes the process much easier to manage.
Water Containers, Machines, and Long-Term Upgrades
Which Container Size Should I Use?
| Container | Main purpose |
|---|---|
| 450 ml bottle | Small retail batches; useful when working with low-budget buyers |
| 750 ml bottle | Convenient ordinary sales size |
| 2,000 ml bottle | Common production and storage size |
| 3,000 ml pitcher | Filtering station; must have the appropriate insert |
| 6,000 ml jug | My preferred reusable bulk container for testing, blending and purification |
| 20 L water tank | Large-scale storage option introduced in full-release community reporting; check the installed upgrade options |
Before selling water from the pitcher itself, I remove the installed filter. A post-launch update explicitly addressed customers refusing pitchers that still contained filter equipment.
Bottle Printer
The Bottle Printer gives me more control over container supply. The older equipment guide lists a progression from 450 ml bottles to 750 ml and then 2,000 ml, unlocked through Electronic Parts. Its historical operating figures are 4 energy for 450 ml, 6 energy for 750 ml and 11 energy for 2,000 ml. I treat those as a starting reference and check the machine in my current build before calculating production cost.
Moisture Farm: Is It Worth Buying?
The Moisture Farm was an easy favorite in the demo. That advice changed after release. Community observations for the full-release version put its basic production around 850 ml per night for 6 energy, with less favorable returns when adding many farms. The developer later reduced its base price to 350 Credits, but a cheaper purchase does not remove the ongoing energy cost.
I do not call it useless: passive production still has value when my power setup is efficient or I want to avoid buying raw stock. I simply compare its daily usable water output against a Rustwater processing line. With plentiful low-grade water and a good purifier, I often prefer investing in purification capacity before another Moisture Farm.
Rustwater and Gutterflow Taps
Wild’s tap upgrades make water supply predictable. The earlier detailed guide lists the Gutterflow Tap at 250 Wild’s Favour and the Rustwater Tap at another 350, with the first upgrade required before the second. Since upgrade economies can change between builds, I confirm the displayed requirement rather than plan an exact route from an old number alone.
Source quality may be rolled by day. That means I can obtain repeated fills with similar properties from the same tap on a given day, but I still inspect a representative batch. Tap access is most useful after I have a machine that can improve low-grade water cheaply enough to justify the processing time.
Power and Machine Scheduling
Power has an opportunity cost. I keep enough batteries for my purifier and other machines, and I plan treatment so an overnight cycle is actually worth the energy. If I have Powerblocs, I remember that their full-release inventory behavior differs from the demo. I do not buy another machine solely because I can afford the purchase price; I first check whether I can reliably power it.
How I Measure Exact Water Volumes
Exact volumes matter when I want to reproduce a profitable dilution. I can measure smaller quantities by pouring between containers with known capacities instead of guessing from a visual fill level.
Measuring 1,000 ml
I fill a 3,000 ml pitcher and pour into an empty 2,000 ml bottle. The pitcher is left holding exactly 1,000 ml, assuming no contamination removal or other treatment occurs during transfer.
Measuring 250 ml
I start with 3,000 ml, fill a 2,000 ml bottle, then pour 750 ml into another bottle. That leaves 250 ml in the original pitcher.
Measuring 50 ml
With a 250 ml chemical bottle and an empty 450 ml bottle, I pour one full 250 ml measure into the 450 ml bottle, refill the 250 ml bottle and top off the 450 ml bottle. The measuring bottle then contains 50 ml. I avoid doing this with an active filter installed because treatment can change the liquid during transfers.
Mislabelled Water, Scamming, and Penalties
It is possible to change a water label without changing its actual purity. That can fool some customers, but it also introduces the risk of testing, confrontation, lost reputation or criminal penalties. More demanding buyers, including the Water Stockpiler, are a poor target because they can test the product.
Older detailed guides describe hidden counters for selling Ghostwater as a higher grade and for exaggerating Basewater or High-Quality Water labels. They associate larger volumes of dishonest sales with Client Endangerment or Criminal Misrepresentation charges. Since I cannot confirm that the exact old counter values and fine formula survived every launch patch, I do not present them as guaranteed current thresholds.
My preferred strategy is simpler: I use the correct label and make money from upgrading water. The steady repeat business is easier to plan, and I do not risk turning a small one-off markup into a costly problem later in the run.
Water Trading Troubleshooting and FAQ
Why Does My Water Filter Not Remove Microbes?
Because that behavior changed in the full release. I use UV or purification tablets for microbes. The standard filter still has a place, but it is not a universal treatment tool.
Why Is My Water Stuck at 98% or 98.5%?
Usually I still have contamination that ordinary filtering cannot handle, especially chemicals or heavy metals. I scan the batch, then choose the Water Purifier, appropriate alternative treatment, or calculated dilution.
How Do I Get High-Quality Water Fast?
For an early run, I buy reasonably priced Basewater or Ghostwater, handle microbes with tablets or UV, finish with the pitcher filter, and test the result. For larger quantities of Rustwater, I build toward the powered purifier.
Can I Turn Rustwater Into High-Quality Water?
Yes. I soften it, process it with a Water Purifier or an appropriate biological method, finish filtering the batch and confirm it has reached at least 99% purity. The number of nights depends on the contaminants, water volume and machine setup.
What Is the Difference Between High-Quality and Pure Water?
High-Quality Water starts at 99% purity and Pure Water starts at 99.9%. The price modifier in the existing reference is +50% for High-Quality and +100% for Pure, before other trade conditions.
Why Will a Customer Not Buy My Water Pitcher?
If I am trying to sell the pitcher as a container, I remove its installed Water Filter first. Hotfix 1.0.0.5 made customers explain this requirement rather than quietly refusing.
Should I Buy a Moisture Farm or a Water Purifier First?
My usual priority is the Water Purifier once I can supply enough dirty water and power it consistently. The Moisture Farm provides passive water, but its full-release output and energy requirements make it less of an automatic first purchase.
Is Exactly 100% Pure Water Worth Producing?
Not for routine water sales. I focus on 99.9% Pure Water if I am targeting the premium tier. I only investigate the more involved 100% methods when a chemistry project specifically benefits from perfect purity.