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This article contains outdated information that is inaccurate for the current version. It was last updated for LU-356355. Unreflected changes in the discussed game mechanics are detailed here: U42-509629 |
Drecko are a critter found in the Caustic Biome. They are a renewable source of Phosphorite, which makes them important for Wheezeworts maintenance and Fertilizer production. When domesticated they produce Reed Fiber, Plastic, and Drecko Eggs. They may also be killed for meat.
Behavior
This creature can be found crawling around in cavities in the Caustic Biome. They are able to cling strongly to any surface, and will freely wander the full perimeter of whatever chamber they are in. They are not hostile and are quite mobile, inevitably wandering away from any chamber they are not trapped in.
It will fight back when attacked, but is no match for even an unskilled Duplicant. It drops 3200 kcal (2 kg) of Meat on death.
Drecko gain 1 hunger every second, and will try to eat when their hunger exceeds 600. They eat Pincha Pepperplant, Balm Lily, and Mealwood. Unlike other critters, they consume the growing plant and reduce its growth rate. They will not eat the harvested final products of these plants. Once it has consumed a meal, it will defecate Phosphorite within a cycle.
Variants
The Drecko has two variants, each with its own varied diet preferences. Along with the plain Drecko, there is also the Glossy Drecko.
Drecko
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Glossy Drecko
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A Drecko fed primarily Mealwood will have a chance of producing a Glossy Drecko Egg, with a larger chance given a higher volume of Mealwood consumed. The Glossy Drecko shares the same behavior of the Drecko, but when sheared produces Plastic instead of Reed Fiber.
Drecko Ranching
Drecko are finicky critters to domesticate in a fully productive way, due to their mixed environment preferences. They live 150 cycles, but reproduce fairly slowly. They need access to growing Pincha Pepper, Balm Lily or Mealwood plant to satisfy their dietary requirements and produce Phosphorite. They only produce Reed Fiber or Plastic when in a Hydrogen atmosphere. When tame they regenerate their "wool" at a rate that allows harvest once roughly every 8 cycles for Drecko or 3 cycles for Glossy Drecko, provided they are completely immersed in hydrogen for the entire duration.
Reed Fiber farm
The goal of this setup is to produce Reed Fiber with plain Drecko. This is quite helpful in Arboria Asteroid and The Badlands Asteroid where Swamp Biome is missing.
Build a stable room of three layers. The bottom layer is filled with Chlorine to grow Balm Lily. The middle layer is filled with Oxygen for Duplicants' convenience to work with the Grooming Station and Shearing Station. The top layer is filled with Hydrogen for Dreckos to grow Reed Fiber scales. With this setup, Dreckos can eat Balm Lily in the bottom layer, and grow Reed Fiber scale when they move to the top layer. Duplicants can tame the Drecko and shear the scales in the middle layer.
It also possible to completely seal the room with a liquid lock and provide Atmo Suit access, in which case an oxygen layer is not necessary. This also means the Dreckos spend potentially more time in hydrogen.
Alternatively, Pincha Pepper can be grown in a room completely flooded with hydrogen. It requires Phosphorite for fertilization, which the Dreckos supply. However, it also needs a constant supply of polluted water.
Either plant may require some initial heating of the atmosphere in order to satisfy their temperature requirement. It is thus best to build the outer walls out of Insulated Tile.
Plastic farm
The goal of this setup is to produce Plastic with Glossy Drecko. Compared with Polymer Press, this approach is more energy efficient and produces less heat. It can also be achieved relatively early, long before access to the Oil Biome.
Build a room with hydrogen on top and oxygen at the bottom. Grow roughly a dozen Mealwood plants in the oxygen, which also allows a ranching Dupe to breath. Starting with regular Drecko, the Mealwood diet ensures that they eventually lay Glossy Drecko eggs. Regular Drecko may later be moved to their own specialized stable.
To create the required atmosphere, hydrogen can be released at the bottom of the base and allowed to drift upwards into the Drecko stable. To supply a more measured amount without gas piping, the Canister Filler and Emptier may be used to transport hydrogen from far away. Enough hydrogen supplied this way will ensure a stable top layer even at maximum oxygen pressure from below. A completely sealed room is thus not required.
An Incubator can be placed in the hydrogen layer and cooled with a Wheezewort next to it if the temperature it gives off threatens the Mealwood growth.
A half dozen Glossy Drecko will produce roughly 1 ton of Plastic every 10 cycles with such a setup, along with several tons of Phosphorite and multiple eggs. This can be a sustainable alternative in obtaining plastic in the mid to late game.
Phosphorite farm
If the shearing is not a priority the setup can be simplified to a chlorine pit with domesticated Balm Lilies, where all wild Dreckos get dumped. The maps usually have enough of them to generate abundant stream of phosphorite.
Auto-surplus method
Another method of farming fiber/plastic without a hydrogen filled-room is to make use of the auto-surplus wrangling and Incubator system. Since newborn drecklets have their scales fully grown, they can be sheared and then moved to another location for culling with the auto-surplus function.
A 96 tiles room will have a limit of 8 critters including egg count before the crowded penalty kicks in.
This setup can benefit from automation with timers for scheduling and Drowning chamber to free up duplicants from mass slaughter.
Starving method
You can also let them starve to death in a hydrogen filled room to maximize scale regrowth you can dump large amounts of eggs there and just let them incubate in the room without any rush. you don't need any complicated setups. Since they won't be groomed they get a metabolism penality which extends their life. They will reach an age of 37 cycles before dying, in which you can shave Drecko's 4 times and the glossy variant 11 times. however they won't lay eggs so the room by itself is not self sustainable.
This method can only be used in parallel with another method which produces excess eggs.