Pacific Drive lets players customize every aspect of their station wagon. But with so many options and hazards to prepare for, it can be hard to pick the right build. In this article, we've broken down the top three builds to get you through each zone alive.
Outer Zone Build
The Outer Zone is the first area you can explore in Pacific Drive and it’s generally easier because of it. Hazards are easier to avoid and junction conditions are relatively tame.
That's not to say it's all easy though, as you have limited resources and anchor energy at this point in the game. And without many upgrades to your car, electric anomalies can absolutely wreck you if given the chance. Below are some key parts of an Outer Zone build that will make your early adventures a breeze.
Why the Outer Zone Build is Great
- Insulated Panels and Doors
Insulated panels and doors will drastically reduce the damage you take from electric anomalies. The most dangerous hazards in the Outer Zone are electric and some, like the Spark Tower, guard valuable resources. Insulated doors and panels are also easy to craft early on, needing only copper wire, glass shards, plasma, steel sheets, and 1.8 kLIM of stable energy total to unlock.
- LIMpulse Emitter for Back Bumper
The LIMpulse emitter replaces your bumper and emits a pulse that repels anomalies that attach to your car, like Broken Bunnies and Abductors. It's crafted with scrap metal, copper wire, plasma, electronics, and 1 kLIM of stable energy, and will need to be assigned via the abilities panel. With the LIMpulse emitter, you can easily avoid the damage that these annoying entities can cause.
I'd recommend installing it in your rear bumper slot to better maintain its condition.
- Offroad Tires
Whether you plan to or not, your adventures will take you off the beaten path, down muddy backroads and into untamed forests. Offroad tires are more durable and more effective at navigating these areas, giving you better traction than summer tires. This essential upgrade costs 1.5 kLIM to unlock and can be crafted using scrap metal, rubber, and gears.
Pacific Drive - Beginners Guide - Spoiler Free - Top 25 Tips for Newbies. Start at 10:13.
Mid Zone Build
The Olympic Exclusion Zone is always inhospitable, but the first time that really sinks in is when you enter the Mid Zone. It’s an alien landscape full of erratic new anomalies, so it can be tricky to decide on which parts you need to install.
You’ll need to harvest strange, new resources in order to unlock more advanced upgrades for your car. But getting to them can be challenging as you'll encounter tons of corrosive anomalies here. The build below emphasizes anticorrosive protection while prioritizing exploration.
Why the Mid Zone Build is Great
- Anticorrosive Panels and Doors
The Mid Zone is riddled with new entities that deal corrosive damage to you and your car, so investing in some anticorrosive parts is a must. You can alternate these panels and doors to provide corrosive resistance to adjacent parts; just make sure to protect your engine! Unlocking anticorrosive protection costs a total of 3 kLIM of unstable energy, and requires glass shards and carbonfiberglass to craft.
- All-Terrain Tires
While offroad tires provide traction on unpaved ground, all-terrain tires are great for, well, everything! They have almost 20% more health than offroad tires and an A rating for road, offroad, and water terrain, which you'll need to safely navigate the Mid Zone. These tires can be unlocked for 1 kLIM of stable energy and crafted with scrap metal, rubber, and carbonfiberglass.
- Side Rack Mini Turbines
The more abilities you use, the more battery power you drain...and you're going to want to use abilities here. Wind can be generated by junction weather conditions or by driving really fast, and with mini turbines, that wind is converted energy for your battery. It costs 1.2 kLIM of unstable energy to unlock, and can be crafted with scrap metal, copper wire, and a circuit board.
- Resource Radar for Roof Rack
When I first entered the Mid Zone, it was hard to tell whether the new thing off in the distance was an invaluable resource or terrifying new threat. Once you have the resource radar though, you get the ability to scan your surroundings to find rare resources. You'll have to first unlock the device with 1.3 kLIM unstable energy, but it's craftable with scrap metal, plastic, 9v batteries, and a circuit board.
Top 15 BEST UPGRADES in Pacific Drive. Start at 3:53.
Deep Zone Build
Without giving away any spoilers, the Deep Zone is the most dangerous of all three areas. The spike in difficulty is justified though, because this is the end game and players have access to many powerful upgrades.
In order to survive, players will need to prepare for heavy impact, explosive, and radioactive damage. The build below will help you mitigate some of these damage types as you explore the Deep Zone.
Why the Deep Zone Build is Great
- Lead-Plated Panels and Doors
Alternating these will provide radiation resistance to adjacent parts, which means you can keep some of the insulated panels from the previous build if you like. Lead-plated parts resist 30% of one of the biggest hazards in the Deep Zone - radiation - and are cheaper than their Olympium counterparts. These parts cost a total of 1.8 kLIM in stable energy to unlock, and can be crafted with glass shards, lead platelets, and steel sheets.
- LIM Shield for Rear Bumper
The LIM shield is an upgrade to the LIMpulse emitter and protects against impact and explosion damage. Since this is one of the predominant damage types in the area, this is an essential upgrade for your rear bumper. It's crafted with scrap metal, plasma, circuit boards, and thermosap crystals, and is unlocked through the story.
- ION Shield for Roof Rack
Attaching the ION shield to your roof rack gives you the ability to shield against radiation, which is everywhere in the Deep Zone. Contrary to the LIM shield, which needs to be manually activated each time it's used, the ION shield is toggled on and off via the abilities panel. The downside is that it drains your battery constantly.
It costs 1.4 kLIM in unstable energy to unlock and is craftable with scrap metal, gas cylinders, circuit boards, and tree candy.
- Turbolight Engine
While there are more powerful engines in the game, the turbolight engine gives you the best bang for your anchor energy. It's much faster than the default engine for almost the same MPG, without needing rare resources or insane amounts of fuel to run. It can be unlocked with 4 kLIM of stable energy, and crafted with copper wire, gas cylinders, steel sheets, and thermosap crystals.
Pacific Drive End Game BIG Tips! Arda Drop Pods! Olympium Fragment Farming! By Pass Junctions! Start at 2:17.
Pacific Drive is developed by Ironwood Studios and is available now on PC and PS5.
