Pearls might seem simple in Pacific Drive, but there are some things you should know before diving into the game. Understanding a pearl’s status can greatly impact what you find inside. Additionally, knowing how to boost the likelihood of getting car accessories can be handy.
In the late game, this guide loses its value because of a garage upgrade. This upgrade lets you acquire new accessories directly from the garage. However, by this point, you’re nearing the end of the game, and the excitement of discovering new items might not be as impactful.
General Information
Think of pearls as condensed treasure chests. They come in various forms, each impacting what you receive:
The size of a pearl determines the quantity of items you’ll receive. Round pearls, being fully formed, yield the most items, while smaller chunks offer fewer goodies. So, if you’re aiming for a big haul, keep an eye out for those round beauties!
Where to Find Pearls
Pearls pop up in unexpected places, from friendly dumpsters to more sinister ones that spawn bunnies alongside them. Gas stations are prime spots for these loot-filled dumpsters.
You can also snag pearls from the Beach Ball anomaly using a Hand-Vac in the Deep Zone. It’s like a treasure hunt in the strangest places!
Keep your eyes peeled for pearls in pneumatic deposit boxes, ARDA investigator trucks, and abandoned squire’s trunks. The deeper you venture into the zone, the higher the chance of stumbling upon these valuable finds.
Statuses and Specific Loot
Unlocking the treasures within pearls requires a Matter Deconstructor, which you’ll need to construct first. This device is essential for extracting the goodies safely.
While you can smash pearls open with an Impact Hammer or Magnetic Hammer, it’s not the most efficient method. Not only does it waste valuable tools (you’ll need about 1.5 magnetic hammers for the smallest fragile pearl), but it also reduces the loot you receive to just a third of the usual amount.
Pearls come in different statuses, each guaranteeing specific drops. However, regardless of status, all pearls yield metal scrap and steel sheets. Additionally, they can contain paint, accessories, and bulbs. Here’s a breakdown of how each status influences specific item drops:
- Wet Pearls: Expect to find electronics and circuit boards within these moist gems.
- Cracked Pearls: Crack one open to discover copper wires, pressurized cartridges, and bulbs.
- Burned Out Pearls: These pearls yield marsh eggs, red balloons, swamp corals, lead platelets, and either circuit boards or plasma, with each drop being mutually exclusive.
- Charged Pearls: Get ready for plasma, rubber, gas cylinders, and an abundance of paint and decals.
- Peculiar Pearls: Uncover tools and various resources, with the quality of tools improving with the size of the pearl. You might even stumble upon rare finds like a thermal vacuum or liberators.
- Oxidized Pearls: These pearls offer fabric and chemicals to add to your inventory.
- Unreliable Pearls: While seemingly mundane, these pearls dish out food, MREs, and decals. But don’t be fooled; there’s a reason why they’re the best pearl around—more on that below.
How to Increase Accessory Drop Rate
You might have noticed that some pearl statuses can be “fixed,” transforming them into the coveted “unreliable” status. While unreliable pearls may seem mundane, they boast the highest chance of dropping paint, decals, and car accessories. In fact, 8 out of 10 unreliable pearls have yielded an accessory, with 4 out of 8 pearls even dropping two accessories!
Even pearls that can’t typically be fixed can be converted into unreliable ones, though I advise against sacrificing rare peculiar pearls. Here’s how you can do it:
- Start with a pearl you don’t need, like a charged one.
- Use an Impact Hammer to smash it, transforming it into a cracked pearl.
- Apply a fix using a Sealing Kit, changing the pearl’s status to unreliable.
- Process it in the Matter Deconstructor.
- Revel in your newfound accessory.
It’s essential to note that this is the only way to change a pearl’s status. You can’t charge a pearl by tossing it into an electrical anomaly or get it wet by dunking it in a puddle. Only a good whack with a hammer will do the trick.
That's everything we are sharing today for this Pacific Drive guide. This guide was originally created and written by Melalo. In case we fail to update this guide, you can find the latest update by following this link.