Pacific Drive: Everything you need to know

Pacific Drive is what happens when weird happenings in a spooky forest meet with a trusty family estate. Here is everything you need to know.

Pacific Drive, developed by Ironwood Studios and published by Kepler Interactive, will soon be here or is already, depending on when you read this. So here is a speedy guide on what it is all about.

What is Pacific Drive?

It is a driving game with a big focus on survival and suspense. With the Olympic Exclusion Zone it is based in highly unstable, more often than not you will need to drive fast to survive.

Various environmental factors can and will kill you, meaning you need to drive carefully. Especially as there is no mid-drive saving. Fail to return home the right way and the loot you collected will be gone.

Fortunately, there are many different upgrades and improved parts you can craft to improve your chances of survival. Though it does mean a scavenging run or few to gather the necessary crafting components.

When is the release date?

The Pacific Drive release date on PlayStation 5 and PC via Epic Games and Steam is the 22nd of February 2024.

What about an Xbox version?

No word on this just yet, unfortunately. But I shall keep an eye out.

Any tips and tricks?

Absolutely, feel free to check out my Pacific Drive tips & tricks where I delve into some of the basics of survival. Trust me when I say you will thank me later.

Is it any good?

Based on fourty-plus hours of gameplay, absolutely. For getting the heart racing and intense gameplay, very few games get close and its slower pace hits differently in this day and age.

It can be brutal and unforgiving, but that just emphasises the highs and lows. Feel free to check out my Pacific Drive review.

What are the best upgrades in Pacific Drive?

Ask, and you shall receive.

How do I find a Remnant Ghost?

If you want to unlock the Lazarus Device, which gives you a new lease of life so you can get back to the Auto Shop when things go wrong, one prerequisite is to scan a Remnant Ghost.

This is done by scanning your own vehicle after it has been destroyed. To do this, remove all parts and upgrades from your wagon (to save on repair costs) then go to a nearby junction. Drive like an idiot until you die, then you will be brought back to the Auto Shop.

Now check the Route Mapper and look for where you just died. You should see a red tombstone. Travel here with a re-equipped wagon, then head to the red tombstone on the map and scan your wrecked vehicle. Voila, you have now scanned a Remnant Ghost.

Collect your items from the boot, remove any other parts using the Liberator and off you go. Bear in mind the Lazarus Device needs four side storage slots, which is rather a lot.

What do I get from civilian buildings?

Building such as houses (the ones you can go in and the ones with loot in storage outside) and petrol/gas stations can give you numerous useful items. These are 9v Batteries, Duct Tape, Fabric, Glass Shards, Plastics, Rubber and Scrap Metal.

You will also sometimes find canned food in items that would usually house food in real life such as a refrigerator.

What about ARDA science buildings?

Those mini laboratories you see scattered around Pacific Drive can yield some of the same items as civilian buildings. In addition, you may see Chemicals, Gas Cylinders and Pressurized Cartridges.

Remember to have a Pry Bar on you or craft one from the back of your wagon as some labs are locked (sometimes electronically, which will mean the Pry Bar does not apply) and so are the storage lockers.

If you see glass containers that glow blue known as Plasma Generators, smash these open with the Impact Hammer or its upgraded version to have a chance of getting Copper Wire, Electronics, Plasma and Plastics.

How do I get ThermoSap Crystals?

The red precious-looking crafting material, known as ThermpSap Crystals, are used to craft a number of useful items including armoured doors, armoured panels, Puncture-Proof tyres, Liberator, LIM Shield and more.

Early on, they are not easy to find. Abandoned armoured trucks and police cars known as Abandoned Squires (look for roof lights) drop ThermoSap Crystals if you use the Scrapper on the armoured doors though you get very few.

For much greater quantities, you need to head into the mid-zone. Here you can find Sap Compressors, which are red and need the Impact Hammer to break apart into numerous ThermoSap Crystals.

How do I get Lead Platelets?

Radiation is one of the most prominent killers in Pacific Drive, which is why it makes sense to collect Lead Platelets used to craft various items including lead doors, lead panels, lead clothing upgrades and bigger capacity batteries.

To find them, look for ARDA research posts. They will often have a computer, lights on tall posts (you can use the vacuum on for bulbs and other crafting materials) and Lead Sheets for radiation shielding you can use the Scrapper on.

If using the Resource Radar upgrade, these research posts should show up with the radiation symbol shaped like a shield. So head to those and watch out for potential radiation.

How do I get Tree Candy?

Another rarer material used in various upgrades is Tree Candy. This appears to be best found in Mid-Zone junctions known as ‘the Scorch‘ on Twisted Ember (trees). While you can pick it off one by one, as you can with other materials, the process is slower. It is best to use a vacuum.

How do I get Marsh Eggs?

Used to unlock the Lazarus Device, Marsh Eggs are well worth getting. They are found in the Mid-Zone, meaning you will need to progress to a certain point in the story, then look around junctions called ‘the Mires’.

Marsh Eggs can be found near bodies of water (marshes, funnily enough) and attached to abandoned vehicles. They glow pink and can be hand-picked though a vacuum will do the job considerably faster.

The Resource Rader is best for finding Marsh Eggs (as depicted by an eggs symbol) though you can also hunt for red glowing orbs as they are sometimes located nearby.

What do you do with Dumpster Pearls?

No, you cannot smash open any Dumpster Pearls you find using the Impact Hammer or Scrapper. These shiny objects need to be broken up using the Matter Deconstructor upgrade. The larger it is, usually the greater amount of materials you get.

Just do what the pearl needs you to do as per its scan (sealing kit, for example) first.

Then, as with other items, load the Dumpster Pearl into the Matter Reconstructor. Hey presto, watch the contents of the Dumpster Pearl pour out all over the Auto Shop floor.

How do I get Olympium Fragments?

Another late game item from the Deep Zone necessary for various epic upgrades, Olympium Fragments are harvested from Red Spires biome junctions as indicated on the map. Various junctions have this biome.

Look for what looks like a target if using the Resource Scanner or look for tall rocky outcrops with purple glowing crystals. You need the Magnetic Hammer to harvest them effectively, meaning another upgrade from the Fabristation.

The standard Impact Hammer, Scrapper, Plasma Scrapper and Liberator MK.2 will not work. Only the Prybar does damage albeit not very much and no Olympium Fragments are recovered.

To unlock the Magnetic Hammer, you need to research the Advanced Workbench and Gear, as well as have 1 x Fabric and 1 x Corrupted Energy.

Crafting a Magnetic Hammer requires 6 x Scrap Metal, 2 x Gas Cylinder, 3 x Gear and 2 x LIM Magnet. Which brings me nicely to…

How to get LIM Magnets?

You may accidentally stumble upon a LIM Magnet, however the way to create them is to put Scrap Metal or Steel Plates in a Magnetizer.

Located in the Deep Zone (Red Spire and Smokestack biomes), these show up as a magnet icon when using the Resource Scanner. Look for something similar to a Transmuter then put in the materials and voila, LIM Magnets ahoy.

LIM Magnets are not just key for unlocking the Thermal Hammer, they also unlock a few later upgrades including the Advanced Antenna.

How do I get Stable Energy?

Stable Energy may become less essential later on (except for using to give clues when diagnosing car quirks), but for early upgrades and escaping a junction via a Gateway it is paramount. Luckily, it is easy to find.

When in a junction, use the car map to see yellow circles with a yellow dot in the middle. Drive to one, then get out the car and carry the Unstable Energy Anchor back to your car. Put it into the ARC Device on the passenger seat. Rinse and repeat until the energy bar left of the map goes yellow. That means you can now open a Gateway.

Sometimes Anchors will not show up on the map. This is where an Anchor Scanner steps in. Also bear in mind that there is a junction modifier that moves Anchors round the map so watch out for that.

How do I get Unstable Energy?

Used for certain upgrades in the Fabristation, Unstable Energy Anchors are found in the same way as Stable Anchors, but are usually (but not always) found in the Mid-Zone and not the Outer Zone.

Look for the yellow circles on the map and go to them. They are red instead of yellow when in front of you. Insert them into your ARC Device in the passenger seat as usual.

To access the Mid-Zone, you need to reach ‘The Mid-Zone Crossing’ story mission.

Once you reach this point in the story, you can sometimes find Unstable Energy Anchors in the Outer Zone but only in a junction with ‘high instability, as displayed by a glowing orangey-red cloud.

How do I get Corrupted Energy?

Even harder to get than Unstable Energy, we have Corrupted Energy. These anchors (coloured magenta in person but marked as yellow circles on the map) are useful for some of the best upgrades in the game.

The issue is that you need to progress the story to a mission called ‘The Deep Zone Crossing’ to access the Deep Zone and Corrupted Energy. At this point, you should start seeing Corrupted Energy Anchors you can put into your ARC Device in the passenger seat.

As with Unstable Energy, Corrupted Energy can appear outside of its usual area but only within the Mid-Zone in a junction that has the ‘high instability’ warning.

Where do I get explosives?

Explosives are another rare crafting item. Found in the Deep Zone, you need to keep an eye out for Explosive Crates. Inside you can find the explosive crafting component alongside other things.

What are those shooting stars?

Seen something flying through the sky? That is known as a ‘payload’ and it will land in your current junction. Just look on the map for the magenta triangle and drive to it.

Watch out for radiation and loot the section to the side of the capsule thing. These usually arrive as radiation is closing in so get some health packs and car repair items at the ready. Radiation resistant clothing and car upgrades help.

What is the Lazarus Device?

The Lazarus Device is probably the most powerful upgrade in all of Pacific Drive. When your health reaches a certain point (36 per cent, in my testing), it makes you invincible. Nothing can kill you until you finish the run you are on.

This is great because it means you can survive 10k radiation and other nasties indefinitely, but your car can still fall apart, run out of fuel and become totally useless. So you still need to be mindful unless you want a really long walk.

It has the following prerequisites: Advanced Workbench, Roof Rack and Research Circuit Board. The material cost is 3 x Fabric, 12 x Plastic, 8 x Plasma, 2 x Circuit Board and 120 x Marsh Eggs.

Pacific Drive screenshots