Probably Stolen water purification: filters, tablets and stalled purity

The October 28 hotfix 1.0.0.2 reworked the Water Purifier. It also reduced the listed Moisture Farm price from 650 to 350 and the Water Filter price from 50 to 25. Those are patch changes, not a promise of every vendor’s selling price.

Hotfix 1.0.0.5 on October 30 then lowered the listed Water Purifier price from 300 to 250, a cut the developer says was missed in 1.0.0.2. Our purifier readings below come from the earlier build 26284217.

An earlier launch-day Steam guide still contains the old farm price and experimental overnight recipes. Do not buy a machine or wait a fixed number of nights solely because an old demo guide says it works. Read the instructions and tooltip on the machine in your own run.

Keep batches separate. Test the source, note its volume and purity, then measure after each treatment. The sequence below worked for our samples; we did not compare the reverse order.

1. Test the source: double-click the Water Testing Kit, double-click an unused strip, then click the water vessel. Read its percentage and TESTED grade. Our large bottle began with 2,000 ml of 96.04% Ghostwater.
2. Double-click the Water Pitcher to open its slot. Drag a usable Water Filter into that slot and confirm its icon is inside. A loose filter in inventory is not fitted.
3. Double-click the source bottle to use it, then click the fitted pitcher. You can also right-click the source and choose Use. Filtering happens as water enters. Our sample became 1,964 ml; a new strip measured 97.77% Ghostwater.
4. Open the tablet bottle, double-click one tablet, then click the pitcher. Wait for treatment to finish. Our filtered sample finished at 1,943 ml.
5. Use another unused strip. Our result was 98.87% Basewater, while LABELLED still said Ghostwater. Match Label corrected the label without changing purity.
6. To bottle it, right-click the pitcher, choose Use and click an empty bottle with enough capacity. Retest if you later mix batches.

One run, different starting samples: these are observed results, not guaranteed percentages for every contamination mix. None reached 99% High-Quality water.

Download the measurements (CSV)

Testing scope and source timestamps (JSON)

Treatment can improve the contents while leaving the old label. We reproduced TESTED Basewater at 98.87% beside LABELLED Ghostwater. Match Label changed the label, not the measured purity. Use the tested result when deciding what you can sell.

Testing Strips were enough for our grade and percentage measurements. An AquaScan can show a contaminant breakdown, as illustrated in the older creator clip previously used on this page; we did not test an AquaScan in this run.

Checked on screen · Nov 9, 2026

0:15–0:54 · 39 sUV Lamp, pitcher and AquaScan readings on day 75 (creator chapter at 0:00)

The HydraTech Micro Water Purifier raised a separate 3,000 ml Rustwater sample from 92.00% to 98.00% Basewater. Its durability fell from 75/300 to 45/300.

On our 98.87% batch it refused with an already-Basewater-or-better message. Repeatedly selecting it did not bypass that limit. A separate 2,000 ml portion of its output, then filtered and given one tablet, finished at 1,983 ml and 98.86%. The intermediate filter step was not separately strip-tested.

Checked on screen · Nov 9, 2026

1:25–2:01 · 36 sThe HydraTech handheld prompt on a large bottle, and a Spacer buying a large bottle (creator chapter at 1:17)

The Water Trading Manual lists Basewater at 98–99%, High-Quality at 99–99.9%, and Pure Water at 99.9%+. It describes High-Quality and Pure Water as safe to drink; Basewater is for use if necessary, with prolonged use discouraged. These are game mechanics.

The manual says filters and tablets can sometimes reach High-Quality depending on initial water. Pure Water requires a dedicated Water Purifier with properly installed modules. Our starter tests did not reach High-Quality or Pure Water.

Change one treatment at a time and compare measured purity, grade and finished volume. The in-game manual says a method that stops improving the reading cannot remove the remaining contaminants.

Playtest illustration

UV treatment and scanner comparison from the August playtest. Shows a targeted treatment; does not demonstrate the redesigned overnight machine.

By Piranowsky · 13:33–14:03 · August playtest; current purifier rules differ

Link to this moment ↗

▶13:33–14:03

A UV Lamp targets microorganisms. It is useful when the scan still shows that component, but it is not a substitute for removing other contaminants. The earlier demonstration applies the tool to a container and compares the scanner result.

This illustration predates release. The launch-day player guide independently identifies UV or tablets as the response to microbes remaining after filtration. Follow your current item text and check the result rather than borrowing the video’s exact purity values.

We inspected the Retired Water Merchant’s Water Purifier on day 3 in the same build. With empty module slots, its tooltip showed Max Purity 99% and Required Energy 4/Day. Those are readings for this inspected machine, not a tested upgraded output or every machine configuration. Update 1.0.0.12 on November 6 says a stock Water Purifier now cleans to 99.01%, up from 99.00%; we have not re-read the tooltip since.

Double-click the machine to inspect its module grid and water-container slot. Its included instructions say it purifies water in an inserted container overnight and needs a power source with enough energy. The instructions assign Efficiency to power consumption, Performance to the amount removed per night, and Quality to maximum purity. They display a 0.5 ratio beside Quality; we have not tested that formula.

For stalled production, inspect the fitted container, available energy and current Max Purity before waiting another night or buying modules. A displayed cap below your target is a reason to inspect quality upgrades, rather than assuming more nights alone will raise the cap. We have not bought this machine, fitted modules or measured an overnight cycle, so there is no verified module arrangement or Pure Water recipe here.

Enlarge the current machine instructions

Codex controlled the user’s purchased retail copy on Windows and recorded the starter tests on October 29, 2026: Steam build 26284217, menu version 100-REV3, Water Merchant, Mark Up (Normal), day 1, keyboard and mouse. Writing, footage selection and editing were AI-assisted. No gameplay was generated.

The 2:34 silent video uses actual gameplay at normal speed, with cuts to omit setup delays and close-ups enlarging the original UI. Captions explain the actions; the written steps and results provide a text alternative.

This is a single run, not repeated trials or a comparison of treatment order. Other scenarios and difficulties were not tested. On day 3 we inspected the dedicated machine’s instructions and tooltip; a production cycle and module arrangements remain untested. UV help retains its attributed source limits.