Cooking is a crucial aspect of survival in Aloft, much like in many other indie survival games. While it’s not mandatory to eat to stay alive in Aloft, consuming food generally boosts your maximum health temporarily, akin to the mechanics found in Valheim. Certain dishes also grant you additional benefits such as increased hydration or enhanced energy. Although some foods can be consumed raw, cooked recipes provide significantly greater advantages. Therefore, mastering the cooking system and understanding the different benefits various ingredients offer is essential for thriving in the game.
Cooking in Aloft can initially be challenging. To get started, you must gather the right ingredients and know which combinations work well together, as not all ingredients will interact positively. Familiarizing yourself with how ingredients are categorized in Aloft will enhance your cooking skills, allowing you to identify both specific components and the broader categories they belong to. If you’re looking for an open-world adventure after enjoying The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, this guide will be helpful.
How to Cook Meals
Before diving into meal recipes, there are a few crafting essentials you need first. To begin cooking, you will require a heat source, such as a campfire or a fireplace. All cooking recipes in the game can be made on either of these heat sources, so it’s best to craft the one you can build first, which is usually the campfire. Additionally, you’ll need a Cooking Plate, which requires three pieces of wood, three stones, and two charcoals to create.
Cooking Plates allow you to use three ingredients at a time. To create a dish, you need to place the right combination of these three ingredients on the Cooking Plate and position it next to your fire source. Cooking in Aloft requires your attention; it isn’t a set-and-forget activity.
Once you begin the cooking process, you will see a flame icon at the bottom center of your screen. Initially, this icon appears grayed out, with red highlights at the top. During cooking, you’ll need to hold down the key indicated below the flame icon to heat your food properly. As you hold the button, the icon will fill with yellow to show the heating level; you must avoid allowing the yellow meter to hit the red section, or your meal will be burnt.
If cooked properly, your ingredients will transform into the final dish after a designated time. If you’re eager to experiment, combining different ingredients can yield interesting results. However, the game doesn’t provide hints about what combinations work best, so players can engage in trial-and-error. For those who prefer to conserve resources and avoid failed attempts, a comprehensive recipe list is available for reference.
Every Cooking Recipe
It’s important to understand that some recipes in Aloft offer more flexibility than others. For instance, a recipe like Blueberry Pie requires precise ingredients (Blueberry, Sugar, and Flour), whereas others allow variations as long as the ingredients fall within the same category. The game categorizes ingredients into five main groups: fruits, vegetables, dry ingredients, seasonings, and liquids. This classification is straightforward, with items like carrots and corn categorizing as vegetables, while fruits include blueberries and watermelon. Notably, tomatoes are an exception; despite being a fruit, they fall under the vegetable category in the game.
Here’s a quick overview of some cooking recipes:
Recipe | Ingredient 1 | Ingredient 2 | Ingredient 3 | Effect | Duration |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berry Loaf | Blueberry | Flour | Egg | +38 Max Health, Efficient, Energetic | 14 minutes |
Bland Soup | Liquid | Dry | Dry | +10 Max Health, Hydrated | 8 minutes |
Blueberry Pie | Blueberry | Sugar | Flour | +30 Max Health, Efficient | 14 minutes |
Some combinations will turn generic recipes into specific ones. For example, if you choose tomato as the vegetable in Soup, it will result in Tomato Soup when using the appropriate Dry or Seasoning ingredient.
Although it’s easier to create generic recipes, those requiring specific ingredients often yield better stat boosts. This design encourages players to seek out more complex recipes and the necessary components. As Aloft is currently in Early Access, additional recipes and ingredients are likely to be introduced over time.
By observing patterns in existing recipes, players can gain insights into how to combine new ingredients that might be added. For example, any loaf, such as Carrot or Corn, typically includes flour and egg plus a third ingredient.
When you consume a dish, its effects last for a set duration. However, if you want to change dishes before the time expires, you can use Digestive Tea to reset your food effects. This allows you to transition between different foods without unnecessary waiting, enhancing your gameplay experience in Aloft.