Anomaly capture guide: Test Tubes, night routes, and plant food

What can be verified

A Nocturnal Anomaly appears at night and can be collected by interacting with it while holding a Test Tube or carrying one in inventory. A capture without a Test Tube is possible according to the current Anomaly page, but the chance is described as extremely small. Carrying empty tubes is therefore the practical method rather than a guarantee written into the route.

The captured Anomaly item weighs 0.2 and stacks to 32. The Test Tube itself weighs 0.3 and stacks to 64. The capture message may imply two Anomalies, but the current reference notes that the result is one.

This guide is verified for version 1.4. It does not publish invented spawn counts, capture percentages, or a universal map loop. Static spawn behavior is documented, but the useful route depends on which locations the player has actually found in the current save.

Prepare a night run

The Test Tube is craftable and can also be found in specific locations, including Bio Lab D in the Office Sector. The recipe shown by the current item page uses one Glass Scrap and one Wood Plank.

Before night, prepare the following:

Do not wait in an exposed area for the night cycle merely because a spawn is known. Use daytime to repair equipment, sort inventory, and walk the return path. Start the collection loop only when the route and exit are both clear.

Capture step by step

1. Approach a location where a Nocturnal Anomaly has already been observed.
2. Confirm an empty Test Tube is in the hand or inventory.
3. Reduce direct light if the entity becomes difficult to see.
4. Interact with the Anomaly at its visible or last visible position.
5. Open inventory and confirm that one Anomaly was added.
6. Move to the next known point only if the route remains safe and another tube is available.
7. Return to the planned storage or crafting point before extending the route.

The current Anomaly entry explains that direct light makes a Nocturnal Anomaly appear transparent rather than removing the interactable entity. If this happens, interact with its previous position instead of assuming the spawn is gone. Turning off the light can make the position easier to reacquire, but no capture is complete until the item appears in inventory.

Build the route from confirmed points

Static spawns make repeat visits possible, but a route should use observations from the player's save rather than a made-up target such as "six per sector." Create the loop in this order:

1. Record the nearest confirmed spawn to the base or shortcut.
2. Add a second point only when the path between them is already known.
3. Walk the loop during the day and identify doors, hazards, and the return turn.
4. Carry only enough tubes for the confirmed points plus one spare.
5. At night, follow the same order without adding unexplored branches.
6. After the run, keep only locations that produced a repeatable and recoverable route.

The table is an editorial planning model. It does not claim the game labels routes this way or guarantees a particular number of Anomalies.

Prevent warm-loss decay correctly

Captured Anomalies decay from warm loss and leave an empty Test Tube. Moving them into an ordinary crate does not stop that process. The current Anomaly and Warming Drawer pages identify one preservation method: a powered Warming Drawer can prevent Anomaly decay when the Storage by Tag Sandbox Setting is disabled.

Use this storage checklist:

1. Confirm the Warming Drawer is powered.
2. Confirm the server's Storage by Tag setting permits the Anomaly to be put into the drawer.
3. Place one captured Anomaly inside and verify that the interface accepts it.
4. Keep crafting inputs nearby so valuable captures are used rather than forgotten.
5. If the setting cannot be changed or the drawer is unavailable, plan to spend the Anomaly promptly instead of promising permanent storage.

The Warming Drawer normally heats food and drink, speeds food spoilage, and preserves hot drinks. The Anomaly interaction is a specific documented note, not a general claim that warm storage protects every decaying item.

Choose between farming and trading

Anomalies have several uses, so decide the output before collecting a large stack. The current Anomaly page lists these direct trades:

These trades solve different shortages. Do not call one universally efficient without comparing it with the current objective. A player blocked on a specific trade may value the result more than a player expanding a farm.

For Agriculture, the three plant-food tiers unlock through the Skill:

The percentages come from the current item pages, which describe controlled testing without the Agriculture 10 and 13 perks affecting the comparison. They are approximate measured results, not exact guarantees for every farm layout.

Read the plant-food comparison correctly

T2 and T3 are stronger than T1, but a stronger percentage does not always mean the best use of a limited Anomaly supply.

• Use T1 when one captured Anomaly needs to improve one crop cycle at the lowest Anomaly cost.
• Use T2 when Agriculture 8 is unlocked and the extra recipe ingredients are available for a crop worth accelerating.
• Use T3 after Agriculture 15 when water reduction and maximum growth speed are more important than conserving higher-tier inputs.
• Save the Anomaly for a trade when that trade directly removes the current progression or equipment bottleneck.

The current plant-food pages note that the largest jump generally comes from using T1 instead of no fertilizer. T2 and T3 provide additional gains, but the increment should be weighed against recipe cost and how urgently the crop is needed.

Plant food can be applied while a plant is growing or flowering. It is expended when the plant becomes ready for harvest or fully grown. Applying it to an already fully grown plant has no immediate effect; the item remains associated with the plot until a new plant is placed.

Recovery from common failures

The Anomaly vanished in the light

Return to its last visible position and interact there. The documented behavior is transparency, not immediate removal by light.

The capture produced nothing

Confirm an empty Test Tube was actually available and that the interaction completed. Do not rely on the extremely small tubeless chance for the route.

The captured item decayed

The empty Test Tube remains. Repair the storage plan: use the captured item sooner, or use a powered Warming Drawer with the required Sandbox setting. Moving the next capture into an ordinary crate is not a fix.

No Anomaly appeared at a remembered point

Check that it is night and that the route is using the exact known position. Do not expand into dangerous unknown branches merely to force a capture. Return on another night and verify the point again.

A high-tier fertilizer is unavailable

Check Agriculture level first. T1, T2, and T3 unlock at levels 4, 8, and 15. Use the unlocked tier or keep the Anomaly preserved until the intended recipe is available.

Completion checklist

The run is complete when each planned spawn was checked, every successful capture is visible in inventory, the Anomalies were either spent or placed in a verified preservation setup, and the route notes contain only confirmed locations. That creates a repeatable collection loop without inventing capture odds, spawn totals, or a storage effect the game does not provide.