The world as we know it has ended, and all that’s left is a wasteland filled with the Infected. LifeAfter is a survival game for Android and iOS devices that is set in such a scenario. Your journey begins in the back of a truck that is being attacked by zombies. The truck eventually crashes, and you are the only survivor. Luckily, a man with a shotgun finds you and takes you under his wing. One thing leads to another, and you eventually wind up at the entrance of what looks like an ordinary town.
That town is the aptly named Hope 101. Here, you discover that you could have a home and a life if you’re willing to work for it. Soon, you learn how to make increasingly sophisticated items. Now the only problem is finding the right materials. One of those precious materials is Potassium Nitrate. If you want to get your hands on it, make sure you read our LifeAfter tips and tricks below.
1. Why Potassium Nitrate?
Out of all the materials that are found in LifeAfter, you are probably wondering why Potassium Nitrate is special enough to deserve its own guide. Potassium Nitrate is one of the raw materials needed for crafting Plastic. Surprisingly, Plastic is a rare resource in the game’s post-apocalyptic world, and it is used for crafting different armors. When you’re living in a world where zombie jump out from behind every rock, armor is something you literally can’t live without. Potassium Nitrate can also be used to craft Leather, Smokeless Gunpowder, Fertilizer, and Drone Chips. That’s what makes Potassium Nitrate so special.
You will most likely need Potassium Nitrate for your own armor crafting needs, but if you manage to get your hands on a lot of it, you can make decent money. Of course, turning the nitrate into Plastic would make you even more Gold Bars in the Market. If you want to know more about earning Gold Bars, you can check out our LifeAfter trading guide.
2. How To Get Potassium Nitrate
Now that you are interested in getting some Potassium Nitrate, you should know that there are two ways to get it. The first, and most straightforward way, is to simply buy it from the Market. This isn’t recommended, though, since you want to hold on to your Gold Bars as much as you can. Potassium Nitrate costs an average of 100 Gold Bars, although the price may fluctuate depending on your server. Each piece of Plastic requires two Potassium Nitrate. Armors require multiple pieces of Plastic. As you can imagine, the cost can grow exponentially depending on what you need the nitrate for.
The better alternative is to mine Potassium Nitrate yourself. You will need to spend some Gold Bars in order to unlock at least 8 slots in your Garden. You can then install an ore excavator and start producing your own Potassium Nitrate. Don’t worry about the Gold Bars you spend in unlocking the Garden slots. These are permanent, so you will be able to get your money’s worth eventually.
3. Prepare Your Mining Materials
There are three things that you need in order to get started on your mining business. The first is the Camp Ore Excavator. You will need to craft this first in your Material Bench. To unlock the formula, simply upgrade your Manor to level 3. After that, head to your Material Bench and scroll down to find the Camp Ore Excavator. It costs 300 Wood, 100 Stone, and 10 Hemp. Tap on the excavator formula, set the number of items you want to craft, then hit the Craft button. It will take 10 minutes to craft the excavator, so feel free to do other things in the meantime.
The second item you need is the Drill Engine Oil. This is a consumable item that is required in order to get the excavator running. You can get it from chests in any of the zones. You can also buy it from the Market. The easiest option, though, is to simply buy it from the merchant outside your Camp Bank. He sells up to two Drill Engine Oils per day for just 100 New Dollars apiece.
The final item needed for mining Potassium Nitrate is the Alloy Drill Bit. This is important because there are several types of Drill Bits in the game. If you get the wrong one, you won’t get any
Potassium Nitrate. You can get your first Alloy Drill Bit by completing the Chapter 3 quests in the Newbie guide. Since the Drill Bits can only be used twice, you will have to get more. Once you’ve used up the first one, you can search the chests in Snow Highlands and Charles Town for a chance to get one. If you’re in a hurry, you can just purchase one from the Mall for 800 Gold Bars.
4. Start Your Mining Operation
Now that you have the three materials needed, you just have to install the Camp Ore Excavator in your Garden. To do this, just stand over the Garden area until you see the Plant button in the middle of the screen. Tap on it then look for the Mine tab. You will find your excavator there. Tap on the excavator and a transparent version of it will appear over the Garden. Maneuver the excavator around until it lights up green then tap on the check button to install it.
Once the excavator has been installed, you just need to approach it, and tap on Extract. Use the Alloy Drill Bit then add the Drill Engine Oil. Don’t forget to cool your excavator as well. You can now leave your excavator to do other things. You can return after a few hours and you will see a rock-like object on the drill. Equip your pickaxe and start harvesting the ore. You should get about 8 to 10 Potassium Nitrates for your efforts. Repeat the process in order to get more.
Whether you are trying to craft your own items or make some extra Gold Bars, following our LifeAfter tips and tricks will help you get all the Potassium Nitrate you need!