How to use the Seed extractor in Icarus Update

     If you’ve jumped into Icarus since the Week 174 update and found yourself wondering where all your seeds went, you’re not alone. With the new opt-in mechanic, the game no longer just throws seeds at you while you’re gathering crops like it used to. But don’t worry, because now you’ve got tools built specifically for seed generation - and the Seed Extractor is your best friend in the early game. It’s simple, it’s cheap, and it lets you manually create seeds from your favorite crops.

 

 

Craft a Seed extractor

 

     To get started, you’ll first need to unlock the Seed Extractor from the Tier 1 tech tree. It’s not a fancy build, but it still needs some essentials: fiber, wood, stone, and a chunk of charcoal.

 

 

     Pretty easy to gather even on a fresh prospect. Once you’ve crafted it, make sure you place it inside a shelter. This isn’t just for show - storms will beat the extractor to pieces if it’s left outside, and it’s got a shelter requirement icon right on it. So throw it down inside your cabin, or build a tiny hut just for it if you’re going for full farmer mode.

 

 

 

Feed crops into the machine

 

     Using the Seed Extractor is pretty straightforward. Open its inventory and toss in some raw crops - things like potatoes, berries, wheat, or even fiber. But heads up, it’s not a one-to-one ratio. It usually takes multiple items to produce a single seed. For example, you need four potatoes to make one potato seed, or 25 fiber to generate just one fiber seed. Each seed takes a full minute to create, so it’s a set-it-and-forget-it deal. You can’t spam seeds instantly, so plan ahead and maybe run a few extractors at once if you’re building up a big farm.

 

 

 

Crop-to-seed ratios

 

     Not all crops are created equal in the eyes of the Seed Extractor. Hearty foods like pumpkins or watermelon usually need fewer inputs, while tiny things like strawberries need a lot more. If you’re mass-producing seeds for oil or long-term food planning, fiber’s actually a solid pick even though the conversion cost is high. You can collect fiber super fast, and it respawns quickly when you start a new prospect. Just grind it down while you’re off mining or building, and before you know it you’ll have a stash of seeds ready for planting or processing.

 

 

 

Optimize your workflow

 

     Here’s a little tip - don’t rely on just one Seed Extractor. Build two or three, and rotate crops between them depending on what you’re trying to farm. Keep a few stacks of crops near the machines and dump them in whenever you come back to your base. If you’re mainly using them to prep for vegetable oil or crafting recipes later on, load them up with fiber and let them do their thing while you head out exploring. The one-minute-per-seed timer means they’re slow, but having several going at once really speeds things up over time.

 

 

 

Seed Extractor vs upgraded tools

 

     Eventually you’ll unlock other ways to collect seeds, like sickle mods or the mighty Reaper from the workshop. And yeah, those are definitely faster and more efficient. But early on, the Seed Extractor is your main method. It’s perfect for beginners or players on new characters who haven’t hit Tier 3 yet. Think of it as your seed-starter engine - it’s not the flashiest, but it gets the job done and sets you up for farming success.

 

 

     Once your seeds are ready, just pull them from the extractor’s output and start planting. Use them in dirt mounds or crop plots depending on your current setup. Keep in mind that seeds are now a valuable resource, especially for recipe crafting or anything involving veggie oil. You’ll want a good stash built up if you’re aiming for sustainability or large-scale farming. That little seed you made from 25 fiber? It might be your ticket to high-tier food or crafting later in your mission.

 

     However, there are times when it’s better to skip the Seed Extractor entirely. If you’re in a later stage and already have a sickle with a threshing attachment or the Reaper Sickle, just go slice up some crops directly and gather seeds that way. It’s way faster, especially when you’re harvesting wild plants. But if you’re not quite there yet or need specific seeds on demand, the extractor still holds its place as a reliable tool that doesn’t ask for much.

 

     The Seed Extractor in Icarus might look like a humble little box, but it plays a crucial role in the new opt-in farming system. It’s your ticket to generating seeds when you actually want them and ditching the cluttered inventory days of the past. Just toss in some crops, kick back, and let the seeds roll out one minute at a time.