Hardwood comes from the sturdier trees in harsh biomes — desert, volcanic and snowy-mountain areas of the Palpagos Islands — plus four Pals that drop it, merchants who sell it, and the Logging Site II, which produces nothing else.
Chop trees in the Desiccated Desert or Astral Mountains. Kill Wumpo Botan for 2–5. Build Logging Site II for the automated version. Ordinary Logging Sites make plain Wood only.
Hardwood at a glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight (per unit) | 5 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Work suitability | Lumbering |
| Axe tier required | Not specified by any source |
| Buyable? | Yes — wandering merchants |
It is described as "high-quality wood carefully selected from sturdy trees grown in harsh environments such as deserts, volcanic regions, and snowy mountains."
Biomes: Some references name the Desiccated Desert, Astral Mountains and Frostbound Mountains; others say deserts, volcanic regions and snowy mountains. Volcanic areas appear on one list and not the other. Sell price: 10 in one source, 100 in another. Neither is quoted as fact.
Where to buy it
Wandering merchants at Small Settlement, Duneshelter and Fisherman's Point stock Hardwood. If you are short by a few dozen for a recipe, buying beats a trip to the desert.
Pals that drop Hardwood
| Pal | Quantity | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Wumpo Botan | 2–5 | 100% |
| Palumba | 2–4 | 100% |
| Mossanda | 1–3 | 100% |
| Mossanda Lux | 1–3 | 100% |
Both databases agree on these four Pals; only one of them publishes the quantities. Awakened and higher-level spawner rows drop the same amounts.
The reference pages for plain Wood list no Pal drops, quantities or rates at all. The only sources they state are sticks on the ground, harvesting trees with Lumbering suitability, and the Logging Site. Any "Pals that drop Wood" table you see elsewhere is unverified.
Logging Site and Logging Site II
| Property | Logging Site | Logging Site II |
|---|---|---|
| Produces | Wood | Hardwood only |
| Technology level | 7 | 7 (see note) |
| Materials | 50 Wood, 20 Stone, 10 Paldium Fragment | 5 Ancient Civilization Parts, 100 Hardwood, 20 Paldium Fragment, 50 Stone |
| Build workload | 100 | 30,000 |
| Workload per item | 800 | 8,000 |
| Max workers | 3 | 3 |
| Work suitability | Lumbering | Lumbering Lv1+ |
| SAN impact | -0.15 | -0.15 |
It is listed at Technology level 7, the same as the basic Logging Site, despite a recipe that needs 5 Ancient Civilization Parts and 100 Hardwood. That combination is inconsistent with an early-game tier, so treat the level 7 figure as low confidence. The recipe itself is consistent across sources.
The 10× jump in workload per item — 800 for Wood against 8,000 for Hardwood — is the number that matters when you staff these. Three high-Lumbering Pals on a Logging Site II is not overkill.
Best Lumbering Pals
The 1.0 patch notes state that work suitability levels were expanded to 10. Some references reflect this; others still say the maximum is 5, and the two sets disagree on nearly every Pal — Mossanda is Lv4 on one and Lv2 on the other. The table below follows the 10-level figures as the more current dataset, but no official source resolves the conflict.
| Lumbering Lv | Pals |
|---|---|
| 8 | Celesdir Noct |
| 7 | Hartalis, Celesdir |
| 6 | Cryolinx Terra, Silvegis, Bastigor, Paladius, Necromus |
| 5 | Univolt Cryst, Mammorest Cryst, Wumpo, Wumpo Botan, Dualith, Dualith Noct, Bushi Noct |
| 4 | Fenglope Lux, Dinossom Lux, Mammorest, Mossanda, Mossanda Lux, Warsect, Skutlass, Cryolinx, Prixter, Prixter Lux |
| 3 | Elphidran, Elphidran Aqua, Elizabee, Gorirat, Elgrove, Elgrove Cryst, Fenglope, Dinossom, Bushi, Pyrin Noct, Menasting, Menasting Terra, Reindrix, Blazehowl, Blazehowl Noct, Skutlass Ignis, Xenovader, Verdash, Splatterina, Dogen, Grizzbolt |
| 2 | Eikthyrdeer, Eikthyrdeer Terra, Cawgnito, Arsox, Beegarde, Robinquill, Pyrin, Shroomer, Shroomer Noct, Nyafia |
| 1 | Lifmunk, Pupperai, Tanzee, Tanzee Ignis, Wispaw, Univolt, Enchanted Sword |
Wumpo Botan is both the best Hardwood drop at 2–5 per kill and a Lumbering Lv5 worker. If you are catching one anyway, catch several — they staff the Logging Site II and drop the 100 Hardwood you need to build it.
Tools
| Tool | Tech Lv | Materials | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Axe | 11 | 15 Stone, 20 Wood, 15 Ingot | 50 workload at a High Quality Workbench |
| Plasma Multicutter | 54 | 50 Pal Metal Ingot, 50 Plasteel, 30 Bio Battery, 10 Computer, 10 Cryogenic Coolant | Cuts trees and mines; Logging/Mining Yield Up passive |
The Plasma Multicutter is the genuine upgrade: it replaces both your axe and your pickaxe, carries a yield-up passive for both, and has 850 durability. It is also the only tool that touches Soralite and Paloxite — see the mining guide.
The in-game work suitability is Lumbering, not "Logging", and there is no structure called a "Lumberyard" in either database. The buildings are the Logging Site and Logging Site II.
What to do next
- Bank 100 Hardwood by hand or from Wumpo Botan kills, then build the Logging Site II so you never chop again.
- Staff it with three Lumbering Lv5+ Pals — 8,000 workload per unit punishes a weak crew.
- Save Ancient Civilization Parts; the Logging Site II needs 5 on top of every quarry you want.