ROB RUN Laboratory Guide: How to Make Crystals and What They Sell For
A Chemical Laboratory turns reagents into valuable cargo. The reactor makes concentrate, the freezer turns it into hard crystals, and the Lab Table can crush crystals into powder to sell. It is one of the biggest money makers on a base, but the smoke gives it away.
What you need
The laboratory is its own building on your base, so you need a house and plot first. Unlock it and its equipment in the Shipments tree (Production branch), then buy them on your base laptop. The reactor and Lab Table unlock after the lab, and the freezer after the reactor.
Item | What it does | Research | Price | Tier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The building | $160,000 | $110,000 | I | |
 | Makes concentrate from reagents | $20,000 | $40,000 | I | |
 | Freezes concentrate into hard crystals | $15,000 | $20,000 | I | |
 | Crushes crystals into powder | $10,000 | $15,000 | I |
How to make crystals
Find reagents. Reagent Canisters are cargo found out in the world. Quality Reagents give better crystals.
Pour them into the Chemical Reactor. It works in cycles and makes Crystalline Concentrate. The rarity is random; reactor upgrades improve your odds.
Freeze the concentrate in the Industrial Freezer until it becomes Hard Crystals.
Sell or crush. Hand Hard Crystals to the Smuggler as they are, or crush them on the Lab Table into Crystalline Powder and sell that to the Fence.
Watch out: smoke rises above the building while the lab runs, so other players can see it. If cooking is interrupted, the cargo drops to the ground and the reagent in the reactor is lost. Cargo rules apply too: drawing a weapon drops it, and the Police can seize it.
What each rarity sells for
Rarity | Concentrate to Smuggler | Hard Crystals to Smuggler | Powder to Fence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Uncommon | $10,000 | $30,000 | $1,000 each |
 | Epic | $15,000 | $45,000 | $2,000 each |
 | Legendary | $25,000 | $75,000 | $4,000 each |
Freezing triples the value of concentrate, so always freeze before you sell. Whether crushing pays more depends on how much powder one crystal gives, which the game data does not show yet.
Upgrades
Reactor
Higher-tier reactors run more and shorter cycles. Three add-ons raise the chance of higher-rarity concentrate, and all three fit at once.
Upgrade | Effect | Research | Price | Tier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | More, faster cycles | $150,000 | $300,000 | II | |
 | Most, fastest cycles | $350,000 | $700,000 | III | |
 | Slightly better rarity odds | $10,000 | $20,000 | I | |
 | Noticeably better rarity odds | $50,000 | $120,000 | II | |
 | Much better rarity odds | $150,000 | $300,000 | III |
Freezer
Higher-tier freezers hold 4, 6 or 8 concentrates. The evaporator and refrigerant speed up freezing and can be fitted together.
Upgrade | Effect | Research | Price | Tier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 6 places | $30,000 | $90,000 | II | |
 | 8 places | $100,000 | $250,000 | III | |
 | Freezes 11.7% faster | $40,000 | $100,000 | II | |
 | Freezes 13% faster | $100,000 | $250,000 | III |
Lab Table
Laboratory Scales fit on the Lab Table. Research $15,000, price $15,000, tier II.
Protect your lab
The lab has the weakest base defence of any building (3) and only 6 fuse slots, and its smoke tells everyone it is worth raiding. Fit fuses early: see our base defence and raiding guide.
