Paper Reed is a common crafting material in Enshrouded, gathered from reed plants that grow along water. It also stands in for Plant Fiber in many recipes. Item text: “These paper reed fibers can be used in many crafting recipes just like other plant fibers.”
Quick answer: Walk up to reeds, cattails, or papyrus growing at the water’s edge and harvest each one with the interact key. Every plant gives 1 to 5 Paper Reed.
Where Paper Reed grows
Paper Reed comes from three plant types, and each appears in specific regions near lakes, ponds, and slow water. You do not need to reach the Veilwater Basin to start collecting it, since reeds and cattails show up in earlier areas.
- Reeds can be found beside waterways in the Revelwood, the Springlands, and the Nomad Highlands.
- Cattails grow in the Springlands, the Revelwood, and the Nomad Highlands.
- The Veilwater Basin is thick with papyrus, though a few plants also grow in Cinder’s Cradle.
How to harvest Paper Reed
Grow Paper Reed at your base with the Seedbed
To grow Paper Reed at home, use the Seedbed to turn one reed into seedlings for planting. One Paper Reed produces five seedlings; plant them at your base, then harvest them once they have grown.
| Seedling (x5) | Paper Reed | Extra ingredient |
|---|---|---|
 Reed Seedling | 1 | 1 Farm Soil |
 Cattail Seedling | 1 | 1 Farm Soil |
 Papyrus Seedling | 1 | 1 Fertilised Farm Soil |
What Paper Reed is used for
Some recipes call for Paper Reed directly, including Capybara Bait and Capybara Food, irrigation parts, the Swimfins, and a range of bamboo decorations. The counts and stations are below.
| Recipe | Paper Reed | Station |
|---|---|---|
 Irrigation Gate Small | 8 | Carpenter |
 Irrigation Gate Large | 12 | Carpenter |
 Swimfins | 4 | Fisher |
 Red Carpet Block (x100) | 1 | Workbench |
 Capybara Bait (x10) | 2 | Farmer |
 Capybara Food (x50) | 2 | Farmer |
 Underwater Overgrowth (x100) | 3 | Farmer |
 Bamboo Room Divider I | 4 | Decoration Workbench |
 Bamboo Room Divider II | 6 | Decoration Workbench |
 Palm Leaf Basket | 4 | Decoration Workbench |
 Bamboo Container I | 4 | Decoration Workbench |
 Bamboo Container II | 4 | Decoration Workbench |
 Bamboo Cage I | 4 | Decoration Workbench |
 Bamboo Cage II | 4 | Decoration Workbench |
The Swimfins also need 6 Palm Leaves, 4 Water Reptile Leather, and 10 Gold Coins at the Fisher. Capybara Bait takes 1 Sugar Cane and 2 Algae, while Capybara Food uses 3 Algae. The Red Carpet Block adds 4 Red Fabric, and Underwater Overgrowth uses 2 Underwater Mud.
Recipes that accept Plant Fiber or Paper Reed
Many recipes list “Plant Fiber or Paper Reed,” so you can substitute reeds whenever you are short on fiber. The counts below are the Paper Reed amounts.
| Recipe | Paper Reed | Station |
|---|---|---|
 String | 3 | By hand |
 Torch | 1 | By hand |
 Wax | 3 | Beehive |
 Simple Fishing Bait (x5) | 4 | By hand |
 Crude Mattress | 4 | Workbench |
 Explosive Powder Ball | 1 | By hand |
 Mining Sieve | 2 | Blacksmith |
 Firefly Lamp | 3 | Workbench |
 Firefly Chandelier | 5 | Carpenter |
 Firefly Wall Lamp | 3 | Carpenter |
 Firefly Standing Lamp | 3 | Carpenter |
String has a few variants: crafting by hand takes 3 Paper Reed, the Spinning Wheel takes 2, and the Spinning Machine takes 10 to make 10 String. The Torch pairs its fiber with 1 Twigs, and Simple Fishing Bait adds 1 Critter Parts.
