Gaming How-To

How to Make Dream Dust in Probably Stolen (Alcohol, Heat and Every Machine Step)

Four chemistry machines turn Dream Caps into sellable vials, as long as the Heating Plate stays between 40C and 60C.

Four chemistry machines turn Dream Caps into sellable vials, as long as the Heating Plate stays between 40C and 60C.

Evaporator tooltip with Required Energy 6/Day

Quick answer: Blend Dream Caps into a pitcher, add Alcohol from Chemical Supplies, and hold the Heating Plate at 40-60C. Leave it in a powered Evaporator until it stops shrinking (about 3 nights), then select Vial of “Dream Dust” in the Chem Finisher and press Output.

Dream Dust is a Mid-Level Contraband narcotic in Probably Stolen: Cyberpunk Shopkeeper Sim. Making it takes four machines in a fixed order. The Blender works instantly, the Heating Plate needs you to watch it, and the Evaporator runs overnight. The Chem Finisher then packages the dry residue one vial at a time. Heat is the only step where a batch can be ruined. Above 60C, the Dream Cap Extract is destroyed.


Dream Dust equipment and ingredients

ItemBase valueJob in the recipe
Dream CapDream Cap23Main ingredient (contraband)
BlenderBlender200Turns caps into Dream Cap Mush
Heating PlateHeating Plate250Turns mush into Dream Cap Extract
EvaporatorEvaporator300Removes water and alcohol overnight
Chem FinisherChem Finisher300Packages the vials
Composition SpectrometerComposition Spectrometer400Checks the mix (optional)
Chemical Supplies (Common)Chemical Supplies (Common)50Unpacks into Alcohol

You also need a liquid container and an Energy Cell for the Evaporator. A Water Pitcher works and holds 3000 ml. Kotton Fabric is an optional filter before evaporation. Dream Caps grow in the Hydroponic System from Dream Cap Spores, which have a base harvest of 8 and give seeds back.

There are two ways to get the equipment:

  • Choose Chemist as your specialization. It starts with a Blender, a Heating Plate, a Chem Finisher, a Composition Spectrometer, a Water Pitcher, Kotton Fabric and the Chemistry Manual. An Evaporator is not in the kit.
  • At base, spend 1000 favor on Wild’s Network upgrade “Retired Chemist (Referral)” to receive a Chemist Starter Kit. Afterward, the Retired Chemist comes by each week to sell all four machines, the Composition Spectrometer, and Chemical Supplies.

If you would rather skip the chemistry, the “Lower Levels Chemist (Introduction)” upgrade costs 250 favor at base. It lets you phone Ashish (Lower Levels Chemist, 3319) and order 8 Dream Dust for next-day delivery or 16 for delivery in 2 days.


Where to get Alcohol for Dream Dust

The solvent is Alcohol, and the most direct supply is Chemical Supplies (Common). Walk-in Scavengers and the Retired Chemist both sell it.

Chemical Supplies (Common) tooltip, Est. Value 50
Chemical Supplies (Common): unpacks into basic chemistry items.

Right-click a pack and choose Activate. The game asks, “This will unpack the supplies into untradable chemicals. Are you sure you want to do that?” Choose Yes.

Confirm box: This will unpack the supplies into untradable chemicals
Activate asks to confirm the unpack.

Each pack gives 2 Mini Alcohol Bottles, which hold 250 ml each (175 ml alcohol, 75 ml water). It also gives a Bottle of Lipobond Agent, a Bottle of Acidic Solution and a Bottle of Basic Solution. To pour a bottle, drag it onto the pitcher. The empty bottle stays in your inventory at 0/250 ml.

Mini Alcohol Bottle tooltip, 250 ml
Each pack gives two 250 ml Mini Alcohol Bottles.

Drinks work too. Nudka (base value 85) gives 750 ml at 45% alcohol, and wine bottles give 750 ml at 20%.

Rubbing Alcohol is a medical item and contains no liquid. Dropping it on the pitcher does nothing.


How to make Dream Dust, from Blender to vial

Open the Blender by right-clicking it and choosing Open, or by double-clicking it. Put the Water Pitcher in the CONTAINER slot and 4 Dream Caps in INPUT. Ctrl+click sends items from your inventory to the right slot.
Blender with four Dream Caps in INPUT and a Water Pitcher in CONTAINER
Four Dream Caps in INPUT, the Water Pitcher in CONTAINER.
Press Start. Blending is instant. With 4 caps, the pitcher goes up to 496 ml / 3000 ml, which means 79 ml of Dream Cap Mush was added.
Water Pitcher tooltip reading 496 ml after blending
After Start: 496 ml in the pitcher.
Pour in the Alcohol. The Chemistry Manual calls for 3-6 times the volume of the mush. Four Mini Alcohol Bottles from 2 packs of Chemical Supplies bring the pitcher to about 996 ml.
Water Pitcher on the Heating Plate at 579 ml after the first alcohol
Alcohol going in: 579 ml after the first bottles.
Move the pitcher to the Heating Plate and hold the mix between 40C and 60C. This turns Dream Cap Mush into Dream Cap Extract. The next section explains how to control the temperature.
Heating Plate window at 53C with the target locked at 99C
Holding 53C by switching LOW on and off; the target stays at 99C.
Set the pitcher in the Evaporator’s CONTAINER slot and put an Energy Cell in the power slot on the left; then sleep. Kotton Fabric lets you filter the mixture beforehand.
Evaporator with the pitcher in CONTAINER and an Energy Cell
Pitcher in CONTAINER, Energy Cell in the power slot.
Check the pitcher each morning and keep sleeping until it stops shrinking.
Pitcher at 696 ml after one night in the Evaporator
After night 1: 696 ml.

A 996 ml batch drops to 696 ml after one night and to 114 ml after the third night. It stays at 114 ml after that because the dry residue does not evaporate.

Pitcher at 114 ml after the third night in the Evaporator
After night 3: 114 ml, and it stops there.
Put the pitcher in the Chem Finisher’s CONTAINER slot and press Configure. Find Vial of “Dream Dust” in the list and press its Select button.
Chem Finisher Configure list with Vial of Dream Dust at 2.00 ml
Configure: Vial of “Dream Dust” needs 2.00 ml.
Press Output. Each press produces one vial and uses 2.00 ml, so the pitcher drops from 114 ml to 112 ml.
Chem Finisher OUTPUT holding a Vial of Dream Dust
One press of Output, one vial.

Heating Plate temperature control for Dream Cap Extract

The basic Heating Plate maxes out at 99°C, heats slowly and is not very accurate. Without chem modules, TARGET TEMP is locked at 99C, and there are no buttons to lower it. If you leave it on, it will overshoot. To control it, switch CONTROL between LOW and OFF manually while you watch the TEMPERATURE readout.

Heating Plate tooltip: Max Temp 99C, Heat Speed Slow
The basic Heating Plate: Max Temp 99°C, Heat Speed Slow.
  • LOW heats the mix by about 3C per second and overshoots by a few degrees.
  • OFF lets it cool by about 0.5C per second.
  • Pouring in cold alcohol lowers the temperature.
  • A range of 46C to 53C keeps you safely inside the window.

The manual’s warning is literal: “Do not overheat or Dream Cap will be destroyed”. A pitcher that overshoots to 79C loses its alcohol to boiling (579 ml drops to 417 ml).

Pitcher down to 417 ml after overheating
Overheated to 79C: the alcohol boiled off, 579 down to 417 ml.

The Dream Cap Extract also falls to 2 uL (0.00%), which ruins the batch.

Composition Spectrometer showing almost no Dream Cap Extract after overheating
After overheating: Dream Cap Extract 2 uL (0.00%).

To check a batch before evaporating it, drag the Composition Spectrometer onto the container. A good batch shows Dream Cap Extract 27.19 ml (2.73%) next to water, alcohol and plant matter, with Euphoria: Extreme. A reading of 0.00% extract means the heat destroyed it.

Composition Spectrometer reading for a good Dream Dust batch
A good batch on the Composition Spectrometer: Dream Cap Extract 27.19 ml.

Chem Finisher output and Dream Dust purity

Every Chem Finisher recipe is marked “Cannot Include Wet Ingredient”. The Chemistry Manual says to insert the container only once all the water and alcohol has evaporated. Once Vial of “Dream Dust” is selected, the control panel shows Status: Ready.

Chem Finisher control panel showing Status Ready
Recipe selected: Status Ready.

The finished item is Vial of “Dream Dust”, tagged [Medical] [Narcotic] [Substance] [Contraband], with a Base Value of 18. Its label shows the purity grade, and that grade changes the price. Some customers carry a Chem Scanner to check whether the label is accurate.

Vial of Dream Dust tooltip with Mid-Level Contraband and the grade label
The vial: Mid-Level Contraband, Base Value 18, label Starch Grade.
GradePurityPrice modifier
Pure Grade99%++135%
Pharma Grade90-99%+85%
Near Pharma80-90%+40%
Street Standard60-80%None
Cut Product45-60%-45%
Junk Grade30-45%-75%
Starch Grade30%--95%

Our vial came out labeled Starch Grade, with an Est. Value of 1 against its Base Value of 18. The Chemistry Manual lists the upgrades for each machine: the Blender can be upgraded for better extraction yield, the Heating Plate for better temperature control, and the Chem Finisher to add fewer impurities. Most chemistry machines can only be upgraded with the Chemical Equipment Module. The Evaporator is the exception and uses normal modules.


How to use the Evaporator, Composition Spectrometer and Chem Finisher

Evaporator

The Evaporator’s tooltip reads “Required Energy: 6/Day” and “A slow machine that works overnight to evaporate liquids out of a solution using low heat and dry air.” Its window has a power slot on the left, MODULE, CONTAINER and DISTILLATE. It only runs overnight with an Energy Cell in the power slot, and it removes water and alcohol, not the dry extract. Unlike the other chemistry machines, it takes normal modules: Efficiency lowers its power use, Performance raises the volume evaporated per night and Quality raises the vapor captured.

Composition Spectrometer

Drag the Composition Spectrometer onto any liquid container or chemical product. A window opens with TESTED and LABELED lines and every ingredient in ml with its share. For Dream Dust, check the Dream Cap Extract line after heating: if it reads 0.00%, the batch is ruined and evaporating it is a waste of an Energy Cell.

Chem Finisher

Put a dry container in CONTAINER, press Configure, press Select beside a product, then press Output once per item. Each product needs a set volume of its active ingredient and none accept wet ingredients, so evaporate first. The Configure list holds Vial of “Dream Dust” (2.00 ml), Vial of “Nightmare Dust” (4.00 ml), Caffeine Pill (5.00 ml), Zyanide Pill (0.60 ml), Birth Control Pill (0.10 ml), Phanta Pill (0.50 ml) and Nomore Injector (4.00 ml). The crafting recipes list covers every machine.

Related guides: growing Dream Caps with hydroponics, Wild’s Network upgrades (Retired Chemist and Lower Levels Chemist), the Chemist specialization and the complete Probably Stolen guide.