Wild Hearts building and Karakuri revealed

The Wild Hearts building Karakuri mechanics allow players to build Basic, Fusion, and Dragon Karakuri, which are special structures for combat and exploration. Each of these serves a different function as a whole, not just specifically, and costs Thread or Dragon Pit resources, depending on what you’re doing in Wild Hearts. It’s a complex system that isn’t explained very well, but here I’ll lay out what you can do and the differences between them, including how Dragon Pits work. Here’s everything you need to know about Building Karakuri in Wild Hearts.

Wild Hearts and building Karakuri structures revealed

Karakuri in Wild Hearts are player-built structures and are divided into three types:

• Basic Karakuri: Objects such as chests and bows that are often used in the middle of battle. It is usually destroyed immediately after construction or in a single hit. The cost of constructing the Karakuri Thread.
• dragon karakuri: Base, transit and exploration based structures such as Tents, Campfires, Ziplines and Hunting Towers. Automatically rebuild themselves if destroyed at no additional cost. Crafting costs Dragon Pit Resources.
• Fusion Karakuri: More complex structures made by combining basic Karakuri in certain patterns. It is usually destroyed immediately after construction or in a single hit. Contains Trenches, Hammers and Star Grenades. The cost of constructing the Karakuri Thread.

This is just an overview of how Karakuri works, and below we’ll cover more details on how they open, how they work, and how you should use them.

Basic Karakuri

There are six types of Basic Karakuri in Wild Hearts: chests, bows, torches, gliders, stakes, and heavenly anchors, but you can’t unlock them all until you somehow get inside. They all cost 1 to 3 Threads, and four can be assigned to your quick pick (L1/LB) at once, which you can exchange at Natsume’s forge or at a Field Forge you build in the wilderness.

Because the basic Karakuri craft is so cheap and fast, it’s something you should always use in the middle of battle to launch a bow for quick dodge or summon a glider in mid-air.

Unlock all Basic Karakuri

Because they are so basic, we have outlined here all the purposes of basic Karakuri and how to get them.

• Crate (1 Thread)
  • Definition: A default box that can be used to climb or mount instant towers by creating a triple stack. It is destroyed when attacked by an enemy.
  • How to open: Unlocked in education.
• Spring (2 Threads)
  • Definition: A jump pad for fast horizontal movement. It is destroyed when attacked by an enemy.
  • How to open: Defeat the Ragetail boss.
• Torch (1 Thread)
  • Definition: A torch that can be used to temporarily fire players’ weapons. It is destroyed when attacked by an enemy.
  • How to open: Defeat the Wild Hearts Kingtusk boss.
• Glider (3 Topics)
  • Definition: A hand glider that lifts the user a little before achieving a slow, controlled fall. When the player falls to the ground, they fall and will self-destruct if not picked up again immediately.
  • How to open: Defeat the Spineglider boss.
• Betting (2 Threads)
  • Definition: A platform that launches a grappling hook when stepped on, clinging to whatever it is looking at to provide a platform next to the wall or monster. It is destroyed when attacked by an enemy.
  • How to open: Purchased with Kemono Orbs from the Karakuri menu.
• Celestial Anchor (3 Threads)
  • Definition: A pole stuck in the ground, to which the player attaches himself to a rope, allows him to pull himself around and quickly reroute his movements, even in mid-air. Destroyed when attacked by an enemy or after the player’s fourth prompt.
  • How to open: Purchased with Kemono Orbs from the Karakuri menu.

There’s obviously a lot to use here, but we found Crate, Bow, and Glider to be pretty essential throughout the game, apart from very specific builds, so the fourth slot can go to whichever of the other three you think works best. Sense for the current prey you are in.

dragon karakuri

Dragon Karakuri are permanent, special buildings and devices ranging from Tents for Wild Hearts fast travel to Campfires, Ziplines and even Baths, Signs and special Cylinder vehicles. These are rarely used in combat, are usually built between fights and focus on base management and transition.

Building Dragon Karakuri costs resources from the Dragon Pits in the area, not Thread. There are five sources:

• Leaf
• Fire
• This
• Wind
• Soil

Different Karakuri will cost different, and you can choose to destroy them to get these costs back.

How to unlock Dragon Karakuri?

Most Dragon Karakuri are unlocked through purchases from the Karakuri menu, story progression, or as rewards for hunting certain monsters – but most fall under this first option. Kemono Orbs receive rewards for successful hunts and pay for breaking certain parts of monsters during these hunts.

Dragon Pits explained

Dragon Pits are something we talked about in our Wild Hearts tips, but we’ll explain in detail here: these glowing pools are found in every region (marked by a spinning symbol on the map) and players can approach them to open a menu. This menu will show the cost of “unblocking” the Dragon Pit which will give the player more resources for that particular area.

Pits have multiple block removal stages, each of which increases the amount of resources in the game, but the costs increase each time. Not all Pits provide the same amount of resources – someone on the beach can only provide Water, while someone on a volcanic peak can provide Earth, Fire, and Air.

Fusion Karakuri

Fusion Karakuri are structures made from basic Karakuri stacks. For example, a precise arrangement of base vaults will instantly transform themselves into a Bulwark, a fortified wall. Alternatively, properly mixing some Stakes will allow you to summon a Chain Trap that can temporarily trap a monster. There’s a lot to review and we’re still unlocking them all, but these are worth keeping in mind as they often serve as specific counters against certain types of enemy attacks.

Unlocking Fusion Karakuri

Unlocking the knowledge to build a new Fusion Karakuri requires a “Flash of Inspiration” triggered by:

• Having the right Basic Karakuri gear to create the new fusion
• Go hunting with a certain Kemono
• This Kemono then uses a specific move
• The player must also have the Thread to create the Fusion.

For example, if you equipped Crates the first time you fight Kingtooth, you will receive your Flash of Inspiration when Kingtooth tries to use the offensive attack that can be countered by Bulwark, two stacks of three crates. Time will slow down and the button prompt for the new Fusion will give you a chance to enter it – and then the new Fusion will now be something you can build whenever you want!

Of course, you especially need to know how to unlock Fusions. In the Karakuri menu (the tab next to your map), it will show you all the Fusions a player can learn. If you haven’t unlocked them yet, this will show you which Basic Karakuri and which Kemono you need to bring against to trigger that inspiration. And if it doesn’t show you kemono you must be hunting – that means you haven’t met him yet. Try to come up with what you can find to make sure they’re registered on your Cyclopedia, and if it still doesn’t tell you what to inspire you, you may not have opened that beast yet. Keep playing until you find the campaign.