Survival in Stranded Deep will depend on your use of the equipment in your Tool Belt, which allows you to assign various tools to hotkeys or other programmable actions in the game. Unfortunately, players are never clearly told how individual tools are assigned to hotkeys. Here’s how to how to make a Tool Belt and assign items to it.
How to Make a Tool Belt
To make the base Tool Belt in Stranded Deep, you’ll only need one Lashing. However, it can be upgraded to hold more materials, but each level will require different materials.
There are four variations, each fastened with its own recipe:
- Level 1 – 1 Lashing, – Allows 1 Hotkey Spot
- Level 2 – 1 Lashing, 1 Cloth, – Allows 3 Hotkey Spots
- Level 3 – 1 Cloth, 1 Rawhide – Allows 6 Hotkey Spots
- Level 4 – 2 Leather – Allows 10 Hotkey Spots
However, it’s worth noting that just because you open more hotkey spots, doesn’t mean you’ll get more inventory space.
Expert Tip: We highly recommend crafting the Level 4 Tool Belt as soon as the player can. Acquiring Level 4 will warrant 10 available tool slots; maximize your usage to the fullest extent.
You’ll still have the same level of space available, but with a better belt, you’ll be able to get to your items a little bit easier.
How to Get Lashings, Cloth, Rawhide, and Leather
Troubled survivors who are looking for the above-listed items can either craft or locate them on the islands. Of course, each must be approached differently with caution; beasts always lurk within and out of the woods.
Lashings can either be crafted with 4 Fibrous Leaves or found on Shipwrecks and Survivor Remains. They’re a rather basic resource to accumulate.
Players can spot pieces of Cloth laying on the islands’ shores or Shipwrecks. That’s if they’re looking to go out and scavenge.
Cloth can instead be made with 4 Fibrous Leaves 1 Loom.
If you need some Rawhide, equip a Refined Knife to do some hunting. Go and search for Boars and Sharks on the islands. You’ll need to first kill then skin them.
Doing so will provide you and your fellow survivors with the uncommon harvested material. It’s also used for Leather, the final resource that’s needed for the complete Tool Belt upgrade.
By using Rawhide on a Tanning Rack (upon achieving Craftsmanship Level 3), 1 Leather will be produced. It can also be obtained by looting through Shipwrecks and Survivor Remains if you’re up for a little adventure.
Expert Tip: Certain resources can be inserted multiple times into one slot, for example, you can hold 4 Cloth in one slot. Experiment with all of your available resources to see how much you can carry with you to optimize your storage space.
The better Tool Belt that you have access to, the more hotkey options you’ll have available.
How to Add Items to Your Tool Belt
Assigning items to your tool belt in Stranded Deep works differently between PC and console platforms. In the list below, we’ve got specific instructions for each one.
Here’s how to put your items in the Tool Belt on every platform:
- PC: You must equip the item in your hand. When you do, press and hold the hotkey you want to assign to that item until you hear a sound. That sound confirms that the item has been assigned.
- PlayStation 4: It gets a little more complicated. You must equip the item then hold down L1, which brings up the Tool Belt’s quick menu, select a slot with your D-pad, and then press L3 to assign the item.
- Xbox One: Similarly to the PS4, you equip the item and then hold LT, which brings up the Tool Belt quick menu. Then, use the D-pad and press the L stick to assign your tool.
You’ll want to keep in mind that this tool pouch is meant for convenience. It does not expand your inventory space, even the belt itself requires inventory space.
So, you’ll need to have an internal debate with yourself if you’re trying to determine if the belt is worth equipping or not. It’s a question of convenience vs. efficiency.
