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Disney Dreamlight Valley’sA Rift in Timeexpansion adds an exciting new feature called Timebending, a new type of resource gathering that is done using theRoyal Hourglass, unlocked shortly after arriving at Eternity Isle. Timebending allows the player to collect Mist, a currency used for unlocking new areas and in many new crafting recipes, along with valuable crafting materials.
The player can use these materials with the newTimebending Table, a special new crafting bench, to make items using those materials found via Timebending on Eternity Isle and in the Valley. In addition to fun new furniture items and an assortment of extremely helpful upgrade items, players can also now craftAncient Machines, special devices that can be used to automate certain tasks.
There are three different types of Ancient Machines players can craft inA Rift in Time. This guide is focused on theAncient Cooker, a machine which players can use to craft multiple dishes at once while cooking. Here’s everything players need to know about crafting and using this new device inDisney Dreamlight Valley: A Rift in Time.
How to Craft the Ancient Cooker
Early inA Rift in Time’s main story, players areintroduced to the Timebending Table, a powerful new crafting table that utilizes pieces of ancient technology and other doodads, collected via Timebending, to craft useful items. When the Timebending Table is unlocked, players can view a variety of available recipes but won’t be able to craft them all just yet.
Upgrade the Royal Hourglass to Level 1
Before Ancient Machines, including the Ancient Cooker, can be crafted, the player must first increase the level of their Royal Hourglass. This costs asubstantial amount of Mist, and is a criteria of Scrooge McDuck’s quest “Village Project: Gear Loose and Fancy Free,” so players will want to prioritize upgrading the Royal Hourglass.
Gather Materials via Timebending
Uponupgrading the Royal Hourglass to Level 1inA Rift in Time, players unlock the ability to findAncient Coresvia Timebending. Ancient Cores are essential for crafting Ancient Machines. There are three tiers of Ancient Cores players can discover, with each new level unlocking with a respective upgrade of the Royal Hourglass. In addition to Ancient Cores, players will also need to gather Mist, obtained by completing duties on Eternity Isle and via Timebending, and an assortment of materials more commonly found when Timebending.
Craft the Ancient Cooker at the Timebending Table
The Timebending Table inDisney Dreamlight Valleyfeatures an “Ancient Machine” category, offering recipes for different devices based on the player’s current Royal Hourglass level. Ancient Machines are available in three versions:Basic, Regular,andAdvanced. Players can craft and simultaneously operate any number of Ancient Machines provided they have the materials.
To construct each version, a specific level of Ancient Core material is required, the availability of which also directly corresponds to the level of the player’s Royal Hourglass. Basic machines require Ancient Core (Level 1), Regular machines require Ancient Core (Level 2), and the Advanced machines require Ancient Core (Level 3). Additionally, creating a higher-tier machine requires the previous version of the machine.
Basic Ancient Cooker
Cooks up to 10 meals in exchange for 25 Mist each.
Regular Ancient Cooker
Cooks up to 20 meals in exchange for 25 Mist each.
Advanced Ancient Cooker
Cooks up to 30 meals in exchange for 25 Mist each.
How to Use the Ancient Cooker
Once the player has crafted an Ancient Cooker, it is added to their furniture menu and can be placed like any other piece of furniture. During Scrooge McDuck’s quest where he asks the player to craft an Ancient Machine, he requires the player to place the machine outdoors on Eternity Isle and return to him to complete the quest. However, once that is done, the player is free to pick up the Ancient Machine and move it to any other location. The Ancient Cooker can be placed both indoors and outdoors on Eternity Isle or in the Valley.
The Ancient Cooker’s primary function is auto-cooking a single dish of the player’s choice, consumingthe ingredientsand a fixed quantity of Mist per craft. Players must fuel the Ancient Cooker with the designated amount of Mist,25 Mist per craft of a recipe, determining the quantity of the selected meal it will produce. Here’s how to use the Ancient Cooker:
you may see a progress bar in the lower left corner that indicates the machine’s progress in crafting a single dish. When a meal is finished, it will move to the next window and can be claimed. The machine will start crafting another copy of the dish until it has finished cooking all the dishes requested by the player. If the player decides to cancel the cooking process, any unspent Mist is refunded. The higher-quality versions of the devices allow the player to queue up more copies of a dish while leaving it unattended to do its thing, but the Mist cost per dish and the time it takes to craft a meal remain the same.
Is the Ancient Cooker Worth Crafting?
In the very early stages of the expansion and progression, it isn’t too much trouble to keep at least one Ancient Cooker running, as it’s relatively easy to obtain the 250 Mist required to cook up to ten dishes. However, for many players, while the ability to prepare these meals without being stuck at the stove during the process is certainly appealing, it’s a convenience that simply isn’t worth the Mist that’s better spent on unlocking new areas and on substantial upgrades to the player’s royal tools and the Royal Hourglass.
Once that need for Mist has been largely fulfilled and players begin to accumulate a large reserve of Mist, similar to how many have with Dreamlight, it becomes more practical and beneficial to craft and use multiple Ancient Cookers. Running several of these cookers at once will allow players to efficiently stock up on meals. It’s also worth noting that the Ancient Cooker operates at a notably slow pace. This is not a major issue, since it doesn’t require constant monitoring by the player. However, players will likely find themselves frequently using a regular stove forfaster meal preparation.
