Boss materials, artifacts, and tribute items drop from loot crates found in caves, deep-sea vents, and desert ruins. Understanding the color-coded system helps you know what to expect — and what you still need to farm the hard way.
| Crate Color | Contains |
|---|---|
| White | Vanilla Loot Only |
| Green | Vanilla Loot Only |
| Blue | Vanilla Loot Only |
| Purple | Tributes |
| Yellow | Tributes + Artifacts |
| Red | Tributes + Artifacts |
Cave, desert, and deep-sea crates all follow the same color behavior above.
Tribute Packs
Tributes drop as a complete set — each tribute pack contains every item required for that boss’s summon, usually 3–5 of each required item. For example, a Broodmother tribute pack can supply most of what you need for a Gamma-difficulty summon in one drop.
Boss tier generally lines up with crate color:
- Purple — first-tier boss on that map
- Yellow — second-tier boss
- Red — the hardest boss available on that map
Drop Rates
- Tribute Packs: approximately 1 in 10 crates
- Artifacts: approximately 1 in 15 crates (may be rarer on maps with only three artifacts total)
What’s Not Included
Boss trophies and Alpha creature parts (like an Alpha Rex Tooth or Alpha Raptor Claw) do not come from loot crates — those still have to be earned the normal way, by defeating the relevant boss or Alpha creature directly.
Caves generally offer the best drop rates for tributes and artifacts. Artifacts specifically do not appear in low-tier beach drops, and while desert and deep-sea crates do participate in the loot pool, they aren’t the most efficient farming method compared to caves.