99 Nights: craft an Oil Drill without spending your fuel reserve

Evergreen guide. Researched: October 16, 2026 (UTC).

Quick answer

The Oil Drill periodically produces Oil Barrels in 99 Nights in the Forest. Craft it at Crafting Bench tier 4 for 25 Wood, 35 Scrap and 1 Cultist Gem. It adds a fuel source; placing it does not instantly provide an infinite reserve.

Separate the unlock from the machine

If your bench is still tier 3, pay for its upgrade first. These are two different expenses:

The total excludes earlier upgrades and materials for other structures. Check your session's recipe before committing resources.

Build it and use the barrels

1. Keep fuel to maintain the campfire while gathering materials.
2. Unlock bench tier 4 and craft Oil Drill.
3. Before placing it, face its output toward the campfire if you want barrels to fall toward it. On PC, rotate structures with R.
4. Observe its first production. If the barrel lands on the ground, collect it and use it to fuel the fire.
5. Check the fuel bar before your next expedition; do not assume the problem is solved just because the machine exists.

Why placement matters

Facing the output toward the fire is a community-wiki tip for making use of the falling barrel. It does not guarantee that every distance or base layout works: check your own placement before you stop watching it.

The barrel can also fuel the Flamethrower. If a teammate uses one, agree which reserve belongs to the campfire so you do not budget the same fuel twice.

Mistakes and success check

Do not burn all your wood while saving to build it or expect instant fuel: production is periodic. If the fire is about to go out, feeding it takes priority over finishing the purchase.

Success: machine placed, barrel produced and fuel used by the campfire. Checklist: correct bench; separate costs; initial reserve; output checked; fire bar checked.

Related reading: use Biofuel Processor without consuming all your food.