Retreat to Enen: Where to Find Oyster Shells

Oysters are one of the more challenging crafting resources to find in Retreat to Enen. It makes sense that they would be found in the ocean waters surrounding the first biome, Enen, but it’s very easy to overlook them if you don’t know what to look for.

While eating the mollusks can easily give you a nasty pathogen (in-game and in real life), you’ll need their shells for the Snow Pod, a handy late-game buildable, and the Headlamp, a very helpful tool for doing anything at night.

This Retreat to Enen guide will tell you everything you need to know about Oysters and Oyster Shells. 

Oyster Location in Enen

Of course, you won’t find these mollusks in fresh water, so don’t bother looking there. Instead, head to seas around the island of Enen, the first biome in the game. Before you do, though: craft the Tonic Bottle, and fill it with Antiseptic to eliminate any pathogens you may contract.

Swim out into the water, and scour the sand between the beach and the underwater vegetation surrounding the island. Mollusks will very rarely be inside the kelp forests themselves, so don’t waste your time looking there. 

Keep an eye out for grey, oblong shells on the seabed; Oysters look a bit like rotten pieces of meat used in the Crab Pot. They will sometimes be in groups of two to three, though they’ll likely be by themselves. 

It’s most efficient to gather a load of Oysters before returning to land. You’ll need 10 Oyster Shells for the Snow Pod, so once you have them, return to land, open your inventory, and drop them on the ground. Activate your Quantum Controller to crack them open. You can do this underwater, but it’s best to wait because you’ll need to eat the Oysters to gather their shells.

With that in mind, there’s a good chance you’ll also contract a pathogen while eating the Oysters, and since pathogens drain your health, you should eat all of the Oysters at one time before using the Antiseptic in the Tonic Bottle. There’s no reason to combat falling health and oxygen meters simultaneously. Once you’ve eaten the meat from the shells, pick them up to add the shells to your inventory.

With 10 Oyster Shells in your possession, you’re 1/4 of the way to constructing the Snow Pod, a shelter that’s handy but not totally necessary for the last biome, The Great North. For more, head over to our Retreat to Enen guides hub.