Items
Casualties Unknown tools and light sources
Keeping the lights on
- Emergency lightYou start with one; turn it off when you can
- Flashlight or headlampFound or crafted
- Pod light batteryTake it from a life pod's ceiling light
- Hand crank chargerPower without a station
- No light left?Sweep your cursor to reveal what is nearby
Short answer: in Casualties Unknown, your first light is the emergency light, and batteries power everything after it. Take a battery from a life pod’s ceiling light with a tool, crank a charger when you have nothing else, and use your cursor to scan in total darkness. A lockpick kit opens locked containers from anywhere in your inventory. confirmed
Light is one of the things that quietly ends runs. A dark layer hides traps, and a dead battery can leave you unable to see a landmine under your feet.
What are the Casualties Unknown light sources?
| Light | How you get it | Notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency light | Start of every run | Conserve it | reported |
| Flashlight | Loot or crafted | Works from your mouth slot | confirmed |
| Headlamp | Loot or crafted | Frees your hands | reported |
| Lantern | Loot | Good area light | reported |
| Emissive crystal shard | Crystal deposits | Lights a wide area while carried | reported |
| Glowing plants | Found on most layers | Weak, but free | reported |
| Campfire | Crafted | Light and warmth | confirmed |
A useful trick: hold your flashlight in your mouth slot. It still aims at your cursor, leaving your hands free for a tool or weapon. confirmed
How do you see in the dark without a light?
Move your cursor around. It highlights and labels anything it passes over, so you can use it to find tunnels and solid blocks when you have no light at all. confirmed This also works during a solar flare and when you are playing unchipped. confirmed
How do batteries work?
Most powered items take batteries, and you can recharge them.
How to remove a battery: the most common question is how to get one from a life pod’s light. Break the light at the top of the pod, then use a tool on it, and the battery comes out. confirmed Some bulbs do not give a working battery, and a Survivor in that pod will dislike you for it. confirmed
How to charge one: a hand crank charger gives you power without needing anywhere special. It turns up as loot and with traders, and players are always pleased to find one. confirmed Recharge stations appear as structures, with a fix in 6.0 so that batteries stop going invisible inside them. confirmed
Batteries keep their favourited tag when placed in a device, so favouriting protects them from being used up in recipes. confirmed
How does lockpicking work in Casualties Unknown?
Locked containers need a lockpick kit and a minigame. In the full game, the kit works from anywhere in your inventory. confirmed Failing a lockpick deals more claw damage since 7.0, so do not attempt it with a badly hurt hand. confirmed The hand no longer jitters in the minigame after a 7.0 fix. confirmed
Medical and blue containers are the main reward, and players treat lockpicking as well worth learning. reported
What tools should you carry in Casualties Unknown?
| Tool | Use | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Digging tool or pickaxe | Saves energy on every layer | confirmed |
| Machete | Foliage, flesh and fights | confirmed |
| Tweezers | Fast shrapnel removal | reported |
| Wrench | Bones, some crafting | reported |
| Lock-picking kit | Containers | confirmed |
| Climbing claws, rope | Long descents | reported |
| Grappling hook | Fits on the belt since 7.0 | confirmed |
| Jetpack | Movement; works unreliably when wet | confirmed |
| Geiger counter | Radiation; craftable since 7.0 | confirmed |
If you only have room for two tools, take a digging tool and something to light your way. Remember that loose items on your body get used in recipes before bagged ones, so a tool can vanish if you are not careful. confirmed Favourite anything you care about. See the crafting guide.
What are some less obvious Casualties Unknown items?
- Ice packs help with heat and swelling, according to players.
- MP3 players give you music. Tracks got correct names in 6.0, and music is well loved in this community. confirmed
- Plushies can make sounds, and players treat them as a small comfort. confirmed
- Non-descript cans are a gamble, because they contain a random liquid. Oxyline can no longer appear in them. confirmed
- Auto-zoom goggles do not drain power when you are not wearing them. confirmed
- Old rag lets you wipe yourself. confirmed
What should you do when your light runs out?
Stop and take stock. Your options, in rough order of preference:
- Open anything nearby that could hold a battery.
- Check a life pod’s ceiling light for one.
- Build a campfire if you have wood, and work out your route.
- Use your cursor to find the next safe path.
Do not just push on in the dark, because mines and spikes are built to punish that. Before your next run, carry a spare.
Are there any tools from mods worth knowing?
Yes. See the best mods list. Prosthetic eye mods, for example, add their own powered gear and batteries, and QoL mods often improve how inventory tools behave.
Sources
Last checked 9 November 2026. Marks: confirmed = official notes, in-game text or a recording of the game; reported = two or more players; unverified = one source.