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Developer Spry Fox’s roguelike puzzler Road Not Taken is all about figuring things out as you go. It’s like life, really — you start out knowing nothing and learn from experience, failure, and experimentation. This is especially true of its recipes, in which you combine two or more objects to create something new.
Like the rest of it, you’re supposed to learn all of this from trying it out, because life does not come with a strategy guide.
Luckily, however, video games can, so here’s a handy catalog of every recipe in Road Not Taken. Click on an individual item below (or in the guide itself) to go to its page and see what it does, how to make it, and how you can use it to get other cool stuff. You can reference by image or search for the name of the thing you’re looking for.
Animals
Food
Apple • Family Dinner • Fearsome Stew • Jar of Honey • Mole Stew • Owlhead Pickles • Poison Toad • Pork Roast • Raccoon Stew • Royal Honey • Toadstool • Yeti Stew
House Items
Large Pot • Playful Cat • Pot of Spare Staffs • Shattered Large Pot • Sleeping Cat • Small Pot • Shattered Small Pot • Stool
Lost Items
People
Child • Parent • Precocious Child
Plant Life
Dead Tree • Hedge • Oak • Pine • Shrubbery • Stone Seed • Thorn Bush • Thorn Tree
Potions
Potion of Duplication • Potion of Fear • Potion of Following • Potion of Grip • Potion of Movement • Stun Potion
Spirits
Stony Things
Ancient Mortar • Bear Statue • Forest Shrine • Grave • Heavy Rock • Jumpstone • Locked Wall • Lodestone • Vase of Ashes
Tools
Ax • Beehive • Bone • Fire • Ice • Skeleton Key • Skull • Spear • Wood
Tradables
Bee
What it does: Bees make honey. And they also make bee stings. This game isn’t so cruel that the pesky insects disembowel themselves after stinging anything once, but it is cruel enough that they can sting you as many times as they want while leaving their guts intact. It’s a strange world.
How to make it:
I’m not sure how this works, but a Lodestone plus a Forest Shrine makes a Bee. Who knows what goes on in that crazy stone bowl.
You can also just throw a Beehive. Sometimes that works, too.
What it makes:
Pick up a Bee and toss it, and it becomes a Scared Bee. Just like any bully.
Also, if you combine a Bee with a Skull, you’ll get some Royal Honey.
Bear
What it does: Bears won’t hurt you, but they might block your way. They move one space for every two steps you take. And they’re cute, so that might be distracting.
How to make it:
Only love can make a bear.
What it makes:
Three Bears merge to make one Bear Statue. It’s a fitting tribute to those we lost in its creation.
Four Bears combine to form one Giant Bear. And that makes sense, I guess. It’s like Bear Voltron.
And if you can line up a full-on Teddy Bear Picnic of five, you get a Mole.
Boar
What it does: Boars are jerks, and they have bad attitudes. They’ll attack you just for standing in front of them, even if you’re several squares away.
How to make it:
If you can get a Willowisp to stop stealing children away long enough to throw a Forest Shrine at it, they’ll turn into a Boar.
What it makes:
Two Boars combine to make an adorable (and docile) Pig. That’s the best kind of math.
Crow
What it does: Crows like things that aren’t theirs, and if you throw a Crow at an object, it’ll just fly off with it. They don’t even care.
How to make it:
Throw five Light Spirits together, and you’ll end up with a squawking thief and a lot more breathing room.
What it makes:
A Crow and a Parent form a Family Dinner. Let the jokes about “eating crow” begin.
Daemon Bunnae
What it does: It’ll mess you up, basically. It’ll hit you for 10 damage and teleport you to another room.
How to make it:
An innocent, fluffy Rabbit combines with the infernal Flame Spirit to form this affront to Nature.
What it makes:
The Daemon Bunnae will spread its evil to other fluffy Rabbits.
And sometimes, it’ll eat a Fire, turn back into a Rabbit, and give you some money. Because reasons.
Evil Raccoon
What it does: It moves up and down, and it’ll hit you for one damage if you get too close.
How to make it:
Throw a Placid Raccoon more than one space. Apparently, they hate that.
The harder way is to combine Leshy with the Forest Shrine.
What it makes:
Two Evil Raccoons make a Rock Eater.
Or you can just go ahead and make some stew.
Fox
What it does: It walks around looking all cool and saving you room. And sometimes it steals your stuff, but what can you do.
How to make it:
Here’s some tricky math: A Wolf plus a Fox equals a Fox. So apparently, Wolf equals zero.
But it gets more confusing: It turns out that three Wolves merge to make one Fox, so Fox also equals two times Wolf. That means that Fox also equals zero, and therefore, all Wolves are Foxes, but none of them are worth anything. Algebra.
Note that you can’t use Cornered Wolves for crafting. Just frightened ones.
What it makes:
Foxes make Foxes. That’s just how Nature works. And sometimes, a Fox will give up one of its purloined Coppers if you throw it.
Giant Bear
What it does: It walks around looking all grumpy.
How to make it:
Four regular-sized bears combine to form the Giant Bear.
What it makes:
It makes a pretty nice rug in the basement of your Ranger’s house. Plus, it drops Jars of Honey.
Hawk
What it does: If you enter any square below a Hawk, and nothing is between you and it, it will swoop down and carry you to another room.
How to make it:
You can’t. It just is.
What it makes:
Hawks aren’t all hassle. You can merge three of them with a Flame Spirit to get a super-useful Potion of Movement.
Or you can throw one in with a Forest Shrine and make a Willowisp.
Night Imp
What it does: It moves up and down the screen, one space for each move you make, and it gets in your way. All the time.
How to make it:
Why would you even want to do that? Well, you can’t.
What it makes:
But you can use a Rock or something to bump two Imps into each other and make a Poison Toad. And that’s preferable to the Imps in every way.
If you have the skills to combine three Night Imps, they turn into a Parent. Take from that what you will.
Leshy
What it does: Leshy is weird. And he attacks two squares to the left or right, so he’s also mean.
How to make it:
My guess is that you’d combine a tree, a walrus, and the nightmares of lonely children. But you can’t make Leshy in the game.
What it makes:
If you take an Ax to Leshy, you can chop him down into a Rock Eater.
You can also throw two Leshies together and get a Toadstool.
And if you don’t like Leshy but still feel like having something attack you, toss a Forest Shrine his way to make an Evil Raccoon.
Mole
What it does: Moles are handy for moving things around that you either can’t reach or can’t lift. They burrow to the other side of any object(s) you throw them at and shift everything one space toward you. So if you have a Child you can’t get to, just start chucking Moles toward it until you can reach.
How to make it:
You can make a Mole by getting five Bears together, provided you don’t accidentally make a Statue or a Giant Bear first.
What it makes:
If you can get two Moles into a Fire, you’ll make some tasty Mole Stew.
Owl
What it does: Just walks around being pretty.
How to make it:
You don’t have the skills to make an Owl.
What it makes:
You use Owls to make Owlhead Pickles. One way is to get four of the birds together.
Or, if you don’t have the time (or the Owls) for that, you can cast two of your wingéd buddies into a Fire.
It’s not all weird pickles, though; burn an Owl in the unholy blue flame of the Ancient Mortar, and you’ll get a Potion of Following.
Pig
What it does: It’s cute. What else does it need to do?
How to make it:
You get a Pig by tossing together two of those a-hole Boars.
What it makes:
But if your tummy is rumbling louder than your heartstrings, you can also just cook a Pig into a Pork Roast.
Placid Raccoon
What it does: Nothing. Just sits there being adorable and completely nonthreatening.
How to make it:
Impossible. If I could make Placid Raccoons, I’d just do that all the time and never save any kids.
What it makes:
If you throw a Placid Raccoon, it turns into an Evil Raccoon. And then it will cut you.
You can also toss this little guy into a Fire and make some Raccoon Stew. You monster.
Rock Eater
What it does: It eats things made of rock and stone. And if it can’t find any, it’ll poop out a Heavy Rock and then chow down on that. And that’s just disgusting.
How to make it:
You can throw one Evil Raccoon into another …
…or you can chop down that weirdo Leshy with an Ax.
What it makes:
Nothing, until it eats a statue you need to open a door. And then it makes you mad.
Scared Bee
What it does: It runs away from you because it is so scared. Pick it up, however, and it will sting you like crazy.
How to make it:
Stand up to an angry Bee by tossing it around.
What it makes:
Three Scared Bees combine to make Royal Honey.
Wolf
What it does: It takes up two squares and typically wants nothing to do with you. It will attack if you corner it, but it’s otherwise not a threat. Unless you’re a Rabbit or a Deer — then it will totally eat you. The other problem with cornering a Wolf is that it will also refuse to let you craft anything from it.
And so the Cornered Wolf shall take its revenge upon you.
How to make it:
You can’t make a Wolf. You just have to deal with the harsh reality that Wolves represent.
What it makes:
A Wolf joins with a Fox to make … a Fox. Sorry, Mr. Wolf. You don’t count for anything.
Three Wolves also combine to make a Fox.
And if a Wolf eats another animal, it’ll poo out a Rabbit.
Yeti
What it does: Yetis are no threat to you, and they have a fondness for Bears. You know, in the same way that I have a fondness for sour worms.
How to make it:
No combination of elements adds up to a Yeti.
What it makes:
If you look at this beautiful, unique creature and think, “I wonder what it tastes like,” you should work on your sense of wonder. But you can also make some Yeti Stew with a Fire if you’re so damned curious.
Apple
What it does: Restores eight points of energy.
How to make it:
Apple recipes are various, and not one of them involves waiting for a tree to grow. So Road Not Taken’s universe beats our universe there. Anyway, you can combine two Flame Spirits and an Ancient Mortar…
…or you can throw a Thorn Tree next to a Mortar.
If all you can find is a Thorn Bush, don’t worry. That’ll work just as well.
Finally, if you manage to open a Locked Wall with a Skeleton Key, the game will toss you an Apple just for funsies.
What it makes:
Put two Apples together to make a Potion of Movement.
Family Dinner
What it does: Restores 20 points of energy.
How to make it:
Chuck a Crow into a Parent and you have a quick, affordable meal that feeds four. Or just you, really.
What it makes:
It makes you wonder if the developer made the pun in this item’s name intentionally.
Fearsome Stew
What it does: Restores 20 points of energy.
How to make it:
Outmaneuver an Angry Spirit and toss an Ancient Mortar at it to make this hearty dish.
But what if the spirit is Very Angry? Same deal, but I like to think that the resulting stew is just a little bit warmer.
What it makes:
It makes for even better eating the next day.
Jar of Honey
What it does: Restores 10 points of energy.
How to make it:
Here’s one of the few recipes in the game that makes logical sense: Harvest your Jars of Honey from three Beehives.
What it makes:
It makes a great topping for ice cream, but good luck finding any of that in the woods. And if you put three of them together, they upgrade into a Royal Honey.
Mole Stew
What it does: Restores 20 points of energy.
How to make it:
If you have a couple of Moles and some Fire, you’re all set.
What it makes:
It makes a nice meal, and you get to keep the cool bowl afterward. I hope.
Owlhead Pickles
What it does: Restores 30 points of energy.
How to make it:
You have two options here. First, get four Owls together, and they’ll transmogrify into a jar.
If Owls are at a premium, though, you can just toss two of them next to a Fire.
What it makes:
It makes no sense, is what. Who pickles owls?
Poison Toad
What it does: Restores 30 points of energy.
How to make it:
It’s tricky, but worth it for the 30 points. You have to combine two Imps by shoving them together with a Rock or Forest Bull.
What it makes:
You can’t make anything with Poison Toads, but at least they clear out some of those annoying Imps.
Pork Roast
What it does: Restores 20 points of energy.
How to make it:
It’s pretty straightforward: Throw a Pig onto a Fire.
What it makes:
It makes sense. Finally.
Raccoon Stew
What it does: Restores 10 points of energy.
How to make it:
If you’re looking for something to do with a pesky Evil Raccoon, just throw it into the nearest Fire.
And if you’re a joyless maniac with an allergy to innocence, you can do the same with a Placid Raccoon.
What it makes:
It’ll make you happy and sad, respectively.
Royal Honey
What it does: Restores 50 points of energy.
How to make it:
If you can herd three Scared Bees together, you’ll net the game’s most powerful food item.
Or you can toss three Jars of Honey together.
And if you want to be all mean, threaten a Bee by showing it what happened to the last person who crossed you.
What it makes:
It makes pretty good use of those stupid Bees.
Toadstool
What it does: Restores 30 points of energy.
How to make it:
If you have two Leshys giving you grief, you can get rid of them and grab yourself a nice energy boost at the same time.
What it makes:
It makes the woods a less confusing and scary place.
Yeti Stew
What it does: Restores 30 points of energy.
How to make it:
Find yourself a beautiful and rare Yeti, and then burn it alive.
What it makes:
It’s sad. It makes tears.
Large Pot
What it does: It sits around in your house waiting for you to break it. Or just looking tasteful.
How to make it:
If you have a Shattered Large Pot sitting around, your cat can help you reassemble them.
Even if Kitty is asleep.
If your cat isn’t available, you can also rebuild a Large Pot from two Shattered Small Pots.
Or you can use two Shattered Large Pots.
What it makes:
It makes a nice statement in whatever room you put it in.
Shattered Large Pot
What it does: They just lie there, a silent monument to your clumsiness.
How to make it:
Throw a Large Pot at the wall. Duh.
What it makes:
If you have no need to store anything, but you have some guests coming over, you can start combining Shattered Large and Small Pots into Stools.
Or if you’d rather have your Large Pot back, ask your cat to help.
You don’t even have to wake it up first.
If you have a couple of Shattered Large Pots lying around and want to save some space, combine them into one Large Pot.
And if you need another Pot of Spare Staffs, you can make that happen, too.
Playful Cat
What it does: Playful Cat is always happy to see you. So happy, in fact, that you need to throw it across the room so that you can get around the house.
How to make it:
Start throwing together sets of Two Stools and a Pot for Spare Staffs to start yourself on the road to Cat Person.
What it makes:
Your Playful Cat is a wiz with glue, so you should bring your broken Large Pots to him.
Your small ones, too. He can fix everything.
Pot of Spare Staffs
What it does: You never know when one of your Ranger’s Staffs is going to break. So here’s where you keep the non-broken ones.
How to make it:
You have one in your bedroom already, but if you need more for whatever reason, you can combine one Shattered Large Pot with two Shattered Small Pots.
What it makes:
Toss this thing in with a couple of Stools, and you’ll welcome a new Playful Cat to your family.
Sleeping Cat
What it does: It’s exactly like Playful Cat, but it doesn’t get in your way. So you only need to throw it if you hate cats.
How to make it:
You don’t have to make a cat sleepy. That happens all on its own.
What it makes:
Being unconscious and having no visible limbs but a tail doesn’t slow down this kitty. It can still fix that Small Pot for you from the broken pieces.
What is that, a Shattered Large Pot? Psssssh.
Small Pot
What it does: It sits around looking nice. Much like the Large Pot, only less so.
How to make it:
A Shattered Small Pot and a resourceful Playful Cat will get you a Small Pot in no time.
A Sleeping Cat can also help.
What it makes:
It makes any corner of a room a tiny Greek vacation.
Shattered Small Pot
What it does: They lie there as grim reminders of the wages of violence.
How to make it:
See that Small Pot over there? Pick it up and throw it at something.
Sometimes, you also get these if you break a Large Pot.
What it makes:
You can reverse that senseless destruction if you have a Cat handy. No, really.
Don’t even bother waking it up. Just chuck the shards over there near it.
Hey, don’t even worry about the Cat. Just throw two Shattered Small Pots together and watch how much better off you are.
But who needs pots, anyway? Mix a Shattered Small Pot with its larger counterpart, and then take a load off on your new Stool.
Or you can combine two of them with one Shattered Large Pot to make a Pot for Spare Staffs.
Stool
What it does: It makes sitting easier and immature people giggle.
How to make it:
Obviously, the easiest way to make a wooden stool is to throw two piles of shattered earthenware together. Like, say, some Shattered Small and Large Pots.
What it makes:
Placing two Stools next to each other creates a telekinetic net capable of gathering enough psychic energy to summon a Ghost Girl. Well, you tell me how that works..
If you don’t want a Ghost Girl, however, add a Pot for Spare Staffs to this recipe, and you’ll get an adorable Playful Cat to snuggle.
Backpack
What it does: Sits around bumming you out.
How to make it:
Sorrow and loss made it. You need not do anything.
What it makes:
Summon the Ghost Girl with the Backpack, two Light Spirits, and two Flame Spirits.
Doll
What it does: Ruins your happy day.
How to make it:
Build a castle made of youth and innocence in your mind. And then crush it to dust.
What it makes:
You can conjure a Ghost Girl with the Doll and a few other ingredients.
Shoe
What it does: Cures your good mood.
How to make it:
You wouldn’t want to make a poor, doomed child’s lost shoe. Really.
What it makes:
The Ghost Girl appears when you throw the Shoe in with some Spirits.
Child
What it does: Children are why you’re going out into the woods in the first place. They’re lost, scared, and they need your help.
How to make it:
When a man and a woman love each other…
What it makes:
If you sit a Child down by a Fire, they get super smart and precocious. And then they’ll follow you out of the woods without you having to toss them everywhere.
Parent
What it does: You save Children by delivering them to a Parent (or the other way around). Otherwise, they just stand around and grieve impotently.
How to make it:
Start with a Child and then wait. Or if you don’t have that kind of time, get three Night Imps into a huddle.
What it makes:
Toss a Parent in with a Crow and score a Family Dinner which will give you a 20-point energy boost.