How to get lead platelets in Pacific Drive

GamesSurvival & CraftingPacific DriveHow to get lead platelets in Pacific DriveWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Ironwood Studios)

Driving survival game

Lead platelets are an important resource inPacific Drive: it’s a key ingredient to crafting items that will shield both you and your car from radiation in the early game, and even more crucially later onl, it’s used for crafting bigger car batteries that can hold more charge. But finding lead platelets in the exclusion zone can be tricky until you know what to look for.

Early on in Pacific Drive, radiation is one of the deadlier anomalies since it spreads across the ground in wide patches, often covering buildings and containers you need to loot. Your car (if all its doors are attached and closed) will give you some protection from radiation, but once you step out your health will be steadily drained inside radioactive anomalies. Radiation will also begin to damage your car if you’re in it long enough. That’s why lead platelets are so important to find quickly.

Pacific Drive lead platelets: How to get them

Lead platelets can be found at ARDA research stations throughout the outer zone, mid zone, and deep zone. These stations aren’t buildings—they’re small outdoor workstations, often spawn far from the roads, and they don’t have glowing lights like many of the ARDA structures, so they’re one of the hardest locations to spot while driving, especially at night or in bad weather.

You’ll know when you’ve spotted one because theylook like keyboards (sort of) stuck onto vertical metal bracketsaround some electronic equipment:

(Image credit: Ironwood Studios)

A science outpost

Those aren’t keyboards, of course, they’re lead shielding panels, and each of the five or six brackets can have up to three panels each (though they typically have fewer). Use your scrapper to cut each panel off and pick up the lead platelets that drop. Other than occasionally finding one in random containers, these stations are the best place to find multiple units of lead platelets. Usually each instance of these stations will provide a half-dozen lead platelets, if not more.

These stations are also great for collecting lots of copper wire, electronics, and especially bulbs: they tend to have several lab computers stacked in the center of the station and sodium light stands around the perimeter. Make sure you scrap absolutely everything when you’re there gathering lead!

Lead platelets are needed to craft:

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Pacific Drive lead platelets locations: Tips for finding them quickly

(Image credit: Ironwood Studios)

Driving survival game

Like I said, these stations are small and aren’t illuminated so they’re easy to miss while driving, especially when they’re hidden deep in the woods. To help you find these research stations, use your trip planner in the garage to scan junctions and see if “lead shielding” shows up in the lower right corner of the planner screen. Then you’ll know to definitely keep an eye out when you visit that junction.

(Image credit: Ironwood Studios)

A car driving

To craft a Resource Radar you’ll need:

Pacific Drive tips: 10 useful things to knowPacific Drive ThermoSap Crystals: Where to find themPacific Drive Dumpster Pearls: How to open themPacific Drive Lead Platelets: Where to locate themPacific Drive Unstable Energy: How to get it

Pacific Drive tips
Pacific Drive ThermoSap CrystalsPacific Drive Dumpster PearlsPacific Drive Lead PlateletsPacific Drive Unstable Energy

More about survival craftingSorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultAfter 15 years, Minecraft has finally added two new pig variations: The warm pig and the cold pig, meaning I can delete one mod off my listLatestPalestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 NakbaSee more latest►

More about survival crafting

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultAfter 15 years, Minecraft has finally added two new pig variations: The warm pig and the cold pig, meaning I can delete one mod off my list

Herobrine standing in front of a foggy forest

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our fault

New warm and cold pigs

After 15 years, Minecraft has finally added two new pig variations: The warm pig and the cold pig, meaning I can delete one mod off my list

LatestPalestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 NakbaSee more latest►

Latest

Palestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 Nakba

Dreams on a Pillow concept art - Palestinian woman holding a pillow

Palestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 Nakba

See more latest►

Most Popular

2024 was the year updates for old games beat out all the new ones for me

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)

Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

Five new Steam games you probably missed (January 6, 2025)

I’ve seen enough: No more forcing singleplayer studios to make mediocre live service games

6 games that could be bigger hits than you’re expecting in 2025

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Pacific Drive lead platelets: How to get them#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

Pacific Drive lead platelets locations: Tips for finding them quickly#

Pacific Drive lead platelets: How to get them

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Pacific Drive lead platelets locations: Tips for finding them quickly