Farming Dynamite and Scrap: The Cronley Territory Loop

What the two materials are for

Dynamite opens things; Scrap binds things. Knowing the uses sets the pickup priority.

• ▸Dynamite's uses: unlocking Dynamite chests, demolition, and opening progression-blocked areas - a consumable tied directly to exploration payouts.
• ▸Its four sources: fixed (randomized) spots mainly in certain Act 2/Act 4 areas, specific destructible objects, Cronley's Gang elites, and blacksmith crafting.
• ▸Scrap is junk material - bolts, straps, low-grade metal - used to bind items and structures, accumulating naturally from chests and ordinary enemies.
• ▸Scrap also appears as a crafting-recipe requirement, so simply banking what accumulates covers you.
• ▸Selling either is forbidden (see Crafting Material Routes).

The staple loop: Four Hills into Cronley territory

• ▸Prerequisites: Act 2 access and the Four Hills rift unlocked.
• ▸Start at the Four Hills rift and sweep Staunton Mine plus Cronley's Hideout.
• ▸Priority targets: fixed Dynamite, scrap piles, and Cronley's Gang heroes plus arsonist-type enemies.
• ▸In Cronley's Hideout, also check Moneybags Martin and Darius Cronley - folding in money and Cronley's Signet farming (see the MI farming article).
• ▸End each lap via the main menu and a new session to reset spawns. Yields are random with no guarantees.

The crafting option

• ▸Dynamite is craftable from surplus Aether materials and components - but it requires a capable blacksmith (Homestead, reached in Act 3, is the landmark; an Act 2 blacksmith may not offer it). With a deep Aether Crystal stock, crafting can beat looping.
• ▸The practical split: craft when you need a few sticks right now (opening a blocked route), loop for the ongoing stockpile.
• ▸For gathering the crystals themselves, see the dedicated article (Farming Aether Crystals).
• ▸Crafting draws materials from the shared stash too, so centralize them regardless of character.

Managing the stock

• ▸If Dynamite chests are the goal, don't burn sticks as you go - judge the lap by net gain at the end.
• ▸Scrap warrants no dedicated loop - just sweep what accumulates into the shared stash.
• ▸Blocked-route openings can demand Dynamite on short notice, so keep a few sticks in standing stock.
• ▸XP rides along from the enemies you kill and money from vendoring their drops - it is fine to treat this purely as a material run (see Early Game Money).

1. Grim Dawn Japanese Wiki: Materials — Confirms Dynamite's uses (chest unlocking, demolition, opening blocked areas) and sources (crafting, fixed Act 2/4 spots, destructibles, Cronley's Gang elites), plus Scrap's nature (binding junk material) and sources (chests, ordinary enemies).
2. Official Crate Forum: Farming Dynamite — Confirms the Staunton Mine / Cronley's Hideout loop and the blacksmith-crafting option.
3. Official Crate Forum: Farming Routes / Farming Guides Compilation — Used to verify the Four Hills route construction and targets (fixed spawns, scrap piles, elites); old yield counts are not treated as guarantees.
4. Official Crate Forum: Grim Dawn v1.2.1.6 + Hotfix — Official patch notes for the verified version.