At a glance
| What it is | The resource spent on Pattern Infusion |
|---|---|
| Starts at | Player level 13, when Incursion unlocks |
| Where to spend it | The Pattern Infuser in the HUB |
| Cost rule | Removing more cells costs more Antimass |
| Weekly source | First Overtime Assignment completion each week (1.9.1) |
| Exact per-infusion price | Not established |
The short answer
Antimass Substrate is the currency of a late-game upgrade system called Pattern Infusion. It is not Yeuco, and it is not used for boosting. It exists so you can take the shape of one upgrade and press it into another upgrade, which is useful when you like an upgrade's effect but dislike its footprint on your grid.
The official 1.9 announcement from June 25, 2026 describes the loop in a few lines. The further you progress, the more Antimass Substrate you gain. Once you hit player level 13 you unlock Incursion and can start gaining it. Then you spend it at the Pattern Infuser in the HUB.
That is almost everything the developer has said about the basics, so the rest of this page explains how to use those facts sensibly and where the open questions are.
How you start earning it
The gate is player level 13. Reaching it unlocks Incursion, and Incursion is where Antimass Substrate begins to accumulate. If you are below that level you will not see the resource, and no amount of searching old missions will change that.
This is why the system is easy to miss. Many players reach level 13 while still focused on weapons, boosting and the secret quests, so the Pattern Infuser sits unused in the HUB for a long time. If you are in that position, the beginner overview is a good place to check what else you may have skipped.
The announcement also says that you gain more the further you progress. Treat that as a general trend rather than a formula. No source has measured an exact amount per mission, so any number you read in a video is a personal observation, not a rule.
What the Pattern Infuser does
The Pattern Infuser is a station in the HUB. According to the official notes, you spend Antimass there to infuse one upgrade's pattern into another. In plain terms, the pattern is the arrangement of cells an upgrade occupies on your grid, and infusion lets you transfer that arrangement.
The feature was first described in the developer's May 22, 2026 devlog about exotics, and it shipped with the 1.9 Enemy Update. That makes it newer than most build videos, so older grid showcases cannot tell you how infusion changes a layout.
If you want to see where infusion sits next to boosting and turbocharging, our build guide compares the systems side by side and explains why each needs a different resource.
Why removing cells costs more
The one cost rule that has been published is simple: the more cells you remove, the more Antimass the process requires. Shrinking an upgrade's footprint is therefore the expensive direction, and a small trim is cheaper than a heavy one.
This is the kind of rule that rewards planning. Before you visit the Pattern Infuser, decide which upgrade you actually want to reshape and how many cells you really need to lose. A modest change that frees one awkward corner of your grid may be far better value than a dramatic reshaping that eats your stock.
No source lists a price table, so check the cost on screen before you confirm. Do not assume a number from an older video still applies, because the developer has said the system was still being reworked.
Fixes and changes since launch
The official patch notes show that Pattern Infusion has been adjusted repeatedly since 1.9. These entries explain several complaints you may find in older discussions.
- 1.9.1: fixed an issue where infusion could sometimes consume your Antimass Substrate without infusing the upgrade.
- 1.9.1: players who had unlocked infusion received a grant of 30 Antimass when they opened the game.
- 1.9.1: increased the Antimass from the first Overtime Assignment completion each week.
- 1.9.7: fixed a bug that let upgrades of different weapons be infused together.
- September 11, 2026 devlog: the developer said a big change to pattern infusion was in progress.
A weekly source: the Overtime Assignment
The 1.9.1 notes say the first Overtime Assignment completion each week now gives more Antimass Substrate. Overtime Assignments are special missions listed alongside the other special missions, and the featured one rotates, so check the mission board each week rather than assuming a fixed location.
In practice, that makes a weekly assignment the most predictable top-up the notes mention. It is sensible to run it once every week even if you are not planning an infusion yet, because stockpiled Antimass gives you freedom to experiment later.
Only the first completion each week is mentioned as boosted, so repeating the same assignment is not documented as a way to farm more.
Do not confuse it with Yeuco
Yeuco comes from coating enemy cores with a bomb and breaking them, and since update 1.7.2 it funds boosting for non-exotic upgrades. Antimass Substrate is a separate resource for a separate job. Spending effort on the wrong one is a common beginner mistake.
Our Yeuco guide explains the core harvesting loop. If your goal is to move a pattern rather than strengthen an upgrade, ignore that loop and focus on reaching Incursion and completing your weekly assignment instead.
Using infusion in a real build
Pattern Infusion is a refinement, not a foundation. Get a working grid first, then use infusion to fix a single problem, such as an upgrade that blocks a better arrangement. Our Accelerator build guide and Glider rocket build guide both explain why the basic layout should come before any later-game tweaks.
Because the rules changed in 1.9.7 so that upgrades of different weapons cannot be infused together, keep your plan within one weapon. Any video showing cross-weapon infusion was made before that fix and will not work today.
Write down your cell layout before you infuse. If the result is not what you wanted, you will know exactly what to rebuild, and you can compare against the notes on this page when the promised rework arrives.
What is still unknown
Several details are not established by any source we could find. These include the exact Antimass price of a given infusion, the exact income per Incursion run, and the final form of the rework the developer teased in September 2026.
Be cautious about guides that quote exact figures. Without a controlled test, a number is only a snapshot of one player's version and settings. We will update this page when the developer publishes the rework or when several players corroborate the same costs.
The 1.0 release on October 20, 2026 also adds new content, so check the current patch notes before you spend a large stockpile.
Quick checklist
Reach player level 13, unlock Incursion and start collecting Antimass. Run the first Overtime Assignment each week. Visit the Pattern Infuser with a clear target, trim as few cells as you can, and keep infusion within one weapon. For everything else about gear and secrets, see the hidden weapons guide.
Sources and further reading
- 1.9: The Enemy Update — official announcement (Jun 25, 2026)
- Mycopunk official Steam news feed (patch notes)