Finding high quality water, clay, and soil

Currently water, clay, and soil are the only resources with qualities that cannot be raised by the player direct and must be obtain by a source. Sources of high quality resources are scattered about the entire world and have a center source that has the highest quality which decreases the further from source the square is. Keep in mind as when you discover a source that each time you dig at the site, the quality might decrease by one.

The source quality can increase if the source spot is untouched for a few days. It is advised when encountering these high quality spots that you wait until they reach high quality before using these sources.

Note that all of the resources here are vital in creating a high quality tree.

Water
Water is relatively the easiest to find. First you need a container that can hold water such as a kuksa or a bucket. Fill the container with water from a shallow before moving it back to your inventory. Then hover your mouse over the container. It should display "Container with quality # water".

If the quality of the water is above 10, then a source is near. Empty the container and move towards a direction and fill it up with water nearby. If the quality decreases, then move to the other direction. The closer you are to the source, the higher the quality. Repeat this until it starts decreasing again. That is the area where the source is near at.

If you are on a river, use a boat to go to the other side and do this relatively near the area where you found the high quality and repeat the process.

A simpler but less rewarding way to obtain quality water is to build a well which may possible water higher than quality 10. If so, then there is a good chance that a water source is nearby.

Soil
The best way to find higher quality soil is actually through foraging. Foraged items such as Chantrelles or Spindly Taproot will have qualities directly linked to the soil that they are on top. If you find one of these items with a quality higher than 10, then there may be a source of higher quality soil nearby.

Dig upon the tile that you foraged to obtain the soil and check quality. Then move towards any direction and repeat the process. If the quality decreases, then move to the opposite direction. The closer you are to the source, the higher the quality. Repeat this until it starts decreasing again. Once this happens, move towards a direction perpendicular to the line you are digging. Unlike water, it is possible to find the "sweet spot" in which the quality of the soil peaks.

Because digging takes stamina, it is recommended to carry some tea or food if you are planning to do an incursion for soil. Also carrying some branches helps mark areas in which you tested the soil at.

While some newer players will chop trees down and build chairs at random, others will sometimes leave their own marks or chairs near high quality soil. You may be able to find a good source by digging when you see a single paved tile or chair in the middle of nowhere. It's still recommended to check around the area even if you do find a good source at such a spot.

Clay
Clay is one of the most difficult resources to find as it takes a good amount of stamina and there is no starting point in which you can begin your search. Find a shallow water tile to start, preferable relatively close to your home. Dig at the spot for a single clay. If it stops diging after the first or second attempt, then you need to move approxmately 2 minimaps towards a direction and try again. Keep doing this until your character constantly digs at a location without stopping..

When you do find it, decrease the length of the tiles between search to about 5 tiles. If the quality decreases, move the other direction. Continue to dig towards the direction while the quality increases until it starts to decrease again.

If you are on a river, use a boat to go to the other side and do this relatively near the area where you found the high quality and repeat the process.

Because of the large amount of stamina needed to search for clay, it is recommended that you use a boat carrying food/tea to make your search easier and faster.