Are you looking to invest in a new astromech droid but sick of dusty R2 units with bad motivators? If so, a trip to Droid Depot at Disneyland or Walt Disney World’s Galaxy’s Edge might be the perfect thing for you.
Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Droid Depot — what you’ll find there, how to prepare for your first custom build, and what it’ll cost.
What to Expect at Disney’s Droid Depot
Nestled within the Black Spire Outpost at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, Droid Depot is one of the most popular destinations in Disney’s immersive Star Wars land.
If you’ve been to the Disney theme parks’ faraway world of Batuu since it opened in 2019, you’ve likely seen at least a few of Droid Depot’s custom-built astro droids zipping around.
Like many Disney Parks attractions, Droid Depot is both a merchandise shop and a memorable experience in its own right. The place is droid-themed from floor to ceiling (literally — don’t forget to look up once you get inside!)
The attraction’s primary draw is the opportunity for guests to design and build astromech droids to take home with them. However, even for those not interested in committing to the build process, the meticulously dilapidated industrial facility is packed with visual delights and curious details to check out.
What Does a Droid Depot Astromech Do?
Once you bring your Droid Depot custom astromech to life, it can move around, turn its head, and make all the excited bleeps and bloops we’ve come to know and love.
Using a remote control, you can direct your droid to move around freely. However, operating your droid on the ground is not permitted inside the Disney Parks other than within the Droid Depot test area.
These droids also use Bluetooth technology to interact with each other and various sites around the parks. So if you carry your droid around in one of the signature Droid Depot backpacks, you will likely notice it moving its head around and “talking” to you for the rest of your park visit.
In addition, you can use the Droid Depot companion app to make your droid perform several other functions and even choreograph a dance sequence for them to perform. More on that later.
Do I Need a Reservation at Droid Depot?
Like many Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge experiences, Droid Depot does not require reservations, but making a reservation is highly recommended. A limited number of same-day and walk-up appointments are usually available for the droid-building experience.
However, if building a custom astromech droid unit is a high priority on your Galaxy’s Edge trip, a reservation can secure your spot and save you time on the day you visit.
For the curious park goer not yet ready to commit to the whole Droid Depot experience, you will not need a reservation to drop in and check it out. Unlike the nearby Savi’s Workshop, Droid Depot is open for anyone to visit, watch guests working on the droid assembly line, and explore the attached Droid Depot gift shop.
Droid Depot Prices
Visitors should expect to pay a minimum of $100 for a droid depot droid, as this is the current base price to build a custom droid.
Remember that your total cost may go up with add-ons like the signature backpack, personality chips (more on these below), and various decals and accessories available for purchase.
What Options Do You Have at Droid Depot?
Whether you find yourself at Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland or Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios, Droid Depot is a magical experience.
Droid Bodies
The first choice you’ll need to make at Droid Depot is what type of droid you’d like to build. There are three classes of astromech droid units to choose from:
R-series droids, such as R2-D2 and R5-D4, were the first style of astromechs introduced to the Star Wars audience and evoke a classic feel that never goes out of style.
BB-series droids like BB-8 are the smallest option at Droid Depot and feature a head connected to a spherical body. BB units move by rolling their bodies while their heads remain floating on top.
C-series droids like C1-10P (Chopper) are an older style of astro droids within the Star Wars universe. They are similar in form to the R-series, although smaller and with several distinguishing details.
Once you select your droid type and enter the build area, a cast member will direct you to a station along the massive conveyor belt that runs across the entire Droid Depot.
Droid Parts
This is where the fun begins. Once at the conveyor belt, you will have many choices for the parts that will make up your unique droid. Whichever body type you selected, you will now need to choose four components, which you will pull directly from the parade of droid parts slowly rolling past you.
If you are building an R-series astromech droid, these components will be the body, dome, pair of side legs, and center leg.
For a BB-series, you will choose a body, dome, dome connection plate, and motivator.
Finally, to build a C-series, you will need a C-type body, dome, pair of legs, and center wheel or leg.
For each component, you will have a variety of style and color options from which to choose, so keep a close eye on that belt!
Color options at Droid Depot range from familiar red and blue to less common purple and orange. There’s even a mix of black and transparent components. Guests are free to mix and match different color components when crafting their Industrial Automaton companion.
Personality Chips
The personality chips may be one of the most delightful customization options at Droid Depot. You can install one of these into any of the three available droid styles for an additional fee. There are a variety of personality chips available, and each one changes the sound effects and personality of the droid, as well as how it interacts with other droids and various sites around the park.
The Droid Depot Backpack
One of the most popular additional purchases is the iconic Droid Depot backpack. After building your astromech, you can choose to take it home in a box for free or upgrade to the backpack for about $50.
The bag shows branding for Industrial Automaton, the canonical manufacturer of many droids, including those at Droid Depot. Inside, the bag has a unique compartment specially designed to carry your new droid companion.
The droid’s head can stick out of the compartment to look around, much like if it was in the droid copilot seat of a starfighter. When the compartment is occupied, its flap sits open, revealing a design that says, “custom astromech units.”
Droid Accessories
After you have built your custom droid, browsed the personality chips, and inspected the backpacks, there is one more essential point of interest before you leave: the gift shop. Here you will find various droid accessories and customization options, such as decals, additional tools, body modifications, and other droid-themed merch.
The Droid Depot App
After your trip to the Black Spire Outpost, don’t forget to check out the Droid Depot mobile app, available on both Android and iOS.
The app uses Bluetooth to connect with your astromech unit, giving you several new ways of piloting and interacting with it. To the backdrop of dance tunes from DJ R3X of Oga’s Cantina, you can also choreograph dance routines for your droid.
In strategy mode, users can challenge their droids to rounds of tic tac toe.
The best part is that the app doesn’t require a physical droid to play around. Instead, you can build a virtual droid using schematics within the experience and interact with it there.
Heading to Droid Depot
If you’re planning to visit the Star Wars Galaxy on your next Disneyland or Walt Disney World vacation, make sure you set aside time to visit this delightful attraction.
Whether you’re an aspiring droid engineer, a diehard fan of the iconic Lucasfilm universe, or an avid consumer of Disney theme park magic, Droid Depot is a classic Galaxy’s Edge experience that everyone can enjoy.
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