Building a Custom Droid in Batuu

Have you made it over to Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland? The park’s newest Star Wars themed land is fully open for business! You no longer need a reservation to attend, meaning Batuu is open to all travelers and ready to be explored.

There’s so much to see and do in Batuu, and now that I’ve been able to visit a few times and try most of the big ticket experiences, I wanted to give my honest review of each. First up — astromech droid building at the Droid Depot, one of the shops in Batuu’s Black Spire Outpost.

Aside from piloting the Millennium Falcon, this was the first immersive experience that Mark and I got to try during the official opening day on May 31st. We didn’t know much about it, so we went in with one basic assumption: that it was going to be pretty awesome. (Spoiler alert, it was.)

How it works

Once you make it into the Droid Depot, it’s pretty straightforward.

• Pay first — it’s $99 per droid plus tax, and no AP or CM discounts apply
• Builders choose between an R2-Series or a BB-Series (both are the same price)
• After paying, builders get a basket to take to the conveyer belt full of Droid parts
• Builders pick which parts they want from a variety of shapes and colors, and then move along to a workstation to put it together
• Once the Droid is assembled, it’s “activated” — which includes pairing it with a remote, and a nifty light-up sequence
• After activation, Droids get a special carry box that allow it to “see” and react to various parts of Batuu as you move through the land

Droid accessories

The $99 fee covers the cost of one andromech Droid, but you can also purchase an array of special accessories, including:

• A $39 Droid backpack (these are currently out of stock and I’ve heard rumors that they won’t be returning to shelves until fall)
• $12 personality chips, which will affect how your Droid reacts to the land, the sounds they make, and their Resistance or First Order allegiance (these are also currently sold out)
• Sticker packs to further customize your Droid
• Clip on blasters, tool sets, and a drink serving tray for your R2-unit

Other random tidbits

Both the R2 and the BB Droids are battery operated, and the paired remotes take batteries as well. In Batuu, your Droid will react with the land, moving and beeping on its own. Outside of Batuu, your Droid will periodically beep and move on its own when it’s turned on, though much less frequently, and at random. It can also be controlled with the remote.

If you don’t feel like making your own droid and would rather go the classic Star Wars route, you can also purchase pre-made R2-D2s, C-3POs, and BB-8s at the Droid Depot. You can even pick up a mini replica of the same DJ R3X that spins the tunes in Oga’s Cantina. These aren’t quite as pricey as the custom ones, but will still set you back about $70.

Aside from these, Droid Depot also sells other miscellaneous souvenirs and Droid-themed clothing, knick knacks, and housewares.

If you reeeally feel like splurging, you can also go big with a life size R2-D2, available for a cool $20,000. *nervous laughter*

Overall, I LOVED the Droid building experience and would highly recommend it for kids and adults alike. It’s on the pricey side, but it comes with a fun keepsake that you can roll around your home (and annoy your dogs with) long after you’ve left Batuu.

xo,

K