🔄 Alternate Recipes
Finding Hard Drives
Hard drives are required to unlock alternate recipes. They're found in Crash Sites (downed drop pods) scattered across the map.
How to Scan
- Build the M.A.M. (Molecular Analysis Machine) at your hub
- Research Hard Drive Scan (tier 0 — costs 10 Alien Protein from animal remains)
- Hard drives are permanently marked on the compass once scanned
- Each drive takes 10 minutes to analyze in the M.A.M.
Crash Site Requirements
| Crash Site Type | Required Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Low-tier (Grasslands) | Iron Rods | 50 |
| Mid-tier (Rocky Desert) | Rotors | 10 |
| Mid-tier (Forest) | Cable | 50 |
| High-tier (Northern Forest) | Computers | 5 |
| High-tier (Swamp/Spire Coast) | Heavy Modular Frames | 3 |
| Late-game (Dune Desert) | Supercomputers | 2 |
Bring extra materials to every crash site. Scan the wrecks with the Object Scanner (F) to identify the repair requirement.
Best Exploration Route
Start from the Grass Fields and expand outward:
- Grass Fields → 10+ drives (easy, no enemies)
- Rocky Desert → 8+ drives (be prepared for hog attacks)
- Northern Forest → 12+ drives (best concentration, but spitters)
- Dune Desert → 15+ drives (massive area, difficult terrain)
- Red Jungle / Spire Coast → late-game, dangerous fauna
S-Tier Recipes — Always Grab These
These recipes are so powerful they reshape your factory design.
| Recipe | Inputs | Outputs | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Steel Ingot | 3 Iron Ingot + 3 Coal → 3 Steel Ingot | 3/min | 2x steel output from same input. Replaces standard steel. |
| Caterium Wire | 1 Caterium Ingot → 8 Wire | 8/min | 4x wire from same input. Massive copper savings. |
| Cast Screw | 2 Iron Ingot → 50 Screws | 50/min | Eliminates the entire screw production chain. |
| Heavy Oil Residue | 3 Crude Oil → 4 HOR + 2 Polymer Resin | 4 HOR/min | 6x fuel potential when combined with Diluted Fuel. |
| Diluted Packaged Fuel | 1 HOR + 2 Water + 1 Empty Can → 2 Fuel + Empty Can | 2/min | Turns HOR into massive fuel output. |
| Pure Iron Ingot | 7 Iron Ore + 2 Water → 13 Iron Ingot | 13/min | 2.5x ingot output from the same ore node. |
| Recycled Plastic/Rubber | 1 Polymer Resin + 2 Fuel → 2 Plastic/Rubber | 2/min | Oil mega-plant enabler. |
Why These Are S-Tier
Solid Steel Ingot alone halves your coal and iron requirements for steel production. Combined with Cast Screw, you can build a zero-screw, high-steel factory from less raw material than a basic iron/copper setup.
Heavy Oil Residue + Diluted Packaged Fuel + Recycled Plastic/Rubber is the oil mega-plant combo. A single pure oil node (600/min with Mk.2 pump) can produce enough fuel for 200+ fuel generators (~30,000 MW) and 1200 plastic/min.
A-Tier Recipes — Strong Upgrades
| Recipe | Inputs | Outputs | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silica (Alternate) | 2 Raw Quartz → 5 Silica | 5/min | Cheaper silica from quartz. |
| Steamed Copper Sheet | 2 Copper Ingot + 3 Water → 3 Copper Sheet | 3/min | 2.6x output per copper. |
| Turbofuel | 4 Fuel + 3 Compacted Coal → 3 Turbofuel | 3/min | 1.5x power density over standard fuel. |
| Encased Industrial Pipe | 1 Steel Pipe + 2 Concrete → 2 Encased Beam | 2/min | 2x beams from same steel input. |
| Steel Screw | 1 Steel Beam → 52 Screws | 52/min | Beats Cast Screw if you have excess steel. |
| Fused Quickwire | 1 Caterium Ingot + 1 Copper Ingot → 8 Quickwire | 8/min | 2x quickwire output. |
| Electromagnetic Connection Wire (S+) | 1 Stator + 2 Wire → 8 Stator | 8/min | Far more stators per magnet. |
| Pure Caterium Ingot | 2 Caterium Ore + 1 Water → 1 Caterium Ingot | 1/min | 2x output (water-free version is fine). |
B-Tier — Niche but Useful
| Recipe | Inputs | Outputs | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Black Powder | 1 Sulfur + 3 Compacted Coal → 2 Black Powder | 2/min | Rifle ammo + explosives. Only if sulfur is scarce. |
| Super-State Computer | 2 Circuit Board + 2 Quickwire → 2 Computer | 2/min | Saves plastic but costs quickwire. |
| Turbo Heavy Fuel | 5 HOR + 4 Compacted Coal → 4 Turbofuel | 4/min | Alternative to standard turbofuel path. |
| Insulated Cable | 1 Wire + 1 Rubber → 1 Cable | 1/min | Converts wire savings into cable. |
| Plastic Smart Plating | 2 Plastic + 2 Circuit Board → 1 Smart Plating | 1/min | Space elevator parts — limited use. |
| Heat Fusion Frame | 3 Heavy Frame + 2 Aluminum Ingot → 3 HMF | 3/min | Late-game HMF boost. |
Best Production Combos
Zero-Copper Factory
- Cast Screw + Solid Steel Ingot + Steel Screw
- No copper required for rotor/stator production
- Pure iron → steel → heavy parts
The Oil Mega-Plant (Pure Oil Node)
Crude Oil (600/min)
→ Heavy Oil Residue (800 HOR/min)
→ Diluted Packaged Fuel (800 Fuel/min)
→ Recycled Plastic + Recycled Rubber
→ Turbofuel (600 Turbofuel/min)
= 200+ Fuel Generators + 1200 Plastic/min + 1200 Rubber/min
High-Volume Circuit Board Factory
- Pure Copper Ingot + Steamed Copper Sheet
- Silica (Alt) for circuit boards
- Double output from every node
Recipe Priority Order by Tier
| Tier | Grab These First |
|---|---|
| 3-4 | Solid Steel Ingot, Cast Screw |
| 5-6 | Heavy Oil Residue, Caterium Wire, Pure Iron |
| 7 | Diluted Packaged Fuel, Recycled Plastic/Rubber |
| 8-9 | Turbo Electric Motor, Super-State Computer, Heat Fusion Frame |