🆕 Beginners Tips
First Hour — Surviving the Drop
Your drop pod lands in a random location. Here's the exact sequence to get running fast:
- Collect 200 leaves + 50 wood by hand-punching vegetation
- Find a pure iron node near your pod — scan with F
- Build a Portable Miner on the iron node (50 leaves → biomass, 3 iron plates)
- Craft a Smelter — smelt 120 iron ore into plates
- Build a Constructor — make 60 iron rods + 120 screws
- Craft a Biomass Burner (needs 30 biomass from leaves)
- Build the M.A.M. (Molecular Analysis Machine) to unlock the hub upgrades
Pro tip: Scout your starting area thoroughly. Look for at least 2 iron nodes, 1 copper node, and 1 limestone node within 150m before placing foundations.
Resource Node Tiers
| Node Type | Purity | MK1 Miner Output | MK2 Miner Output | MK3 Miner Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impure | 1x | 30/min | 60/min | 120/min |
| Normal | 2x | 60/min | 120/min | 240/min |
| Pure | 4x | 120/min | 240/min | 480/min |
Always build your main factory near at least one pure node of each starter resource.
Power Management — Don't Brownout
Power in Satisfactory is unforgiving. A brownout causes production to slow, which starves the power plant, creating a death spiral.
Biomass Phase (Tiers 0-2)
| Fuel Source | MJ per Item | Burn Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves | 5 | 1.0s | Collector output, terrible |
| Wood | 15 | 3.0s | Chop trees, much better |
| Biomass | 60 | 12.0s | Crafted from leaves/wood |
| Solid Biofuel | 180 | 36.0s | Crafted from biomass — use this! |
Tip: Craft leaves → biomass → solid biofuel. A single stack of solid biofuel (50) burns for 30 minutes. Chain 4+ biomass burners before you research coal.
Coal Power (Tier 3)
The jump to coal changes everything. Build near a water source + coal node:
- Ratio: 8 Coal Generators : 3 Water Extractors : 120 coal/min (1 normal node)
- Water pipelay: Each generator needs 45 m³/min. 3 extractors at 120 m³/min = 360 m³/min for 8 gens.
- Placement: Build extractors at or below water level. Use pumps on uphill sections (head lift: 20m base + 20m per pump).
Fuel Generators (Tier 5+)
Fuel generators produce 150 MW each (vs 75 MW for coal). Diluted Packaged Fuel + Fuel Generator builds can produce 30,000+ MW from a single pure oil node.
Factory Layout — The Manifold Method
Satisfactory rewards scalable layouts over complex load balancing.
Standard Production Line
[Input belt] → [Smelter/Refinery] → [Constructor] → [Assembler] → [Manufacturer] → [Storage Container]
Manifold System: Run one main belt past all machines. Use splitters to feed each machine in sequence. The first machines fill up first, then overflow to the rest. Benefits:
- Zero math per machine
- Automatically balances over time
- Easy to expand by extending the belt
- Works for any production ratio
Recommended floor plan:
- Each production floor: 8-12 foundation width, unlimited length
- Vertical gap: 3 walls (36m) between floors for belts
- Logistics floor below: run all belts, pipes, and power
- Use conveyor wall holes to route belts cleanly between floors
The Mega-Base Transition
When you unlock Mk.3 belts (270/min) and Mk.2 miners, rebuild your starter base. Don't tear down the old one — just build new, larger production lines elsewhere. Turn the old base into a parts mall for building materials.
Early Milestone Priority Order
| Tier | Unlock | Why Rush It |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Hub Upgrade 1-4 | Unlocks AWESOME Sink + MAM |
| 1 | Logistic Mk.1 | Multiple output storage |
| 1 | Tier 1 Milestones | Foundations, conveyor belts |
| 2 | Tier 2 Milestones | Splitters, mergers, Mk.2 belts |
| 3 | Coal Power | End the biomass grind |
| 3 | Steel | Steel beams + pipes for buildings |
| 4 | Mk.2 Miners | Double output from every node |
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Building too close to nodes — leave 3-4 foundation gap for future belt work
- Overscaling before coal — keep biomass factories tiny; upgrade at coal
- Hand-feeding machines — automate everything, even if it runs slow
- Complex load balancers — manifolds are simpler and equally efficient
- Ignoring the AWESOME Sink — pump overflow into the sink for tickets (unlock: ladders, walls, foundations)
- No foundations — everything snaps at right angles on foundations. Build on foundations from day one.
- Forgetting vertical space — stacking floors multiplies your build area without expanding the footprint
Exploration Tips
- Craft the Xeno-Basher (melee weapon) and Xeno-Zapper early
- Collect Power Slugs (blue/yellow/purple) for overclocking
- Use Beacons to mark resources you find
- Open Drop Pods for hard drives (see Alternate Recipes guide)
- Scan for quartz + sulfur early — required for MAM research
- Build Lookout Towers to scout terrain before placing foundations