Satisfactory 101
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Hello! My name is Melothrien, and this is Satisfactory 101. A website about the basics and gathering the best references for the game.
Satisfactory is, quite simply, the most beautiful game I’ve ever played…and it’s fun..and complicated! But it starts out easily enough for anyone of any age to play.
Heavy Modular Frame Factory
What I have noticed, however, through my interaction with other players and reading various forums, is that we all tend to get stuck on something. Many times it’s something REALLY silly. Something you would have seen eventually and you kick yourself when you finally get it. I find the simplest answers are sometimes the hardest to find. This CAN be a complex game, and there are some FANTASTIC websites out there on it already. My intention is not to be another wonky website, but to lead players to the specific wonk of their needs.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the wonk! But sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming, so I leave that to better minds, and that leads us to strategy and philosophy.
Satisfactory has a very wide latitude on what you can and cannot do, and because of that, the players have made their own rules. Some make complete sense. To name a few, rules for efficiency, straight lines, no mods or no “cheating mods”. But some seem just designed to give them an excuse to grief other players. So my philosophy is: If Coffee Stain allows it, and it pleases me, I do it! That being said, there are goals and limitations to everything, and what the community expects is important too. I will discuss this as much as possible along the way.
Strategy is different. What pleases me can be done a million different ways, so what are my strategy rules?
- I rarely load balance unless the build demands it - it’s messy and usually unnecessary.
- I do not min-max until I am nearing the end-game. As soon as you build a “minimum” of something, you are almost guaranteed to need more. It’s just a waste of time in the early game for me (note the “for me”, the rules for you may be completely different and that’s just fine!).
- As soon as I have coal power, all overflows go into the sink for coupons.
- Otherwise, follow the flow of the game and surrounding area (there are many drop zones).
To summarize, I do manifolds (with appropriate circuits in fluids) and max/max in the early game and I don’t pause too long to build, because the fun is coming!
But it starts at Tier 0 - For each Tier, I will first list key points and tips for the Tier, then highlight any upgrades and give a tutorial on at least one build. That will change as we progress. Finally, links to a few references. The references may be videos, accounts, websites - whatever is most helpful to us in that Tier.
As I go through the Tiers, I will organize these hints and links to be easy to access when you need them.
Tier Zero
This is a skippable level. However, if this is your first playthrough, I recommend that you, well, play through.
TZERO Hints -
And the very first hint is….DRUM ROLL…
- ”B” is your flashlight! I know to some this might seem obvious, but I saw a YouTuber the other day that still didn’t know this one. So…you’re welcome. :)
- To gather biomass, you can now hold, instead of continuously, murderously tap “E”.
- Pick up some iron in order to open the “Q” hotkey and build your Hub.
- When you hold “E” during mining, tap TAB at the same time to open your inventory and you will do an auto-hand-mine.
- To move items, drag, shift-click for a whole stack or control-click to move all of a single item.
- Hit space to autocraft on the craft bench.
- To run fast, hold shift. To crouch, “C”. You can do a slide by holding shift-C while you run, and jumping when you come out of that, makes for a longer jump. Try it on a conveyor belt, but be prepared to splat on higher Mks!
Tier Zero Builds
At first, you are limited by your power and belt speed. T-zero power is off of the hub only, but you can still start a grid from this at Hub Upgrade 3 when you unlock power poles.
And here is your first Satisfactory Math! Each biomass on the Hub gives 20MW. 20+20=40. Yes, it really is that simple…in the beginning! A little more to it though, you must produce parts that would take approximately 55MW (megawatts) all told, to be all running, so you need to decide what has priority and for how long until the next tier..and I play through the lower tiers pretty quickly. It’s around tier 5 or 6, that I slow down and smell the pale berries.
The Tier Zero base should have a setup for all parts, with interchangeable belts to reduce the power pull. In mine, I have concrete running all the time, then I choose an iron and a copper part to fill its storage container. It depends on what I need first, and once I have it, I switch the best on the smelter to the constructor with what I have the least of, until I know what is needed next.
This picture shows a good example of this. The drop spot for my example area is perfect. I have all resources nearby. This save is available on Discord for free, invites are limited at this time, but will be open to the public upon completion of the website. Please contact me for more information.
Tier Zero Links
Here you will find links to our favorite creators, references, tools and uploads.
For the most part, my aim is not to say "who is best", but to highlight "the best of" and certainly that list CANNOT be started without TotalXclipse! This is a great video for new and old players. And below, Total shows the evolution of the game, how it took ages to reach this level even for someone with his talent. Just start the spaghetti, you can do it!
See more videos and Subscribe to TotalXclipse at:
And hit the bell! It's free
While I certainly don't mean to put myself among the best, it is really helpful to see the mess that is someone's early game. I made this website simply because I am an average player, but sometimes it seems a bit daunting to the new player to see all the incredible things average players and the creators can do! So feast upon the floating boxes, the spaghetti, and of course, it's a manta not a moth lol but I still call it a moth! Manta moth montha?
YouTube is not what I do, but I will link my little playlist. I will post more videos but I will never be a "YouTuber" I would rather gather a lovely list of them for you all to see!
The other very important links you may need are below. I have these bookmarked:
Don't have the game yet? What are you waiting for???
For the deep dive numbers and planning...and the place for blueprints!
A website from TotalXclipse with excellent tips, builds and articles!
General information on all things Satisfactory
When you get ready for extra fun, this is the place!
The official Discord server for the community
Tier One
Now you have a choice. As said in Tier Zero, you can skip to Tier One. Do this on the new game menu:
They will start you out with some supplies, but you will have much more if you playthrough, as evidenced in my screenshots of T-zero.
The 3rd way to start the game is to use a save file. Some players consider this cheating, while others consider it collaboration or enhancement. You need to decide what’s best for you, but if you choose to start from a save file (see tutorial below), I will have one available with minimal builds for each tier and when I run across free save files that relate to specific tiers, I will include them.
T-1 Hints -
- Tiers 1 & 2 can be done in any order, so prioritize your upgrades and make sure the Awesome Sink and M.A.M. are high on the list.
- The biomass can be used alone in the factory and out on exploration or in a grid (see tutorial)
- Some M.A.M. areas are unlocked by picking up new resources (e.g. mycelia)
- Some Awesome Sink items are unlocked by discovering (e.g. silica)
- Go slug hunting at night. They can be seen from a long way off. You can also easily check your machines for red lights and fix problems.
- Getting killed by aliens? There’s mods & we’ll get there, but you can also build a structure to funnel the mobs directly into your weapon.
Tier One Builds
The first thing you want to do is expand your power. There’s nothing worse than that dreaded sound!
This one is 520MW, which gives you plenty of energy to do what you need until coal. There are 2 rows for filling (with biomasses on each side), to make it easy to keep the grid up. As in T-zero, this is the extension of your grid. The connections on the wall in the back should lead up to the one going to the Hub.
More Satisfactory math! You have 4 rows of 4 biomasses. 4 x 4 is 16. Each biomass produces 30 MW each. 16 biomass x 30 MW = 480 MW. Added to your Hub, which is 40 MW. You now have:
Capacity 520 MW - If you don’t overload the system, it should last a long time.
You’ll want, at this level at least, a way to dump your leaf and wood biomass. You can also add others as you unlock them if you would like to, it’s not necessary. The top belt is to manage overflow or biomass amount without a smart splitter, which will be available later. When the biomass fills up, or whenever you choose, hook up the belt and feed it in for solid biofuel. Unhook it when you have enough to go back to biomass. I normally alternate when I dump.
As stated in hints, you can do Tiers 1 & 2 in any order. I do the Resource Sink in T2 as soon as possible. This allows you to set up your Awesome Sinks early and start amassing coupons for the best pieces in the game!
What should you buy first? Completely up to you, but this is what I gravitate to: wall power outlets, double ramp pack, Road Barrier, Concrete Pillar Set, Concrete Material.
Once this is done, take care of Obstacle Clearing on T2, then Base Building and Logistics on T1, and you are ready for your upgraded base.
Space Elevator and Temp Setups:
The Space Elevator is what opens up your Hub tiers, so you’ll want to start those as soon as possible. You also want “temp” setups for at least one constructor and assembler for parts that are not needed at all times, like power shards. I use these temp setups to get ahead on parts like the space elevator parts, until I have a factory built for them.
This biomass grid gives you enough to build a Space Elevator part factory, and our first contributor, Lily, has given us a nice build for your first part: Lily is an avid Satisfactory player who loves to teach. She is just diving into teaching Satisfactory, but you will see more of her soon!
If you are following along with my playthrough, this is where I added the worldwide track. It is very basic. You still need to create the buildings to the stations and side connections.
I have created a tutorial to show you how to manage your saves and attach a basic blueprint. We will go into this in more depth in the future.
Tier One Links
Here you will find links to our favorite creators, references, tools and uploads.
This is DrawingXaos, and he is certainly a fan favorite. His builds are intricate and imaginative. Definitely give him a follow, and check out this very comprehensive new player guide.
MakerGaming does playthroughs in complete detail. He started a new save with Update 6. There's a plethora of stuff on this channel!
And hit the bell! It's free
For more tips and tutorials, to join our community, ask a question or just give a hello, contact me at any of these:
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© 2022 Satisfactory101.com
All references and images relating to the game of Satisfactory are the owned by Coffee Stain Studios. Content available under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0, unless otherwise noted. Other content provided belongs to that respective owner and respects their rights. This website and its owners & participants are not affiliated with Satisfactory or Coffee Stain Studios, but are passionate fans of the game, sharing the love of all things Satisfactory!
Do you have an article you'd like to submit for our website? Do you think we're missing a very important link? Please keep in mind we'll be building through the tiers and I'm trying not to overwhelm a new player, but by the time we get to Tier 3, you should have most of the basics included. Other than that broad guideline, I'm putting this together for the players, so contact me if you'd like to help!
Who am I? My name is Melothrien, and I've been working in digital design for many decades, although usually in a different position, for instance I designed forms for a law office around 2000. What brings me here? Several accidents have disabled me to the point of not being able to enjoy many physical activities but I was an adventurous person. Thankfully, my husband introduced me to the wide world of gaming, where I could swim, explore, even fly! I started on Diablo, then World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings and tried a few others like Rift. Nothing has held my attention like Satisfactory.
What I do really miss about those games is the easy communication within the community and access to resources. I'd like to see that translated in a Satisfactory way.
If you would like to join our free Discord community, please contact me at any of the social media or email below.
And if you find value in what I am doing and would like to contribute, please consider contributing to my Patreon for as little as $1 (just click the Patreon/Melothrien Designs logo) to get these basic tutorials out to as many new players as we can!