Satisfactory is one of the most immersive open-world factory-building games ever created. Developed by Coffee Stain Studios, it combines the satisfaction of automation, resource optimization, and creative construction in a massive alien environment.
This comprehensive Satisfactory guide (2025) walks you through everything — from your first hub upgrade to advanced automated factories, power optimization, and logistics mastery.
1. Getting Started in Satisfactory: Your First Day
Choosing the Starting Area
When starting a new game, you’ll be asked to select one of four biomes:
- Grass Fields (Recommended for Beginners) – Flat terrain, easy resources, perfect for early automation.
- Rocky Desert – Abundant space but rough terrain; ideal for experienced players.
- Northern Forest – Rich in biomass, but trees make building tricky.
- Dune Desert – Excellent for massive factories, but resource nodes are spread out.
For this walkthrough, we’ll focus on Grass Fields, the most balanced beginner location.
Landing and Setting Up the HUB
Your HUB is the heart of your early game. It’s your command center for research, upgrades, and milestone progress.
After landing:
- Collect Iron Ore from nearby nodes.
- Use your Portable Miner (from the HUB terminal) to extract ore automatically.
- Smelt the ore into Iron Ingots using a Smelter.
- Convert ingots into Iron Plates and Iron Rods using Constructors.
💡 Tip: Keep your first factory simple — one smelter feeding two constructors (plates and rods).
2. Power Management: The Backbone of Automation
Without proper power management, even the best factory layout will fail.
In the early game, your main energy source is Biomass Burners.
How to Set Up Early Power:
- Collect Leaves, Wood, and Flower Petals to craft Biomass in the Craft Bench.
- Convert Biomass into Solid Biofuel — it lasts longer and burns cleaner.
- Build 2–3 Biomass Burners and connect them using Power Lines.
- Monitor your power grid using the Power Pole interface.
⚙️ Pro Tip: Keep one dedicated burner for your HUB to prevent total power loss during factory overloads.
As you progress, you’ll unlock Coal Power, Fuel Generators, and Nuclear Power, which dramatically increase energy efficiency.
3. Expanding Production: Iron, Copper, and Concrete Automation
Once you’ve stabilized your power, expand your production lines.
Iron Factory Setup
- 1 Miner Mk1 on Iron Node → 1 Smelter → 2 Constructors Constructor 1 → Iron Plates Constructor 2 → Iron Rods
Copper Factory Setup
- 1 Miner Mk1 on Copper Node → 1 Smelter → 2 Constructors Constructor 1 → Wires Constructor 2 → Cables
Concrete Factory Setup
- 1 Miner Mk1 on Limestone → 1 Constructor → Concrete
Organize each factory into separate production zones for better logistics later. Use Conveyor Belts to transfer materials automatically between machines.
4. The Hub Milestones: Progression and Tier System
Satisfactory’s progression is organized into tiers. Each tier unlocks new buildings, vehicles, and technologies.
Tier 0–1 Key Milestones:
- Base Building: Unlocks foundations, walls, and ramps.
- Logistics: Unlocks splitters, mergers, and conveyor upgrades.
- Field Research: Unlocks the MAM (Molecular Analysis Machine).
Each milestone requires specific materials. Always automate the production of Iron Plates, Rods, and Wire first — they’re used in nearly every milestone.
5. Advanced Logistics: Splitters, Mergers, and Smart Conveyors
Efficient logistics separate a beginner factory from a pro-level megabase.
Key Logistic Tools:
- Splitter: Divides one input into multiple outputs.
- Merger: Combines multiple inputs into one output.
- Smart Splitter (Later Game): Routes items based on type.
Use splitters to balance production lines (e.g., one smelter feeding two constructors).
Add conveyor lifts for multi-level factories and stackable poles to keep belts tidy.
🧩 Pro Tip: Always plan your conveyor layout before expanding. Avoid spaghetti belts — clean layouts improve both performance and readability.
6. Power Transition: From Biomass to Coal
Once you reach Tier 3, you’ll unlock Coal Power Plants, the first step toward sustainable energy.
Coal Power Setup Steps:
- Find a Coal Node using the scanner.
- Build a Miner Mk1 and connect it via Conveyor Belt to a Coal Generator.
- Supply Water using a Water Extractor and Pipelines.
- Connect everything to your power grid.
🔌 Each Coal Generator consumes 15 Coal/min and 45 m³ water/min, producing 75 MW of power.
Coal power frees you from manual refueling and lets you scale your production massively.
7. The M.A.M. and Research Tree
The Molecular Analysis Machine (M.A.M.) unlocks secondary research trees:
- Alien Organisms: Unlocks health boosters and alien DNA.
- Nutrients: Unlocks food items and healing potions.
- Quartz: Enables the Radar Tower and Silica production.
- Sulfur: Unlocks Explosives and Nobelisks.
Collect various resources and feed them into the MAM to progress.
8. Vehicle Automation: Tractors, Trucks, and Trains
When your factory expands beyond walking distance, automation becomes vital.
Tractors and Trucks:
- Build a Tractor Station and set up a Truck Path using the “Record Path” feature.
- Vehicles can automatically load/unload items at stations.
- Great for early long-distance transport before trains.
Trains:
Once you unlock Tier 6, you can build Railways and Electric Locomotives.
- Set up Freight Platforms to load/unload resources automatically.
- Use Signals for complex train networks.
9. Midgame Factory Optimization: Steel and Oil Refinement
Steel Production:
Combine Iron Ore and Coal in a Foundry to produce Steel Ingots.
- Steel Pipes and Steel Beams are essential for advanced buildings.
Oil Refining:
Oil is crucial for Plastics, Rubber, and Fuel.
- Find an Oil Node using the scanner.
- Build an Oil Extractor and connect it to a Refinery.
- Set recipes:
- Crude Oil → Plastic
- Crude Oil → Rubber
- Crude Oil → Fuel
🔥 Pro Tip: Use Fuel Generators to utilize excess Fuel efficiently.
10. Advanced Power: Fuel and Nuclear Energy
Fuel Generators
- Use Refined Fuel for high-efficiency energy generation.
- Each Fuel Generator provides 150 MW.
Nuclear Power
- Requires Uranium, Encased Uranium Cells, and Control Rods.
- Produces massive energy output but needs Radiation Management.
⚠️ Always build nuclear plants far from your main base to avoid exposure.
11. Endgame: Aluminum, Computers, and Space Elevator
To complete Tier 7 and 8, you’ll need high-tech materials:
- Aluminum Ingots → Aluminum Sheets
- Silica + Bauxite = Alumina Solution
- Computer and Supercomputer for advanced automation.
Finally, complete the Space Elevator deliveries to progress to the final milestones and unlock Advanced Production Systems.
12. Tips and Tricks for Efficient Factory Building
- Build on Foundations: Keeps factories level and organized.
- Plan for Expansion: Leave space between production lines.
- Label Everything: Use Signs to track what each machine produces.
- Use Hyper Tubes: For fast personal transportation.
- Vertical Factories: Use vertical stacking to save horizontal space.
13. Multiplayer and Exploration
Satisfactory multiplayer lets you collaborate or compete in factory efficiency with friends.
- Share resources, automate tasks, or build mega-projects together.
- Explore alien life, hidden caves, and resource-rich plateaus.
Exploration rewards rare items like Power Slugs (used to overclock machines) and Hard Drives (unlock alternate recipes).
14. Overclocking and Production Efficiency
Install Power Shards (from Power Slugs) into machines to increase output speed.
However, this increases power consumption, so balance your energy grid accordingly.
⚙️ Example: A Smelter using one Power Shard can produce 45 Iron Ingots/min instead of 30.
15. The Perfect Factory Layout (2025 Optimization Strategy)
For endgame efficiency:
- Use modular factory designs — one product per building block.
- Implement smart logistics with Programmable Splitters.
- Optimize train networks for continuous flow.
- Centralize power monitoring for instant troubleshooting.
Conclusion: Mastering Satisfactory in 2025
Building the ultimate automated empire in Satisfactory is both a science and an art.
From humble beginnings in the Grass Fields to constructing massive nuclear-powered factories, every decision shapes your industrial legacy.
Whether you’re a beginner learning how to automate Iron Plates or an advanced player fine-tuning nuclear setups, this Satisfactory guide (2025) offers the knowledge, structure.
Ready to build your dream factory? Dive into Satisfactory, optimize your automation, and dominate the planet — one conveyor belt at a time.
