Official Factorio Wiki - User contributions [en]

Foundry

2026-08-16T13:26:35Z

Flinti: fix spelling mistake

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Foundry}}
{{About/Space age}}
The '''Foundry''' is a version of the [[assembling machine]] from [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}} that specializes in metallurgy. It has a built-in 50% [[productivity]] bonus.

The foundry can only be crafted on Vulcanus due to its higher atmospheric pressure, but it can be used on other planets once transported via [[space platform]].

== Recipes ==

The Foundry has twenty available unique recipes (not including the recipe for itself), one of which must be set before it can begin processing.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Recipe !! Ingredients !! Products !! Technology required
|-
! colspan=4 | Only usable on [[Vulcanus]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Molten iron from lava}}
| {{icon|Time|16}}{{icon|Calcite|1}}{{icon|Lava|500}}
| {{icon|Stone|10}}{{icon|Molten iron|250}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Molten copper from lava}}
| {{icon|Time|16}}{{icon|Calcite|1}}{{icon|Lava|500}}
| {{icon|Stone|15}}{{icon|Molten copper|250}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Metallurgic science pack}}
| {{icon|Time|10}}{{icon|Tungsten carbide|3}}{{icon|Tungsten plate|2}}{{icon|Molten copper|200}}
| {{icon|Metallurgic science pack|1}}
| {{icontech|Metallurgic science pack (research)}}[[Metallurgic science pack (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Big mining drill}}
| {{icon|Time|30}}{{icon|Advanced circuit|10}}{{icon|Electric engine unit|10}}{{icon|Tungsten carbide|20}}{{icon|Electric mining drill|1}}{{icon|Molten iron|200}}
| {{icon|Big mining drill|1}}
| {{icontech|Big mining drill (research)}}[[Big mining drill (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Foundry}}
| {{icon|Time|10}}{{icon|Electronic circuit|30}}{{icon|Lubricant|20}}{{icon|Refined concrete|20}}{{icon|Steel plate|50}}{{icon|Tungsten carbide|50}}
| {{icon|Foundry|1}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Turbo transport belt}}
| {{icon|Time|0.5}}{{icon|Tungsten plate|5}}{{icon|Express transport belt|1}}{{icon|Lubricant|20}}
| {{icon|Turbo transport belt|1}}
| {{icontech|Turbo transport belt (research)}}[[Turbo transport belt (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Turbo underground belt}}
| {{icon|Time|2}}{{icon|Tungsten plate|40}}{{icon|Express underground belt|2}}{{icon|Lubricant|40}}
| {{icon|Turbo underground belt|2}}
| {{icontech|Turbo transport belt (research)}}[[Turbo transport belt (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Turbo splitter}}
| {{icon|Time|2}}{{icon|Processing unit|2}}{{icon|Tungsten plate|15}}{{icon|Express splitter|2}}{{icon|Lubricant|80}}
| {{icon|Turbo splitter|1}}
| {{icontech|Turbo transport belt (research)}}[[Turbo transport belt (research)]]
|-
! colspan=4 | Usable anywhere
|-
| {{imagelink|Molten iron}}
| {{icon|Time|32}}{{icon|Iron ore|50}}{{icon|Calcite|1}}
| {{icon|Molten iron|500}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Molten copper}}
| {{icon|Time|32}}{{icon|Copper ore|50}}{{icon|Calcite|1}}
| {{icon|Molten copper|500}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Casting iron}}
| {{icon|Time|3.2}}{{icon|Molten iron|20}}
| {{icon|Iron plate|2}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Casting copper}}
| {{icon|Time|3.2}}{{icon|Molten copper|20}}
| {{icon|Copper plate|2}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Casting steel}}
| {{icon|Time|3.2}}{{icon|Molten iron|30}}
| {{icon|Steel plate|1}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Casting iron gear wheel}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}{{icon|Molten iron|10}}
| {{icon|Iron gear wheel|1}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Casting iron stick}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}{{icon|Molten iron|20}}
| {{icon|Iron stick|4}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Casting low density structure}}
| {{icon|Time|15}}{{icon|Plastic bar|5}}{{icon|Molten iron|80}}{{icon|Molten copper|250}}
| {{icon|Low density structure|1}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Concrete from molten iron}}†
| {{icon|Time|10}}{{icon|Stone brick|5}}{{icon|Molten iron|20}}{{icon|Water|100}}
| {{icon|Concrete|10}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Casting copper cable}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}{{icon|Molten copper|5}}
| {{icon|Copper cable|2}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Casting pipe}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}{{icon|Molten iron|10}}
| {{icon|Pipe|1}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Casting pipe to ground}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}{{icon|Pipe|10}}{{icon|Molten iron|50}}
| {{icon|Pipe to ground|2}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Tungsten plate}}
| {{icon|Time|10}}{{icon|Tungsten ore|4}}{{icon|Molten iron|10}}
| {{icon|Tungsten plate|1}}
| {{icontech|Tungsten steel (research)}}[[Tungsten steel (research)]]
|-
! colspan=4 | Usable anywhere (Non-unique)
|-
| {{imagelink|Holmium plate}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}{{icon|Holmium solution|20}}
| {{icon|Holmium plate|1}}
| {{icontech|Holmium processing (research)}}[[Holmium processing (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Express transport belt}}
| {{icon|Time|0.5}}{{icon|Iron gear wheel|10}}{{icon|Fast transport belt|1}}{{icon|Lubricant|20}}
| {{icon|Express transport belt|1}}
| {{icontech|Logistics 3 (research)}}[[Logistics 3 (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Express underground belt}}
| {{icon|Time|2}}{{icon|Iron gear wheel|80}}{{icon|Fast underground belt|2}}{{icon|Lubricant|40}}
| {{icon|Express underground belt|2}}
| {{icontech|Logistics 3 (research)}}[[Logistics 3 (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Express splitter}}
| {{icon|Time|2}}{{icon|Iron gear wheel|10}}{{icon|Fast splitter|1}}{{icon|Advanced circuit|10}}{{icon|Lubricant|80}}
| {{icon|Express splitter|1}}
| {{icontech|Logistics 3 (research)}}[[Logistics 3 (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Fast transport belt}}
| {{icon|Time|0.5}}{{icon|Iron gear wheel|5}}{{icon|Transport belt|1}}
| {{icon|Fast transport belt|1}}
| {{icontech|Logistics 2 (research)}}[[Logistics 2 (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Fast underground belt}}
| {{icon|Time|2}}{{icon|Iron gear wheel|40}}{{icon|Underground belt|2}}
| {{icon|Fast underground belt|2}}
| {{icontech|Logistics 2 (research)}}[[Logistics 2 (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Fast splitter}}
| {{icon|Time|2}}{{icon|Iron gear wheel|10}}{{icon|Splitter|1}}{{icon|Electronic circuit|10}}
| {{icon|Fast splitter|1}}
| {{icontech|Logistics 2 (research)}}[[Logistics 2 (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Transport belt}}
| {{icon|Time|0.5}}{{icon|Iron gear wheel|1}}{{icon|Iron plate|1}}
| {{icon|Transport belt|2}}
| -
|-
| {{imagelink|Underground belt}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}{{icon|Iron plate|10}}{{icon|Transport belt|5}}
| {{icon|Underground belt|2}}
| {{icontech|Logistics (research)}}[[Logistics (research)]]
|-
| {{imagelink|Splitter}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}{{icon|Iron plate|5}}{{icon|Transport belt|4}}{{icon|Electronic circuit|5}}
| {{icon|Splitter|1}}
| {{icontech|Logistics (research)}}[[Logistics (research)]]
|-
|}

†Note that the foundry recipe for making [[concrete]] can benefit from [[productivity module|productivity modules]], despite the regular concrete recipe not being able to use them.

== Efficiency ==

Most of the foundry's recipes are more efficient than creating the same items in a [[furnace]] or [[assembling machine]]. However, because of the built-in +50% productivity bonus (which applies even to items like belts that don't benefit from [[productivity module]]s), and because the same bonus also applies to the recipes for [[molten iron]] and [[molten copper]], the actual efficiency gains from using a foundry are much higher than the value listed in the recipe.

The table below compares the values of the base recipes (with 1 ore = 10 molten metal), and then shows the actual output of the recipe with the default foundry bonuses of 4 crafting speed and 150% productivity (1 ore = 15 molten metal). For example, inserting 200 [[iron ore]] into a foundry with no [[module]]s installed would result in 3,000 [[molten iron]] which could be turned into 450 [[iron plate]]s.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! rowspan = 3 | Name !! colspan = 10 | Base recipe values !! colspan = 4 | With foundry bonuses
|-
! colspan = 4 | Furnace/Assembler !! colspan = 4 | Foundry !! colspan = 2 | Efficiency !! colspan = 2 | Foundry !! colspan = 2 | Efficiency
|-
! Time !! {{icon|Iron ore}} !! {{icon|Copper ore}} !! Output !! Time !! {{icon|Molten iron}} !! {{icon|Molten copper}} !! Output !! {{icon|Iron ore}} !! {{icon|Copper ore}} !! Time !! Output !! {{icon|Iron ore}} !! {{icon|Copper ore}}
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | {{imagelink|Iron plate}}
| {{icon|Time|3.2}}
| {{icon|Iron ore|1}}
| -
| {{icon|Iron plate|1}}
| {{icon|Time|3.2}}
| {{icon|Molten iron|20}}
| -
| {{icon|Iron plate|2}}
| 100%
| -
| {{icon|Time|0.8}}
| {{icon|Iron plate|3}}
| 225%
| -
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | {{imagelink|Steel plate}}
| {{icon|Time|3.2}}
| {{icon|Iron ore|5}}
| -
| {{icon|Steel plate|1}}
| {{icon|Time|3.2}}
| {{icon|Molten iron|30}}
| -
| {{icon|Steel plate|1}}
| 167%
| -
| {{icon|Time|0.8}}
| {{icon|Steel plate|1.5}}
| 375%
| -
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | {{imagelink|Iron gear wheel}}
| {{icon|Time|0.5}}
| {{icon|Iron ore|2}}
| -
| {{icon|Iron gear wheel|1}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}
| {{icon|Molten iron|10}}
| -
| {{icon|Iron gear wheel|1}}
| 200%
| -
| {{icon|Time|0.25}}
| {{icon|Iron gear wheel|1.5}}
| 450%
| -
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | {{imagelink|Iron stick}}
| {{icon|Time|0.5}}
| {{icon|Iron ore|1}}
| -
| {{icon|Iron stick|2}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}
| {{icon|Molten iron|20}}
| -
| {{icon|Iron stick|4}}
| 100%
| -
| {{icon|Time|0.25}}
| {{icon|Iron stick|6}}
| 225%
| -
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | {{imagelink|Concrete}}
| {{icon|Time|10}}
| {{icon|Iron ore|1}}
| -
| {{icon|Concrete|10}}
| {{icon|Time|10}}
| {{icon|Molten iron|20}}
| -
| {{icon|Concrete|10}}
| 50%
| -
| {{icon|Time|2.5}}
| {{icon|Concrete|15}}
| 113%
| -
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | {{imagelink|Pipe}}
| {{icon|Time|0.5}}
| {{icon|Iron ore|1}}
| -
| {{icon|Pipe|1}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}
| {{icon|Molten iron|10}}
| -
| {{icon|Pipe|1}}
| 100%
| -
| {{icon|Time|0.25}}
| {{icon|Pipe|1.5}}
| 225%
| -
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | {{imagelink|Pipe to ground}}
| {{icon|Time|0.5}}
| {{icon|Iron ore|5}}
| -
| {{icon|Pipe to ground|2}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}
| {{icon|Molten iron|50}}
| -
| {{icon|Pipe to ground|2}}
| 100%
| -
| {{icon|Time|0.25}}
| {{icon|Pipe to ground|3}}
| 225%
| -
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | {{imagelink|Low density structure}}
| {{icon|Time|15}}
| {{icon|Iron ore|10}}
| {{icon|Copper ore|20}}
| {{icon|Low density structure|1}}
| {{icon|Time|15}}
| {{icon|Molten iron|80}}
| {{icon|Molten copper|250}}
| {{icon|Low density structure|1}}
| 125%
| 80%
| {{icon|Time|3.75}}
| {{icon|Low density structure|1.5}}
| 281%
| 180%
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | {{imagelink|Copper plate}}
| {{icon|Time|3.2}}
| -
| {{icon|Copper ore|1}}
| {{icon|Copper plate|1}}
| {{icon|Time|3.2}}
| -
| {{icon|Molten copper|20}}
| {{icon|Copper plate|2}}
| -
| 100%
| {{icon|Time|0.8}}
| {{icon|Copper plate|3}}
| -
| 225%
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | {{imagelink|Copper cable}}
| {{icon|Time|0.5}}
| -
| {{icon|Copper ore|1}}
| {{icon|Copper cable|2}}
| {{icon|Time|1}}
| -
| {{icon|Molten copper|5}}
| {{icon|Copper cable|2}}
| -
| 200%
| {{icon|Time|0.25}}
| {{icon|Copper cable|3}}
| -
| 450%
|-
|}

=== Alternate recipe chains ===
Because the foundry can cast iron, steel, and copper plates but can also directly cast various items normally made ''from'' those plates, there exist alternate production chains, where the foundry is used to cast the plates and then another production building is used to create the final product:
* Steel can be produced by casting iron plates and refining them in an [[electric furnace]]
* Gears, iron sticks, pipes, and pipes-to-ground can be crafted by casting iron plates and feeding them to an assembler
* Copper wire can be produced by casting copper plates and feeding them to an assembler or an [[electromagnetic plant]]
* Low density structures can be produced by casting copper plates and steel plates (or, as mentioned above, casting iron plates and converting them to steel in a furnace) and feeding them to an assembler

These alternate production chains can potentially be more resource-efficient than just casting the result directly, albeit at the cost of considerably more machines (and in some cases more high-level, high-[[quality]] modules) for a given rate of output. In this case, the inherent +50% productivity bonus of the foundry does not matter, nor do any productivity modules the foundry has, because those bonuses also apply when casting the metal plates. Instead, the decision is between any productivity bonus the second production machine can provide versus the fact that most of the 'Casting' recipes cost less to begin with. (This inherent advantage is the value listed in the 'Efficiency' column under 'Base recipe values' in the above table.)

==== Concrete ====

The cast concrete alternate recipe is unique in that the base recipe it is replacing doesn't use metal plates at all, but instead raw [[iron ore]]. Thus, in this case, the inherent +50% productivity bonus of the foundry ''does'' matter, since there is no way to integrate a foundry into the production chain while using the normal recipe. This inherent bonus (which applies twice, once when melting the ore and again when casting the concrete) more than makes up for the cast concrete recipe's inherent efficiency of only 50%.

Additionally, the cast concrete recipe is considered an intermediate product and thus accepts productivity modules, while the normal recipe is considered a finished product and does not, allowing additional productivity bonuses. The ore melting step is also an intermediate product accepting productivity modules.

Concrete requires non-metal ingredients as well: [[stone brick]] and [[water]]. While the cast concrete recipe has an inherent efficiency of only 50% with respect to iron ore, its inherent efficiency with respect to the other ingredients is exactly 100%. Using the foundry allows these ingredients to benefit from its inherent +50% productivity bonus, as well as any productivity modules used.

Lastly, the foundry recipe allows for quality concrete to be made directly from quality stone, since all other ingredients are liquids that ignore quality. Quality stone, in turn, can be made directly from quality calcite using the lava-to-metal recipes, since lava is also a liquid. One legendary calcite can create 33.75 legendary concrete (counting foundry bonuses, but no other productivity bonuses), which is very useful for crafting legendary [[rocket silo]]s, [[nuclear reactor]]s, etc.

Thus it is always preferable to make concrete in the foundry if possible.

==== Steel plates ====

Initially, it seems like the electric furnace, with just 2 module slots, cannot make up for the +67% inherent efficiency boost from the cast-steel recipe. However, steel production also has an [[Steel_plate_productivity_(research)|infinite research]] which adds a productivity bonus; while this bonus applies to both casting steel and smelting steel (and ''doesn't'' apply to casting iron plates in order to smelt them into steel), the +50% inherent productivity and more module slots of the foundry give it a higher bonus to start with, meaning that the same ''absolute'' bonus makes for a larger ''relative increase'' in the electric furnace. For example, with no productivity modules, researching 5 levels of the technology will take the foundry from 150% total (not bonus) productivity to 200% productivity, boosting its output by a third. By contrast, the furnace will go from 100% total productivity to 150% productivity, boosting its output by a half. With the right combination of high-quality [[productivity module 3]]s and steel plate productivity research, it is possible to make the electric furnace production chain more efficient.

For example, a foundry with 4 legendary productivity module 3s (+25% productivity each) casting iron plates feeding an electric furnace with 2 legendary productivity module 3s and a +50% steel plate productivity has exactly the same overall efficiency as a foundry with 4 legendary productivity module 3s and the same +50% steel plate productivity casting steel plates directly, with both producing exactly 1 steel plate per 10 units of molten iron. Any additional research past that point will make the electric furnace production chain strictly better. If using mere rare productivity module 3s (+16% productivity each) instead, the changeover happens somewhere between +150% and +160% research.

Additionally, with enough levels of steel plate productivity research, it is possible to reach the hard cap of +300% productivity. Thus the absolute maximum efficiency possible for casting steel is 4/3 steel plates per 10 units of molten iron, while the electric furnace production chain can reach 2 steel plates per 10 units of molten iron.

==== Iron gear wheels ====

It is never possible for gears made in an assembler to be more efficient than those made by casting them directly. The cast gears recipe is ''twice'' as efficient as the normal one and no productivity research applies; the highest efficiency possible from an assembler, 200% from an assembler 3 with 4 legendary productivity module 3s, is only just enough to break even.

==== Iron sticks ====

Conversely, the cast iron stick recipe has no inherent resource efficiency at all, thus casting iron plates and then converting them to sticks using an assembler with ''any productivity modules at all'' is more efficient than using that same foundry to cast them directly.

==== Pipes & Pipes to ground ====

Unlike all the other items with alternate production chains here, [[pipe|pipes]] and [[pipe to ground|pipes to ground]] are not intermediate products. Thus it is not possible to use productivity modules on foundries or assemblers which are producing them. Since it ''is'' possible to use productivity modules on a foundry casting iron plates which are then converted to pipes in an assembler, and the cast recipe has no inherent resource efficiency to overcome, doing so is more efficient than casting them directly.

==== Copper cables ====

Much like iron gears, copper cables have a 200% efficient casting recipe and no researchable productivity bonus, thus it is not possible to produce them more efficiently using an assembler. However, copper cables can also be produced in the [[electromagnetic plant]], which has ''5'' module slots and an inherent +50% productivity boost of its own. So long as the electromagnetic plant's productivity is greater than +100%, this production chain is more efficient than casting directly. 5 productivity 3s of common quality (+10% productivity each) will give a productivity of exactly +100%; any better quality modules, or productivity 2s of epic quality or better, will make them more efficient.

==== Low density structure ====

Low density structures are notable because the crafting recipe has an efficiency of ''less'' than 100% with respect to copper, and while its efficiency with respect to iron is greater than 100%, it is less than the inherent efficiency of casting steel plates. Thus, even with no productivity modules or productivity research at all, casting the plates and then creating the low density structures in an assembler is more efficient. However, low density structures also require plastic, and since plastic bars cannot be cast, you are losing out on the inherent +50% productivity bonus the foundry offers:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Process
! Raw resources to make {{icon|Low density structure|1}}
|-
| Furnaces + Assemblers
| {{icon|Iron ore|10}} {{icon|Copper ore|20}} {{icon|Plastic bar|5}}
|-
| Foundry Direct
| {{icon|Iron ore|3.5}} {{icon|Copper ore|11.1}} {{icon|Plastic bar|3.33}}
|-
| Foundries + Assemblers
| {{icon|Iron ore|2.67}} {{icon|Copper ore|8.88}} {{icon|Plastic bar|5}}
|}

Note that making low density structures is subject to its own [[Low_density_structure_productivity_(research)|productivity research]], and both that, and the use of productivity modules of any kind, will make the use of the alternate production chain more attractive: the efficiency gain for iron and copper will increase, while the efficiency loss in plastic, while not entirely negated, will shrink. For example, with no efficiency boosts, the alternative production chain is 33% more efficient in iron, 25% more efficient in copper, and 33% less efficient in plastic, but with +100% productivity from research, the alternative production chain is 60% more efficient in iron, 50% more efficient in copper, and only 20% less efficient in plastic.

Additionally, the hard cap of +300% productivity applies here, too, and this ''can'' entirely negate the penalty to plastic, though the level of research required to do so is considerable.

The low density structure casting recipe does have one advantage: [[Quality]]. Because the only solid input is plastic, all it takes to make low density structures of a particular quality is to have plastic of that quality.

Furthermore, since low density structures can be [[Recycler|recycled]] back to copper and steel plates, one can use this recipe to generate high quality copper and steel plates from plastic, consuming less molten metal than many other means of producing quality plates. Additionally, if the foundry can get to the 300% low density structures productivity cap (via modules and research), then the plastic will (on average) be completely regenerated, allowing a small amount of quality plastic to produce arbitrary amounts of quality copper and steel plates, given sufficient molten metal.

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* Introduced in [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}}
* [[Crafting]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Producers}}

Enemies

2024-10-22T21:33:34Z

Flinti: /* Gallery */

{{Languages}}
[[File:biter_intro.png|175px|right]]'''Enemies''' (also commonly called '''Biters''') are creatures that want to [[Damage|harm]] the [[player]]. They are the native inhabitants of the extraterrestrial world in the form of arthropods living in organic nests, coexisting with each other peacefully. They are encountered in three species: Biters, spitters and worms. The species are further distinguished in four stages of growth, and thus strength. Enemies and nests show up on the map as red dots. Much like the player, enemies can slowly regain lost health.

== Achievements ==
Enemies are directly connected to the following achievements:
{{Achievement|it-stinks-and-they-dont-like-it}}
{{Achievement|steamrolled}}

==Creatures==
===Biters===
Biters are one of two main antagonists in the game. They come in four sizes: small, medium, big and behemoth. In the beginning of a game, there will only be the small ones. With increasing [[pollution]], they will become bigger, related to the enemy's [[#Evolution|evolution]]. As common sense may suggest, their method of attack is a straightforward charge to "bite" things.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info
|-
| [[File:small_biter.png|center]] || Small Biter
| Weakest of biters, can be easily killed with a pistol.
* Health: 15
* Damage: 7 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Speed: 43.2km/h
* Range: 1
* Pollution to join attack: 4
|-
| [[File:medium_biter.png|center]] || Medium Biter
| Stronger and slightly faster than the small biter. Can pose a problem for and even kill weaker players.
* Health: 75
* Damage: 15 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Speed: 51.8km/h
* Range: 1
* Pollution to join attack: 20

[[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]:
*Explosion: 0/10%
*Physical: 4/10%
|-
| [[File:big_biter.png|center]] || Big Biter
| Dangerous, resistant to small arms. Can attack through walls, hitting objects directly behind them.
* Health: 375
* Damage: 30 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Speed: 49.7km/h
* Range: 2
* Pollution to join attack: 80

Resistances:
*Explosion: 0/10%
*Physical: 8/10%
|-
| [[File:behemoth_biter.png|center]] || Behemoth Biter
| Extremely durable and nearly immune to small arms, except for the strongest ordnance. Can attack through walls, hitting objects directly behind them.
* Health: 3000
* Damage: 90 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.2/s
* Speed: 64.8km/h
* Range: 2
* Pollution to join attack: 400

Resistances:
*Explosion: 12/10%
*Physical: 12/10%

|}

===Spitters===
'''Spitters''' are much like [[Enemies#Biters|biters]] and only appear slightly later on in the game as the evolution factor increases. Their main difference from biters is their ranged attack. Using predictive aiming, they spit a stream of acid at enemies which leaves behind a puddle of acid where it hits the ground. Due to the spitters' predictive aiming, the acid stream can be dodged by suddenly changing walking directions or standing still.[https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-279] Both the stream and the puddle of acid deal damage of time and slow down players and vehicles. Most entities of the game have a much lower resistance to acid than other damage types (including [[turret]]s and [[armor]]), so spitters are effectively more potent against the player and their factories. Their behaviour and size classification are the same as with biters, but their health is universally lower and they are resistant exclusively against explosives, with no physical resistance.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info
|-
| [[File:small_spitter.png|center]] || Small Spitter
| Weakest of spitters. Easy to kill with any weapon, but attacks at range.
* Health: 10
* Range: 13
* Pollution to join attack: 4
* Speed: 40.0km/h

Acid projectile:
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1
* Damage (on contact): 12 Acid

Acid puddle:
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 7.2 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 60%
** Duration: 2 seconds

|-
| [[File:medium_spitter.png|center]] || Medium Spitter
| Stronger and slower than the smaller version. Can pose a problem for and even kill weaker players.
* Health: 50
* Range: 14
* Pollution to join attack: 12
* Speed: 35.6km/h

Acid projectile:
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.25
* Damage (on contact): 24 Acid

Acid puddle:
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 28.8 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 50%
** Duration: 2 seconds

Resistances:
*Explosion: 0/10%
|-
| [[File:big_spitter.png|center]] || Big Spitter
| An even bulkier spitter and so can take more damage.
* Health: 200
* Range: 15
* Pollution to join attack: 30
* Speed: 32.4km/h

Acid projectile:
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.35
* Damage (on contact): 36 Acid

Acid puddle:
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 130 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 40%
** Duration: 2 seconds

Resistances:
*Explosion: 0/15%
|-
| [[File:behemoth_spitter.png|center]] || Behemoth Spitter
| The bulkiest of the spitters and so can take even more damage.
* Health: 1500
* Range: 16
* Pollution to join attack: 200
* Speed: 32.4km/h

Acid projectile:
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.75
* Damage (on contact): 60 Acid

Acid puddle:
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 360 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 30%
** Duration: 2 seconds

Resistances:
*Explosion: 0/30%
|}

===Worms===

The Worms are natural allies of biters and spitters and will attack the player if they get close enough with an attack similar to spitters'. They act like static [[turret]]s and will not follow attackers. They rely on high damage, great range and splash damage to keep the player away from the worms and the nests they protect, but either one of these advantages can be overcome. Unlike other enemies, they are also highly resistant to fire. They will spit acid at the player, which can also leave acidic puddles on the ground that can still damage players and vehicles, as well as slow them both down and leave a brief acidic, damaging effect for a few seconds. However, placed buildings and tiles are unaffected by the acid puddles, but still take damage normally by the acid projectile.

Worms come in 4 sizes, their power increasing with size. Like biters and spitters, behemoth, big and medium worms spawning is influenced by the evolution factor. Worms are only created during enemy expansion when a certain evolution factor requirement is fulfilled. This is 0.3 for the medium worm, 0.5 for the big worm and 0.9 for the behemoth worm. Below these evolution factors, worms can only be created by the map generation. In map generation, the game restricts higher tier worms behind the distance from the starting point. The further away the player goes from the starting area, the stronger the worms become.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info
|-
| [[File:Small worm.png|center]] || Small Worm
| A weak worm. It is still capable of killing the player unless it is targeted as priority.
* Health: 200
* Range: 25

Acid projectile:
* Attack speed: 0.66/s
* Area of effect size: 1.4
* Damage (on contact): 36 Acid

Acid puddle:
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 21.6 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 60%
|-
| [[File:Medium worm.png|center]] || Medium Worm
| Medium worms are dangerous to even more advanced players. They should be handled with care.
* Health: 400
* Range: 30

Acid projectile:
* Attack speed: 0.66/s
* Area of effect size: 1.55
* Damage (on contact): 48 Acid

Acid puddle:
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 57.6 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 50%

Resistances:
*Explosion: 5/15%
*Fire: 2/50%
*Physical: 5/0%
|-
| [[File:Big worm.png|center]] || Big Worm
| Big worms are not as much more dangerous as resilient. They are almost immune to common gunfire of any sort.
* Health: 750
* Range: 38

Acid projectile:
* Attack speed: 0.66/s
* Area of effect size: 1.75
* Damage (on contact): 72 Acid

Acid puddle:
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 259 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 40%

Resistances:
*Explosion: 10/30%
*Fire: 3/70%
*Physical: 10/0%
|-
| [[File:Behemoth worm.png|center]] || Behemoth Worm
| Behemoth worms are the most dangerous of worms. They are just as resilient as Big worms, with much greater range.
* Health: 750
* Range: 48

Acid projectile:
* Attack speed: 0.66/s
* Area of effect size: 2
* Damage (on contact): 96 Acid

Acid puddle:
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 691 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 30%

Resistances:
*Explosion: 10/30%
*Fire: 3/70%
*Physical: 10/0%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Description
|-
| [[File:worm.gif]] || A worm's attack animation.
|-
|}

==Nests==

The spawn points of biters and spitters. While nests themselves are generally defenseless, the enemies they release over time effectively serve as a form of guards to distract the player and any nearby turrets, and are often accompanied by worms. Nests exposed to pollution will use it to send enemies to join attacks. Enemies not engaged in combat may seek out the nearest nest for protection.

The nests are highly resistant to fire and otherwise generally more resilient than a medium worm.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Description
|-
| [[File:biter_nest.png]] || Biter's nest
|
* Health: 350

Resistances:
*Explosion: 5/15%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:spitter_nest.png]] || Spitter's nest
|
* Health: 350

Resistances:
*Explosion: 5/15%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|}

=== Expansions ===
Every 4-60 minutes, a group of 5-20 biters/spitters will leave their base to create a new base which will consist of as many worms/nests as there are members in the group. This group will search for a suitable spot that's 3-7 chunks away from existing bases. The interval between enemy expansions is global, and the higher enemy evolution, the shorter the interval is on average. Furthermore, with higher evolution, the groups are bigger on average.

Once they have found a suitable spot, each biter/spitter in the group dies and forms a new nest or worm. Forming a new nest or worm will destroy anything that is in the way, which can include members of the expansion group. There is a delay between each member sacrificing itself for to create a worm/nest, so creating the new base from the expansion group can take quite a long time, depending on the group size. Medium worms are only formed if the current evolution is higher than 0.3, big worms only if the current evolution is higher than 0.5 and behemoth worms are only formed if current evolution is higher than 0.9. The game randomly chooses whether to form a new biter nest, spitter nest, small worm, or bigger worm if the evolution factor is high enough. [https://gist.github.com/Bilka2/aa88490c23124a6f214c02c73a368aa7]

==Defense==
[[File:kills_gui.png|thumb|220px|right|"Kills" tab on the [[production statistics]] screen.]]Nests spawn biters and spitters freely. However, biters and spitters will only aggressively engage the player's factory if the pollution cloud of the factory reaches a nest because pollution is consumed to send biters or spitters to join the next attack. Every 1 to 10 minutes (random) the mustered biters launch an attack. If not all biters have arrived at the rendezvous point by that time, they will wait up to an additional 2 minutes for stragglers. The attack then proceeds to their target over the shortest path possible, accounting for terrain, but not for player entities that could pose an obstacle (like [[wall]]s).

If there is a clear path somewhere around those obstacles, the biters will attempt to go around. If there is no clear passage or a clear passage would mean deviating too far from the original course, the biters will attack whatever is in their way to go through. This can be exploited to an extent; creating mazes at regular intervals along a barrier can direct the biters through a gauntlet not dissimilar to tower defense.

However, if a biter comes in proximity of a [[Military units and structures|military unit or structure]], it will prioritize these and attempt to immediately attack them instead, again trying to reach the new target over the shortest possible path with no too great detours, if possible.

==Evolution==
[[File:Evolution Biters.png|thumb|right|400px|Spawn chances of biters from biter spawners by evolution factor.]]
[[File:Evolution Spitters.png|thumb|right|400px|Spawn chances of spitters from spitter spawners by evolution factor.]]
[[File:Evolution Weights.png|thumb|right|400px|Weight graph of both spawners by evolution factor. The values shown are primarily for indicating when certain types start and stop spawning, for actual chances refer to the tables or other charts.]]
The evolution factor is a global variable that determines what kind of biters will be spawned. You can check the variable in the dev console via the following command (does not disable achievements):

/evolution

The evolution factor goes from 0 (not evolved at all) to 1 (maximal evolution). The evolution factor can only increase.

This command also provides percentages for the three sources; each one is the percent of the (unsquashed) total evolution that is contributed by that source.

Besides choosing what kind of biter will be spawned, the evolution factor also influences the spawning interval. This interval (<code>spawning_cooldown</code> in the <code>enemy-spawner</code> definition) is interpolated between 360 (0 evolution) and 150 (1 evolution) game ticks (= 6 to 2.5 seconds).

=== Methods of increasing ===

The evolution factor is increased by three kinds of events:

* The passage of time very slightly increases the evolution factor.
* The global [[Pollution|pollution production]] increases the evolution factor.
* Destroying [[Enemies#Nests|nests]] significantly increases the evolution factor.

The default settings are:

{| class="wikitable"
!Source per
!Variable in <code>enemy_evolution</code>
!Evolution increase
!Pollution equivalent
|-
| [[Time#Seconds|Second]] || <code>time_factor</code> || 0.000004 || 267/minute
|-
| Destroyed enemy spawner || <code>destroy_factor</code> || 0.002 || 2222
|-
| 1 Pollution unit || <code>pollution_factor</code> || 0.0000009 || 1
|}

These values can be set during [[Map_generator#Enemy|world generation]]: the values in the dialog box are multiplied by 10^-7 for time and pollution, and 10^-5 for spawner destruction. In game, they can be found in <code>game.map_settings.enemy_evolution</code>, though checking or modifying them is considered using cheats.

Pollution production is the total pollution produced by [[Pollution#Polluters|buildings]], not the pollution spreading on the map, so it is not reduced by trees or other absorbers.
e.g. : 10 boilers produce 300 pollution in one minute, raising the evolution factor by around 0.00027 in that minute.

After totaling up all the evolution from these sources, this quantity is squashed to fit in the range <code>[0, 1)</code> by applying <code>evolution_factor = total_evolution / (1 + total_evolution)</code>.

Equivalently, marginal increases in evolution are reduced by multiplying the increase by <code>(1 - evolution_factor)²</code>. So for instance destroying enemy spawners in the beginning of the game results in increase of evolution factor by 0.002 while doing this when the evolution factor is 0.5 the increase is only 0.0005.

This also means that the evolution factor approaches 1 asymptotically - generally, increases past 0.9 or so are ''very'' slow and the number never actually reaches 1.0.

{| class="wikitable"
!Evolution factor
!Pollution equivalent
!Appearance
|-
| 10% || 123k ||
|-
| 20% || 278k || Medium Biter
|-
| 25% || 370k || Small Spitter
|-
| 30% || 476k ||
|-
| 40% || 741k || Medium Spitter
|-
| 50% || 1.111M || Big Biter, Big Spitter
|-
| 60% || 1.667M ||
|-
| 70% || 2.592M ||
|-
| 80% || 4.444M ||
|-
| 90% || 10M || Behemoth Biter, Behemoth Spitter
|-
| 95% || 21M ||
|-
| 99% || 110M ||
|}

=== Spawn chances by evolution factor ===

The probability charts show the chances of each type of biter/spitter for each spawner at all evolution levels.

<div id="evoChecker"></div>

=== Advanced: Evolution factor components and computation ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:calc(100%-400px); overflow:auto;">
This section has charts plotting the individual evolution factor components and discusses possibilities for manually estimating the evolution factor.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

[[File:Evolution_factor_by_time.png|400px|thumb|right|1. Single-component evolution factor increase with time]]
[[File:Evolution_factor_by_spawners.png|400px|thumb|right|2. Single-component evolution factor increase with destroyed spawners]]
[[File:Evolution_factor_by_pollution.png|400px|thumb|right|3. Single-component evolution factor increase with pollution]]

'''Notes'''

* Data from version 1.1.50.

* All charts end at approximately an evolution factor of 0.90.

* The calculation steps for time and spawner kills match those used by the game, so these charts should be accurate. The pollution chart assumes a pollution production of 1000 units per second, and due to the recursive nature of the chart values will slightly diverge at different pollution rates. The effect of this is negligible for any reasonable amount pollution production, however.

* Given that the game reports the actual evolution factor (console: <code>/evolution</code>) whenever the player wishes, these charts are intended primarily to help estimate the impact of planned base expansions and similar activities on the evolution factor's future development.

'''Comments'''

These charts (click to enlarge) represent the situation where each evolution factor component (time, pollution, destroyed spawners) is the ''only'' component contributing to the evolution factor in that entire game. They are therefore '''not realistic''', as in a typical game all three components will contribute, some at varying times and intensities.

Because of how contributions to the evolution factor (EF) are calculated (multiplied by <code>(1 - current EF)</code>), it is '''not''' possible to simply add the values indicated by these charts for a game's time passed, pollution generated, and / or spawners destroyed so far to retrieve the total evolution factor.

For example, if 24 hours have passed (single-component EF =~ 0.25), 200,000 pollution units were released (single-component EF =~ 0.15), and 400 spawners were destroyed (single-component EF =~ 0.45), the actual evolution factor will '''not''' be (0.25 + 0.15 + 0.45 =) ~0.85.

However, the evolution factor will always be '''less''' than the sum of all individual components as indicated by these charts, and '''at least''' as high as the highest individual component. Thus, using the values from above, the EF will be ''at least'' 0.35 and ''less than'' 0.85. A smarter approach is required to compute the current evolution factor.

'''Individual components'''

The individual components of evolution can be approximated from <code>/evolution</code>:

Given the evolution factor, the unsquashed evolution is <code>unsquashed = evolution_factor / (1 - evolution_factor)</code>. Multiply this by the percentage for a given component to get its approximate unsquashed contribution. Of course, total pollution and spawner kills can also be found on the [[Production_statistics|production statistics]] screen, and time passed can be found using the <code>/time</code> command, so it's not fully necessary.

The actual factors can be found in <code>game.forces.enemy.evolution_factor_by_time</code>, <code>...evolution_factor_by_killing_spawners</code>, and <code>...evolution_factor_by_pollution</code>, if you don't mind disabling achievements.

</div></div>

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths=270px heights=140px>
File:player_near_enemy_nests.png|The player near some enemy nests and worms.
File:player_worms_acid.png|The player among acid puddles created by attacking worms.
File:player_attacked_by_biters.png|Both the player and some buildings getting attacked by biters.
File:enemy_nests_mapgen.png|Enemy nests seen in a map generation preview (deathworld setting).
File:turret_wall_biters.png|Line of gun turrets defending against biters.
File:titlescreen_enemies.png|Enemies seen at the title screen.
File:demolisher_chases_player.png|A demolisher chases the player on Vulcanus.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|0.17.0|
* Behemoth worm added.}}

{{history|0.15.0|
* Increased the damage, range, and health of worms.
* Decreased health and resist of Behemoth biters.}}

{{history|0.13.10|
* Biters and other units won't become aggressive as a result of friendly-fire.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Big and behemoth enemies now spawn 50% slower.
* Changed the way evolution factor approaches the maximum (1).
** The addition of evolution factor was changed from addition * (1 - evolution) to addition * (1 - evolution)^2
** This means that the progress gets more slower towards the high values.}}

{{history|0.12.26|
* Running biters over with a vehicle will now anger them in peaceful mode.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Updated sounds for enemies.}}

{{history|0.11.17|
* Items dropped by enemies([[Archive:alien artifact|*]]) are now collected automatically and from longer distances.}}

{{history|0.11.6|
* Range of spitters is now 15, less than turrets.}}

{{history|0.11.0|
* Spitters added.
* Drawing of enemies optimised, so adding new colors does not impact VRAM.
* Blood splashes on death are now procedural.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Turrets no longer search for enemies when none are near.
* Biters can no longer destroy the shipwreck in the 3rd new hope campaign.}}

{{history|0.8.1|
* Further improvement to enemy AI.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Decreased the range of medium worm from 25 to 20.}}

{{history|0.7.2|
* Biter AI improved.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Peaceful mode added for freeplay.}}

{{history|0.7.0|
* Enemy creepers were replaced by small, medium and big biters.
* Enemy turrets were replaced by small, medium and big shooting worms.
* Enemies move and attack in groups.
* Enemies wander around their base when they have nothing to do.
* Enemies call for help when attacked.
* Enemies can create new bases.
* Enemies can now destroy all player creations they find.}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced, called 'creepers'}}

== See also ==
* [[Damage]]
* [[Pollution]]

{{EnvironmentNav}}