Official Factorio Wiki - User contributions [en]

Space Age

2026-10-01T01:32:29Z

HeliGungir: Layout changes. Larger images. Cloned more content from official site like the cz page. CE.

{{Languages}}
[[File:Space-Age-logo.png|{{About/Space age}}]]

'''Space Age''' is a paid expansion pack of ''Factorio'' that was released on October 21st 2024. It contains a set of 4 extra mods.

The mods are:

* Space Age, featuring 4 new planets, space platforms, and a reworked tech tree
* Quality, allowing drastic improvements to buildings and items as a "vertical" growth
* Elevated Rails, for improved rail routing and better intersections
* Recycler, adding the [[Recycler]]

"Recycler" and "Elevated Rails" are both dependencies for "Space Age", but can be enabled separately.

"Quality" is a recommended, but optional mod for "Space Age". "Recycler" is a dependency for playing with either "Quality" or "Space Age".

View the [https://factorio.com/space-age/content official content page]. Watch the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiczN-8QKDA&ab_channel=Factorio official launch trailer].

The expansion is not available on the [[Nintendo Switch version | Nintendo Switch 1]] version of the game due to space and memory constraints [https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-434], and is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 version.

== Space Age ==
The Space Age mod expands the tech tree and adds four new planets for the player to travel to using [[space platform]]s, each with their own new resources, gameplay mechanics, original music, and unique challenges.

Space Age adds 29 achievements, 30 intermediate products, 22 buildings, 8 hours of new original music, 5 [[science pack]]s, 5 weapons, 4 planets, and 2 [[enemy]] types. Instead of launching a rocket, the end goal of Space Age is to build a space platform capable of reaching the [[solar system edge]].

<div style="display:flex;align-items:center;">
<div style="width: 255px">
<div style="text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;">
=== Space Platforms ===
</div>
[[File:Space platform.jpg|link=Space platform|250px]]
</div>
<div style="margin-left:10px">
The backbone of inplanetary logistics and the first foray into space. Space platforms are flying factories that act as the means of transportation between planets.
* Build defenses to shoot down incoming asteroids which threaten to smash your platform.
* Catch asteroid chunks, crush them and process them into thruster fuel and turret ammunition.
* Use the Platform hub and Cargo bays to shuttle cargo between planets.
</div>
</div>
{{clear}}
[[File:Spaceage intro space platform.png|link=Space platform|1100px]]
----

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<div style="text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;">
=== Vulcanus ===
</div>
[[File:Vulcanus.png|link=Vulcanus|250px]]
</div>
<div style="margin-left:10px">
''"Blazing volcanic mountains, imposing geological landforms, plains blanketed in ash, and thick yellow sulfuric fog that burns your lungs and etches your eyes."''

A molten, waterless planet whose pools of lava can be cast into metal.
* Extract and refine tough unbreakable Tungsten to craft big mining drills and foundries.
* Pull lava from the pits to produce an abundance of molten iron and copper.
* Research advanced metallurgic technologies to build an industrial forge-world.
</div>
</div>
{{clear}}
[[File:Spaceage intro Vulcanus.png|link=Vulcanus|1100px]]
----

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=== Fulgora ===
</div>
[[File:Fulgora.png|link=Fulgora|250px]]
</div>
<div style="margin-left:10px">
''"A lifeless and desolate place. The thin air is freezing cold but bone dry. A distant sun twinkles in the dull purple of the sky. Wispy clouds race by as a gale whips up sand that grates against your armor."''

A lightning-prone desert planet where the only resources are piles of scrap and oil-tainted sands left by an alien civilization.
* Protect yourself from the nightly lightning storms, harness their unrelenting power for your own electricity needs.
* Reclaim the high-tech scraps and ruins of a long-forgotten civilization and recycle them into usable products.
* Unlock the advanced electromagnetic and superconducting powers of Holmium.
</div>
</div>
{{clear}}
[[File:Spaceage intro Fulgora.png|link=Fulgora|1100px]]
----

<div style="display:flex;align-items:center;">
<div style="width: 255px">
<div style="text-align:center;font-size:1.2em;">
=== Gleba ===
</div>
[[File:Gleba.png|link=Gleba|250px]]
</div>
<div style="margin-left:10px">
''"A vibrant multi-coloured swampy landscape shrouded in a light mist. The air is thick and humid, carrying the muffled cries of unseen animals from far away."''

This moist, overgrown world is rich in plants, fungi, and bacteria to exploit.
* Discover exotic plants, cultivate and harvest their fruits with Agriculture towers.
* Cook, crush, and process your produce before they rot and turn to spoilage.
* Venture into a new realm of biochemical engineering.
</div>
</div>
{{clear}}
[[File:Spaceage intro Gleba.png|link=Gleba|1100px]]
----

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=== Aquilo ===
</div>
[[File:Aquilo.png|link=Aquilo|250px]]
</div>
<div style="margin-left:10px">
''"It's day, but stars still twinkle in the dark sky. You count the planet's sun among the stars, larger and brighter than the others, but still so dim you can barely feel its warmth at all. A howling wind chills you to the bone and gently rocks the iceberg you are sitting on."''

A desolate, freezing globe of liquid ammonia where machines freeze without heating.
* Build heat pipes to keep your machines operational in the freezing cold.
* Extend your factory by building ice platforms.
* Unlock the power of cryogenic technologies and fusion power.
</div>
</div>
{{clear}}
[[File:Spaceage intro Aquilo.png|link=Aquilo|1100px]]
----

== Quality ==
:{{Main|Quality}}

The Quality mod introduces four higher quality tiers for all items, structures and equipment with improved attributes. The goal of quality is to allow vertical factory upgrading as alternative to expansion in size. Items of higher quality are created by chance when using the new [[quality module]]s in the producing structure. When enabled with the Space Age mod, the two highest quality tiers require technology from Gleba and Aquilo.

In addition, the Quality mod also includes the [[recycler]]{{SA}}, a building capable of turning most items back into their ingredients, albeit at a 75% loss.

[[File:Spaceage intro quality.png|1100px]]

== Elevated Rails ==

Adds [[rail ramp]]s{{SA}} and [[rail support]]s{{SA}} to build elevated [[railway|rails]]. Elevated rails act as a second layer of track above the ground, allowing most buildings to be placed underneath. Elevated rails are particularly useful at building more efficient intersections, crossing difficult terrain, or bridging the oceans of [[Nauvis]] or the oil oceans of Fulgora.

[[File:Spaceage intro elevated rail.png|1100px]]

{{C|Space Age}}

File:Spaceage intro quality.png

2026-10-01T00:54:20Z

HeliGungir: HeliGungir uploaded a new version of File:Spaceage intro quality.png

== Summary ==
A screenshot with quality items for the introduction of Space Age expansion.
{{Screenshot}}

File:Spaceage intro elevated rail.png

2026-10-01T00:53:47Z

HeliGungir: HeliGungir uploaded a new version of File:Spaceage intro elevated rail.png

== Summary ==
A screenshot of elevated rails for the introduction of Space Age expansion.
{{Screenshot}}

File:Spaceage intro space platform.png

2026-10-01T00:26:26Z

HeliGungir: HeliGungir uploaded a new version of File:Spaceage intro space platform.png

== Summary ==
A screenshot of space platform for the introduction of Space Age expansion.
{{Screenshot}}

File:Spaceage intro Aquilo.png

2026-09-30T22:05:51Z

HeliGungir: HeliGungir uploaded a new version of File:Spaceage intro Aquilo.png

== Summary ==
A screenshot of Aquilo for the introduction of Space Age expansion.
{{Screenshot}}

File:Spaceage intro Gleba.png

2026-09-30T21:58:08Z

HeliGungir: HeliGungir uploaded a new version of File:Spaceage intro Gleba.png

== Summary ==
A screenshot of Gleba for the introduction of Space Age expansion.
{{Screenshot}}

File:Spaceage intro Fulgora.png

2026-09-30T21:43:00Z

HeliGungir: HeliGungir uploaded a new version of File:Spaceage intro Fulgora.png

== Summary ==
A screenshot of Fulgora for the introduction of Space Age expansion.
{{Screenshot}}

File:Spaceage intro Vulcanus.png

2026-09-30T21:34:10Z

HeliGungir: HeliGungir uploaded a new version of File:Spaceage intro Vulcanus.png

== Summary ==
A screenshot of Vulcanus for the introduction of Space Age expansion.
{{Screenshot}}

Enemies

2026-09-30T18:52:04Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Moved {{SA}} links to beginning of lines

{{Languages}}
{{Stub}}
[[File:biter_intro.png|175px|right]]'''Enemies''' are creatures that want to [[Damage|harm]] the [[player]]. They are the native inhabitants of the extraterrestrial worlds on which the player is operating. Enemies show up on the map as red dots.

On [[Nauvis]], the enemies are arthropods which live in organic nests. They are encountered in three species: Biters, Spitters, and Worms (though the nickname "Biters" is often used collectively for all of them).

More enemies can be encountered on other planets with the [[Space Age]] expansion. On the planet [[Gleba]]{{SA}}, there are pentapods which come in three variants: Wrigglers, Strafers, and Stompers. On the planet [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}}, there are the Demolishers.

Each species comes in a range of sizes, where larger specimens have more health and do more damage.

== Achievements ==
Enemies are directly connected to the following achievements:
{{Achievement|it-stinks-and-they-dont-like-it}}
{{Achievement|steamrolled}}
{{Achievement|art-of-siege}}
{{Achievement|keeping-your-hands-clean}}
{{Achievement|it-stinks-and-they-do-like-it}}
{{Achievement|get-off-my-lawn}}
{{Achievement|if-it-bleeds}}
{{Achievement|we-need-bigger-guns}}
{{Achievement|Size-doesnt-matter}}

==Creatures==
===Biters===
Biters are one of two main antagonists in the base 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 !! Stats !! Attack !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:small_biter.png]] || Small biter
| Weakest of biters, can be easily killed with a pistol.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 15
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Speed: 43.2km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 4
|
* Damage: 7 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 0.5
| None
|-
| [[File:medium_biter.png]] || Medium biter
| Stronger and slightly faster than the small biter. Can pose a problem for and even kill weaker players.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 75
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Speed: 51.8km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 20
|
* Damage: 15 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 1
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
*Physical: 4/10%
|-
| [[File:big_biter.png]] || Big biter
| Dangerous, resistant to small arms. Can attack through walls, hitting objects directly behind them. Hatches from spoiled [[biter egg|biter eggs]], however it won't be at full health when this happens.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 375
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Speed: 49.7km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 80
|
* Damage: 30 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 1.5
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
*Physical: 8/10%
|-
| [[File:behemoth_biter.png]] || Behemoth biter
| Extremely durable and nearly immune to small arms, except for the strongest ordnance. Can attack through walls, hitting objects directly behind them.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 3000
* Regeneration: 6/s
* Speed: 64.8km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 400
|
* Damage: 90 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.2/s
* Range: 1.5
|
*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 over 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 behavior 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 !! Stats !! Acid projectile !! Acid puddle !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:small_spitter.png|center]] || Small spitter
| Weakest of spitters. Easy to kill with any weapon, but attacks at range.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health:10
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range:13
* Pollution to join attack:4
* Speed: 40.0km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1
* Damage (on contact): 12 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 7.2 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 60%
** Duration: 2 seconds
| None

|-
| [[File:medium_spitter.png|center]] || Medium spitter
| Stronger and slower than the smaller version. Can pose a problem for and even kill weaker players.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 50
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 14
* Pollution to join attack: 12
* Speed: 35.6km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.25
* Damage (on contact): 24 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 28.8 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 50%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
|-
| [[File:big_spitter.png|center]] || Big spitter
| An even bulkier spitter and so can take more damage.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 200
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 15
* Pollution to join attack: 30
* Speed: 32.4km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.35
* Damage (on contact): 36 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 130 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 40%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*Explosion: 0/15%
|-
| [[File:behemoth_spitter.png|center]] || Behemoth spitter
| The bulkiest of the spitters and so can take even more damage.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 1500
* Regeneration: 6/s
* Range: 16
* Pollution to join attack: 200
* Speed: 32.4km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.75
* Damage (on contact): 60 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 360 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 30%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*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 !! Stats !! Acid projectile !! Acid puddle !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[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
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 25
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.4
* Damage (on contact): 36 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 21.6 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 60%
| None
|-
| [[File:Medium worm.png|center]] || Medium worm
| Medium worms are dangerous to even more advanced players. They should be handled with care.
|
* Health: 500
* Regeneration: 0.9/s
* Range: 30
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.55
* Damage (on contact): 48 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 57.6 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 50%
|
*Explosion: 5/15%
*Fire: 2/50%
*Laser: 20%
*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: 1500
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Range: 38
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.75
* Damage (on contact): 72 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 259 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 40%
|
*Explosion: 10/30%
*Fire: 3/70%
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 10/0%
|-
| [[File:Behemoth worm.png|center]] || Behemoth worm
| Behemoth worms are the most dangerous of worms. With twice as much health as big worms and a significantly higher range, they can even challenge experienced players.
|
* Health: 3000
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Range: 48
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 2
* Damage (on contact): 96 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 691 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 30%
|
*Explosion: 10/30%
*Fire: 3/70%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 10/0%
|}

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

===Wrigglers {{SA}}===
Wrigglers are the biter equivalents of the planet Gleba, as they are standard melee enemies. True to their name, they flail and squirm their digits to move around and attack. Much like how biters and spitters spawn from nests, wrigglers spawn from egg rafts. Destroying egg rafts will spawn a group of more premature wrigglers, which are wrigglers that slowly lose health over time until they die. Strafers can launch flying versions of premature wrigglers at their target.

Killing strafers and stompers can summon even more premature wrigglers. The wrigglers that spawn from the corpses of strafers and stompers will match the size of the larger enemy that was killed. For example, killing a small strafer or stomper will spawn small premature wriggers, while killing a medium strafer or stomper will spawn medium premature wrigglers.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:wriggler_small.png|center]] || Small wriggler
| The weakest and smallest of all wrigglers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 100
* Regeneration: -2/s
* Damage: 3.75 Physical + 3.75 Poison
* Range: 1.1
* Speed: 34.6km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|-
| [[File:wriggler_medium.png|center]] || Medium wriggler
| Slightly stronger and faster than small wrigglers, and can still pose a threat for weaker players.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 200
* Regeneration: -4/s
* Damage: 5 Physical + 5 Poison
* Range: 1.4
* Speed: 38.9km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|-
| [[File:wriggler_big.png|center]] || Big wriggler
| The strongest and fastest of all wrigglers. Hatches from spoiled [[Pentapod egg|Pentapod eggs]] but won't be at full health when this happens.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 400
* Regeneration: -8/s
* Damage: 8 Physical + 8 Poison
* Range: 1.8
* Speed: 43.2km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|}

===Strafers {{SA}}===
Native to the planet Gleba, strafers are large yet scrawny five-legged pentapod creatures with the unique behavior of constantly circling around players while attacking them, rather than making a beeline straight for the player, unlike any other type of enemy in the game. They will fire flying premature wrigglers toward the player, essentially adding more enemies to the fight.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! Projectile !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:strafer_small.png|center]] || Small strafer
| The weakest and smallest of all strafers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 800
* Regeneration: 1.6/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 25.0
* Speed: 62.2km/h
|
*Range: 125
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 67.5 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|-
| [[File:strafer_medium.png|center]] || Medium strafer
| Slightly stronger and faster than the small strafer.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 1400
* Regeneration: 2.8/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 28.0
* Speed: 77.8km/h
|
*Range: 140
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 90 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|-
| [[File:strafer_big.png|center]] || Big strafer
| Strongest, fastest and most resilient of strafers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 2400
* Regeneration: 4.8/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 31.0
* Speed: 98.3km/h
|
*Range: 155
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 144 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|}

===Stompers {{SA}}===
Native to the planet Gleba, stompers are extremely large, five-legged pentapod creatures with limbs that look similar to a starfish, and seem to have natural, jagged exoskeleton armor that provides high resistances to many types of damage. They are very powerful melee enemies that use their brute force to attack [[player]]s by simply stomping toward them, while spitting a close-ranged acid that slows down players and [[vehicles]]. Their large size and high damage can destroy buildings instantly. They will spawn premature wrigglers upon death.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! Acid splash !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:stomper_small.png|center]] || Small stomper
| The weakest and smallest of all stompers, but still powerful.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 3500
* Regeneration: 7/s
* Range: 5.8
* Speed: 41.6 km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 1.5/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 1.58
**Damage: 0.5 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|-
| [[File:stomper_medium.png|center]] || Medium stomper
| Larger and more dangerous version of a stomper.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 8000
* Regeneration: 16/s
* Range: 7.8
* Speed: 54.1km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 6/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 2.1
**Damage: 1 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|-
| [[File:stomper_big.png|center]] || Big stomper
| Largest, fastest and most dangerously aggressive version of a stomper.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 15000
* Regeneration: 30/s
* Range: 10.4
* Speed: 68.5km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 15.36/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 2.8
**Damage: 1.6 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|}

=== Demolishers {{SA}} ===
[[File:Demolisher_territory.png|thumb|300px|right|Small demolisher territory.]] Native to the planet Vulcanus, demolishers are horrendously large worm-like creatures that roam across the land and lava. Each individual demolisher patrols a defined territory, and building structures in their territory will disturb them and cause them to attack. In [[peaceful mode]], demolishers will not seek out buildings, but they still roam freely in their territory and may accidentally hit buildings.

Demolishers have three types of offense. On physical contact they do high damage to the player, and instantly destroy buildings and cliffs. They release a smoke cloud that slows the player and damages any nearby bots. And at range, they cause explosions to erupt from the ground, Due to their high damage resistances and extremely fast health regeneration, killing them requires advanced and upgraded weaponry, or massive quantities of bullets. They can also coil around the player to prevent them from escaping, and are completely immune to the [[slowdown capsule|slowdown capsule's]] effect.

Once killed, they leave behind remains similar to that of black volcanic rock, which contain [[tungsten ore]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:demolisher_small.png|center]] || Small demolisher
| The weakest and smallest of demolishers, but still very destructive.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 30000
* Regeneration: 2400/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|-
| [[File:demolisher_medium.png|center]] || Medium demolisher
| Larger and more dangerous version of a demolisher.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 100000
* Regeneration: 7800/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|-
| [[File:demolisher_big.png|center]] || Big demolisher
| The largest and most dangerous creature in the game.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 300000
* Regeneration: 24000/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|}

=== Nests ===
Nests in the wild will have their max health increase with evolution factor exponentially, up to 10 times their starting health.

Biter and spitter nests can be captured by firing a [[capture bot rocket]] from a [[rocket launcher]] at a nest. After the nest is captured, it must be given [[bioflux]] to maintain and continuously create [[biter egg]]s. If the nest is not maintained, it will slowly lose 1 health per second, but when fed, it will gain 1 health per second.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:biter_nest.png|center]] || Biter spawner
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 350 (3500 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
|
*Explosion: 5/0%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:spitter_nest.png|center]] || Spitter spawner
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 350 (3500 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
|
*Explosion: 5/0%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:egg_raft.png|center]] || Egg raft
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Spawns a horde of premature wrigglers when destroyed.
* Health: 500 (5000 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 10/s
|
*Explosive: 5/15%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:egg_raft_small.png|center]] || Small egg raft
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Spawns a horde of premature wrigglers when destroyed.
* Health: 100 (1000 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 5/s
|
*Explosive: 5/15%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|}

=== Expansions ===
[[map generator|By default]], enemies on Nauvis and Gleba {{SA}} try to expand into "unclaimed" territory to create new bases.

The game assigns a score to every [[Map structure#Chunk|chunk]] in a 7 chunk radius around existing spawners (euclidean distance). Only chunks with land are considered on Nauvis, and only chunks with marsh are considered on Gleba.

Expansion score per chunk is 1.0 if there are no structures (player owned structures or spawners) within 3 chunks (taxi-cab distance). The score is penalized down to a minimum of 0.002 depending on the number of structures nearby. The exact formula is explained in [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/concepts/EnemyExpansionMapSettings.html EnemyExpansionMapSettings], <code>10/(10 + player structures in this chunk + player structures 1 chunk away / 2 + player structures 2 chunks away / 4 + 20 * enemy spawners in this chunk + 8 * enemy spawners 1 chunk away + 3.2 * enemy spawners 2 chunks away)</code>. Size and cost of structures does not matter, so pipes provide an exceptionally cheap method to lower expansion chances in certain areas.

Every 60 to 4 minutes, the game selects a chunk at random as the target for an expansion attempt, weighted by the chunk scores. Then 5 to 20 enemy units from the closest spawners assemble into an expansion group and walk to the expansion target. The time between expansion attempts and the size of expansion groups is random, but weighted by evolution factor.

When the expansion group reaches its target, each unit will begin dying in sequence to randomly create a spawner or a worm after some delay. This destroys any entities in the way, including members of the expansion group. Any unit can create any spawner or worm that is native to the planet.

* Biter nest, spitter nest and the four sizes of worms can only spawn on land tiles, on Nauvis.
* {{SA}} Egg raft and small egg raft can only spawn on marsh tiles, on Gleba.
* Medium worm, big worm and behemoth worm can only spawn when evolution factor is over 0.3, 0.5, and 0.9 respectively. [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 without large 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
|}
Note that all spawners (not worms) generate the same amount of evolution when destroyed.

These values can be set during [[Map_generator#Enemy|world generation]]: the values in the dialog box are multiplied by <math>10^{-7}</math> for time and pollution, and <math>10^{-5}</math> 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
!Hours equivalent
!Destroyed nest equivalent
!Appearance
|-
| 10% || 123k || 7.7 || 56 ||
|-
| 20% || 278k || 17.4 || 125 || Medium Biter
|-
| 25% || 370k || 23.1 || 167 || Small Spitter
|-
| 30% || 476k || 29.8 || 215 ||
|-
| 40% || 741k || 46.3 || 334 || Medium Spitter
|-
| 50% || 1.111M || 69.4 || 500 || Big Biter, Big Spitter
|-
| 60% || 1.667M || 104.2 || 750 ||
|-
| 70% || 2.592M || 162.0 || 1167 ||
|-
| 80% || 4.444M || 277.8 || 2000 ||
|-
| 90% || 10M || 625.0 || 4500 || Behemoth Biter, Behemoth Spitter
|-
| 95% || 21M || 1319.4 || 9500 ||
|-
| 99% || 110M || 6875.0 || 49500 ||
|}

=== 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>

=== Space Age Changes ===
In the Space Age expansion, the evolution factor is calculated independently for each planet's surface. Furthermore, the "pollution production" variable changes depending on the planet's native ecosystem:
* On Nauvis, the evolution calculation tracks standard industrial pollution emissions.
* On Gleba, the engine tracks '''spore production''' as the pollution variable.

Industrial machinery brought from Nauvis (such as assemblers or furnaces) does not emit standard pollution or spores when operated on Gleba, meaning only agricultural tower spore output contributes to Gleba's pollution-driven evolution.

Players can view the exact breakdown of time, pollution/spore, and nest destruction factors by typing `/evolution` into the in-game console to see the unique evolution factor for each planet surface.

=== 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>

== Trivia ==
*Despite their drastically different origins, enemies from different planets will always act as allies against the player. They will even reside around each other's nests when not attacking players, even if the type of nest does not match that of the residing creature. Even demolishers will circle around nests without harming or destroying them. Since enemies only spawn on their respective planets, this is not normally seen in gameplay unless a [[biter egg]]{{SA}} or [[pentapod egg]]{{SA}} spoils after being brought to another planet or the enemies are placed near each other in the [[map editor]].

*Demolishers{{SA}} were originally designed for [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}, but was later moved to [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}} because it was too similar to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(franchise) Dune franchise].

== 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:gleba_pentapods_preview.png|Pentapod enemies seen on Gleba.

File:demolisher_chases_player.png|A demolisher chases the player on Vulcanus.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Reworked enemy expansion planner to reduce expansions in already infested areas. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-445 Friday Facts #445])
* {{SA}} Fixed expansion planner would consistently fail on [[Gleba]].
* Reduced biter/spitter spawner spawning range and increased spawning precision.
* Biter/spitter spawners will emit a cloud of damaging acid if they are blocked from spawning units.}}

{{history|2.0.18|
* {{SA}} Demolisher health bars will always be visible for at least 1 tick after they take any damage, even if they fully regenerate the damage in the same tick}}

{{history|2.0.17|
* {{SA}} Gleba evolution is now more gradual.
* {{SA}} Small stomper moves more slowly and deals less damage.
* {{SA}} Stomper pentapod vision range is reduced from 40 to 30.
* {{SA}} Medium and big wriggler pentapod health is increased.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* Wrigglers, strafers, stompers and demolishers first introduced with [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
* Spawners will have their health increase with evolution (3500 with max evolution).
* Significantly increased medium, big and behemoth worm stats as well as their laser resistances.}}

{{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}}

Enemies

2026-09-30T18:49:20Z

HeliGungir: /* History */

{{Languages}}
{{Stub}}
[[File:biter_intro.png|175px|right]]'''Enemies''' are creatures that want to [[Damage|harm]] the [[player]]. They are the native inhabitants of the extraterrestrial worlds on which the player is operating. Enemies show up on the map as red dots.

On [[Nauvis]], the enemies are arthropods which live in organic nests. They are encountered in three species: Biters, Spitters, and Worms (though the nickname "Biters" is often used collectively for all of them).

More enemies can be encountered on other planets with the [[Space Age]] expansion. On the planet [[Gleba]]{{SA}}, there are pentapods which come in three variants: Wrigglers, Strafers, and Stompers. On the planet [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}}, there are the Demolishers.

Each species comes in a range of sizes, where larger specimens have more health and do more damage.

== Achievements ==
Enemies are directly connected to the following achievements:
{{Achievement|it-stinks-and-they-dont-like-it}}
{{Achievement|steamrolled}}
{{Achievement|art-of-siege}}
{{Achievement|keeping-your-hands-clean}}
{{Achievement|it-stinks-and-they-do-like-it}}
{{Achievement|get-off-my-lawn}}
{{Achievement|if-it-bleeds}}
{{Achievement|we-need-bigger-guns}}
{{Achievement|Size-doesnt-matter}}

==Creatures==
===Biters===
Biters are one of two main antagonists in the base 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 !! Stats !! Attack !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:small_biter.png]] || Small biter
| Weakest of biters, can be easily killed with a pistol.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 15
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Speed: 43.2km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 4
|
* Damage: 7 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 0.5
| None
|-
| [[File:medium_biter.png]] || Medium biter
| Stronger and slightly faster than the small biter. Can pose a problem for and even kill weaker players.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 75
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Speed: 51.8km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 20
|
* Damage: 15 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 1
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
*Physical: 4/10%
|-
| [[File:big_biter.png]] || Big biter
| Dangerous, resistant to small arms. Can attack through walls, hitting objects directly behind them. Hatches from spoiled [[biter egg|biter eggs]], however it won't be at full health when this happens.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 375
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Speed: 49.7km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 80
|
* Damage: 30 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 1.5
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
*Physical: 8/10%
|-
| [[File:behemoth_biter.png]] || Behemoth biter
| Extremely durable and nearly immune to small arms, except for the strongest ordnance. Can attack through walls, hitting objects directly behind them.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 3000
* Regeneration: 6/s
* Speed: 64.8km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 400
|
* Damage: 90 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.2/s
* Range: 1.5
|
*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 over 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 behavior 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 !! Stats !! Acid projectile !! Acid puddle !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:small_spitter.png|center]] || Small spitter
| Weakest of spitters. Easy to kill with any weapon, but attacks at range.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health:10
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range:13
* Pollution to join attack:4
* Speed: 40.0km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1
* Damage (on contact): 12 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 7.2 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 60%
** Duration: 2 seconds
| None

|-
| [[File:medium_spitter.png|center]] || Medium spitter
| Stronger and slower than the smaller version. Can pose a problem for and even kill weaker players.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 50
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 14
* Pollution to join attack: 12
* Speed: 35.6km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.25
* Damage (on contact): 24 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 28.8 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 50%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
|-
| [[File:big_spitter.png|center]] || Big spitter
| An even bulkier spitter and so can take more damage.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 200
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 15
* Pollution to join attack: 30
* Speed: 32.4km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.35
* Damage (on contact): 36 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 130 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 40%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*Explosion: 0/15%
|-
| [[File:behemoth_spitter.png|center]] || Behemoth spitter
| The bulkiest of the spitters and so can take even more damage.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 1500
* Regeneration: 6/s
* Range: 16
* Pollution to join attack: 200
* Speed: 32.4km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.75
* Damage (on contact): 60 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 360 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 30%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*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 !! Stats !! Acid projectile !! Acid puddle !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[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
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 25
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.4
* Damage (on contact): 36 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 21.6 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 60%
| None
|-
| [[File:Medium worm.png|center]] || Medium worm
| Medium worms are dangerous to even more advanced players. They should be handled with care.
|
* Health: 500
* Regeneration: 0.9/s
* Range: 30
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.55
* Damage (on contact): 48 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 57.6 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 50%
|
*Explosion: 5/15%
*Fire: 2/50%
*Laser: 20%
*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: 1500
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Range: 38
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.75
* Damage (on contact): 72 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 259 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 40%
|
*Explosion: 10/30%
*Fire: 3/70%
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 10/0%
|-
| [[File:Behemoth worm.png|center]] || Behemoth worm
| Behemoth worms are the most dangerous of worms. With twice as much health as big worms and a significantly higher range, they can even challenge experienced players.
|
* Health: 3000
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Range: 48
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 2
* Damage (on contact): 96 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 691 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 30%
|
*Explosion: 10/30%
*Fire: 3/70%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 10/0%
|}

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

===Wrigglers {{SA}}===
Wrigglers are the biter equivalents of the planet Gleba, as they are standard melee enemies. True to their name, they flail and squirm their digits to move around and attack. Much like how biters and spitters spawn from nests, wrigglers spawn from egg rafts. Destroying egg rafts will spawn a group of more premature wrigglers, which are wrigglers that slowly lose health over time until they die. Strafers can launch flying versions of premature wrigglers at their target.

Killing strafers and stompers can summon even more premature wrigglers. The wrigglers that spawn from the corpses of strafers and stompers will match the size of the larger enemy that was killed. For example, killing a small strafer or stomper will spawn small premature wriggers, while killing a medium strafer or stomper will spawn medium premature wrigglers.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:wriggler_small.png|center]] || Small wriggler
| The weakest and smallest of all wrigglers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 100
* Regeneration: -2/s
* Damage: 3.75 Physical + 3.75 Poison
* Range: 1.1
* Speed: 34.6km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|-
| [[File:wriggler_medium.png|center]] || Medium wriggler
| Slightly stronger and faster than small wrigglers, and can still pose a threat for weaker players.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 200
* Regeneration: -4/s
* Damage: 5 Physical + 5 Poison
* Range: 1.4
* Speed: 38.9km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|-
| [[File:wriggler_big.png|center]] || Big wriggler
| The strongest and fastest of all wrigglers. Hatches from spoiled [[Pentapod egg|Pentapod eggs]] but won't be at full health when this happens.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 400
* Regeneration: -8/s
* Damage: 8 Physical + 8 Poison
* Range: 1.8
* Speed: 43.2km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|}

===Strafers {{SA}}===
Native to the planet Gleba, strafers are large yet scrawny five-legged pentapod creatures with the unique behavior of constantly circling around players while attacking them, rather than making a beeline straight for the player, unlike any other type of enemy in the game. They will fire flying premature wrigglers toward the player, essentially adding more enemies to the fight.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! Projectile !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:strafer_small.png|center]] || Small strafer
| The weakest and smallest of all strafers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 800
* Regeneration: 1.6/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 25.0
* Speed: 62.2km/h
|
*Range: 125
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 67.5 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|-
| [[File:strafer_medium.png|center]] || Medium strafer
| Slightly stronger and faster than the small strafer.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 1400
* Regeneration: 2.8/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 28.0
* Speed: 77.8km/h
|
*Range: 140
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 90 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|-
| [[File:strafer_big.png|center]] || Big strafer
| Strongest, fastest and most resilient of strafers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 2400
* Regeneration: 4.8/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 31.0
* Speed: 98.3km/h
|
*Range: 155
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 144 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|}

===Stompers {{SA}}===
Native to the planet Gleba, stompers are extremely large, five-legged pentapod creatures with limbs that look similar to a starfish, and seem to have natural, jagged exoskeleton armor that provides high resistances to many types of damage. They are very powerful melee enemies that use their brute force to attack [[player]]s by simply stomping toward them, while spitting a close-ranged acid that slows down players and [[vehicles]]. Their large size and high damage can destroy buildings instantly. They will spawn premature wrigglers upon death.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! Acid splash !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:stomper_small.png|center]] || Small stomper
| The weakest and smallest of all stompers, but still powerful.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 3500
* Regeneration: 7/s
* Range: 5.8
* Speed: 41.6 km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 1.5/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 1.58
**Damage: 0.5 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|-
| [[File:stomper_medium.png|center]] || Medium stomper
| Larger and more dangerous version of a stomper.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 8000
* Regeneration: 16/s
* Range: 7.8
* Speed: 54.1km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 6/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 2.1
**Damage: 1 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|-
| [[File:stomper_big.png|center]] || Big stomper
| Largest, fastest and most dangerously aggressive version of a stomper.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 15000
* Regeneration: 30/s
* Range: 10.4
* Speed: 68.5km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 15.36/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 2.8
**Damage: 1.6 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|}

=== Demolishers {{SA}} ===
[[File:Demolisher_territory.png|thumb|300px|right|Small demolisher territory.]] Native to the planet Vulcanus, demolishers are horrendously large worm-like creatures that roam across the land and lava. Each individual demolisher patrols a defined territory, and building structures in their territory will disturb them and cause them to attack. In [[peaceful mode]], demolishers will not seek out buildings, but they still roam freely in their territory and may accidentally hit buildings.

Demolishers have three types of offense. On physical contact they do high damage to the player, and instantly destroy buildings and cliffs. They release a smoke cloud that slows the player and damages any nearby bots. And at range, they cause explosions to erupt from the ground, Due to their high damage resistances and extremely fast health regeneration, killing them requires advanced and upgraded weaponry, or massive quantities of bullets. They can also coil around the player to prevent them from escaping, and are completely immune to the [[slowdown capsule|slowdown capsule's]] effect.

Once killed, they leave behind remains similar to that of black volcanic rock, which contain [[tungsten ore]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:demolisher_small.png|center]] || Small demolisher
| The weakest and smallest of demolishers, but still very destructive.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 30000
* Regeneration: 2400/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|-
| [[File:demolisher_medium.png|center]] || Medium demolisher
| Larger and more dangerous version of a demolisher.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 100000
* Regeneration: 7800/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|-
| [[File:demolisher_big.png|center]] || Big demolisher
| The largest and most dangerous creature in the game.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 300000
* Regeneration: 24000/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|}

=== Nests ===
Nests in the wild will have their max health increase with evolution factor exponentially, up to 10 times their starting health.

Biter and spitter nests can be captured by firing a [[capture bot rocket]] from a [[rocket launcher]] at a nest. After the nest is captured, it must be given [[bioflux]] to maintain and continuously create [[biter egg]]s. If the nest is not maintained, it will slowly lose 1 health per second, but when fed, it will gain 1 health per second.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:biter_nest.png|center]] || Biter spawner
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 350 (3500 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
|
*Explosion: 5/0%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:spitter_nest.png|center]] || Spitter spawner
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 350 (3500 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
|
*Explosion: 5/0%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:egg_raft.png|center]] || Egg raft
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Spawns a horde of premature wrigglers when destroyed.
* Health: 500 (5000 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 10/s
|
*Explosive: 5/15%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:egg_raft_small.png|center]] || Small egg raft
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Spawns a horde of premature wrigglers when destroyed.
* Health: 100 (1000 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 5/s
|
*Explosive: 5/15%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|}

=== Expansions ===
[[map generator|By default]], enemies on Nauvis and Gleba {{SA}} try to expand into "unclaimed" territory to create new bases.

The game assigns a score to every [[Map structure#Chunk|chunk]] in a 7 chunk radius around existing spawners (euclidean distance). Only chunks with land are considered on Nauvis, and only chunks with marsh are considered on Gleba.

Expansion score per chunk is 1.0 if there are no structures (player owned structures or spawners) within 3 chunks (taxi-cab distance). The score is penalized down to a minimum of 0.002 depending on the number of structures nearby. The exact formula is explained in [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/concepts/EnemyExpansionMapSettings.html EnemyExpansionMapSettings], <code>10/(10 + player structures in this chunk + player structures 1 chunk away / 2 + player structures 2 chunks away / 4 + 20 * enemy spawners in this chunk + 8 * enemy spawners 1 chunk away + 3.2 * enemy spawners 2 chunks away)</code>. Size and cost of structures does not matter, so pipes provide an exceptionally cheap method to lower expansion chances in certain areas.

Every 60 to 4 minutes, the game selects a chunk at random as the target for an expansion attempt, weighted by the chunk scores. Then 5 to 20 enemy units from the closest spawners assemble into an expansion group and walk to the expansion target. The time between expansion attempts and the size of expansion groups is random, but weighted by evolution factor.

When the expansion group reaches its target, each unit will begin dying in sequence to randomly create a spawner or a worm after some delay. This destroys any entities in the way, including members of the expansion group. Any unit can create any spawner or worm that is native to the planet.

* Biter nest, spitter nest and the four sizes of worms can only spawn on land tiles, on Nauvis.
* {{SA}} Egg raft and small egg raft can only spawn on marsh tiles, on Gleba.
* Medium worm, big worm and behemoth worm can only spawn when evolution factor is over 0.3, 0.5, and 0.9 respectively. [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 without large 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
|}
Note that all spawners (not worms) generate the same amount of evolution when destroyed.

These values can be set during [[Map_generator#Enemy|world generation]]: the values in the dialog box are multiplied by <math>10^{-7}</math> for time and pollution, and <math>10^{-5}</math> 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
!Hours equivalent
!Destroyed nest equivalent
!Appearance
|-
| 10% || 123k || 7.7 || 56 ||
|-
| 20% || 278k || 17.4 || 125 || Medium Biter
|-
| 25% || 370k || 23.1 || 167 || Small Spitter
|-
| 30% || 476k || 29.8 || 215 ||
|-
| 40% || 741k || 46.3 || 334 || Medium Spitter
|-
| 50% || 1.111M || 69.4 || 500 || Big Biter, Big Spitter
|-
| 60% || 1.667M || 104.2 || 750 ||
|-
| 70% || 2.592M || 162.0 || 1167 ||
|-
| 80% || 4.444M || 277.8 || 2000 ||
|-
| 90% || 10M || 625.0 || 4500 || Behemoth Biter, Behemoth Spitter
|-
| 95% || 21M || 1319.4 || 9500 ||
|-
| 99% || 110M || 6875.0 || 49500 ||
|}

=== 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>

=== Space Age Changes ===
In the Space Age expansion, the evolution factor is calculated independently for each planet's surface. Furthermore, the "pollution production" variable changes depending on the planet's native ecosystem:
* On Nauvis, the evolution calculation tracks standard industrial pollution emissions.
* On Gleba, the engine tracks '''spore production''' as the pollution variable.

Industrial machinery brought from Nauvis (such as assemblers or furnaces) does not emit standard pollution or spores when operated on Gleba, meaning only agricultural tower spore output contributes to Gleba's pollution-driven evolution.

Players can view the exact breakdown of time, pollution/spore, and nest destruction factors by typing `/evolution` into the in-game console to see the unique evolution factor for each planet surface.

=== 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>

== Trivia ==
*Despite their drastically different origins, enemies from different planets will always act as allies against the player. They will even reside around each other's nests when not attacking players, even if the type of nest does not match that of the residing creature. Even demolishers will circle around nests without harming or destroying them. Since enemies only spawn on their respective planets, this is not normally seen in gameplay unless a [[biter egg]]{{SA}} or [[pentapod egg]]{{SA}} spoils after being brought to another planet or the enemies are placed near each other in the [[map editor]].

*Demolishers{{SA}} were originally designed for [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}, but was later moved to [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}} because it was too similar to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(franchise) Dune franchise].

== 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:gleba_pentapods_preview.png|Pentapod enemies seen on Gleba.

File:demolisher_chases_player.png|A demolisher chases the player on Vulcanus.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Reworked enemy expansion planner to reduce expansions in already infested areas. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-445 Friday Facts #445])
* Fixed expansion planner would consistently fail on [[Gleba]]{{SA}}.
* Reduced biter/spitter spawner spawning range and increased spawning precision.
* Biter/spitter spawners will emit a cloud of damaging acid if they are blocked from spawning units.}}

{{history|2.0.18|
* Demolisher{{SA}} health bars will always be visible for at least 1 tick after they take any damage, even if they fully regenerate the damage in the same tick}}

{{history|2.0.17|
* Gleba evolution is now more gradual. {{SA}}
* Small stomper moves more slowly and deals less damage. {{SA}}
* Stomper pentapod vision range is reduced from 40 to 30. {{SA}}
* Medium and big wriggler pentapod health is increased. {{SA}}}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* Wrigglers, strafers, stompers and demolishers have been added with the [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
* Spawners will have their health increase with evolution (3500 with max evolution).
* Significantly increased medium, big and behemoth worm stats as well as their laser resistances.}}

{{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}}

Enemies

2026-09-30T18:48:02Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ 2.1.7

{{Languages}}
{{Stub}}
[[File:biter_intro.png|175px|right]]'''Enemies''' are creatures that want to [[Damage|harm]] the [[player]]. They are the native inhabitants of the extraterrestrial worlds on which the player is operating. Enemies show up on the map as red dots.

On [[Nauvis]], the enemies are arthropods which live in organic nests. They are encountered in three species: Biters, Spitters, and Worms (though the nickname "Biters" is often used collectively for all of them).

More enemies can be encountered on other planets with the [[Space Age]] expansion. On the planet [[Gleba]]{{SA}}, there are pentapods which come in three variants: Wrigglers, Strafers, and Stompers. On the planet [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}}, there are the Demolishers.

Each species comes in a range of sizes, where larger specimens have more health and do more damage.

== Achievements ==
Enemies are directly connected to the following achievements:
{{Achievement|it-stinks-and-they-dont-like-it}}
{{Achievement|steamrolled}}
{{Achievement|art-of-siege}}
{{Achievement|keeping-your-hands-clean}}
{{Achievement|it-stinks-and-they-do-like-it}}
{{Achievement|get-off-my-lawn}}
{{Achievement|if-it-bleeds}}
{{Achievement|we-need-bigger-guns}}
{{Achievement|Size-doesnt-matter}}

==Creatures==
===Biters===
Biters are one of two main antagonists in the base 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 !! Stats !! Attack !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:small_biter.png]] || Small biter
| Weakest of biters, can be easily killed with a pistol.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 15
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Speed: 43.2km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 4
|
* Damage: 7 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 0.5
| None
|-
| [[File:medium_biter.png]] || Medium biter
| Stronger and slightly faster than the small biter. Can pose a problem for and even kill weaker players.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 75
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Speed: 51.8km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 20
|
* Damage: 15 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 1
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
*Physical: 4/10%
|-
| [[File:big_biter.png]] || Big biter
| Dangerous, resistant to small arms. Can attack through walls, hitting objects directly behind them. Hatches from spoiled [[biter egg|biter eggs]], however it won't be at full health when this happens.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 375
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Speed: 49.7km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 80
|
* Damage: 30 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 1.5
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
*Physical: 8/10%
|-
| [[File:behemoth_biter.png]] || Behemoth biter
| Extremely durable and nearly immune to small arms, except for the strongest ordnance. Can attack through walls, hitting objects directly behind them.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 3000
* Regeneration: 6/s
* Speed: 64.8km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 400
|
* Damage: 90 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.2/s
* Range: 1.5
|
*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 over 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 behavior 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 !! Stats !! Acid projectile !! Acid puddle !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:small_spitter.png|center]] || Small spitter
| Weakest of spitters. Easy to kill with any weapon, but attacks at range.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health:10
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range:13
* Pollution to join attack:4
* Speed: 40.0km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1
* Damage (on contact): 12 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 7.2 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 60%
** Duration: 2 seconds
| None

|-
| [[File:medium_spitter.png|center]] || Medium spitter
| Stronger and slower than the smaller version. Can pose a problem for and even kill weaker players.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 50
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 14
* Pollution to join attack: 12
* Speed: 35.6km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.25
* Damage (on contact): 24 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 28.8 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 50%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
|-
| [[File:big_spitter.png|center]] || Big spitter
| An even bulkier spitter and so can take more damage.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 200
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 15
* Pollution to join attack: 30
* Speed: 32.4km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.35
* Damage (on contact): 36 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 130 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 40%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*Explosion: 0/15%
|-
| [[File:behemoth_spitter.png|center]] || Behemoth spitter
| The bulkiest of the spitters and so can take even more damage.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 1500
* Regeneration: 6/s
* Range: 16
* Pollution to join attack: 200
* Speed: 32.4km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.75
* Damage (on contact): 60 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 360 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 30%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*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 !! Stats !! Acid projectile !! Acid puddle !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[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
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 25
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.4
* Damage (on contact): 36 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 21.6 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 60%
| None
|-
| [[File:Medium worm.png|center]] || Medium worm
| Medium worms are dangerous to even more advanced players. They should be handled with care.
|
* Health: 500
* Regeneration: 0.9/s
* Range: 30
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.55
* Damage (on contact): 48 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 57.6 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 50%
|
*Explosion: 5/15%
*Fire: 2/50%
*Laser: 20%
*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: 1500
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Range: 38
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.75
* Damage (on contact): 72 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 259 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 40%
|
*Explosion: 10/30%
*Fire: 3/70%
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 10/0%
|-
| [[File:Behemoth worm.png|center]] || Behemoth worm
| Behemoth worms are the most dangerous of worms. With twice as much health as big worms and a significantly higher range, they can even challenge experienced players.
|
* Health: 3000
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Range: 48
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 2
* Damage (on contact): 96 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 691 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 30%
|
*Explosion: 10/30%
*Fire: 3/70%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 10/0%
|}

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

===Wrigglers {{SA}}===
Wrigglers are the biter equivalents of the planet Gleba, as they are standard melee enemies. True to their name, they flail and squirm their digits to move around and attack. Much like how biters and spitters spawn from nests, wrigglers spawn from egg rafts. Destroying egg rafts will spawn a group of more premature wrigglers, which are wrigglers that slowly lose health over time until they die. Strafers can launch flying versions of premature wrigglers at their target.

Killing strafers and stompers can summon even more premature wrigglers. The wrigglers that spawn from the corpses of strafers and stompers will match the size of the larger enemy that was killed. For example, killing a small strafer or stomper will spawn small premature wriggers, while killing a medium strafer or stomper will spawn medium premature wrigglers.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:wriggler_small.png|center]] || Small wriggler
| The weakest and smallest of all wrigglers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 100
* Regeneration: -2/s
* Damage: 3.75 Physical + 3.75 Poison
* Range: 1.1
* Speed: 34.6km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|-
| [[File:wriggler_medium.png|center]] || Medium wriggler
| Slightly stronger and faster than small wrigglers, and can still pose a threat for weaker players.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 200
* Regeneration: -4/s
* Damage: 5 Physical + 5 Poison
* Range: 1.4
* Speed: 38.9km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|-
| [[File:wriggler_big.png|center]] || Big wriggler
| The strongest and fastest of all wrigglers. Hatches from spoiled [[Pentapod egg|Pentapod eggs]] but won't be at full health when this happens.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 400
* Regeneration: -8/s
* Damage: 8 Physical + 8 Poison
* Range: 1.8
* Speed: 43.2km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|}

===Strafers {{SA}}===
Native to the planet Gleba, strafers are large yet scrawny five-legged pentapod creatures with the unique behavior of constantly circling around players while attacking them, rather than making a beeline straight for the player, unlike any other type of enemy in the game. They will fire flying premature wrigglers toward the player, essentially adding more enemies to the fight.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! Projectile !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:strafer_small.png|center]] || Small strafer
| The weakest and smallest of all strafers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 800
* Regeneration: 1.6/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 25.0
* Speed: 62.2km/h
|
*Range: 125
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 67.5 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|-
| [[File:strafer_medium.png|center]] || Medium strafer
| Slightly stronger and faster than the small strafer.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 1400
* Regeneration: 2.8/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 28.0
* Speed: 77.8km/h
|
*Range: 140
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 90 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|-
| [[File:strafer_big.png|center]] || Big strafer
| Strongest, fastest and most resilient of strafers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 2400
* Regeneration: 4.8/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 31.0
* Speed: 98.3km/h
|
*Range: 155
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 144 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|}

===Stompers {{SA}}===
Native to the planet Gleba, stompers are extremely large, five-legged pentapod creatures with limbs that look similar to a starfish, and seem to have natural, jagged exoskeleton armor that provides high resistances to many types of damage. They are very powerful melee enemies that use their brute force to attack [[player]]s by simply stomping toward them, while spitting a close-ranged acid that slows down players and [[vehicles]]. Their large size and high damage can destroy buildings instantly. They will spawn premature wrigglers upon death.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! Acid splash !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:stomper_small.png|center]] || Small stomper
| The weakest and smallest of all stompers, but still powerful.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 3500
* Regeneration: 7/s
* Range: 5.8
* Speed: 41.6 km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 1.5/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 1.58
**Damage: 0.5 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|-
| [[File:stomper_medium.png|center]] || Medium stomper
| Larger and more dangerous version of a stomper.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 8000
* Regeneration: 16/s
* Range: 7.8
* Speed: 54.1km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 6/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 2.1
**Damage: 1 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|-
| [[File:stomper_big.png|center]] || Big stomper
| Largest, fastest and most dangerously aggressive version of a stomper.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 15000
* Regeneration: 30/s
* Range: 10.4
* Speed: 68.5km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 15.36/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 2.8
**Damage: 1.6 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|}

=== Demolishers {{SA}} ===
[[File:Demolisher_territory.png|thumb|300px|right|Small demolisher territory.]] Native to the planet Vulcanus, demolishers are horrendously large worm-like creatures that roam across the land and lava. Each individual demolisher patrols a defined territory, and building structures in their territory will disturb them and cause them to attack. In [[peaceful mode]], demolishers will not seek out buildings, but they still roam freely in their territory and may accidentally hit buildings.

Demolishers have three types of offense. On physical contact they do high damage to the player, and instantly destroy buildings and cliffs. They release a smoke cloud that slows the player and damages any nearby bots. And at range, they cause explosions to erupt from the ground, Due to their high damage resistances and extremely fast health regeneration, killing them requires advanced and upgraded weaponry, or massive quantities of bullets. They can also coil around the player to prevent them from escaping, and are completely immune to the [[slowdown capsule|slowdown capsule's]] effect.

Once killed, they leave behind remains similar to that of black volcanic rock, which contain [[tungsten ore]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:demolisher_small.png|center]] || Small demolisher
| The weakest and smallest of demolishers, but still very destructive.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 30000
* Regeneration: 2400/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|-
| [[File:demolisher_medium.png|center]] || Medium demolisher
| Larger and more dangerous version of a demolisher.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 100000
* Regeneration: 7800/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|-
| [[File:demolisher_big.png|center]] || Big demolisher
| The largest and most dangerous creature in the game.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 300000
* Regeneration: 24000/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|}

=== Nests ===
Nests in the wild will have their max health increase with evolution factor exponentially, up to 10 times their starting health.

Biter and spitter nests can be captured by firing a [[capture bot rocket]] from a [[rocket launcher]] at a nest. After the nest is captured, it must be given [[bioflux]] to maintain and continuously create [[biter egg]]s. If the nest is not maintained, it will slowly lose 1 health per second, but when fed, it will gain 1 health per second.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:biter_nest.png|center]] || Biter spawner
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 350 (3500 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
|
*Explosion: 5/0%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:spitter_nest.png|center]] || Spitter spawner
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 350 (3500 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
|
*Explosion: 5/0%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:egg_raft.png|center]] || Egg raft
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Spawns a horde of premature wrigglers when destroyed.
* Health: 500 (5000 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 10/s
|
*Explosive: 5/15%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:egg_raft_small.png|center]] || Small egg raft
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Spawns a horde of premature wrigglers when destroyed.
* Health: 100 (1000 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 5/s
|
*Explosive: 5/15%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|}

=== Expansions ===
[[map generator|By default]], enemies on Nauvis and Gleba {{SA}} try to expand into "unclaimed" territory to create new bases.

The game assigns a score to every [[Map structure#Chunk|chunk]] in a 7 chunk radius around existing spawners (euclidean distance). Only chunks with land are considered on Nauvis, and only chunks with marsh are considered on Gleba.

Expansion score per chunk is 1.0 if there are no structures (player owned structures or spawners) within 3 chunks (taxi-cab distance). The score is penalized down to a minimum of 0.002 depending on the number of structures nearby. The exact formula is explained in [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/concepts/EnemyExpansionMapSettings.html EnemyExpansionMapSettings], <code>10/(10 + player structures in this chunk + player structures 1 chunk away / 2 + player structures 2 chunks away / 4 + 20 * enemy spawners in this chunk + 8 * enemy spawners 1 chunk away + 3.2 * enemy spawners 2 chunks away)</code>. Size and cost of structures does not matter, so pipes provide an exceptionally cheap method to lower expansion chances in certain areas.

Every 60 to 4 minutes, the game selects a chunk at random as the target for an expansion attempt, weighted by the chunk scores. Then 5 to 20 enemy units from the closest spawners assemble into an expansion group and walk to the expansion target. The time between expansion attempts and the size of expansion groups is random, but weighted by evolution factor.

When the expansion group reaches its target, each unit will begin dying in sequence to randomly create a spawner or a worm after some delay. This destroys any entities in the way, including members of the expansion group. Any unit can create any spawner or worm that is native to the planet.

* Biter nest, spitter nest and the four sizes of worms can only spawn on land tiles, on Nauvis.
* {{SA}} Egg raft and small egg raft can only spawn on marsh tiles, on Gleba.
* Medium worm, big worm and behemoth worm can only spawn when evolution factor is over 0.3, 0.5, and 0.9 respectively. [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 without large 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
|}
Note that all spawners (not worms) generate the same amount of evolution when destroyed.

These values can be set during [[Map_generator#Enemy|world generation]]: the values in the dialog box are multiplied by <math>10^{-7}</math> for time and pollution, and <math>10^{-5}</math> 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
!Hours equivalent
!Destroyed nest equivalent
!Appearance
|-
| 10% || 123k || 7.7 || 56 ||
|-
| 20% || 278k || 17.4 || 125 || Medium Biter
|-
| 25% || 370k || 23.1 || 167 || Small Spitter
|-
| 30% || 476k || 29.8 || 215 ||
|-
| 40% || 741k || 46.3 || 334 || Medium Spitter
|-
| 50% || 1.111M || 69.4 || 500 || Big Biter, Big Spitter
|-
| 60% || 1.667M || 104.2 || 750 ||
|-
| 70% || 2.592M || 162.0 || 1167 ||
|-
| 80% || 4.444M || 277.8 || 2000 ||
|-
| 90% || 10M || 625.0 || 4500 || Behemoth Biter, Behemoth Spitter
|-
| 95% || 21M || 1319.4 || 9500 ||
|-
| 99% || 110M || 6875.0 || 49500 ||
|}

=== 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>

=== Space Age Changes ===
In the Space Age expansion, the evolution factor is calculated independently for each planet's surface. Furthermore, the "pollution production" variable changes depending on the planet's native ecosystem:
* On Nauvis, the evolution calculation tracks standard industrial pollution emissions.
* On Gleba, the engine tracks '''spore production''' as the pollution variable.

Industrial machinery brought from Nauvis (such as assemblers or furnaces) does not emit standard pollution or spores when operated on Gleba, meaning only agricultural tower spore output contributes to Gleba's pollution-driven evolution.

Players can view the exact breakdown of time, pollution/spore, and nest destruction factors by typing `/evolution` into the in-game console to see the unique evolution factor for each planet surface.

=== 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>

== Trivia ==
*Despite their drastically different origins, enemies from different planets will always act as allies against the player. They will even reside around each other's nests when not attacking players, even if the type of nest does not match that of the residing creature. Even demolishers will circle around nests without harming or destroying them. Since enemies only spawn on their respective planets, this is not normally seen in gameplay unless a [[biter egg]]{{SA}} or [[pentapod egg]]{{SA}} spoils after being brought to another planet or the enemies are placed near each other in the [[map editor]].

*Demolishers{{SA}} were originally designed for [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}, but was later moved to [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}} because it was too similar to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(franchise) Dune franchise].

== 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:gleba_pentapods_preview.png|Pentapod enemies seen on Gleba.

File:demolisher_chases_player.png|A demolisher chases the player on Vulcanus.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Reworked enemy expansion planner to reduce expansions in already infested areas. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-445 Friday Facts #445])
* Fixed expansion planner would consistently fail on Gleba.
* Reduced biter/spitter spawner spawning range and increased spawning precision.
* Biter/spitter spawners will emit a cloud of damaging acid if they are blocked from spawning units.}}

{{history|2.0.18|
* Demolisher{{SA}} health bars will always be visible for at least 1 tick after they take any damage, even if they fully regenerate the damage in the same tick}}

{{history|2.0.17|
* Gleba evolution is now more gradual. {{SA}}
* Small stomper moves more slowly and deals less damage. {{SA}}
* Stomper pentapod vision range is reduced from 40 to 30. {{SA}}
* Medium and big wriggler pentapod health is increased. {{SA}}}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* Wrigglers, strafers, stompers and demolishers have been added with the [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
* Spawners will have their health increase with evolution (3500 with max evolution).
* Significantly increased medium, big and behemoth worm stats as well as their laser resistances.}}

{{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}}

Enemies

2026-09-30T18:40:14Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ code style

{{Languages}}
{{Stub}}
[[File:biter_intro.png|175px|right]]'''Enemies''' are creatures that want to [[Damage|harm]] the [[player]]. They are the native inhabitants of the extraterrestrial worlds on which the player is operating. Enemies show up on the map as red dots.

On [[Nauvis]], the enemies are arthropods which live in organic nests. They are encountered in three species: Biters, Spitters, and Worms (though the nickname "Biters" is often used collectively for all of them).

More enemies can be encountered on other planets with the [[Space Age]] expansion. On the planet [[Gleba]]{{SA}}, there are pentapods which come in three variants: Wrigglers, Strafers, and Stompers. On the planet [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}}, there are the Demolishers.

Each species comes in a range of sizes, where larger specimens have more health and do more damage.

== Achievements ==
Enemies are directly connected to the following achievements:
{{Achievement|it-stinks-and-they-dont-like-it}}
{{Achievement|steamrolled}}
{{Achievement|art-of-siege}}
{{Achievement|keeping-your-hands-clean}}
{{Achievement|it-stinks-and-they-do-like-it}}
{{Achievement|get-off-my-lawn}}
{{Achievement|if-it-bleeds}}
{{Achievement|we-need-bigger-guns}}
{{Achievement|Size-doesnt-matter}}

==Creatures==
===Biters===
Biters are one of two main antagonists in the base 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 !! Stats !! Attack !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:small_biter.png]] || Small biter
| Weakest of biters, can be easily killed with a pistol.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 15
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Speed: 43.2km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 4
|
* Damage: 7 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 0.5
| None
|-
| [[File:medium_biter.png]] || Medium biter
| Stronger and slightly faster than the small biter. Can pose a problem for and even kill weaker players.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 75
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Speed: 51.8km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 20
|
* Damage: 15 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 1
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
*Physical: 4/10%
|-
| [[File:big_biter.png]] || Big biter
| Dangerous, resistant to small arms. Can attack through walls, hitting objects directly behind them. Hatches from spoiled [[biter egg|biter eggs]], however it won't be at full health when this happens.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 375
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Speed: 49.7km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 80
|
* Damage: 30 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.71/s
* Range: 1.5
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
*Physical: 8/10%
|-
| [[File:behemoth_biter.png]] || Behemoth biter
| Extremely durable and nearly immune to small arms, except for the strongest ordnance. Can attack through walls, hitting objects directly behind them.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 3000
* Regeneration: 6/s
* Speed: 64.8km/h
* Pollution to join attack: 400
|
* Damage: 90 Physical
* Attack speed: 1.2/s
* Range: 1.5
|
*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 over 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 behavior 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 !! Stats !! Acid projectile !! Acid puddle !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:small_spitter.png|center]] || Small spitter
| Weakest of spitters. Easy to kill with any weapon, but attacks at range.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health:10
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range:13
* Pollution to join attack:4
* Speed: 40.0km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1
* Damage (on contact): 12 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 7.2 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 60%
** Duration: 2 seconds
| None

|-
| [[File:medium_spitter.png|center]] || Medium spitter
| Stronger and slower than the smaller version. Can pose a problem for and even kill weaker players.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 50
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 14
* Pollution to join attack: 12
* Speed: 35.6km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.25
* Damage (on contact): 24 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 28.8 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 50%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*Explosion: 0/10%
|-
| [[File:big_spitter.png|center]] || Big spitter
| An even bulkier spitter and so can take more damage.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 200
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 15
* Pollution to join attack: 30
* Speed: 32.4km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.35
* Damage (on contact): 36 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 130 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 40%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*Explosion: 0/15%
|-
| [[File:behemoth_spitter.png|center]] || Behemoth spitter
| The bulkiest of the spitters and so can take even more damage.
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 1500
* Regeneration: 6/s
* Range: 16
* Pollution to join attack: 200
* Speed: 32.4km/h
|
* Attack speed: 0.6/s
* Area of effect size: 1.75
* Damage (on contact): 60 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 360 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 30%
** Duration: 2 seconds
|
*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 !! Stats !! Acid projectile !! Acid puddle !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[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
* Regeneration: 0.6/s
* Range: 25
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.4
* Damage (on contact): 36 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 21.6 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 60%
| None
|-
| [[File:Medium worm.png|center]] || Medium worm
| Medium worms are dangerous to even more advanced players. They should be handled with care.
|
* Health: 500
* Regeneration: 0.9/s
* Range: 30
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.55
* Damage (on contact): 48 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 57.6 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 50%
|
*Explosion: 5/15%
*Fire: 2/50%
*Laser: 20%
*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: 1500
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Range: 38
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 1.75
* Damage (on contact): 72 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 259 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 40%
|
*Explosion: 10/30%
*Fire: 3/70%
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 10/0%
|-
| [[File:Behemoth worm.png|center]] || Behemoth worm
| Behemoth worms are the most dangerous of worms. With twice as much health as big worms and a significantly higher range, they can even challenge experienced players.
|
* Health: 3000
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
* Range: 48
|
* Attack speed: 0.65/s
* Area of effect size: 2
* Damage (on contact): 96 Acid
|
* Lifetime: 32 seconds
* Damage: 691 Acid/second
* Applies effect (on contact):
** Duration: 2 seconds
** Movement/vehicle speed modifier: 30%
|
*Explosion: 10/30%
*Fire: 3/70%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 10/0%
|}

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

===Wrigglers {{SA}}===
Wrigglers are the biter equivalents of the planet Gleba, as they are standard melee enemies. True to their name, they flail and squirm their digits to move around and attack. Much like how biters and spitters spawn from nests, wrigglers spawn from egg rafts. Destroying egg rafts will spawn a group of more premature wrigglers, which are wrigglers that slowly lose health over time until they die. Strafers can launch flying versions of premature wrigglers at their target.

Killing strafers and stompers can summon even more premature wrigglers. The wrigglers that spawn from the corpses of strafers and stompers will match the size of the larger enemy that was killed. For example, killing a small strafer or stomper will spawn small premature wriggers, while killing a medium strafer or stomper will spawn medium premature wrigglers.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:wriggler_small.png|center]] || Small wriggler
| The weakest and smallest of all wrigglers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 100
* Regeneration: -2/s
* Damage: 3.75 Physical + 3.75 Poison
* Range: 1.1
* Speed: 34.6km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|-
| [[File:wriggler_medium.png|center]] || Medium wriggler
| Slightly stronger and faster than small wrigglers, and can still pose a threat for weaker players.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 200
* Regeneration: -4/s
* Damage: 5 Physical + 5 Poison
* Range: 1.4
* Speed: 38.9km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|-
| [[File:wriggler_big.png|center]] || Big wriggler
| The strongest and fastest of all wrigglers. Hatches from spoiled [[Pentapod egg|Pentapod eggs]] but won't be at full health when this happens.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 400
* Regeneration: -8/s
* Damage: 8 Physical + 8 Poison
* Range: 1.8
* Speed: 43.2km/h
|
*Laser: 50%
|}

===Strafers {{SA}}===
Native to the planet Gleba, strafers are large yet scrawny five-legged pentapod creatures with the unique behavior of constantly circling around players while attacking them, rather than making a beeline straight for the player, unlike any other type of enemy in the game. They will fire flying premature wrigglers toward the player, essentially adding more enemies to the fight.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! Projectile !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:strafer_small.png|center]] || Small strafer
| The weakest and smallest of all strafers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 800
* Regeneration: 1.6/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 25.0
* Speed: 62.2km/h
|
*Range: 125
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 67.5 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|-
| [[File:strafer_medium.png|center]] || Medium strafer
| Slightly stronger and faster than the small strafer.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 1400
* Regeneration: 2.8/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 28.0
* Speed: 77.8km/h
|
*Range: 140
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 90 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|-
| [[File:strafer_big.png|center]] || Big strafer
| Strongest, fastest and most resilient of strafers.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 2400
* Regeneration: 4.8/s
* Shooting speed: 0.5/s
* Range: 31.0
* Speed: 98.3km/h
|
*Range: 155
*Area of effect: 1
**Damage: 144 Explosive
|
*Laser: 50%
*Physical: 2/10%
|}

===Stompers {{SA}}===
Native to the planet Gleba, stompers are extremely large, five-legged pentapod creatures with limbs that look similar to a starfish, and seem to have natural, jagged exoskeleton armor that provides high resistances to many types of damage. They are very powerful melee enemies that use their brute force to attack [[player]]s by simply stomping toward them, while spitting a close-ranged acid that slows down players and [[vehicles]]. Their large size and high damage can destroy buildings instantly. They will spawn premature wrigglers upon death.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! Acid splash !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:stomper_small.png|center]] || Small stomper
| The weakest and smallest of all stompers, but still powerful.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 3500
* Regeneration: 7/s
* Range: 5.8
* Speed: 41.6 km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 1.5/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 1.58
**Damage: 0.5 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|-
| [[File:stomper_medium.png|center]] || Medium stomper
| Larger and more dangerous version of a stomper.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 8000
* Regeneration: 16/s
* Range: 7.8
* Speed: 54.1km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 6/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 2.1
**Damage: 1 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|-
| [[File:stomper_big.png|center]] || Big stomper
| Largest, fastest and most dangerously aggressive version of a stomper.
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Health: 15000
* Regeneration: 30/s
* Range: 10.4
* Speed: 68.5km/h
|
*Lifetime: 32 seconds
*Applied effects (on contact):
**Duration: 2 seconds
**Movement speed: 60% speed
**Vehicle speed: 30% speed
*Damage (on contact): 15.36/s Acid
*Area of effect size: 2.8
**Damage: 1.6 Acid
|
*Impact: 80%
*Laser: 80%
*Physical: 2/50%
|}

=== Demolishers {{SA}} ===
[[File:Demolisher_territory.png|thumb|300px|right|Small demolisher territory.]] Native to the planet Vulcanus, demolishers are horrendously large worm-like creatures that roam across the land and lava. Each individual demolisher patrols a defined territory, and building structures in their territory will disturb them and cause them to attack. In [[peaceful mode]], demolishers will not seek out buildings, but they still roam freely in their territory and may accidentally hit buildings.

Demolishers have three types of offense. On physical contact they do high damage to the player, and instantly destroy buildings and cliffs. They release a smoke cloud that slows the player and damages any nearby bots. And at range, they cause explosions to erupt from the ground, Due to their high damage resistances and extremely fast health regeneration, killing them requires advanced and upgraded weaponry, or massive quantities of bullets. They can also coil around the player to prevent them from escaping, and are completely immune to the [[slowdown capsule|slowdown capsule's]] effect.

Once killed, they leave behind remains similar to that of black volcanic rock, which contain [[tungsten ore]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Info !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:demolisher_small.png|center]] || Small demolisher
| The weakest and smallest of demolishers, but still very destructive.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 30000
* Regeneration: 2400/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|-
| [[File:demolisher_medium.png|center]] || Medium demolisher
| Larger and more dangerous version of a demolisher.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 100000
* Regeneration: 7800/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|-
| [[File:demolisher_big.png|center]] || Big demolisher
| The largest and most dangerous creature in the game.
|
* Planet: Vulcanus
* Health: 300000
* Regeneration: 24000/s
|
*Electric: 20/20%
*Explosion: 60% (head), 99% (body)
*Fire: 100%
*Impact: 100%
*Laser: 100%
*Physical: 50% (head), 5/50% (body)
*Poison: 10% (head), 50% (body)
|}

=== Nests ===
Nests in the wild will have their max health increase with evolution factor exponentially, up to 10 times their starting health.

Biter and spitter nests can be captured by firing a [[capture bot rocket]] from a [[rocket launcher]] at a nest. After the nest is captured, it must be given [[bioflux]] to maintain and continuously create [[biter egg]]s. If the nest is not maintained, it will slowly lose 1 health per second, but when fed, it will gain 1 health per second.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Picture !! Name !! Stats !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| [[File:biter_nest.png|center]] || Biter spawner
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 350 (3500 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
|
*Explosion: 5/0%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:spitter_nest.png|center]] || Spitter spawner
|
* Planet: Nauvis
* Health: 350 (3500 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 1.2/s
|
*Explosion: 5/0%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:egg_raft.png|center]] || Egg raft
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Spawns a horde of premature wrigglers when destroyed.
* Health: 500 (5000 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 10/s
|
*Explosive: 5/15%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|-
| [[File:egg_raft_small.png|center]] || Small egg raft
|
* Planet: Gleba
* Spawns a horde of premature wrigglers when destroyed.
* Health: 100 (1000 at max evolution)
* Regeneration: 5/s
|
*Explosive: 5/15%
*Fire: 3/60%
*Physical: 2/15%
|}

=== Expansions ===
[[map generator|By default]], enemies on Nauvis and Gleba {{SA}} try to expand into "unclaimed" territory to create new bases.

The game assigns a score to every [[Map structure#Chunk|chunk]] in a 7 chunk radius around existing spawners (euclidean distance). Only chunks with land are considered on Nauvis, and only chunks with marsh are considered on Gleba.

Expansion score per chunk is 1.0 if there are no structures (player owned structures or spawners) within 3 chunks (taxi-cab distance). The score is penalized down to a minimum of 0.002 depending on the number of structures nearby. The exact formula is explained in [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/concepts/EnemyExpansionMapSettings.html EnemyExpansionMapSettings], <code>10/(10 + player structures in this chunk + player structures 1 chunk away / 2 + player structures 2 chunks away / 4 + 20 * enemy spawners in this chunk + 8 * enemy spawners 1 chunk away + 3.2 * enemy spawners 2 chunks away)</code>. Size and cost of structures does not matter, so pipes provide an exceptionally cheap method to lower expansion chances in certain areas.

Every 60 to 4 minutes, the game selects a chunk at random as the target for an expansion attempt, weighted by the chunk scores. Then 5 to 20 enemy units from the closest spawners assemble into an expansion group and walk to the expansion target. The time between expansion attempts and the size of expansion groups is random, but weighted by evolution factor.

When the expansion group reaches its target, each unit will begin dying in sequence to randomly create a spawner or a worm after some delay. This destroys any entities in the way, including members of the expansion group. Any unit can create any spawner or worm that is native to the planet.

* Biter nest, spitter nest and the four sizes of worms can only spawn on land tiles, on Nauvis.
* {{SA}} Egg raft and small egg raft can only spawn on marsh tiles, on Gleba.
* Medium worm, big worm and behemoth worm can only spawn when evolution factor is over 0.3, 0.5, and 0.9 respectively. [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 without large 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
|}
Note that all spawners (not worms) generate the same amount of evolution when destroyed.

These values can be set during [[Map_generator#Enemy|world generation]]: the values in the dialog box are multiplied by <math>10^{-7}</math> for time and pollution, and <math>10^{-5}</math> 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
!Hours equivalent
!Destroyed nest equivalent
!Appearance
|-
| 10% || 123k || 7.7 || 56 ||
|-
| 20% || 278k || 17.4 || 125 || Medium Biter
|-
| 25% || 370k || 23.1 || 167 || Small Spitter
|-
| 30% || 476k || 29.8 || 215 ||
|-
| 40% || 741k || 46.3 || 334 || Medium Spitter
|-
| 50% || 1.111M || 69.4 || 500 || Big Biter, Big Spitter
|-
| 60% || 1.667M || 104.2 || 750 ||
|-
| 70% || 2.592M || 162.0 || 1167 ||
|-
| 80% || 4.444M || 277.8 || 2000 ||
|-
| 90% || 10M || 625.0 || 4500 || Behemoth Biter, Behemoth Spitter
|-
| 95% || 21M || 1319.4 || 9500 ||
|-
| 99% || 110M || 6875.0 || 49500 ||
|}

=== 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>

=== Space Age Changes ===
In the Space Age expansion, the evolution factor is calculated independently for each planet's surface. Furthermore, the "pollution production" variable changes depending on the planet's native ecosystem:
* On Nauvis, the evolution calculation tracks standard industrial pollution emissions.
* On Gleba, the engine tracks '''spore production''' as the pollution variable.

Industrial machinery brought from Nauvis (such as assemblers or furnaces) does not emit standard pollution or spores when operated on Gleba, meaning only agricultural tower spore output contributes to Gleba's pollution-driven evolution.

Players can view the exact breakdown of time, pollution/spore, and nest destruction factors by typing `/evolution` into the in-game console to see the unique evolution factor for each planet surface.

=== 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>

== Trivia ==
*Despite their drastically different origins, enemies from different planets will always act as allies against the player. They will even reside around each other's nests when not attacking players, even if the type of nest does not match that of the residing creature. Even demolishers will circle around nests without harming or destroying them. Since enemies only spawn on their respective planets, this is not normally seen in gameplay unless a [[biter egg]]{{SA}} or [[pentapod egg]]{{SA}} spoils after being brought to another planet or the enemies are placed near each other in the [[map editor]].

*Demolishers{{SA}} were originally designed for [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}, but was later moved to [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}} because it was too similar to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(franchise) Dune franchise].

== 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:gleba_pentapods_preview.png|Pentapod enemies seen on Gleba.

File:demolisher_chases_player.png|A demolisher chases the player on Vulcanus.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|2.0.18|
* Demolisher{{SA}} health bars will always be visible for at least 1 tick after they take any damage, even if they fully regenerate the damage in the same tick}}

{{history|2.0.17|
* Gleba evolution is now more gradual. {{SA}}
* Small stomper moves more slowly and deals less damage. {{SA}}
* Stomper pentapod vision range is reduced from 40 to 30. {{SA}}
* Medium and big wriggler pentapod health is increased. {{SA}}}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* Wrigglers, strafers, stompers and demolishers have been added with the [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
* Spawners will have their health increase with evolution (3500 with max evolution).
* Significantly increased medium, big and behemoth worm stats as well as their laser resistances.}}

{{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}}

Rail ramp

2026-09-30T18:33:02Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Shortcut to toggle visibility of tall entities.

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Rail_ramp}}
{{About/Space age}}
A '''rail ramp''' is a [[rail]] that inclines upward, which allows [[train]]s to travel over obstacles. Rails that continue off the higher part of the ramp must have [[rail support]]s to keep them elevated. [[Train stop]]s, [[rail signal]]s and [[rail chain signal]]s cannot be placed on rail ramps, unlike straight rails. Locomotives that are stopped on rail ramps will stay still and not slide back down to the ground level. Ramps do not affect train acceleration.

While players are required to own Space Age to access this feature, elevated rails are a separate mod, and can be activated independent of most Space Age content.

== Placement ==
The raised part of rail ramps can be placed on top of water on [[Nauvis]], oil oceans on [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}, marshes on [[Gleba]]{{SA}} and ammoniacal oceans on [[Aquilo]]{{SA}} without the need for [[landfill]] or [[foundation]]. After researching [[Rail support foundations (research)|rail support foundations]], [[rail support]]s and rail ramps can also be placed on Fulgora's deep oil oceans. The first 4 tiles of the ramp needs to be placed on solid ground.

Being able to build the rail ramp on the edge of solid ground can be very useful when space is limited, such as on the small vault islands on [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}.

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Allowed placement of elevated rails over [[cargo bay]]s and blocked cargo bays from receiving cargo pods in this state.
* {{SA}} Added "Toggle visibility of tall entities" shortcut which makes elevated rails translucent and unselectable.}}

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

== See also ==
* [[Elevated rail]]s

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Railway}}

Rail support

2026-09-30T18:32:01Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Shortcut to toggle visibility of tall entities

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Rail_support}}
{{cleanup|visuals, unique diagonal hitbox}}
{{About/Space age}}
A '''Rail support''' is placed under an elevated [[rail]], acting as its foundation. When [[rail planner|planning out]] elevated rails, supports will be automatically added between some units of rails. Supports act as obstacles, and can be removed at any time if one is added.

While players are required to own Space Age to access this feature, elevated rails are a separate mod, and can be activated independent of most Space Age content.

== Placement ==

Each rail support can hold up to five straight rail segments in either direction. It can also accommodate two curved rail segments, or a mix of one curved segment and three straight segments. Elevated rails are naturally able to be placed over most obstacles, such as buildings, [[cliff]]s, and water. However some buildings, like [[big electric pole]]s are too tall to have elevated rails placed above them.

Rail supports can be placed on top of water on [[Nauvis]], oil oceans on [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}, marshes on [[Gleba]]{{SA}} and ammoniacal oceans on [[Aquilo]]{{SA}} without the need for [[landfill]] or [[foundation]]. After researching [[Rail support foundations (research)|rail support foundations]], they can also be placed on Fulgora's deep oil oceans.

== Elevated rails vs landfill ==

For an elevated rail, to place 5 rails over water requires 1 elevated rail support, or a total raw of 66 [[iron ore]] and 40 [[stone]] (not including [[rail ramp]] or [[rail|rails]]), and for [[landfill]], to place 5 rails over water requires 20 landfill, or a total raw of 1000 [[stone]] (not inculding [[rail|rails]]). Therefore it's significantly more efficient to use elevated rails rather than using landfill.

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Allowed placement of elevated rails over [[cargo bay]]s and blocked cargo bays from receiving cargo pods in this state.
* {{SA}} Added "Toggle visibility of tall entities" shortcut which makes elevated rails translucent and unselectable.}}

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

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Railway}}

Rail

2026-09-30T18:30:25Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Imported 0.17.29 from rail planner. 2.1.7 shortcut to toggle tall entity visibility

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Rail}}

A '''Rail''' is used for building a [[railway]] track for [[locomotive|trains]]. Unlike [[transport belt]]s, rail tracks can also be curved and placed diagonally. [[Train stop]]s, [[rail signal]]s and [[rail chain signal]]s can be placed on rails to better guide automated trains. [[Gate]]s can also be placed on rails, making them rail gates. In [[Space Age]]{{SA}}, rails can be connected to [[rail ramp]]s{{SA}} and [[rail support]]s{{SA}} to build elevated rails. Elevated rails allow trains to freely pass over obstacles.

The minimum rail turning radius is 13, meaning the smallest possible 180° turn has 26 [[Map_structure#Tile|tile]]s between the centers of opposite rails. However, due to rails being two tiles wide, the actual footprint is 28 tiles wide.

The [[rail planner]] can be used to automatically place rails. See the page for more info.

== Achievements ==
Rails are directly related to the following achievements:
{{Achievement|trans-factorio-express}}

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* {{SA}} Allowed placement of elevated rails over [[cargo bay]]s and blocked them from receiving cargo pods in this state.
* {{SA}} Added "Toggle visibility of tall entities" shortcut which makes elevated rails translucent and unselectable.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* New rail shapes, rail curves, 22.5 degree tracks. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-377 Friday Facts #377])
* {{SA}} Added rail ramps, rail supports and elevated rails to build bridges. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-378 Friday Facts #378])
* Rail planner now attempts to automatically connect to the targeted rail segment.
* Added super forced building mode.
}}

{{history|0.17.29|
* Simplified rail building.
** Holding shift while rail building always activates the combination of ghost-rail-building + remove-obstacles, releasing shift returns back to normal manual mode.
** It doesn't matter anymore, whether the rail building started with shift or not.
** This removed the possibility to do ghost-rail-building without the remove-obstacles, but since it seems to be almost useless, we consider it to be worth the simplification.
}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* [[Rail planner]] tool simplifies rail building.
* Improved the rail selection logic.
* Halved the mining time of rails.
* Removed the curved rail, ''rail'' is the only type now.
}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Replaced entity type ''rail'' with types ''straight rail'' and ''curved rail''}}

{{history|0.11.17|
* Increased the stack size of Straight Rails to 100 from 50.}}

{{history|0.11.0|
* Gates built on rails now make them rail gates.
* Added end of track graphics.
}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Rails are now crafted in pairs.
* Nicer rail diagonals/turns on minimap.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Added remnants for destroyed rails.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Rails are not minable when a train is on them.
* Rails recipe changed, now needs steel and stone
* Rails made more expensive
}}

{{history|0.2.8|
* Correction of bounding boxes of some built curved rails.}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* Rail building and selection boxes}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Locomotive]]
* [[Rail planner]]
* [[Railway]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Railway}}

Railway

2026-09-30T18:25:13Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Tall entity visibility

{{Languages}}
[[File:Railway_from_trailer_2020.png|thumb|right|430px|Railway in the [https://youtu.be/J8SBp4SyvLc official game trailer.]]]
:''For the research see [[Railway (research)]]''

'''The Railway''' is one of the main transport methods in Factorio. The rail system is composed of [[rail]]s (tracks), [[locomotive]]s, rail cars for [[cargo wagon|cargo]] and [[fluid wagon|fluid]], [[train stop]]s, as well as [[rail signal|regular]] and [[rail chain signal|chain]] rail signals. Automatic [[gate]]s also integrate with the rail system to block trains. With the [[Space Age]] {{SA}} expansion, rails can also be elevated using [[rail ramp]]s and [[rail support]]s.

Rail is faster and provides higher throughput than [[Belt transport system|belts]] and [[Logistic network|robot logistics]].

== Infrastructure ==

To build a railway, tracks (also called rails) must be built for the train to ride on. Typically, this is done via the [[rail planner]], but can also be done manually. Bear in mind that rails are placed on a two-tile grid, so a rail cannot be moved by only one tile.

=== Minimum manually operated railway ===
As a minimum, a manually operated railway has to consist of:
* [[Rail]]s (tracks)
* [[Locomotive]]s

Locomotives and wagons can be entered and then manually operated by standing next to them and pressing the {{Key|ENTER}} key.

=== Switches ===
* Switches are forks in tracks that allow a train to pick between two directional options.
* Using the rail planner, the player must place a [[rail]] overlapping an existing rail to form a switch.
* There is no visual representation of a working switch, but the rails will appear to merge.
* The crossing of two straight tracks is not usable as a switch because trains have a limited turning radius.

[[File:fff-140-controlled-gates_sm.gif|frame|An example of a safe railway crossing.<br />[https://wiki.factorio.com/images/Fff-140-controlled-gates.gif Click here] for the full-sized version of the image.]]

=== Crossing tracks ===

'''Be careful when crossing train tracks! Trains are one of the highest damaging entities in the game, and will kill most players instantly on contact.'''

A checklist of proper track-crossing etiquette:

# Zoom out, so that you can see a train coming.
# Look left, then right.
# Check for signals nearby: If a [[rail signal]] suddenly jumps from green to red or green to yellow, a train is coming. Do not cross.
# Avoid walking near the tracks, as you do not need to be fully on the tracks to get hit.
# While it is possible to get into/out of a train while it is moving, a miss can cost your life. The sides of the train can still deal damage, as well as the player being able to slip between two rail cars.
# Heavy [[Energy shield|shields]] can be used to reduce the damage taken. In extreme cases, it is possible to stop a train with your body. This will require several shield modules to not be instantly killed and will drain a large amount of the suit's energy.
# All entities with health will take damage getting hit by a train, so take care not to leave a [[car]] or [[tank]] on the tracks. However, this includes hostile forces!
# Trains far from a [[train stop]] will be traveling at (near) max speed, so take extra precaution when crossing and zoom out further. Trains near a [[train stop]] or signal will slow down to stop and will be traveling slower. Trains of different configurations will also move slower or faster.

A safe railroad crossing like the example shown in the picture can be built. This works by restricting access to the tracks when an oncoming train has the rails reserved. When the player is on the rails, the signals are reserved by the [[circuit network]], and the train must stop and wait until the player leaves the tracks. When a player is inside the area crossing the tracks, the train gates are closed so the player can't get on the tracks outside the crossing. This is to completely ensure a safe crossing and is often used on servers.

{{clear}}

== Trains ==
Train components:

{| class="wikitable"
|{{Imagelink|Locomotive}} || {{Imagelink|Cargo wagon}} || {{Imagelink|Fluid wagon}} || {{Imagelink|Artillery wagon}}
|}

[[File:Railway-assemble-train.png|thumb|left|300px|Placing a [[Cargo wagon]] so it is attached to the train.]]

* A train consists of at least one locomotive.
* Trains can have more than one locomotive and any number of [[wagon]]s.
* Locomotives can be '''manually''' driven forwards or backwards, however, they are generally slower going backwards. The left and right movement keys are used to change direction at switches.
* Trains can only drive forwards automatically. An automatic train can drive forwards and backwards when two locomotives facing different directions are connected to the train.
* A train needs [[fuel]] to drive. Fuel can be added by inserters when the train is in manual mode or parked at a station, not when waiting at a signal or standing in automatic mode.

The locomotives' inventory is only used for [[fuel]]. To transport items or fluids [[cargo wagon]]s and/or [[fluid wagon]]s have to be attached to the train. To attach rolling stock, whether a wagon or a locomotive, the player may prepare to place one near an existing train, where a green graphic will show the player that the stock will be attached, showing a connection between the train and the new stock. Alternatively, the player may manually connect rolling stock to trains with the rolling stock connect key, if the cargo wagon is placed far away from a train. Rolling stock can likewise be disconnected with the rolling stock disconnect key.

{{clear}}

== Stations ==
[[File:station-example-1.png|thumb|right|256px|A very minimal train station.]]

Train stations are the only place where trains can be loaded or unloaded when they are in automatic mode. Cargo wagons can be filled or emptied by up to twelve adjacent [[inserters]] (six on each side). Inserters can also be used to insert fuel into locomotives. [[Pump]]s are used to transfer fluid into and out of fluid wagons, only three pumps can attach to one fluid wagon at once.

Train stations are usually created by placing a [[train stop]]. Train stops must be on the right-hand side of the track. However, it is also possible to create a temporary train station by opening a locomotive's GUI and using {{Keybinding|ctrl|lmb}} near a rail in the minimap in the GUI or by entering a locomotive and using {{Keybinding|ctrl|lmb}} near a rail on the world map. This will create a station without requiring a train stop. The temporary train station has a default wait condition of 5 seconds and is removed from the schedule once the train leaves the station.

{{clear}}

== Signals ==
{| class="wikitable"
| {{Imagelink|Rail signal}} || {{Imagelink|Rail chain signal}}
|}

Rail signals are used to employ multiple trains automatically without the danger of trains crashing into each other. Rail signals split the network into blocks and ensure that only one train can be in every block at any time. Note that driving a train manually ignores all signals, so it is possible for automatic trains to crash into the player if the player ignores red/yellow signals. Always beware of automatic trains and give them the right of way.

The [[Tutorial:Train signals|train signals tutorial]] contains an in-depth explanation of rail signals, blocks and deadlocks.

=== Basic signaling rules ===
* There can only be one train in a block at any time. A train spanning multiple blocks occupies them all.
* A red signal means that the following block is occupied by a train.
* A yellow signal means that a train is approaching and already has the approval to enter the following block.
* [[Rail signal]]s separate a new block and reflect its state: green - free, yellow - reserved, red - occupied
* [[Rail chain signal]]s separate a new block and reflect the state of the next signal(s): see above, blue - at least one of the paths is blocked, but not all
* A train can only pass a signal on the right of the track, or if there is a signal on both sides on the same rail segment. Of course, manual driving overrides this.

== Automated transport ==
[[File:locomotive_gui.png|thumb|300px|The wait condition tab in the locomotive's GUI.]]

Trains set on "Automatic" choose their destination stop and route on departure, and after waiting at a chain signal for five seconds. They choose the shortest route using a [[Railway/Train_path_finding|path finding algorithm]] that will get them to an enabled train stop with the right name, taking penalties for any apparent-at-the-time delays into account. If no such train stop exists they will start an alert for "No path"([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-395 FFF-395]).

This section covers items used to make trains automatically transport items between stations. The player should be familiar with creating a rail system.

First, the player has to set up a rail system with at least two train stops, which are placed on the right-hand side of the expected train arrival direction. By hovering over the train stop with the mouse you see the positions of the vehicles for better setting up the train station (including (un)loading machinery, and refueling/repair installations).

When you set up the train schedule (see below) and fuel the train, you can start the train on its schedule by switching from manual to automatic driving mode.

=== Train schedule ===
The player can set up a list of train stations in the left locomotive's GUI. The train will route to stops in the given order, if it's at the end it will continue with the first. Stations can be added by clicking "Add station" in the GUI. A pop-up appears with a list of all stop names. If one is selected, another button appears which allows selecting a wait condition from a pop-up list. Furthermore, the map in the right part of the GUI can be used to add stations to the schedule by using {{keybinding|shift|lmb}} on a station or using {{keybinding|ctrl|lmb}} near a rail in the map to create a temporary train station. These actions can also be performed on the world map when the player is sitting inside the train.

Wait conditions are used to tell the train when to leave the station. There are 15 types of wait conditions:
* '''Circuit condition''' – The train stop is connectable to the [[circuit network]], so the signals can used for wait conditions.
* '''Empty cargo''' – All inventories of the train are empty. Does not include fuel inventories.
* '''Fluid count''' – The train (all fluid wagons summed) contains a specific amount of a certain fluid.
* '''Fuel (all locomotives)''' - All locomotives in the train collectively contain a specific amount of fuel
* '''Fuel (any locomotive)''' - Any one locomotive contains a specific amount of fuel
* '''Full cargo''' - All inventories of the train are full. Does not include fuel inventories
* '''Full fuel''' - All fuel inventories are full. Does not include cargo or fluid inventories
* '''Has cargo''' - Cargo or fluid inventories contain items.
* '''Inactivity''' – No items were added or removed for the specified amount of seconds.
* '''Item count''' – The train (all cargoes summed) contains a specific amount of a certain item. Does not include fuel inventories.
* '''Passenger present''' - At least one [[player]] is inside any part of the train.
* '''Passenger not present''' - No players are inside any part of the train.
* '''Station is full''' - A specified stop is full, according to its set train limit. If the stop has no train limit set, this condition will ''not'' be met.
* '''Station is not full''' - A specified stop is not full, according to its set train limit. If the stop has no train limit set, this condition ''will'' be met.
* '''Time passed'''

It is also possible to set no wait condition, this causes the train to simply pass by the station without stopping.

Hereafter the word "term" is used to describe ''one'' type of wait condition, and the words "wait condition" are used to describe the whole set of terms (it turns a bit into maths).

If more than one term is added, it is possible to change the connection of those using the logical operators AND and OR. An AND condition will result in true if all terms are true. An OR condition will return true if at least one of the terms is true.

When mixing AND and OR terms, the logic is grouped by the OR terms. When evaluating the wait condition, the first term is evaluated along with all AND terms immediately following up to but excluding the next occurring OR term. If they all evaluate true, the wait condition evaluates true. Otherwise, evaluation continues with that next occurring OR term and all AND terms immediately following it, up to the next OR term. This continues until either an OR group evaluates true and the wait condition is satisfied, or all terms have been checked.

==== Examples ====
[[File:Traingroup gui.png|thumb|300px|The train group GUI. There are 2 trains in "Group A" and 1 train in "Group B"]]
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:800px">
Expand for examples
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Wait until full, up to 30 seconds:

<pre>
Full cargo inventory
OR 30 seconds passed
</pre>

Wait until cargo full, ''or'' circuit condition Oil > 3000:

<pre>
Full cargo inventory
OR Circuit condition - Oil > 3000
</pre>

Wait until empty, ''and'' 30 seconds passed, ''and'' 5 seconds of inactivity:

<pre>
Empty cargo inventory
AND 30 seconds passed
AND 5 seconds of inactivity
</pre>

Wait until iron ore is low, ''or'' copper ore is low ''and'' at least 30 seconds passed:

<pre>
Cargo: Iron ore < 500
AND 30 seconds passed
OR Cargo: Copper ore < 500
AND 30 seconds passed
</pre>

Factorio's wait condition logic is read as disjunctive normal form ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disjunctive_normal_form DNF]), and so this last example is processed as (note the parenthesis):

<pre>((Cargo: Iron ore < 500 AND 30 seconds passed) OR (Cargo: Copper ore < 500 AND 30 seconds passed))</pre>

Which is the same as this:

<pre>((Cargo: Iron ore < 500 OR Cargo: Copper ore < 500) AND 30 seconds passed)</pre>

Unfortunately, there is no way to write that shorter form in the current UI.
</div></div>

=== Train groups ===
Trains are able to be assigned to a group. Selecting the small edit icon next to "no group assigned" will bring up the existing groups in the current world. One can select a group for the train to join, or create a new one. Editing the schedule of one train will change the schedules of all trains in the same group.

=== Schedule interrupts ===
[[File:Interrupt gui.png|thumb|300px|The Edit Interrupt GUI.]]

Schedule interrupts allow a locomotive to override its current schedule when a certain condition is met. Selecting "Add interrupt" in the locomotive's GUI will bring up a list of existing interrupts in the current world. One can be selected from the list, or typing in a name will create a new one. Creating one will add it to the locomotive and all locomotives in the current locomotive group.

To work, an interrupt requires two parts: a condition and a target station. When a condition is met, the interrupt will activate and insert the target station as a temporary stop in the locomotive's schedule. The locomotive will route to the target station and wait there until the specified wait condition is met, at which point it will leave and resume its original schedule.

An interrupt can be triggered on many of the same conditions as waiting at a stop, along with some new conditions:
* '''At specified station''' - The train is waiting at a specific stop
* '''Destination full or no path''' - The train's next stop is full, according to its train limit; or the train cannot physically reach its next station
* '''Not at specified station''' - The train is stopped somewhere other than the specific stop

Multiple trains can have the same interrupt regardless of whether they are in the same locomotive group or not. Editing an interrupt will change it for all trains which have the interrupt in their system.

Interrupts can be reordered within the locomotive's GUI like normal stops. If a train has multiple interrupt conditions true at the same time, it will prioritize interrupts that are higher on the list.

=== Wildcard Interrupts ===
[[File:interrupt_wildcards.png|thumb|left|300px|The four wildcard signals: Item, Fuel, Fluid, & Signal.]]
Within interrupts, trains have access to four special "wildcard" signals located within the Unsorted tab, which are special [[Circuit network#Logic signals|logic signals]] that can only be used within interrupts. Wildcard signals come in four types: item, fuel, fluid, and signal. When used as a condition to trigger an interrupt, each one looks at a specific inventory within the train and will replace itself with the signal of the first item it finds. For example, if an interrupt is set to trigger if an item parameter is over 50, and 51 [[iron gear wheel]]s are placed into a cargo wagon, the interrupt will trigger as if the condition was looking for over 50 iron gears. Item, fluid, and fuel wildcards each look at a specific inventory: [[cargo wagon|cargo]] and [[artillery wagon]]s, [[fluid wagon]]s, and [[locomotive]]s, respectively.

When used solely as a condition, wildcards act otherwise identically to the [[circuit network#Anything|anything]] logic signal. What makes them special is their function when used in both the condition and the target.

Wildcards will also replace themselves with any [[rich text]] icons within the names of [[train stop]]s. Instead of selecting a target stop from the list, type the name of the station and use the "icon" to insert the appropriate wildcard symbol in to the correct place within the train stop name, replacing the target rich text icon. If the stop has a matching icon in its name, then the train will match the item it contains with that icon, and select that stop as the destination.

The final wildcard, Signal parameter, checks against any signals passed to the train while parked at a train stop. When combined with a signal parameter for a target station, this can make the train go to a stop which has an icon in its name matching the signal it received from the station. When combined with matching the target station based on its contents, this can be utilized to create a generic train system which can select its destination based on the item it receives.

=== Troubleshooting ===

Below are some things to verify if a rail system or train is not working.

* Is the train fueled? Ensure that the locomotive has [[fuel]] of some kind.
* Misplaced or non-functional switches? Ensure that the train can plan a path through the switches.
* Another train on the same [[Railway#Block|block]]? Make sure the path of the train is unobstructed.
* Train stops placed correctly? Make sure that the yellow arrows when hovering on the stop point towards the end or exit of the stop.
* Is the train allowed to enter signals from the right direction? Are the signals set correctly?
* If a track is supposed to be two-way, the rail signals should be opposite each other. You can verify they match up by hovering the cursor over one. For a matched pair, it will show the other.

==== No path ====
When trains cannot reach the target, a "no path" symbol pops up over the locomotive. Check:
* Can the train reach its current destination by '''only driving forward'''? Build turning slopes or place a locomotive at both ends of a train!
* Are the train stops standing in the right direction? Train stops must be on the right-hand side of the track (from the forward-facing locomotive's perspective). If the train is traveling south, the stop must be on the west side of the track.
* If you use rail signals, check that the signals are all allowing traffic in the correct direction.
* Check for interruptions in the train tracks. Especially near junctions, missing rail sections can be hard to spot.

If you are still having problems, consider these troubleshooting techniques:
* Holding {{key|ctrl}} and hovering the cursor over the tracks in map view will show the path the train would take to get there. Move the cursor along the tracks where you expect the path to go until the path disappears. If there is no missing section of rail at that point, there is likely a signalling problem.
* Try driving the train manually. If the train abruptly stops, there is a gap in the track (or possibly a redundant spur that should be removed). Otherwise, as you pass each switch, try switching to automatic. When it works, you will know the rough area of the problem.
[http://imgur.com/a/Nq2Yk A pictorial summary of typical problems].

==== Interrupts ====

When a train is about to leave the last station in an interrupt's schedule, there is no inherent mechanism which prevents the same interrupt from re-triggering. Many interrupt conditions naturally prevent retriggering by the nature of their condition. A wildcard interrupt for unloading cargo cannot trigger if the train has no cargo. Other conditions may retrigger if something in the base has malfunctioned. For example, a refueling interrupt should only trigger when fuel is low. But if the train is at the fuel station, wants to leave, and still has low fuel, then either there is no inserter to load fuel or the refueling station has run out of fuel.

But there can be cases where the conditions for a trigger's desired conditions can still happen after executing the interrupt's schedule.

To force the train to always choose a station with a different name, add "Not at specified station" to the interrupt conditions, specifying the same target station. This way, the train will be forced to pick a different interrupt, or travel to a station in its main schedule.

If the train should travel to a different station of the same name, circuit logic can be used to disable the current station and lower its priority, as well as adding "Station is not full" to the interrupt condition. Note that only disabling the station is not enough to prevent this issue, the train will only choose a different destination with the same name if it has a higher priority. Once there are no other valid stations with the same name (i.e. all of them are disabled, so there is no higher-priority station), the "Station is not full" condition will prevent the train from getting stuck.

== Elevated rails ==
[[File:Elevated intersection example.png|thumb|350px|A simple bridge using elevated rails.]]
{{About/Space age}}
Elevated rails come in a separate mod which can be enabled independently of Space Age. They come as two new buildings: [[rail ramp]] and [[rail support]]. Ramps and supports are the only items in the game able to be built in the oceans of [[Nauvis]]. When playing with Space Age itself, elevated rails become an important part of the game, as they are critical to bridging the oil oceans of [[Fulgora]]{{SA}} and the lava rivers of [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}}, as well as easily crossing the vast watery landscape on [[Gleba]]{{SA}}.

Elevated rails can be built using the [[rail planner]]. Pressing {{Keybinding|G}} will switch levels, and attempt to build a ramp up or down, if the player has one in their inventory. While holding {{Keybinding|shift}} and targeting a section of rail on the opposite level, the rail planner will automatically place any ramps and/or supports necessary to reach that destination. A rail support must be placed every 16 straight tiles. Disassembling a support or ramp will automatically disassemble any rails which rely on that support.

Players and [[enemies]] cannot walk on elevated rail. A player can enter and exit the train if it is elevated as normal, and will be teleported to the ground. If the player attempts to exit while over water or lava, nothing will happen. Both types of rail signals can be placed on elevated rail, but not train stops.

Certain buildings are too tall to be placed underneath elevated rails:
* {{IconLink|Big electric pole}}
* {{IconLink|Cargo landing pad}}
* {{IconLink|Oil refinery}}
* {{IconLink|Roboport}}
* {{IconLink|Rocket silo}}
* {{IconLink|Agricultural tower|space-age=yes}}
* {{IconLink|Cargo bay|space-age=yes}}
* {{IconLink|Lightning rod|space-age=yes}}
* {{IconLink|Lightning collector|space-age=yes}}

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|getting-on-track}}
{{Achievement|trans-factorio-express}}
{{Achievement|watch-your-step}}
{{Achievement|getting-on-track-like-a-pro}}

== History ==
== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* {{SA}} Allowed placement of elevated rails over [[cargo bay]]s and blocked them from receiving cargo pods in this state.
* {{SA}} Added "Toggle visibility of tall entities" shortcut which makes elevated rails translucent and unselectable.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* New rail shapes, rail curves, 22.5 degree tracks. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-377 Friday Facts #377])
* {{SA}} Added rail ramps, rail supports and elevated rails to build bridges. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-378 Friday Facts #378])
* Rail planner now attempts to automatically connect to the targeted rail segment.
* Added super forced building mode.
}}

{{history|0.17.29|
* Simplified rail building.
** Holding shift while rail building always activates the combination of ghost-rail-building + remove-obstacles, releasing shift returns back to normal manual mode.
** It doesn't matter anymore, whether the rail building started with shift or not.
** This removed the possibility to do ghost-rail-building without the remove-obstacles, but since it seems to be almost useless, we consider it to be worth the simplification.
}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* [[Rail planner]] tool simplifies rail building.
* Removed the curved rail, [[rail]] is the only type now.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Tutorial:Train signals]]
* [[Railway/Train path finding]]
* [[Locomotive]]
* [[Cargo wagon]]
* [[Fluid wagon]]
* [[Artillery wagon]]

{{C|Logistics{{!}}#Railway}} {{C|Railway{{!}}#Railway}}

Quick panel

2026-09-30T18:23:14Z

HeliGungir: link (page request)

{{cleanup|Need new Switch-specific 2.0 screenshots}}
{{Languages}}
[[File:Quick panel items.png|thumb|right]]
The '''Quick panel''' is a radial menu in the [[Nintendo Switch version]] of the game. It replaces the [[quickbar]], [[shortcut bar]] and buttons above the minimap from the PC version.

It is open while holding {{Keybinding|L}} (left bumper). The different tabs of the quick panel can be selected by pressing {{Keybinding|Right}} and {{Keybinding|Left}} on the D-pad.

Individual buttons in the quick panel are selected by moving the {{Keybinding|Left Stick}} in the direction of the button and then letting go of {{Keybinding|L}}.

Note that the quick panel is also available on the PC version of the game while using a controller. This article will use the Nintendo Switch keybindings for consistency, but these will translate to any other controller the player may be using.

== Items ==

In the ''Items'' tab of the quick panel, buttons can be set to be shortcut links to items in the player's inventory or the [[blueprint library]]. Once created, items can be quickly selected without needing to open the inventory. This is the equivalent of the [[quickbar]] on PC.

Items are added to the quick panel tab by holding the item, selecting an empty button and pressing {{Keybinding|A}}. Selecting a filled button and then closing the quick panel by letting go of {{Keybinding|L}} will place the chosen item in the player's hand if it's available in the inventory. Existing item links can be removed by selecting the button and pressing {{Keybinding|ZL|ZR|Y}}.

Pressing {{Keybinding|Up}} and {{Keybinding|Down}} on the D-pad switches between the ten pages of the items tab.

== Tools ==
[[File:Quick panel tools.png|thumb|right]]

The ''Tools'' tab of the quick panel provides access to various tools. Pressing {{Keybinding|Up}} and {{Keybinding|Down}} on the D-pad switches between the two pages of the tools tab.

It is not necessary to press the tool buttons with {{Keybinding|A}}, however it can be used to invoke a tool additional times, e.g. triggering Undo multiple times without closing and reopening the GUI.

=== Available buttons ===

The tools tab in the quick panel provides buttons for:

* Toggling 'ALT mode' (the displaying of additional information about built entities such as recipes in assembler machines.)
* Initiating Undo, Redo, Cut, Copy and Paste blueprint operations.
* Getting a blank [[blueprint]], [[blueprint book]], [[deconstruction planner]] or [[upgrade planner]].
* Toggling [[personal roboport]]s and [[exoskeleton]]s.
* Making [[copper wire|copper]], [[green wire|green]], or [[red wire]] for the [[circuit network]]
* Making a [[discharge defense remote]], [[artillery targeting remote]], or [[spidertron remote]]

Notably, there is no import string button, it is only available on the PC's version of the quick panel, or the PC's [[shortcut bar]]. Blueprints cannot be imported, but they can be transferred from PC using multiplayer.[https://factorio.com/blog/post/factorio-switch-release]

==== Initial availability of buttons ====

The 'ALT mode' button is always available. The other buttons are unavailable until the player has researched [[Construction robotics (research)|Construction robotics]] in any game. When this research has been completed the other buttons will appear in that and all future games.

Alternatively the player can enable the full set of buttons at any time by opening the [[console]] with {{Keybinding|ZL|ZR|-}} and using the following command:
<syntaxhighlight lang="lua">
/unlock-shortcut-bar
</syntaxhighlight>

Using this command will not disable achievements.

== Panels ==

[[File:Quick panel panels.png|thumb|left]]

<div style="margin-left:330px;">
The ''Panels'' tab of the quick panel provides access to various GUIs. It provides access to:

* the [[blueprint library]], the [[production statistics]], and the bonuses GUI
* the tips and tricks, the train overview, and [[Factoriopedia]]
* the [[achievements]] GUI, the [[research|technology screen]] and the [[logistic network]]s GUI

It is not necessary to press the buttons in this quick panel tab with {{Keybinding|A}}, they only need to be selected with the {{Keybinding|Left Stick}}.
</div>{{clear}}

== See also ==
* [[Nintendo Switch version]]
* [[Quickbar]]
* [[Shortcut bar]]

{{C|GUI}}

Asteroids

2026-09-30T18:22:40Z

HeliGungir: link (page request)

{{Languages}}
{{Stub}}
{{About/Space age}}
[[File:asteroids_anim.gif|right]]'''Asteroids''' are floating minerals found in space. There are four types of asteroids in [[Space Age]]: metallic, carbonic, oxide and promethium. Promethium asteroids are only encountered when en route to the [[shattered planet]]. Asteroids appear from all directions around stationary [[space platform]]s. [[Asteroid collector]]s can collect [[Asteroids#Asteroid chunks|asteroid chunks]], which can be fed into a [[crusher]], grinding the chunks into useful resources.

While traveling through space, asteroids will appear in front of the space platform at a much higher rate and damage it on contact. [[Turret]]s placed towards the north edge of the platform can prevent damage by breaking the asteroids into smaller pieces until only the harmless asteroid chunks remain.

The density of asteroids can be seen by going to '''Remote view''' > '''Surfaces''' > '''Space Map''' and clicking on an interplanetary route between two planets, or by searching "route" in [[Factoriopedia]]. The graph will show a white vertical line overlay on the asteroid graph corresponding to the ship's position when underway.

== Asteroid types ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Description !! Health (metallic/carbonic/oxide) !! Health (promethium) !! [[Damage#Resistance|Resistances]]
|-
| Asteroid chunk
| Harmless. This is the only asteroid type that spawns in orbit over [[Nauvis]].

Does not have health and is instantly destroyed on contact with the space platform.

Can be collected by [[asteroid collector]]s.

| N/A
| N/A
| N/A
|-
| Small asteroid
| Does not spawn naturally. Produces two chunks on destruction.

Does small damage on contact with the space platform.

| 100
| 200

|
*Electric: 100%
*Explosion: 50%
*Fire: 100%
*Laser: 20%

|-
| Medium asteroid
| Spawns in space and in orbit of planets other than [[Nauvis]]. Splits into three small asteroids when destroyed.

Does medium damage. Can destroy several tiles of space platform foundation before expiring. Heavily resistant to laser damage.

| 400
| 800

|
*Electric: 100%
*Explosion: 30%
*Fire: 100%
*Laser: 90%
*Physical: 10%

|-
| Big asteroid
| Spawns in space beyond [[Fulgora]] and [[Gleba]]. Splits into three medium asteroids when destroyed.
Practically immune to physical and laser damage.

Does large amount of damage. Can go right through the space platform destroying everything in its path. <br>Because of its high flat physical resistance, [[gun turret]]s are ineffective against them, and it has even higher laser resistance than its medium counterpart. [[Rocket turret]]s are usually more effective.

| 2000
| 4000

|
*Electric: 100%
*Explosion: 10%
*Fire: 100%
*Laser: 95%
*Physical: 2000/10%

|-
| Huge asteroid
| Spawns in space beyond [[Aquilo]]. Splits into three big asteroids when destroyed.

Will absolutely destroy the space platform if it is not equipped with a turret that can overcome its enormous flat physical resistance, e.g. a [[railgun turret]].

| 5000
| 10000

|
*Electric: 100%
*Explosion: 99%
*Fire: 100%
*Laser: 99%
*Physical: 3000/10%

|}

== Asteroid chunks ==
'''Asteroid chunks''' are the smallest asteroid type, serving as the sole source of resources in space. Due to their size and low mass, these small chunks will not damage the player's space platform when colliding with it. These chunks come in four distinct varieties, three of which can be processed into raw materials using [[crusher]]s. All chunks can be collected with [[asteroid collector]]s. Researching [[Advanced_asteroid_processing_(research)|advanced asteroid processing]] unlocks alternate recipes which can extract additional materials.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Asteroid Processing
|-
! [[Asteroids]] !! Processed into !! Advanced processing
|-
| {{IconLink|Metallic asteroid chunk}} || {{IconLink|Iron ore}} || {{IconLink|Copper ore}}
|-
| {{IconLink|Carbonic asteroid chunk}} || {{IconLink|Carbon}} || {{IconLink|Sulfur}}
|-
| {{IconLink|Oxide asteroid chunk}} || {{IconLink|Ice}} || {{IconLink|Calcite}}
|-
| {{IconLink|Promethium asteroid chunk}} || colspan=2 | Cannot be processed; used in crafting [[promethium science pack]]s.
|}

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:metallic_asteroid_entity.png|Metallic asteroids.
File:carbonic_asteroid_entity.png|Carbonic asteroids.
File:oxide_asteroid_entity.png|Oxide asteroids.
File:promethium_asteroid_entity.png|Promethium asteroids.
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Space platform]]
* [[Asteroid collector]]

{{SpaceNav}}

Locomotive

2026-09-30T18:21:25Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ 2.1.7 Pull fuel from passengers

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Locomotive}}
The '''Locomotive''' is the engine for movement of [[Railway|trains]] over [[rail|tracks]]. Trains are useful for moving large amounts of items over large distances. With the [[Space Age]] expansion, locomotives can also utilize [[railway#Elevated Rails|elevated rails]], which are rails built off of a [[rail ramp]], allowing trains to freely drive over obstacles on the ground.

Locomotives are also good vehicles for the player to reach fixed destinations, as they are considerably faster than the [[car]] or [[tank]]. Naturally, they do not have the same freedom of movement, as they are confined to the track. They can be set up to travel automatically between [[train stop]]s, or be controlled manually, even if the [[player]] is in a [[cargo wagon]] attached to the train instead of the locomotive itself. Automatic trains can also use [[rail signal]]s and [[rail chain signal]]s to designate different or changing paths on a railway, as well as manage multiple trains on multiple or intertwining tracks.

Locomotives are [[burner devices]] and require [[fuel]] to run; the more powerful the fuel used, the faster the locomotive's acceleration and top speed will be. [[Solid fuel]], [[rocket fuel]] and [[nuclear fuel]] will give +20%, +80% and +150% acceleration respectively, and provide +5%, +15% and +15% for top speed respectively. Multiple locomotives can be used on a single train to increase its speed. If a locomotive has no fuel, it can still be moved manually, albeit very slowly.

While locomotives can be assembled by hand, the [[engine unit]] for it requires [[Assembling machine|automated construction]] to build, so it cannot be built from raw materials by hand. The color of the locomotive can be customized.

== Connecting/Disconnecting a locomotive ==
[[File:locomotive_gui.png|thumb|right|200px|Locomotive GUI]]

To connect locomotives, cargo wagons, or [[fluid wagon]]s to each other, either place the cars next to each other on the track (there will be an outlined green connection), or connect an already existing disconnected car by driving the locomotive near the car and press {{Keybinding|G}} by default. To disconnect the last car in a train, press {{Keybinding|V}} by default.

== Defense ==
A locomotive in transit can usually crash through everything in its way (including biters, [[car|other]] [[tank|vehicles]], and the player). However, if the locomotive is moving too slowly, or the target is too tough, it will stop the train instead. Once stopped, the train will continually do damage if trying to accelerate. If the locomotive hits an [[enemies|enemy]], the enemies will fight back and try to destroy the train and the rails.

[[Construction robot]]s are a good way to automatically repair damage at train stations.

[[File:train_kills_biters.gif|frame|none|Train killing three big biters.]]

== Speed calculations ==
The maximum speed that a locomotive can get to depends on the train that it is pulling. The speed of an accelerating, fully fueled, train is calculated every tick by the game with the following formula:

train_speed = max(0, abs(train_speed) - train_friction_force ÷ train_weight)
train_speed = train_speed + (10 × number_of_locomotives_in_moving_direction × fuel_acceleration_bonus ÷ train_weight)
train_speed = train_speed × (1 - air_resistance_of_front_rolling_stock ÷ (train_weight ÷ 1000))

<code>train_friction_force</code> is the total friction of a train, a sum of frictions contributed by each entity.
<code>train_weight</code> is the total weight a train, a sum of weights of each entity.
The <code>air_resistance_of_front_rolling_stock</code> is air resistance for the entity at the head of a train.
The calculated <code>train_speed</code> is also capped to <code>max_speed = 1.2 * fuel_top_speed_multiplier</code>.

When braking:

train_speed = max(0, abs(train_speed) - train_braking_force ÷ train_weight)

<code>train_braking_force</code> is the total braking force of a train, a sum of braking forces contributed by each entity, multiplied by (1+technology_breaking_bonus).

The values of friction, weight, brake and air resistance for every entity (found in their prototypes, file trains.lua):
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Entity
! weight
! air_resistance
! friction_force
! braking_force
|-
| Locomotive
| <math>2000</math>
| <math>0.0075</math>
| <math>0.5</math>
| <math>10</math>
|-
| Cargo wagon
| <math>1000</math>
| <math>0.01</math>
| <math>0.5</math>
| <math>3</math>
|-
| Fluid wagon
| <math>1000</math>
| <math>0.01</math>
| <math>0.5</math>
| <math>3</math>
|-
| Artillery wagon
| <math>4000</math>
| <math>0.015</math>
| <math>0.5</math>
| <math>3</math>
|}

As you can see, air resistance incentivizes to put a locomotive at the head of a train since it has 25% less resistance than a cargo wagon.

== Fuel duration (in seconds) ==
Note that trains throttle their burn rate when they reach max speed, extending the life of their fuel. That means the fuel duration listed below is the minimum time the fuel can last.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! 1 item of !! Burning time in seconds
|-
| {{Imagelink|Wood}} || 3.33
|-
| {{Imagelink|Coal}} || 6.67
|-
| {{Imagelink|Solid fuel}} || 20
|-
| {{Imagelink|Rocket fuel}} || 166.67
|-
| {{Imagelink|Nuclear fuel}} || 2016.67
|}

== Driving controls ==
These are the default bindings, they can be changed in the Settings menu.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Command
! Keyboard and mouse
! Controller
|-
|Enter/Exit
|{{Keybinding|enter}}
|{{Keybinding|ZR|X}}
|-
|Accelerate
|{{Keybinding|W}}
|''Use left joystick''
|-
|Decelerate/Reverse
|{{Keybinding|S}}
|''Use left joystick''
|-
|Pick which fork to take at junction (left, right)
|{{Keybinding|A}},{{Keybinding|D}}
|''Use left joystick''
|-
|Connect/Disconnect train
|{{Keybinding|G}},{{Keybinding|V}}
| Not set
|}

When using a controller, such as on the [[Nintendo Switch version|Nintendo Switch]], the behaviour of the left joystick in vehicles can be switched between two modes:
* Relative vehicle driving mode (default): Moving the stick in a direction will make vehicles automatically turn and accelerate to that side of the screen.
* Absolute vehicle driving mode: Moving the stick up/down will make vehicles accelerate/brake. Moving the stick left/right will make vehicles turn in that direction.

== {{SA}} Quality ==

Since update 2.1.10, Quality further improves the locomotive in terms of speed and acceleration:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center
|+ Max Speed (km/h)
! rowspan=2 | Locomotive [[File:Locomotive.png|32px]] !! Wood [[File:Wood.png|32px]] / Coal [[File:Coal.png|32px]] !! colspan=5 | Solid fuel [[File:Solid_fuel.png|32px]] !! colspan=5 | Rocket fuel[[File:Rocket_fuel.png|32px]] <br> Nuclear fuel[[File:Nuclear_fuel.png|32px]]
|-

| ¹
| [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]]
| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]
| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]
| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]
| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]]
| [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]]
| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]
| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]
| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]
| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]]
|-

| [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffbdbd" | 259
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffc4bb" | 272
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffcab8" | 276
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffcab8" | 280
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 284
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 291
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 297
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 310
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 321
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 333
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#eff6a3" | 356
|-

| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffc4bb" | 267
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffcab8" | 280
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 284
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 288
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 292
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 300
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 307
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 319
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 331
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#f7faa4" | 343
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#dfec9f" | 367
|-

| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffcab8" | 275
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 289
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 293
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 297
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 301
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 309
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 316
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 329
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 341
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#eff6a3" | 353
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#d7e79d" | 378
|-

| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 283
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 297
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 301
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 306
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 310
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 318
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 325
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 338
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#eff6a3" | 351
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#e7f1a1" | 364
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#c7de9a" | 389
|-

| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 298
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 313
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 317
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 322
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 326
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 335
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 342
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#eff6a3" | 356
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#dfec9f" | 370
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#cfe39c" | 383
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#afd095" | 410
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center
|+ Acceleration (kW)
! rowspan=2 | Locomotive <br> [[File:Locomotive.png|24px]] !! Wood [[File:Wood.png|24px]] <br> Coal [[File:Coal.png|24px]] !! colspan=5 | Solid fuel [[File:Solid_fuel.png|24px]] !! colspan=5 | Rocket fuel[[File:Rocket_fuel.png|24px]] !! colspan=5 | Nuclear fuel[[File:Nuclear_fuel.png|24px]]
|-

| ¹
| [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]]
| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]
| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]
| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]
| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]]
| [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]]
| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]
| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]
| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]
| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]]
| [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]]
| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]
| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]
| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]
| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]]
|-

| [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffbdbd" | 600
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 720
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 756
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 792
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 828
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 900
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 1080
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 1224
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 1368
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 1512
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 1800
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 1500
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 1770
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 2040
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#f7faa4" | 2310
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#e7f1a1" | 2850
|-

| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 720
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 864
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 907
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 950
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 994
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 1080
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 1296
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 1469
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 1642
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 1814
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#eff6a3" | 2160
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 1800
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#eff6a3" | 2124
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#e7f1a1" | 2448
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#dfec9f" | 2772
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#cfe39c" | 3420
|-

| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 840
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 1008
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 1058
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 1108
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 1159
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 1260
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 1512
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 1713
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 1915
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 2116
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#eff6a3" | 2520
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 2100
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#eff6a3" | 2478
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#e7f1a1" | 2856
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#dfec9f" | 3234
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#cfe39c" | 3990
|-

| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffdeb1" | 960
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 1152
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 1209
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 1267
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 1324
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 1440
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 1728
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffffa6" | 1958
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#f7faa4" | 2188
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#f7faa4" | 2419
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#e7f1a1" | 2880
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#f7faa4" | 2400
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#e7f1a1" | 2832
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#dfec9f" | 3264
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#d7e79d" | 3696
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#c7de9a" | 4560
|-

| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffe5af" | 1200
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 1440
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 1512
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 1584
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 1656
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 1800
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#f7faa4" | 2160
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#eff6a3" | 2448
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#eff6a3" | 2736
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#e7f1a1" | 3024
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#d7e79d" | 3600
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#e7f1a1" | 3000
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#d7e79d" | 3540
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#cfe39c" | 4080
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#c7de9a" | 4620
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#afd095" | 5700
|}

1: When used as fuels, wood and coal get no changes from quality.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center
|+ Fuel duration (s)
|| Locomotive [[File:Locomotive.png|24px]] || Wood [[File:Wood.png|24px]] || Coal [[File:Coal.png|24px]] || Solid fuel [[File:Solid_fuel.png|24px]] || Rocket Fuel [[File:Rocket_fuel.png|24px]] || Nuclear fuel [[File:Nuclear_fuel.png|24px]]
|-
|| [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffcab8" | 3.3
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 6.7
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 20.0
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff8a8" | 166.7
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#afd095" | 2017
|-
|| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffcab8" | 2.8
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 5.6
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 16.7
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 138.9
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#bfd998" | 1681
|-
|| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffc4bb" | 2.4
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffcab8" | 4.8
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 14.3
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 119.0
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#bfd998" | 1440
|-
|| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffc4bb" | 2.1
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffcab8" | 4.2
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd7b4" | 12.5
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#fff2ab" | 104.2
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#c7de9a" | 1260
|-
|| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]]
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffbdbd" | 1.7
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffcab8" | 3.3
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffd1b6" | 10.0
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#ffebad" | 83.3
| style="color:#333333 ; background-color:#cfe39c" | 1008
|}

Note that higher quality locomotives and fuels effectively last longer than the table above implies.
Locomotives throttle their burn rate when they reach max speed, and because of the increased vehicle acceleration bonus from quality they spend less time accelerating and more time at max speed.

For quality locomotives the acceleration bonus outweighs the increased fuel consumption meaning they are more fuel efficient. Marginally beneficial when pulling a light <code>train_weight</code> and very beneficial when pulling a <code>train_weight</code> that's otherwise too heavy.

For quality fuels both the better top speed and acceleration increased the total distance locomotives can travel, effectively increasing the locomotives fuel efficiency.

Locomotives will always burn fuel at their listed "Energy consumption" rate (600 kW in vanilla and Space Age alike). When higher-quality locomotives and/or fuels are used, the higher acceleration power is "free", as in the same amount of fuel is burned for more accelerating power.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center
|+ Distance traveled (km) ²
! rowspan=3 style="vertical-align:bottom" | [[File:Locomotive.png|24px|alt=Locomotive]] [[File:Any_quality.png|24px|alt=Any quality]]³ !! Wood [[File:Wood.png|24px]] <br> Coal [[File:Coal.png|24px]] !! colspan=5 | Solid fuel [[File:Solid_fuel.png|24px]] !! colspan=5 | Rocket fuel[[File:Rocket_fuel.png|24px]] !! colspan=5 | Nuclear fuel[[File:Nuclear_fuel.png|24px]]
|-
|| [[File:Any_quality.png|24px|alt=Any quality]] || [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]] || [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]|| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]|| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]|| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]]|| [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]]|| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]|| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]|| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]|| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]] || [[File:Quality_normal.png|24px|alt=Normal]] || [[File:Quality_uncommon.png|24px|alt=Uncommon]]|| [[File:Quality_rare.png|24px|alt=Rare]]|| [[File:Quality_epic.png|24px|alt=Epic]]|| [[File:Quality_legendary.png|24px|alt=Legendary]]
|-
| style="background-color:#ffbdbd ; color:#333333" | 21
| style="background-color:#ffc4bb ; color:#333333" | 78
| style="background-color:#ffcab8 ; color:#333333" | 82
| style="background-color:#ffcab8 ; color:#333333" | 86
| style="background-color:#ffcab8 ; color:#333333" | 90
| style="background-color:#ffcab8 ; color:#333333" | 96
| style="background-color:#eff6a3 ; color:#333333" | 401
| style="background-color:#dfec9f ; color:#333333" | 456
| style="background-color:#e7f1a1 ; color:#333333" | 434
| style="background-color:#bfd998 ; color:#333333" | 566
| style="background-color:#bfd998 ; color:#333333" | 575
| style="background-color:#ffffa6 ; color:#333333" | 321
| style="background-color:#eff6a3 ; color:#333333" | 381
| style="background-color:#dfec9f ; color:#333333" | 439
| style="background-color:#cfe39c ; color:#333333" | 498
| style="background-color:#afd095 ; color:#333333" | 616
|}

2: The distance traveled was measured in-game for each quality of locomotive and fuels, by counting the number of laps a single locomotive with a full stack of fuel could complete along a short track. See [https://imgur.com/a/1dTipTl this screenshot] of the testing setup.

3: Testing showed that, given the same fuels, a higher quality locomotive will not reach further than a normal one (only get there faster).

== Achievements ==
Locomotives are directly connected to the following achievements:
{{Achievement|getting-on-track}}
{{Achievement|getting-on-track-like-a-pro}}
{{Achievement|watch-your-step}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths=320px>
File:trains_colors.png|The player among different colored locomotives.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Quality impacts locomotive speed and acceleration.
* Locomotives will auto-pull fuel from passengers if needed.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* Locomotive sounds overhauled.}}

{{history|0.17.0|
* Locomotive fuel consumption doubled.}}

{{history|0.16.0|
* Locomotive will show train ID in its tooltip. The ID can be used in circuit network conditions.}}

{{history|0.15.19|
* Locomotive snaps to a train stop when placing the first locomotive next to the train stop.}}

{{history|0.15.7|
* Inserters will no longer take fuel from locomotives and instead will take the burnt result items if the locomotive fuel uses that system.}}

{{history|0.15.0|
* Renamed "diesel-locomotive" to "locomotive"}}

{{history|0.14.0|
* Added support for equipment grids in locomotives.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* New locomotive graphics.
* Can now be colored.
* Trains are now regular size in horizontal and vertical orientations.
}}

{{history|0.12.1|
* Trains that are moving automatically cannot be rotated.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Now show contents in tooltip.}}

{{history|0.11.18|
* Increased the crafting cost of the cargo wagon and locomotive.
* Removing and merging the locomotive of a train without any additional locomotives doesn't clear the schedule anymore.
}}

{{history|0.11.6|
* Copy paste can now be used for train schedules.}}

{{history|0.10.2|
* Now recalculates path on rotation.}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* Backer names are used for locomotives.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Recipe change}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Train can find the path backward when it has locomotives in the back
* New locomotive graphics.
* Locomotive + wagon + rails are more expensive.
}}

{{history|0.4.1|
* Smooth (precise) rolling stock placement.
* Rotating while building affects the direction of the rolling stock.
* Rolling stocks can be disconnected from both sides.
}}

{{history|0.4.0|
* Locomotive uses fuel.
* Locomotive and Car are minable
* Easier riding in locomotive and car (accelerate vs. brake vs. reverse)
* Automated train transportation. Trains can be given schedule to go to Train Stops (named after backers).
}}

{{history|0.2.8|
* Now shows health bar below locomotive.}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* Now emits light if active.}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

==See also==
* [[Railway]]
* [[Cargo wagon]]
* [[Fluid wagon]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Railway}}
{{C|Rolling stock}}

Spidertron remote

2026-09-30T18:20:15Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Spidertron patrols

{{Languages}}{{:Infobox:Spidertron remote}}

The '''spidertron remote''' can be used to remotely control a [[spidertron]]. It can be created with {{keybinding|alt|A}} or by pressing the respective button on the [[shortcut bar]] after unlocking the spidertron [[spidertron (research)|research]].

First, the remote needs to be connected to spidertrons. This is done by, when holding a remote, holding {{Keybinding|lmb}} and dragging over one or more spidertrons.

Once a group of spidertrons is selected with a remote, clicking {{Keybinding|rmb}} with the remote in the world or map view will prompt the connected spidertron(s) to move to the selected location. They will move to that location in a straight line from their current position, not attempting to pathfind around obstacles.

A sequence of move commands can be queued by using {{Keybinding|shift|rmb}} with the remote in the world or map view. Queuing move commands allows creating complex paths for the spidertron. The queued goal positions and their connections are drawn in the spidertron's color both in the map view and in the world. Alternatively, {{keybinding|shift|rmb}} with the remote can be used to command the spidertron(s) to follow a specific entity, such as a [[player]] or another [[vehicle]].

Once connected to spidertrons, the remote can be placed in the [[quickbar]] for easy access. Remotes placed here will remember its connected spidertron(s) and will remain in the quickbar even if the player dies.

If playing in [[Space Age]]{{SA}}, a remote placed in the quickbar will remember its connected spidertron(s) even if the player is on another planet. It will also remember which planet those spidertrons are on. The remote's icon in the quickbar will gain a small overlay showing which planet the spidertron(s) are on, if that is not the same planet the player is currently viewing. Clicking the remote will instantly open the map and center the view on the connected spidertron(s), even if they are on a different planet.

== Gallery ==

[[File:Spidertron_remote_tooltip_sa.png|thumb|400px|none|The spidertron remote's tooltip that shows controls. Additionally, being on Aquilo, the remote shows the connected spidertron(s) are on Nauvis.]]

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Added patrol support to spidertrons.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* Improved the way spidertrons are remotely controlled. Instead of spidertron remote being linked to single spidertron, it can be used to group select and command spidertrons like in your typical RTS game.}}

{{history|1.1.0|
* Spidertron remotes now allow to add queue commands and a command to follow any entity.
* Added a way to reset spidertron remote.}}

{{history|1.0.0|
* Introduced}}

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Transport}}

Spidertron

2026-09-30T18:19:34Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Spidertron patrols

{{Languages}}{{:Infobox:Spidertron}}

The '''spidertron''' is a versatile lategame vehicle capable of traversing rough terrain. It, along with the [[car]] and [[tank]], is one of three non-rail vehicles in Factorio. It's equipped with four fast-firing rocket launchers capable of manual or automatic targeting. It can be driven manually or remotely controlled using the [[spidertron remote]]. Furthermore, it has an equipment grid which accepts all [[equipment modules]]. Spidertron's legs can be moved by belts which can be prevented by inserting [[belt immunity equipment]] into its equipment grid.

The vehicle can be renamed, and its color can be changed independently of the color of the player that is riding inside it. This color and name are shown in the tooltip of all connected [[spidertron remote]]s. Additionally, the spidertron's inventory can have logistics requests and auto-trash filters set up, similar to the [[player]] inventory, so the vehicle is automatically supplied by [[logistic robot]]s.

Picking up the vehicle keeps the modules inside its equipment grid, its name, its color and the logistics requests saved in the item, however any content from the spidertron's inventory is placed into the player's inventory and not saved in the item.

== Combat ==
The four spidertron rocket launchers operate in "chain mode" which allows rapid firing of rockets at enemies. The spidertron can be set to automatically target enemies, both with or without any passengers inside the spidertron. The spidertron's combat capabilities are enhanced by its equipment grid, e.g. [[energy shield]]s can be equipped to increase its protection or [[personal laser defense]]s can be used for higher killing power. The spidertron's equipment modules are used additionally to any modules that the riding player may have equipped in their own [[power armor]]. Spidertrons are very useful late-game for removing large biter nests.

== Speed ==
Unlike the car and tank, which are affected by the surfaces they travel on, the spidertron's speed does not change on different surfaces. Due to the way the spidertron travels, its speed slightly fluctuates and does not consistently stay at its top speed. The spidertron does not take any [[fuel]], therefore its speed can be only increased by equipping [[exoskeleton]]s into its grid. Up to 5 exoskeletons can fit in the vehicle's grid. The top speeds (in km/h) are as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Equipment !! Top speed
|-
|Default || ~46
|-
|1 exoskeleton || ~57
|-
|2 exoskeletons || ~68
|-
|3 exoskeletons || ~85
|-
|4 exoskeletons || ~90
|-
|5 exoskeletons || ~102
|-
|}

== Trivia ==
* The spidertron was first mentioned in the [https://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-120 Friday Facts #120], however it was not introduced into the game and did not appear on the roadmap. After FFF #120 the spidertron was sometimes hidden in other Friday Facts such as [https://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-200 FFF #200], [https://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-315 FFF #315] and [https://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-330 FFF #330]. However, the spidertron was not developed further after its first mention: "Than maybe he felt FFF was too short that week, so he made the gif, and it was not touched ever since".<sup>[https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?p=484944#p484944]</sup> It was then introduced in version 1.0.0 as a surprise feature, more than 4 years after it was first teased.<sup>[https://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-360]</sup>
* The spidertron is the only item in the game to require [[raw fish]] as a crafting ingredient. It is not known for certain why this is the case, although it could be to limit the automatability of spidertron production (since raw fish production is challenging to automate).
* In [[Space Age]], the ingredients for a spidertron are shared between [[Nauvis]] and [[Gleba]]. Both raw fish and the [[uranium-235]] needed for the [[portable fission reactor]] can only be obtained on Nauvis, while the [[carbon fiber]] needed for [[rocket turret]]s can only be acquired on [[Gleba]]. As such, automating spidertron production requires regular transport between the two planets.
* A legendary spidertron with its equipment grid filled with 55 legendary [[toolbelt equipment]] modules has a total inventory size of 1575 slots.

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths=274px heights=203px>
File:Spidertron_GUI.png|The spidertron's GUI with a partially filled equipment grid and multiple equipped rockets.
File:Spidertron_corpse.png|The spidertron's corpse.
File:spidertron_traversing_trees.gif|Spidertron effortlessly walking through trees.
File:spidertron_remote_map.gif|Controlling spidertron's movement via minimap.<br /><small>(Click to see .GIF animation.)</small>
</gallery>

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|arachnophilia}}

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Added patrol support to spidertrons.}}

{{History|2.0.7|
* Vehicles no longer have input delay due to server latency.
}}

{{History|1.1.0|
* Added logistic requests to spidertron.
* Added ability to queue up multiple waypoints for a single Spidertron.
* Added option to follow another entity.
}}

{{History|1.0.0|
* Introduced.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Vehicle]]
** [[Tank]]
* [[Equipment modules]]
* [[Resistances]]
* [[Enemies]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Transport}}

Flamethrower turret

2026-09-30T18:18:54Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ 2.1.7 8-way rotation

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Flamethrower turret}}
'''Flamethrower turrets''' work similarly to the [[flamethrower]], setting [[enemies]] and the ground on fire and doing damage over time. Unlike [[gun turret]]s and [[laser turret]]s, they have a limited firing arc, and should therefore be placed at choke points or behind [[wall]]s. They can use [[crude oil|crude]], [[heavy oil|heavy]], or [[light oil]] as ammunition, which must be provided via a [[pipe]] connected to the turret.

== Mechanics ==

Flamethrower turrets gain a damage bonus depending on the type of oil supplied to them. This bonus is multiplicative, it stacks with the bonus damage from research.

{| class="wikitable"
! Ammunition !! Effect
|-
|{{IconLink|Crude oil}} ||100% Damage
|-
|{{IconLink|Heavy oil}} ||105% Damage
|-
|{{IconLink|Light oil}} ||110% Damage
|}

Unlike the laser and gun turrets, flamethrower turrets do not have a instantaneously hitting projectile, instead firing a stream of flame directly at where the target was at the time of firing. This means that they have a tendency to miss the targeted biter in an attacking group, instead hitting the ones behind.

Flamethrower turrets are very powerful because biters and spitters do not have fire resistance and the total 3000 damage dealt to ignited enemies is a guaranteed death sentence for almost anything in the game. Most enemy units are ignited if hit directly by a flame stream, [[spidertron|spidertrons]] will also be ignited, but the player, cars, tanks and trains are not. Flamethrower turrets will target the closest non ignited enemy and then once all enemies within range are ignited they will target the closest enemy.

The bonus technologies and fuel damage bonus for the flamethrower turret improve the contact damage and damage dealt by fire on the ground. The bonus technologies also affect the damage dealt to ignited enemies, which lasts 30 seconds and deals 100 damage per second without upgrades.

While it is not apparent from the damage bonus descriptions, the flamethrower turret benefits from the damage bonus for the flamethrower turret and the damage bonus for flamethrower ammo, applied multiplicatively, e.g. with the first level of refined flammables it receives a +44% bonus, not +20%, with all pre-space upgrades it receives +576% damage, not +160%. This is because the flamethrower turret is defined as using "flamethrower" type ammo and it allows the damage output of the flamethrower turret to keep up with laser and gun turrets, which also benefit from two or more separate upgrades.

Flamethrower turrets create fire on the ground which lasts 2 seconds by default. If the turret keeps firing at that spot, the size of the fire increases, it will last up to 30 seconds and its damage is increased up to 6 times, depending on how long the turret keeps firing at that spot. Multiple flamethrower turrets firing at the same location do not cause the fire to intensify faster as there is a 4 tick cooldown between intensity increases, while even a single flamethrower turret fires every 2 ticks.

An object will be damaged by all the fire patches it is contacting potentially multiplying the damage from the fire several times.

=== Fire resistance ===

At a glance it's not easy to see how fire resistance is applied to flamethrower damage, as this requires knowing precisely how the damage is applied.

* Direct splash damage: Deals 3 damage 30 times a second.
* Fire sticker: Deals 16.67 damage 6 times a second.
* Fire patch: Deals 13 damage 6 times a second when fully intensified.

These damages are increased by the refined flammables tech and liquid damage bonus.

Spawners and larger worms have 3 flat fire resist, which mostly negates the direct splash damage but not the damage from intensified fire patches.

Tanks, trains and spidertrons have 15 flat fire resist which negates the direct damage, at low levels of refined flammables this also mostly negates the damage from fire patches, but at higher levels these vehicles become very vulnerable to the flames, becoming particularly vulnerable at around refined flammables 4 when the fire patches are inflicting 46.9 damage of which only a third is negated by the flat fire resist.

=== Space Age ===
{{About/Space age}}
Flamethrowers are considered burner devices and therefore cannot be placed on [[space platform]]s{{SA}}. Even if they could be placed, [[asteroids]]{{SA}} have 100% fire damage resistance.

[[Pentapods]]{{SA}} on [[Gleba]]{{SA}} have no damage resistances to flamethrowers. While flamethrower turrets are not hitscan, they can still do sizeable damage to even the larger pentapods enemies. As on Nauvis, they are particularly effective against large groups of enemies.

The [[demolisher]]s{{SA}} on [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}} have 100% fire resistance.

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Flamethrower turrets can now be rotated 8 ways instead of 4.}}

{{History|2.0.7|
* All turrets (except for artillery) can now be configured individually to prioritize certain types of enemies when looking for targets.
}}

{{history|0.17.33|
* Added out of fuel alert icon to flamethrower turrets.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
*Introduced.
*Damage upgrade technology introduced.}}

== See also ==
* [[Gun turret]]
* [[Laser turret]]

{{CombatNav}}
{{C|Defense}}

Pump

2026-09-30T18:17:51Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ 2.1.7

{{languages}}
{{:Infobox:Pump}}
{{About|the pump|the water extraction device|offshore pump|the oil extraction device|pumpjack}}
A '''pump''' is a multipurpose fluid handling device which can be used to move fluids over long distances, perform flow control, prevent back-flow and load/unload trains. The pump can be seen as the [[inserter]] for fluids.

When connected to pipes on both ends of the pump and powered, the pump will transfer fluid from the source side to the output side if it will fit. This will occur even if the input side has significantly lower fluid levels.

Furthermore, unlike normal pipes, pumps can connect to pipes only on the front and back of the pump instead of connecting to pipes from all sides. This can be useful for having tightly packed lines of pipes being parallel to each other, without the risk of fluids mixing, acting as a "diode" pipe.
__TOC__

== Throughput ==

Pumps can move up to 20 units of fluid per tick, or 1200 per second. Whether this throughput is actually achieved depends on the fluid level of the fluid segments upstream and downstream of the pump. If the level of the source segment is below 20%, 1200 units can no longer be achieved. The same applies if the level of the output segment is above 80%. Comprehensive information on the general behavior of fluids can be found on the page [[fluid system]].

== Loading/unloading fluid wagons ==

Pumps can load and unload [[fluid wagon|fluid wagons]] at [[Train stop|train stops]]. When a pump is placed with one end facing a rail track and the other end connected to a pipe, it will visually change. When a fluid wagon is stopped adjacent, the pump head will connect to the top of the nearest tank and begin transferring fluids. It will not connect if a circuit condition is preventing it, or it is unpowered.
[[File:Fluid wagon load.gif|frame|none|Pump transferring fluids to a fluid wagon.]]

== Use as a valve ==

The pump works as a controllable valve:
* When powered, the pump will let fluids through, but only in its set direction.
* If unpowered, the pump doesn't let anything through.
* If the pump is powered but has a circuit condition, it will only let fluids through when the condition is met.
** This can be used to control some parts of the factory. For example, with a single wire from a [[lubricant]] tank to a pump pumping [[heavy oil]], [[heavy oil cracking]] can be disabled when lubricant is needed.

== Moving fluids over long distances ==
When a fluid is created, it can travel up to 320 tiles from its existing location until it needs a pump. Pumps reset this value, allowing fluids to travel for another 320 tiles until another one is needed. If a pipe has been overextended, a warning will show on the map. Multiple pumps in series don't add their extensions together; only the last in the chain has any effect. However, multiple pumps in parallel can increase throughput beyond what a single pump can achieve. Since each regular quality pump can move up to 1200 fluid per second, five pumps (1200 per second each) in parallel would be needed to reach the 6,000 fluid per second theoretical maximum for a single input/output connection.

== Gallery ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="213px">
File:packed_pump_entities.png|Parallel pumps preventing side connections.
File:pipe network animation.gif
</gallery>

{{clear}}
== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Pumps can now connect to fluid wagons on both ends.
* Pumps can now connect to non-aligned wagons and to wagons on curved rails.}}

{{History|2.0.7|
* Lowered fluid pumping speed from 12000 to 1200.
* Fluid dynamics changed
* The pump now has an optional fluid filter ([https://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-405 Friday Facts #405])}}

{{history|0.15.0|
* Graphics changed, now has a nice animation
* Size changed to 2×1 tiles
* Recipe changed, now requires [[engine unit]]s rather than [[electric engine unit]]s.
* Throughput massively increased.
* Renamed from '''Small Pump''' to '''Pump'''}}

{{history|0.12.1|
* Copy pasting settings now works for small pumps.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Now connectible to the [[circuit network]].}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* Changed collision box logic}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Fluid system]]
* [[Pipe]]
* [[Fluid wagon]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Energy and fluid distribution}}

Railway

2026-09-30T18:12:33Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Added section (cloned from rail planner, for now)

{{Languages}}
[[File:Railway_from_trailer_2020.png|thumb|right|430px|Railway in the [https://youtu.be/J8SBp4SyvLc official game trailer.]]]
:''For the research see [[Railway (research)]]''

'''The Railway''' is one of the main transport methods in Factorio. The rail system is composed of [[rail]]s (tracks), [[locomotive]]s, rail cars for [[cargo wagon|cargo]] and [[fluid wagon|fluid]], [[train stop]]s, as well as [[rail signal|regular]] and [[rail chain signal|chain]] rail signals. Automatic [[gate]]s also integrate with the rail system to block trains. With the [[Space Age]] {{SA}} expansion, rails can also be elevated using [[rail ramp]]s and [[rail support]]s.

Rail is faster and provides higher throughput than [[Belt transport system|belts]] and [[Logistic network|robot logistics]].

== Infrastructure ==

To build a railway, tracks (also called rails) must be built for the train to ride on. Typically, this is done via the [[rail planner]], but can also be done manually. Bear in mind that rails are placed on a two-tile grid, so a rail cannot be moved by only one tile.

=== Minimum manually operated railway ===
As a minimum, a manually operated railway has to consist of:
* [[Rail]]s (tracks)
* [[Locomotive]]s

Locomotives and wagons can be entered and then manually operated by standing next to them and pressing the {{Key|ENTER}} key.

=== Switches ===
* Switches are forks in tracks that allow a train to pick between two directional options.
* Using the rail planner, the player must place a [[rail]] overlapping an existing rail to form a switch.
* There is no visual representation of a working switch, but the rails will appear to merge.
* The crossing of two straight tracks is not usable as a switch because trains have a limited turning radius.

[[File:fff-140-controlled-gates_sm.gif|frame|An example of a safe railway crossing.<br />[https://wiki.factorio.com/images/Fff-140-controlled-gates.gif Click here] for the full-sized version of the image.]]

=== Crossing tracks ===

'''Be careful when crossing train tracks! Trains are one of the highest damaging entities in the game, and will kill most players instantly on contact.'''

A checklist of proper track-crossing etiquette:

# Zoom out, so that you can see a train coming.
# Look left, then right.
# Check for signals nearby: If a [[rail signal]] suddenly jumps from green to red or green to yellow, a train is coming. Do not cross.
# Avoid walking near the tracks, as you do not need to be fully on the tracks to get hit.
# While it is possible to get into/out of a train while it is moving, a miss can cost your life. The sides of the train can still deal damage, as well as the player being able to slip between two rail cars.
# Heavy [[Energy shield|shields]] can be used to reduce the damage taken. In extreme cases, it is possible to stop a train with your body. This will require several shield modules to not be instantly killed and will drain a large amount of the suit's energy.
# All entities with health will take damage getting hit by a train, so take care not to leave a [[car]] or [[tank]] on the tracks. However, this includes hostile forces!
# Trains far from a [[train stop]] will be traveling at (near) max speed, so take extra precaution when crossing and zoom out further. Trains near a [[train stop]] or signal will slow down to stop and will be traveling slower. Trains of different configurations will also move slower or faster.

A safe railroad crossing like the example shown in the picture can be built. This works by restricting access to the tracks when an oncoming train has the rails reserved. When the player is on the rails, the signals are reserved by the [[circuit network]], and the train must stop and wait until the player leaves the tracks. When a player is inside the area crossing the tracks, the train gates are closed so the player can't get on the tracks outside the crossing. This is to completely ensure a safe crossing and is often used on servers.

{{clear}}

== Trains ==
Train components:

{| class="wikitable"
|{{Imagelink|Locomotive}} || {{Imagelink|Cargo wagon}} || {{Imagelink|Fluid wagon}} || {{Imagelink|Artillery wagon}}
|}

[[File:Railway-assemble-train.png|thumb|left|300px|Placing a [[Cargo wagon]] so it is attached to the train.]]

* A train consists of at least one locomotive.
* Trains can have more than one locomotive and any number of [[wagon]]s.
* Locomotives can be '''manually''' driven forwards or backwards, however, they are generally slower going backwards. The left and right movement keys are used to change direction at switches.
* Trains can only drive forwards automatically. An automatic train can drive forwards and backwards when two locomotives facing different directions are connected to the train.
* A train needs [[fuel]] to drive. Fuel can be added by inserters when the train is in manual mode or parked at a station, not when waiting at a signal or standing in automatic mode.

The locomotives' inventory is only used for [[fuel]]. To transport items or fluids [[cargo wagon]]s and/or [[fluid wagon]]s have to be attached to the train. To attach rolling stock, whether a wagon or a locomotive, the player may prepare to place one near an existing train, where a green graphic will show the player that the stock will be attached, showing a connection between the train and the new stock. Alternatively, the player may manually connect rolling stock to trains with the rolling stock connect key, if the cargo wagon is placed far away from a train. Rolling stock can likewise be disconnected with the rolling stock disconnect key.

{{clear}}

== Stations ==
[[File:station-example-1.png|thumb|right|256px|A very minimal train station.]]

Train stations are the only place where trains can be loaded or unloaded when they are in automatic mode. Cargo wagons can be filled or emptied by up to twelve adjacent [[inserters]] (six on each side). Inserters can also be used to insert fuel into locomotives. [[Pump]]s are used to transfer fluid into and out of fluid wagons, only three pumps can attach to one fluid wagon at once.

Train stations are usually created by placing a [[train stop]]. Train stops must be on the right-hand side of the track. However, it is also possible to create a temporary train station by opening a locomotive's GUI and using {{Keybinding|ctrl|lmb}} near a rail in the minimap in the GUI or by entering a locomotive and using {{Keybinding|ctrl|lmb}} near a rail on the world map. This will create a station without requiring a train stop. The temporary train station has a default wait condition of 5 seconds and is removed from the schedule once the train leaves the station.

{{clear}}

== Signals ==
{| class="wikitable"
| {{Imagelink|Rail signal}} || {{Imagelink|Rail chain signal}}
|}

Rail signals are used to employ multiple trains automatically without the danger of trains crashing into each other. Rail signals split the network into blocks and ensure that only one train can be in every block at any time. Note that driving a train manually ignores all signals, so it is possible for automatic trains to crash into the player if the player ignores red/yellow signals. Always beware of automatic trains and give them the right of way.

The [[Tutorial:Train signals|train signals tutorial]] contains an in-depth explanation of rail signals, blocks and deadlocks.

=== Basic signaling rules ===
* There can only be one train in a block at any time. A train spanning multiple blocks occupies them all.
* A red signal means that the following block is occupied by a train.
* A yellow signal means that a train is approaching and already has the approval to enter the following block.
* [[Rail signal]]s separate a new block and reflect its state: green - free, yellow - reserved, red - occupied
* [[Rail chain signal]]s separate a new block and reflect the state of the next signal(s): see above, blue - at least one of the paths is blocked, but not all
* A train can only pass a signal on the right of the track, or if there is a signal on both sides on the same rail segment. Of course, manual driving overrides this.

== Automated transport ==
[[File:locomotive_gui.png|thumb|300px|The wait condition tab in the locomotive's GUI.]]

Trains set on "Automatic" choose their destination stop and route on departure, and after waiting at a chain signal for five seconds. They choose the shortest route using a [[Railway/Train_path_finding|path finding algorithm]] that will get them to an enabled train stop with the right name, taking penalties for any apparent-at-the-time delays into account. If no such train stop exists they will start an alert for "No path"([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-395 FFF-395]).

This section covers items used to make trains automatically transport items between stations. The player should be familiar with creating a rail system.

First, the player has to set up a rail system with at least two train stops, which are placed on the right-hand side of the expected train arrival direction. By hovering over the train stop with the mouse you see the positions of the vehicles for better setting up the train station (including (un)loading machinery, and refueling/repair installations).

When you set up the train schedule (see below) and fuel the train, you can start the train on its schedule by switching from manual to automatic driving mode.

=== Train schedule ===
The player can set up a list of train stations in the left locomotive's GUI. The train will route to stops in the given order, if it's at the end it will continue with the first. Stations can be added by clicking "Add station" in the GUI. A pop-up appears with a list of all stop names. If one is selected, another button appears which allows selecting a wait condition from a pop-up list. Furthermore, the map in the right part of the GUI can be used to add stations to the schedule by using {{keybinding|shift|lmb}} on a station or using {{keybinding|ctrl|lmb}} near a rail in the map to create a temporary train station. These actions can also be performed on the world map when the player is sitting inside the train.

Wait conditions are used to tell the train when to leave the station. There are 15 types of wait conditions:
* '''Circuit condition''' – The train stop is connectable to the [[circuit network]], so the signals can used for wait conditions.
* '''Empty cargo''' – All inventories of the train are empty. Does not include fuel inventories.
* '''Fluid count''' – The train (all fluid wagons summed) contains a specific amount of a certain fluid.
* '''Fuel (all locomotives)''' - All locomotives in the train collectively contain a specific amount of fuel
* '''Fuel (any locomotive)''' - Any one locomotive contains a specific amount of fuel
* '''Full cargo''' - All inventories of the train are full. Does not include fuel inventories
* '''Full fuel''' - All fuel inventories are full. Does not include cargo or fluid inventories
* '''Has cargo''' - Cargo or fluid inventories contain items.
* '''Inactivity''' – No items were added or removed for the specified amount of seconds.
* '''Item count''' – The train (all cargoes summed) contains a specific amount of a certain item. Does not include fuel inventories.
* '''Passenger present''' - At least one [[player]] is inside any part of the train.
* '''Passenger not present''' - No players are inside any part of the train.
* '''Station is full''' - A specified stop is full, according to its set train limit. If the stop has no train limit set, this condition will ''not'' be met.
* '''Station is not full''' - A specified stop is not full, according to its set train limit. If the stop has no train limit set, this condition ''will'' be met.
* '''Time passed'''

It is also possible to set no wait condition, this causes the train to simply pass by the station without stopping.

Hereafter the word "term" is used to describe ''one'' type of wait condition, and the words "wait condition" are used to describe the whole set of terms (it turns a bit into maths).

If more than one term is added, it is possible to change the connection of those using the logical operators AND and OR. An AND condition will result in true if all terms are true. An OR condition will return true if at least one of the terms is true.

When mixing AND and OR terms, the logic is grouped by the OR terms. When evaluating the wait condition, the first term is evaluated along with all AND terms immediately following up to but excluding the next occurring OR term. If they all evaluate true, the wait condition evaluates true. Otherwise, evaluation continues with that next occurring OR term and all AND terms immediately following it, up to the next OR term. This continues until either an OR group evaluates true and the wait condition is satisfied, or all terms have been checked.

==== Examples ====
[[File:Traingroup gui.png|thumb|300px|The train group GUI. There are 2 trains in "Group A" and 1 train in "Group B"]]
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:800px">
Expand for examples
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Wait until full, up to 30 seconds:

<pre>
Full cargo inventory
OR 30 seconds passed
</pre>

Wait until cargo full, ''or'' circuit condition Oil > 3000:

<pre>
Full cargo inventory
OR Circuit condition - Oil > 3000
</pre>

Wait until empty, ''and'' 30 seconds passed, ''and'' 5 seconds of inactivity:

<pre>
Empty cargo inventory
AND 30 seconds passed
AND 5 seconds of inactivity
</pre>

Wait until iron ore is low, ''or'' copper ore is low ''and'' at least 30 seconds passed:

<pre>
Cargo: Iron ore < 500
AND 30 seconds passed
OR Cargo: Copper ore < 500
AND 30 seconds passed
</pre>

Factorio's wait condition logic is read as disjunctive normal form ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disjunctive_normal_form DNF]), and so this last example is processed as (note the parenthesis):

<pre>((Cargo: Iron ore < 500 AND 30 seconds passed) OR (Cargo: Copper ore < 500 AND 30 seconds passed))</pre>

Which is the same as this:

<pre>((Cargo: Iron ore < 500 OR Cargo: Copper ore < 500) AND 30 seconds passed)</pre>

Unfortunately, there is no way to write that shorter form in the current UI.
</div></div>

=== Train groups ===
Trains are able to be assigned to a group. Selecting the small edit icon next to "no group assigned" will bring up the existing groups in the current world. One can select a group for the train to join, or create a new one. Editing the schedule of one train will change the schedules of all trains in the same group.

=== Schedule interrupts ===
[[File:Interrupt gui.png|thumb|300px|The Edit Interrupt GUI.]]

Schedule interrupts allow a locomotive to override its current schedule when a certain condition is met. Selecting "Add interrupt" in the locomotive's GUI will bring up a list of existing interrupts in the current world. One can be selected from the list, or typing in a name will create a new one. Creating one will add it to the locomotive and all locomotives in the current locomotive group.

To work, an interrupt requires two parts: a condition and a target station. When a condition is met, the interrupt will activate and insert the target station as a temporary stop in the locomotive's schedule. The locomotive will route to the target station and wait there until the specified wait condition is met, at which point it will leave and resume its original schedule.

An interrupt can be triggered on many of the same conditions as waiting at a stop, along with some new conditions:
* '''At specified station''' - The train is waiting at a specific stop
* '''Destination full or no path''' - The train's next stop is full, according to its train limit; or the train cannot physically reach its next station
* '''Not at specified station''' - The train is stopped somewhere other than the specific stop

Multiple trains can have the same interrupt regardless of whether they are in the same locomotive group or not. Editing an interrupt will change it for all trains which have the interrupt in their system.

Interrupts can be reordered within the locomotive's GUI like normal stops. If a train has multiple interrupt conditions true at the same time, it will prioritize interrupts that are higher on the list.

=== Wildcard Interrupts ===
[[File:interrupt_wildcards.png|thumb|left|300px|The four wildcard signals: Item, Fuel, Fluid, & Signal.]]
Within interrupts, trains have access to four special "wildcard" signals located within the Unsorted tab, which are special [[Circuit network#Logic signals|logic signals]] that can only be used within interrupts. Wildcard signals come in four types: item, fuel, fluid, and signal. When used as a condition to trigger an interrupt, each one looks at a specific inventory within the train and will replace itself with the signal of the first item it finds. For example, if an interrupt is set to trigger if an item parameter is over 50, and 51 [[iron gear wheel]]s are placed into a cargo wagon, the interrupt will trigger as if the condition was looking for over 50 iron gears. Item, fluid, and fuel wildcards each look at a specific inventory: [[cargo wagon|cargo]] and [[artillery wagon]]s, [[fluid wagon]]s, and [[locomotive]]s, respectively.

When used solely as a condition, wildcards act otherwise identically to the [[circuit network#Anything|anything]] logic signal. What makes them special is their function when used in both the condition and the target.

Wildcards will also replace themselves with any [[rich text]] icons within the names of [[train stop]]s. Instead of selecting a target stop from the list, type the name of the station and use the "icon" to insert the appropriate wildcard symbol in to the correct place within the train stop name, replacing the target rich text icon. If the stop has a matching icon in its name, then the train will match the item it contains with that icon, and select that stop as the destination.

The final wildcard, Signal parameter, checks against any signals passed to the train while parked at a train stop. When combined with a signal parameter for a target station, this can make the train go to a stop which has an icon in its name matching the signal it received from the station. When combined with matching the target station based on its contents, this can be utilized to create a generic train system which can select its destination based on the item it receives.

=== Troubleshooting ===

Below are some things to verify if a rail system or train is not working.

* Is the train fueled? Ensure that the locomotive has [[fuel]] of some kind.
* Misplaced or non-functional switches? Ensure that the train can plan a path through the switches.
* Another train on the same [[Railway#Block|block]]? Make sure the path of the train is unobstructed.
* Train stops placed correctly? Make sure that the yellow arrows when hovering on the stop point towards the end or exit of the stop.
* Is the train allowed to enter signals from the right direction? Are the signals set correctly?
* If a track is supposed to be two-way, the rail signals should be opposite each other. You can verify they match up by hovering the cursor over one. For a matched pair, it will show the other.

==== No path ====
When trains cannot reach the target, a "no path" symbol pops up over the locomotive. Check:
* Can the train reach its current destination by '''only driving forward'''? Build turning slopes or place a locomotive at both ends of a train!
* Are the train stops standing in the right direction? Train stops must be on the right-hand side of the track (from the forward-facing locomotive's perspective). If the train is traveling south, the stop must be on the west side of the track.
* If you use rail signals, check that the signals are all allowing traffic in the correct direction.
* Check for interruptions in the train tracks. Especially near junctions, missing rail sections can be hard to spot.

If you are still having problems, consider these troubleshooting techniques:
* Holding {{key|ctrl}} and hovering the cursor over the tracks in map view will show the path the train would take to get there. Move the cursor along the tracks where you expect the path to go until the path disappears. If there is no missing section of rail at that point, there is likely a signalling problem.
* Try driving the train manually. If the train abruptly stops, there is a gap in the track (or possibly a redundant spur that should be removed). Otherwise, as you pass each switch, try switching to automatic. When it works, you will know the rough area of the problem.
[http://imgur.com/a/Nq2Yk A pictorial summary of typical problems].

==== Interrupts ====

When a train is about to leave the last station in an interrupt's schedule, there is no inherent mechanism which prevents the same interrupt from re-triggering. Many interrupt conditions naturally prevent retriggering by the nature of their condition. A wildcard interrupt for unloading cargo cannot trigger if the train has no cargo. Other conditions may retrigger if something in the base has malfunctioned. For example, a refueling interrupt should only trigger when fuel is low. But if the train is at the fuel station, wants to leave, and still has low fuel, then either there is no inserter to load fuel or the refueling station has run out of fuel.

But there can be cases where the conditions for a trigger's desired conditions can still happen after executing the interrupt's schedule.

To force the train to always choose a station with a different name, add "Not at specified station" to the interrupt conditions, specifying the same target station. This way, the train will be forced to pick a different interrupt, or travel to a station in its main schedule.

If the train should travel to a different station of the same name, circuit logic can be used to disable the current station and lower its priority, as well as adding "Station is not full" to the interrupt condition. Note that only disabling the station is not enough to prevent this issue, the train will only choose a different destination with the same name if it has a higher priority. Once there are no other valid stations with the same name (i.e. all of them are disabled, so there is no higher-priority station), the "Station is not full" condition will prevent the train from getting stuck.

== Elevated rails ==
[[File:Elevated intersection example.png|thumb|350px|A simple bridge using elevated rails.]]
{{About/Space age}}
Elevated rails come in a separate mod which can be enabled independently of Space Age. They come as two new buildings: [[rail ramp]] and [[rail support]]. Ramps and supports are the only items in the game able to be built in the oceans of [[Nauvis]]. When playing with Space Age itself, elevated rails become an important part of the game, as they are critical to bridging the oil oceans of [[Fulgora]]{{SA}} and the lava rivers of [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}}, as well as easily crossing the vast watery landscape on [[Gleba]]{{SA}}.

Elevated rails can be built using the [[rail planner]]. Pressing {{Keybinding|G}} will switch levels, and attempt to build a ramp up or down, if the player has one in their inventory. While holding {{Keybinding|shift}} and targeting a section of rail on the opposite level, the rail planner will automatically place any ramps and/or supports necessary to reach that destination. A rail support must be placed every 16 straight tiles. Disassembling a support or ramp will automatically disassemble any rails which rely on that support.

Players and [[enemies]] cannot walk on elevated rail. A player can enter and exit the train if it is elevated as normal, and will be teleported to the ground. If the player attempts to exit while over water or lava, nothing will happen. Both types of rail signals can be placed on elevated rail, but not train stops.

Certain buildings are too tall to be placed underneath elevated rails:
* {{IconLink|Big electric pole}}
* {{IconLink|Cargo landing pad}}
* {{IconLink|Oil refinery}}
* {{IconLink|Roboport}}
* {{IconLink|Rocket silo}}
* {{IconLink|Agricultural tower|space-age=yes}}
* {{IconLink|Cargo bay|space-age=yes}}
* {{IconLink|Lightning rod|space-age=yes}}
* {{IconLink|Lightning collector|space-age=yes}}

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|getting-on-track}}
{{Achievement|trans-factorio-express}}
{{Achievement|watch-your-step}}
{{Achievement|getting-on-track-like-a-pro}}

== History ==
== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* {{SA}} Allowed placement of elevated rails over [[cargo bay]]s and blocked them from receiving cargo pods in this state.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* New rail shapes, rail curves, 22.5 degree tracks. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-377 Friday Facts #377])
* {{SA}} Added rail ramps, rail supports and elevated rails to build bridges. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-378 Friday Facts #378])
* Rail planner now attempts to automatically connect to the targeted rail segment.
* Added super forced building mode.
}}

{{history|0.17.29|
* Simplified rail building.
** Holding shift while rail building always activates the combination of ghost-rail-building + remove-obstacles, releasing shift returns back to normal manual mode.
** It doesn't matter anymore, whether the rail building started with shift or not.
** This removed the possibility to do ghost-rail-building without the remove-obstacles, but since it seems to be almost useless, we consider it to be worth the simplification.
}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* [[Rail planner]] tool simplifies rail building.
* Removed the curved rail, [[rail]] is the only type now.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Tutorial:Train signals]]
* [[Railway/Train path finding]]
* [[Locomotive]]
* [[Cargo wagon]]
* [[Fluid wagon]]
* [[Artillery wagon]]

{{C|Logistics{{!}}#Railway}} {{C|Railway{{!}}#Railway}}

Rail

2026-09-30T18:09:54Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Expanded 2.0.7 changes

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Rail}}

A '''Rail''' is used for building a [[railway]] track for [[locomotive|trains]]. Unlike [[transport belt]]s, rail tracks can also be curved and placed diagonally. [[Train stop]]s, [[rail signal]]s and [[rail chain signal]]s can be placed on rails to better guide automated trains. [[Gate]]s can also be placed on rails, making them rail gates. In [[Space Age]]{{SA}}, rails can be connected to [[rail ramp]]s{{SA}} and [[rail support]]s{{SA}} to build elevated rails. Elevated rails allow trains to freely pass over obstacles.

The minimum rail turning radius is 13, meaning the smallest possible 180° turn has 26 [[Map_structure#Tile|tile]]s between the centers of opposite rails. However, due to rails being two tiles wide, the actual footprint is 28 tiles wide.

The [[rail planner]] can be used to automatically place rails. See the page for more info.

== Achievements ==
Rails are directly related to the following achievements:
{{Achievement|trans-factorio-express}}

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* {{SA}} Allowed placement of elevated rails over [[cargo bay]]s and blocked them from receiving cargo pods in this state.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* New rail shapes, rail curves, 22.5 degree tracks. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-377 Friday Facts #377])
* {{SA}} Added rail ramps, rail supports and elevated rails to build bridges. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-378 Friday Facts #378])
* Rail planner now attempts to automatically connect to the targeted rail segment.
* Added super forced building mode.
}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Rail planner tool simplifies rail building.
* Improved the rail selection logic.
* Halved the mining time of rails.
* Removed the curved rail, ''rail'' is the only type now.
}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Replaced entity type ''rail'' with types ''straight rail'' and ''curved rail''}}

{{history|0.11.17|
* Increased the stack size of Straight Rails to 100 from 50.}}

{{history|0.11.0|
* Gates built on rails now make them rail gates.
* Added end of track graphics.
}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Rails are now crafted in pairs.
* Nicer rail diagonals/turns on minimap.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Added remnants for destroyed rails.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Rails are not minable when a train is on them.
* Rails recipe changed, now needs steel and stone
* Rails made more expensive
}}

{{history|0.2.8|
* Correction of bounding boxes of some built curved rails.}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* Rail building and selection boxes}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Locomotive]]
* [[Rail planner]]
* [[Railway]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Railway}}

Rail planner

2026-09-30T18:07:54Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Elevated rails over cargo bays

{{Languages}}
The '''rail planner''' is a system that allows players to build many segments of [[Rail|rail track]] at once, either directly or as [[ghost]] entities.
The rail planner can be used immediately after researching the [[Railway_(research)|railway]] technology and acquiring some rails.

Aside from constructing the curved rail using a [[blueprint]] and [[construction robot]]s, the rail planner is currently the only way to place curved rail segments.

== Usage ==
[[File:Manual_rail_planner.png|thumb|300x300px|The rail planner operating in manual mode.]]

While holding rails, left-click (press {{Keybinding|A}} on [[Nintendo Switch version|Nintendo Switch]]) on the green arrow icon on existing rail to initiate the rail planning mode.
This mode allows the player to directly place rails within a certain proximity to themselves (at most about 10 rails at a time).
The rails will be placed towards the cursor; simply aim with the cursor and left click (press {{Keybinding|A}} on Nintendo Switch) again to place.
After placement, the rail planner will continue from the end of the new segment, and the process can be repeated.
To escape the planner, press {{keybinding|Q}} ({{Keybinding|B}} on Nintendo Switch).

In this mode, the player is allowed to leave the typical range of the "green hologram" to place items.
This means that, even if the player is physically beyond the range of the "hologram" for the new rail segment, they may still left click (press {{Keybinding|A}} on Nintendo Switch) in order to have the rails placed from a distance.
This allows the player to start the planner, then run far away in a straight line, and click rapidly to bring the rails up to them.
{{clear}}

[[File:Ghost_rail_planner.png|thumb|300x300px|The rail planner operating in ghost building mode.]]
=== Ghost building ===
The ghost building mode can be used to place longer stretches of rail at once, by creating [[ghost]]s of rails that can be filled in by [[construction robot]]s, either from [[roboport]]s or a [[personal roboport]].

Ghost building mode is available in 3 different modes:
* Shortest route: hold {{keybinding|shift}} ({{Keybinding|ZR}} on [[Nintendo Switch version|Nintendo Switch]]) while using the rail planner as described above. The rail planner will find the shortest route without considering natural obstacles such as [[tree]]s or [[cliff]]s, these will be marked for deconstruction, for [[water]] or similar bodies, [[landfill]] or [[foundation]] will be used.
* Collision avoidance: hold {{keybinding|ctrl}} while using the rail planner as described above. The rail planner will find a route while avoiding entities like [[tree]]s, [[cliff]]s or [[water]].
* Super Force Building: holding {{keybinding|ctrl|shift}} will act the same as shortest route, but will also path through buildings/belts and mark them for deconstruction.
{{clear}}

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* {{SA}} Allowed placement of elevated rails over [[cargo bay]]s and blocked them from receiving cargo pods in this state.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* New rail shapes, rail curves, 22.5 degree tracks. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-377 Friday Facts #377])
* {{SA}} Added rail ramps, rail supports and elevated rails to build bridges. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-378 Friday Facts #378])
* Rail planner now attempts to automatically connect to the targeted rail segment.
* Added super forced building mode.
}}

{{history|0.17.29|
* Simplified rail building.
** Holding shift while rail building always activates the combination of ghost-rail-building + remove-obstacles, releasing shift returns back to normal manual mode.
** It doesn't matter anymore, whether the rail building started with shift or not.
** This removed the possibility to do ghost-rail-building without the remove-obstacles, but since it seems to be almost useless, we consider it to be worth the simplification.
}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* [[Rail planner]] tool simplifies rail building.
* Removed the curved rail, [[rail]] is the only type now.
}}

== See Also ==
* [https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-113 The FFF blog post that introduces this feature.]
* [https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-290 FFF describing the rail planning changes made in 0.17.29]
* [[Railway]]

{{C|Railway{{!}}#Rail planner}}

Rail

2026-09-30T15:18:42Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Placement over cargo bays

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Rail}}

A '''Rail''' is used for building a [[railway]] track for [[locomotive|trains]]. Unlike [[transport belt]]s, rail tracks can also be curved and placed diagonally. [[Train stop]]s, [[rail signal]]s and [[rail chain signal]]s can be placed on rails to better guide automated trains. [[Gate]]s can also be placed on rails, making them rail gates. In [[Space Age]]{{SA}}, rails can be connected to [[rail ramp]]s{{SA}} and [[rail support]]s{{SA}} to build elevated rails. Elevated rails allow trains to freely pass over obstacles.

The minimum rail turning radius is 13, meaning the smallest possible 180° turn has 26 [[Map_structure#Tile|tile]]s between the centers of opposite rails. However, due to rails being two tiles wide, the actual footprint is 28 tiles wide.

The [[rail planner]] can be used to automatically place rails. See the page for more info.

== Achievements ==
Rails are directly related to the following achievements:
{{Achievement|trans-factorio-express}}

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Allowed placement of elevated rails over [[cargo bay]]s and blocked cargo bays from receiving cargo pods in this state.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* {{SA}} Added rail ramps, rail supports and elevated rails to build bridges. ([https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-378 Friday Facts #378])
* New rail shapes, rail curves, 22.5 degree tracks.
}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Rail planner tool simplifies rail building.
* Improved the rail selection logic.
* Halved the mining time of rails.
* Removed the curved rail, ''rail'' is the only type now.
}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Replaced entity type ''rail'' with types ''straight rail'' and ''curved rail''}}

{{history|0.11.17|
* Increased the stack size of Straight Rails to 100 from 50.}}

{{history|0.11.0|
* Gates built on rails now make them rail gates.
* Added end of track graphics.
}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Rails are now crafted in pairs.
* Nicer rail diagonals/turns on minimap.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Added remnants for destroyed rails.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Rails are not minable when a train is on them.
* Rails recipe changed, now needs steel and stone
* Rails made more expensive
}}

{{history|0.2.8|
* Correction of bounding boxes of some built curved rails.}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* Rail building and selection boxes}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Locomotive]]
* [[Rail planner]]
* [[Railway]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Railway}}

Rail ramp

2026-09-30T15:17:57Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Place over cargo bays

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Rail_ramp}}
{{About/Space age}}
A '''rail ramp''' is a [[rail]] that inclines upward, which allows [[train]]s to travel over obstacles. Rails that continue off the higher part of the ramp must have [[rail support]]s to keep them elevated. [[Train stop]]s, [[rail signal]]s and [[rail chain signal]]s cannot be placed on rail ramps, unlike straight rails. Locomotives that are stopped on rail ramps will stay still and not slide back down to the ground level. Ramps do not affect train acceleration.

While players are required to own Space Age to access this feature, elevated rails are a separate mod, and can be activated independent of most Space Age content.

== Placement ==
The raised part of rail ramps can be placed on top of water on [[Nauvis]], oil oceans on [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}, marshes on [[Gleba]]{{SA}} and ammoniacal oceans on [[Aquilo]]{{SA}} without the need for [[landfill]] or [[foundation]]. After researching [[Rail support foundations (research)|rail support foundations]], [[rail support]]s and rail ramps can also be placed on Fulgora's deep oil oceans. The first 4 tiles of the ramp needs to be placed on solid ground.

Being able to build the rail ramp on the edge of solid ground can be very useful when space is limited, such as on the small vault islands on [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}.

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Allowed placement of elevated rails over [[cargo bay]]s and blocked cargo bays from receiving cargo pods in this state.}}

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

== See also ==
* [[Elevated rail]]s

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Railway}}

Rail support

2026-09-30T15:17:21Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Place over cargo bays

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Rail_support}}
{{cleanup|visuals, unique diagonal hitbox}}
{{About/Space age}}
A '''Rail support''' is placed under an elevated [[rail]], acting as its foundation. When [[rail planner|planning out]] elevated rails, supports will be automatically added between some units of rails. Supports act as obstacles, and can be removed at any time if one is added.

While players are required to own Space Age to access this feature, elevated rails are a separate mod, and can be activated independent of most Space Age content.

== Placement ==

Each rail support can hold up to five straight rail segments in either direction. It can also accommodate two curved rail segments, or a mix of one curved segment and three straight segments. Elevated rails are naturally able to be placed over most obstacles, such as buildings, [[cliff]]s, and water. However some buildings, like [[big electric pole]]s are too tall to have elevated rails placed above them.

Rail supports can be placed on top of water on [[Nauvis]], oil oceans on [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}, marshes on [[Gleba]]{{SA}} and ammoniacal oceans on [[Aquilo]]{{SA}} without the need for [[landfill]] or [[foundation]]. After researching [[Rail support foundations (research)|rail support foundations]], they can also be placed on Fulgora's deep oil oceans.

== Elevated rails vs landfill ==

For an elevated rail, to place 5 rails over water requires 1 elevated rail support, or a total raw of 66 [[iron ore]] and 40 [[stone]] (not including [[rail ramp]] or [[rail|rails]]), and for [[landfill]], to place 5 rails over water requires 20 landfill, or a total raw of 1000 [[stone]] (not inculding [[rail|rails]]). Therefore it's significantly more efficient to use elevated rails rather than using landfill.

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Allowed placement of elevated rails over [[cargo bay]]s and blocked cargo bays from receiving cargo pods in this state.}}

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

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Railway}}

Space platform hub

2026-09-30T15:15:04Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Set requests from circuit network, request from any planet and other platforms, rocket batching

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Space_platform_hub}}
{{About/Space age}}
The '''space platform hub''' is the centralized base of operations for a [[Player|player's]] [[space platform]], therefore it is the most important part of the platform. If the hub is completely destroyed, the entire platform is lost, which sends the player back to the planet they were last at prior to launching themselves into space. The space platform hub is not built normally like other buildings, but is instead automatically created when a [[space platform starter pack]] has been launched into space. If a platform is lost, another space platform starter pack must be created and sent into space again.

When the player launches themselves to a platform, they will remain in the hub, unable to leave or move around. The following things can be accessed when clicking on a hub:
* The hub's inventory seen at the center, which can be expanded using [[cargo bay]]s, which increase the inventory space when attached to the hub.
* The player's inventory seen at the left.
* The option to auto-request materials to improve the space platform.
* To create stations (similar to a [[railway]]) to travel to other parts of space, including planets.
* Add interrupts, which is shared globally between other space platforms.
* Have the [[thruster]]s automatically on depending on the station settings, or to have them turned off.
* Use orbital drops, which can deliver resources to the surface of planets.

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="300px" heights="160px">
space_station_hub_gui.png|Space platform hub GUI.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Space platform hub can set requests from circuit network.
* Orbital requests can be set to import from any planet.
* Orbital requests can request from other space platforms.
* Added logic to batch small platform requests into one rocket and use mixed rockets which are filled manually (or with inserters) for automated launches.}}

{{history|2.0.14|
* Added a confirmation box when deleting space platforms.
}}

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

{{SpaceNav}}

Agricultural tower

2026-09-30T15:12:01Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Separate controls for harvesting vs. planting

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Agricultural tower}}
{{About/Space age}}
The '''agricultural tower''' is a machine unlocked on [[Gleba]]. It automatically plants and harvests trees in its range, provided that it is supplied with [[seed]]s, and the soils near it support the kinds of seeds it is loaded with.

== Operation ==
The agricultural tower can plant [[yumako seed]]s, [[jellynut seed]]s, or [[tree seed]]s. The agricultural tower's working area is broken up into 3×3 tile sectors, and its reach covers an area of 7x7 sectors. The tower itself is 3x3 and occupies the sector in the middle. When placing the agricultural tower or hovering the cursor over it, its range will be highlighted. A green sector indicates suitable soil, yellow sector indicates that suitable artificial soil can be placed there, and orange indicates unsuitable soil. All tiles in the sector must be suitable; if a sector contains a mix of tiles, the least suitable will determine the color. The tower does not distinguish between tiles requiring artificial soil and more expensive overgrowth soil.

If the tower has a suitable seed and an empty green sector, it will plant the seed in the middle of the sector. Towers will not plant in sectors that have any object or [[ghost]] in them, even if it wouldn't block the tree: a [[medium electric pole]] can be placed on the edges of the sector without any harm to the tree, but the tower will not replant that tree after harvesting it. Such blocked sector will still show up as green. A tower in range of different kinds of soils can plant and harvest both, but if a ''sector'' includes different types of soil, it will show up as green despite not being suitable for planting.

If there is no planting work and the tower has space in the output slots, it will harvest any fully grown plants in range. Note that this includes wild plants native to Gleba such as [[slipstack]] or [[cuttlepop]] which result in items like [[wood]] and [[spoilage]]. Otherwise, the tower will stand still and wait for the plants to grow. [[Yumako tree]]s and [[jellystem]]s take 5 minutes to grow, while [[tree]]s on Nauvis take 10 minutes. Agricultural towers consume no electricity while waiting. The order in which towers plant and harvest appears to be random.

Harvesting trees on Gleba creates [[spores]], which attract enemies. Agricultural towers themselves also produce spores while working.

A tower can support growing up to 48 trees; however, in practice the actual maximum number is 47 to account for power and inserters/belts, and using all 48 tiles would require at least a [[Quality|rare]] [[substation]] and manual insertion/removal. A [[fast underground belt]] is sufficient to use 47 sectors.

[[File:Agri_tower_hover.jpg|thumb|300px|none|Example of an agricultural tower, showing the various indicators.]]

== Trees and tiles ==
* [[Yumako seed]]s grow into [[yumako tree]]s, which are harvested for [[yumako]]s. On the map, their natural soil viable for planting is bright yellow, tiles suitable for [[artificial yumako soil]] are dark yellow, and tiles suitable for [[overgrowth yumako soil]] are greenish yellow.
* [[Jellynut seed]]s grow into [[jellystem]]s, which are harvested for [[jellynut]]s. On the map, their natural soil viable for planting is bright purple, tiles suitable for [[artificial jellynut soil]] are dark purple, and tiles suitable for [[overgrowth jellynut soil]] are red and dark red.
* [[Tree seed]]s grow into [[tree]]s, which are harvested for [[wood]]. Most land tiles on Nauvis are suitable for trees, other than [[landfill]].

== Tips ==

Unlike most other methods of resource gathering in the game, agricultural towers do not benefit from [[Mining productivity (research)|mining productivity research]], and they have no module slots. Each processed fruit has a 2% chance to return its respective seed, so the expected number of seeds that each tree produces is one - the same number of seeds that was used to produce the tree. This can cause the seed amount to diminish, especially if fruits are allowed to spoil, burned, or eaten. However, fruit processing '''does''' benefit from productivity - either via [[productivity module]]s or via the 50% inbuilt productivity of the [[biochamber]]{{SA}}. Using just a biochamber with no extra productivity modules takes the expected seeds each tree returns from 1 to 1.5.

Note that this is only an ''expectation'' - there is no underlying mechanic that guarantees 50 fruits will return any number of seeds. It is entirely possible that one might process all 50 fruits harvested from a single tree, or even multiple trees, and obtain no seeds in return.

Agricultural towers may be activated or deactivated via the [[circuit network]]. This can be useful to avoid letting excess fruit back up, as they may eventually spoil and be wasted - and even if it does not, the extra time spent waiting to be processed decreases the [[Spoilage mechanics|freshness]]{{SA}} of the item, which in turn may decrease the freshness of recipes that consume this item. It's worth mentioning that agricultural towers will collect fruit until their inventory is full, even if inserters aren't removing the fruits, and therefore it's inadvisable to control fruit production via inserters, lest the fruit turn into [[spoilage]]{{SA}} while still inside the agricultural tower.

Furthermore, agricultural towers do not coordinate amongst each other if more than one tower could harvest/plant on a specific piece of land. Having overlapping agricultural towers work areas will not speed up the action time of each tower, in fact, it will slow down with the towers attempting to harvest/plant the same tree.

== Trivia ==

* During development, the agricultural tower had a fluid input/output. As explained by content creator Trupen, it was used to insert fertilizer made from "biter shit," which had to be collected as a liquid and shipped to Gleba.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QixtDQtgdA0&t=2148] Remnants of this can still be seen on the in-game sprite.

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Added separate circuit network controls for disabling harvesting and planting to agricultural towers.}}

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

== See also ==
* [[Gleba]]{{SA}}

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Agriculture}}

Storage tank

2026-09-30T15:10:07Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Pipeline visualization changes and hotkey

{{Languages}}
{{About|the liquid storage container|the armored combat vehicle|Tank}}
{{:Infobox:Storage tank}}
The '''storage tank''' is a building that can store up to 25,000 units of a [[Fluid system|fluid]]. It is a passive [[storage]] — it has no input and no output, essentially acting as volume increase of the [[pipe]] segment it is connected to.

== Usage ==

The storage tank is often used to store raw materials and excess products from [[oil processing]], allowing a [[oil refinery|refinery]] to run without interruptions. It can be used as short term buffer to keep up throughput for high volume recipes such as [[acid neutralisation]]{{SA}} and [[steam condensation]]{{SA}} to avoid the machines getting full or empty. It can also be connected to the [[circuit network]], sending the fluid contents as a signal to the network.

Storage tanks are part of the fluid segment they are connected to, so they are always filled to the same percentage of capacity as the pipes that lead to it. As there is no real flow in the pipes, a storage tank is always filled evenly with the segment it is connected to, regardless of how far away an inflow is. If there are multiple storage tanks connected to the same pipe segment, they all have exactly the same fill state.

The fluid inside the storage tank can be destroyed by flushing the storage tank or the whole fluid system in the GUI, or by mining and rebuilding the storage tank. The storage tank can be emptied without destroying the contained fluid by draining it with a [[pump]]. Mining a storage tank will send its contents to the next nearest storage tanks, if the fluids match.

== Usage as "Energy-tank" ==

:''See also: [[Electric system#Steam tanks as power storage|Steam tanks as power storage]]''

Storage tanks can also be used as a replacement for [[accumulator|accumulators]]. If steam consumption by [[steam engine]]s or [[steam turbine|turbines]] changes a lot over a daily cycle (for example due to [[solar panel]]s or [[laser turret]]s), storage tanks can be filled with steam during low power usage and then emptied during heavy load.

A storage tank filled with [[heat exchanger]] 500°C steam stores around 2.4GJ; a storage tank filled with [[boiler]] 165°C steam stores 750MJ.

=== Calculations ===

* 1 '''Storage tank''' can store 25,000 units of 500ºC steam.
* 1 [[Steam turbine]] can output 5,820kW = 5,820kJ/s using 60 units of 500ºC steam/s.
* 1 Storage tank can keep 1 steam turbine working at full capacity for 25,000 ∕ 60 ≈ 416.6667s
* A Storage tank can store up to 25,000 ∕ 60 × 5,820 = '''2,425,000kJ''' using 500ºC steam.

* 1 '''Storage tank''' can store 25,000 units of 165ºC steam.
* 1 [[Steam engine]] can output 900kW = 900kJ/s using 30 units of 165ºC steam/s.
* 1 Storage tank can keep 1 steam engine working for 25,000 ∕ 30 ≈ 833.3333s
* A Storage tank can store up to 25,000 ∕ 30 × 900 = '''750,000kJ''' using 165ºC steam.

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths=320px heights=200px>
File:Storage tank GUI.png|The storage tank's GUI with the ability to clear the contained fluid.
File:storagetank.png|Four storage tanks linked together to form a large storage facility.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Storage tank fluid volume increases with quality.
* Added circuit network reads for pipeline contents and fluid temperature to pipes, pipes to ground, and storage tanks.
* Added an interface setting to disable visualization of fluid pipelines when holding a fluid-related entity.
* Added a checkbox and a hotkey (unbound by default) to visualize fluid pipelines that an entity is a member of.
* Fluid pipeline visualization when holding a fluid-related entity will only show in alt mode.
* Removed automatic fluid pipeline visualization on entity hover. Use the pipe GUI or the configurable hotkey to persistently visualize specific pipelines instead.}}

{{history|0.15.7|
* Reduced the mining time of the storage tank from 3 seconds to 1.5 seconds.}}

{{history|0.15.0|
* Multiplied all fluid amounts by 10.}}

{{history|0.13.12|
* Fluid icon now scales with size of tank.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Liquid inside can be seen through a small window.
* Now connectible to the [[circuit network]].}}

{{history|0.9.1|
* Storage tank has 2.5 times bigger capacity (25000 litres) and takes longer to mine.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Fluid system]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Storage}}

Pipe

2026-09-30T15:08:52Z

HeliGungir: /* History */

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Pipe}}

The '''pipe''' is the most basic method of distribution of fluids. It is commonly used to provide water from [[offshore pump]]s to [[boiler]]s and steam to [[steam engine]]s for power generation, and later on, [[crude oil]] and [[Oil processing|oil products]]. Unlike [[transport belts]], [[player]]s and [[enemies]] can't walk over them.

Comprehensive information on fluid distribution can be found on the [[fluid system]] page.

Attempting to build a pipe that would potentially mix two liquids will fail, as the pipe won't be placed. Undesired fluid can be flushed from the pipe system by opening the pipe GUI and clicking the trash button next to the fluid. Fluids that are flushed from pipes are deleted permanently.

== Alternative recipes ==
{{About/Space age}}
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Process !! Input !! Output !! Made in !! Required technology
|-
| {{icon|Casting pipe||}} Casting pipe
| {{icon|Time|1}} + {{icon|Molten iron|10}}
| {{icon|Pipe|1}}
| {{icon|Foundry|space-age=yes}}
| {{icontech|Foundry (research)|}} [[Foundry (research)]]
|-
|}

== Gallery ==
<gallery heights=175px widths=273px>
File:pipe_mix_deny.gif||Failed attempt to mix fluids.
File:Pipe_GUI.png|GUI of a pipe inside a fluid system containing water.
File:pipes_placement_gui.png|The GUI of liquids going through pipes when ready to place more pipes.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Pipes and pipes to ground can be connected to the circuit network.
* Added circuit network reads for pipeline contents and fluid temperature to pipes, pipes to ground, and storage tanks.
* Added an interface setting to disable visualization of fluid pipelines when holding a fluid-related entity.
* Added a checkbox and a hotkey (unbound by default) to visualize fluid pipelines that an entity is a member of.
* Fluid pipeline visualization when holding a fluid-related entity will only show in alt mode.
* Removed automatic fluid pipeline visualization on entity hover. Use the pipe GUI or the configurable hotkey to persistently visualize specific pipelines instead.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* Reworked the fluid system flow logic. (https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-416)
** Contiguous sections of pipes and storage tanks are merged into segments.
** Each segment contains a single fluid, and throughput is proportional to how full a segment is.}}

{{history|0.15.0|
* Increased stack size from 50 to 100.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Underground pipes and belts are placed at max connecting distance apart when built by dragging.}}

{{history|0.11.6|
* The Oil refinery and chemical plant are disconnected from pipes if the recipe is reset.}}

{{history|0.10.1|
* Added new icons}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* Unused pipe connections are passive and do not connect to pipes.}}

{{history|0.9.1|
* Pipes now refresh their connection to [[storage tank]]s when rotated.
* Small quantities of fluid can be pushed/destroyed by larger quantities in pipes.
}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* New graphics.
* All terminating pipes now have visuals.
* Pipes now show fluid inside when {{keybinding|ALT}} mode is enabled.
* Optimized bounding boxes.
}}

{{history|0.5.1|
* The [[boiler]] is now fast-replaceable with pipes, and vice versa.
* New graphics.
}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Visualization of connection to a pipe to ground.}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Pump]]
* [[Pipe to ground]]
* [[Fluid system]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Energy and fluid distribution}}

Pipe to ground

2026-09-30T15:08:19Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Circuit connection, pipeline visualization changes and hotkey

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Pipe to ground}}

The '''pipe to ground''' (or "underground pipe") is a distribution method for [[Fluid system|liquids and gases]]. Since a basic [[pipe]] is impassable, these are necessary to keep the factory open, as well as to cross belt lines or environmental features.

Comprehensive information on fluid distribution can be found on the [[fluid system]] page.

== Alternative recipes ==
{{About/Space age}}
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Process !! Input !! Output !! Made in !! Required technology
|-
| {{icon|Casting pipe to ground||}} Casting pipe to ground
| {{icon|Time|1}} + {{icon|Pipe|10}} + {{icon|Molten iron|50}}
| {{icon|Pipe to ground|2}}
| {{icon|Foundry|space-age=yes}}
| {{icontech|Foundry (research)|}} [[Foundry (research)]]
|-
|}

== Notes ==
* While pipe to ground is the developer name for the entity, the community has taken to simply referring to this entity as "underground pipe". This is the most common reference.
* The maximum distance at which an underground pipe can connect is 10 tiles, resulting in a gap of 9 tiles in between.
* The gap between underground pipes does not store any fluids; a pair of underground pipes only has the same volume as two regular pipes, regardless of distance bridged.
* Underground pipes as well as [[underground belt]]s cannot transport items beneath [[lava]] {{SA}} and space void.

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths=320px heights=200px>
File:pipe_to_ground_gui.png|The pipe to ground's GUI with the ability to clear the contained fluid.
File:pipe_to_ground_underwater.png|An example of a pipe to ground going under a patch of water.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Pipes and pipes to ground can be connected to the circuit network.
* Added circuit network reads for pipeline contents and fluid temperature to pipes, pipes to ground, and storage tanks.
* Added an interface setting to disable visualization of fluid pipelines when holding a fluid-related entity.
* Added a checkbox and a hotkey (unbound by default) to visualize fluid pipelines that an entity is a member of.
* Fluid pipeline visualization when holding a fluid-related entity will only show in alt mode.
* Removed automatic fluid pipeline visualization on entity hover. Use the pipe GUI or the configurable hotkey to persistently visualize specific pipelines instead.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* Underground pipes now turn green (instead of the default yellow) when placed at the maximum distance.
* Changed pipe to ground collision mask so player can walk on top of it.}}
{{history|0.13.0|
* Underground pipes are now automatically placed at maximum distance when building by dragging.}}

{{history|0.10.1|
* Icon changes.}}

{{history|0.9.3|
* For two different pipe to ground types, the distance limit is now the minimum of the two connections.}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Pipe to ground can now reach up to 10 tiles underground.
* A pipe to ground can have multiple underground connections.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Pipe to grounds are made in pairs, and are more expensive to craft.}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* Automatic 180 degree rotation of underground pipes when the first pipe is built.}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Visualization of the connection between two underground pipes.}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Fluid system]]
* [[Pipe]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Energy and fluid distribution}}

Stack inserter

2026-09-30T15:01:47Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Flipping

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Stack inserter}}
{{About/Space age}}
{{About|the new inserter introduced in [[Space Age]]|the base game inserter with large transfer abilities|bulk inserter}}
The '''stack inserter''' is an electric inserter that can move multiple items at the same time and build stacks on [[Belt transport system|belts]]. It has a larger maximum hand size than the [[bulk inserter]] while turning at the same rate, giving it a 33% higher throughput.

Unlike other inserters, it will not insert into its target until it has collected a full hand size of items. While usually beneficial, this can be a problem if more materials from the source are not forthcoming. In particular, holding onto [[Spoilage mechanics|spoilable]] items can lead to reduced freshness or even completely spoiling into a less useful item.

This particular feature of the stack inserter means that it is not a complete upgrade to the [[bulk inserter]]; there will be cases where the latter is more appropriate.

To avoid getting stuck, if the item it is holding while waiting for more items [[Spoilage mechanics|spoils]] into a different item, then it will turn immediately to discard its hand. Similarly, if the inserter is given a filter, and that filter changes to no longer include the item in its hand, the stack inserter will immediately turn and discard its hand. This latter feature [[#Tips|can make it easy to force the inserter to become unstuck]].

== Belt stacking ==

When a stack inserter inserts items onto a belt, it will stack them to the maximum [[Transport_belt_capacity_(research)|belt stack size]] currently researched. The Stack inserter research increases the maximum belt stack to 2, with two further researches increasing it to 4.

The stack inserter will attempt to always build stacks of the maximum size currently researched. This has particular interactions with the inserter's hand size. When inserting onto a belt (and ''only'' when doing so), the hand size is always rounded down to the next multiple of the current maximum belt stack size. This means that it will almost always build full stacks even if this moves fewer items than the hand size says it should.

There are several cases where the stack inserter will not build full stacks on belts. First, if the hand size is less than the current maximum belt stack size (so rounding down would result in a hand size of 0), then the stack inserter will respect the exact hand size and build partial stacks.

Second, as previously indicated, if the stack inserter is holding a spoilable item, and that item spoils, then the stack inserter will insert that item into its destination immediately, building whatever stacks it can when inserting onto a belt. This also applies to changing the filter of the stack inserter.

There is a very rare third case: if the research for maximum belt stacks changes while the inserter is moving to insert onto a belt, then it will build whatever stacks it can onto that belt using the new belt stack limit.

When inserting into containers or machines, the hand size will be exactly respected.

== Stack size ==
The stack size for stack inserters is increased by the [[Inserter capacity bonus (research)]] technology (though you will likely have already researched most if not all of these upgrades before researching stack inserters). The stack size can be overridden to set how many items it picks up at one time, with the maximum being the highest research level currently unlocked.

{| class="wikitable"
! Inserter capacity bonus
! Stack size bonus
! Total stack size
|- align="center"
| align="left"| none || 0 || 6
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 1 || +1 || 7
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 2 || +1 || 8
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 3 || +1 || 9
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 4 || +1 || 10
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 5 || +2 || 12
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 6 || +2 || 14
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 7 || +2 || 16
|}

== Tips ==

The stack inserter usually does not turn until it has its full hand size. While this is often desireable, there are circumstances where this behavior can pose a problem. There are ways to force a stack inserter to discard its current hand contents.

The primary tool for doing this is to control the stack inserter's filtered item list. If the filters change such that the item in the inserter's hand is no longer on the list of valid filtered items, then the inserter will immediately turn to drop its hand regardless of how much is there.

When inserting from a container into something else (a belt, machine, etc), one can employ the [[circuit network]]. If you wire the stack inserter to that container, and set the stack inserter to filter items based on the circuit network, then everything automatically works. If the stack inserter's hand is not full, that can only be because the container ran out of items of that type. Which means that the container will no longer broadcast a positive signal of that item's type. And that means the stack inserter's filters will not be filtered on the item in the stack inserter's hand. And therefore, it will immediately turn to drop the items.

This can also work on various crafting machines, as they can be set to broadcast their contents. Their contents do include their input slots, but this is safe as output inserters cannot output items in the input slots of a machine.

However, because broadcasting contents does include the items in those input slots as filters, if the recipe requires more than 5 total inputs and outputs, this mechanism may not work. Inserter filters can only filter on 5 items at once, so if there are more than 5 items to be filtered, then the system will pick 5 of them arbitrarily. And if there are 5 inputs, the filtered set may never include ''any'' of the outputs.

Note that for machines dealing with [[spoilage mechanics|spoilable items]], the 5 item limit also includes any possible spoil products.

This mechanism can be adapted to handle recipes with larger numbers of inputs by using combinator machinery to filter out any signals that are not the desired outputs.

Stack inserters that insert from a belt can also do this. The belt they are inserting from can be wired to the stack inserter and told to read that belt tile's contents. However, this will prevent the inserter from waiting for more items, so it can lead to more insertions than is strictly needed.

== Trivia ==
* When first mentioned in [https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-393 FFF #393], the stack inserter was instead called the "bulk inserter". However, in response to feedback from the audience, the developers announced in [https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-394 the following FFF] that its name would be swapped with that of [[bulk inserter|what was previously known as a "stack inserter"]], as this naming was deemed more appropriate.

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Inserters can be flipped to make blueprint flipping reliable.}}

{{history|2.0.18|
* [[Bulk inserter]] no longer can be upgraded to a stack inserter.
}}

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

== See also ==
* [[Bulk inserter]]
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Inserters]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Inserters}}

Bulk inserter

2026-09-30T15:01:31Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Flipping

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Bulk inserter}}
The '''bulk inserter''' is an electric inserter that can move multiple items at the same time. Moving at the speed of the [[fast inserter]], it transfers multiple items per cycle to give it a material flow advantage at the cost of additional power consumption.

When transferring between chests or [[cargo wagon]]s it picks up and drops off the entire stack of items instantly. When picking up from or dropping off items onto a [[transport belt]] a bulk inserter needs to grab or drop each item individually, increasing the time between arm swings and lowering its potential throughput. In these cases, however, the bulk inserter still has higher throughput than a [[fast inserter]] because it swings back and forth less often. The throughput from [[Inserters#Chest_to_chest|chest to chest]] for a fully upgraded bulk inserter is 27.69 items per second, but only 13.85 items/s from [[Inserters#Chest_to_belt|chest to express belt]].

A bulk inserter cannot carry more items than the item's [[stack|inventory stack]] size.

== Stack size ==

The stack size is increased by the [[inserter capacity bonus (research)]] technology. The stack size can be overridden to set how many items it picks up at one time, with the maximum being the highest research level currently unlocked.
{| class="wikitable"
! Inserter capacity bonus
! Stack size bonus
! Total stack size
|- align="center"
| align="left"| none || 0 || 2
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 1 || +1 || 3
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 2 || +1 || 4
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 3 || +1 || 5
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 4 || +1 || 6
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 5 || +2 || 8
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 6 || +2 || 10
|- align="center"
| align="left"| 7 || +2 || 12
|-
|}

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Inserters can be flipped to make blueprint flipping reliable.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* All inserters now have filter option.
* Renamed from Stack inserter to Bulk inserter.
* Max energy consumption increased from 133 kW to 169 kW.}}

{{history|0.15.0|
* Added stack inserter override feature.}}

{{history|0.13.7|
* Updated stack inserter tech icon.}}

{{history|0.13.6|
* Now unlocked by their own research.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Inserters]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Inserters}}

Fast inserter

2026-09-30T15:01:20Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Flipping

{{Languages}}{{:Infobox:Fast inserter}}
The '''fast inserter''' is an electric inserter that is more than twice as fast as the regular [[inserter]].

For more information on mechanics and uses see [[inserters]].

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Inserters can be flipped to make blueprint flipping reliable.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* All inserters now have filter option.
** All [[filter inserter]]s crafted before 2.0.7 have been turned into fast inserters.}}

{{history|0.13.2|
* Inserters connected to the circuit network now have the option to only read hand contents.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Inserters can now send the item held in hand to the circuit network.
* Inserters are able to squeeze things ''slightly'' better to belts. more resources.
* All types of inserters can be controlled by the circuit and logistic network, once the respective network is researched.
* Power drain and consumption increased, no longer more efficient than Inserters.
}}

{{history|0.12.2|
* Inserters will never take more than the max stack size of an item.
* Inserters and logistic robots no longer extract from enemy chests
* Inserters now correctly pick up items from splitters
}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Inserters can now extract from Roboports and Beacons.
* Inserters now take items from right behind them, not from the center of the pickup target entity.}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* New icon
* New sounds}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Inserters can have arbitrary pickup and insert positions.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Inserter code optimisation, inserters that have nothing to do will sleep.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Improved inserter's ability to pull from train wagons.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Fast inserter now has the same speed as the smart inserter.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Inserter can now pick up up to 5 items when researched.}}

{{history|0.4.0|
* Smaller inserter bounding box}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New Inserter graphics}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* The item in the hand of the inserter is returned to the player when mined.}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Show direction of inserter}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* For general knowledge about inserters, their mechanics and applications, see [[Inserters]].

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Inserters}}

Long-handed inserter

2026-09-30T15:01:11Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Flipping

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Long-handed inserter}}

The '''Long-handed inserter''' is an electric [[inserter]] that picks up and places items two tiles from its location instead of the usual one. They are commonly used for placing items on a [[Transport belts|belt]] that is three tiles away from either an [[assembling machine]] or a [[furnace]].

Long-handed inserters may have trouble grabbing moving items from red/blue turning belts if the item is on the far side. They can also grab items past north facing [[cliff]]s that go straight across, though cliffs of any other kind are too thick for the inserter to reach across.

For more information on mechanics and uses see [[Inserters]].

== Gallery ==
[[File:long_handed_inserter_cliff.gif|frame|none|A long handed inserter reaching across a cliff.]]

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Inserters can be flipped to make blueprint flipping reliable.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* All inserters now have filter option.}}

{{history|0.13.2|
* Inserters connected to the circuit network now have the option to only read hand contents.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Inserters can now send the item held in hand to the circuit network.
* Inserters are able to squeeze things ''slightly'' better to belts. more resources.
* All types of inserters can be controlled by the circuit and logistic network, once the respective network is researched.
}}

{{history|0.12.2|
* Inserters will never take more than the max stack size of an item.
* Inserters and logistic robots no longer extract from enemy chests
* Inserters now correctly pick up items from splitters
}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Inserters can now extract from Roboports and Beacons.
* Inserters now take items from right behind them, not from the center of the pickup target entity.}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* New icon
* New sounds}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Inserters can have arbitrary pickup and insert positions.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Inserter code optimisation, inserters that have nothing to do will sleep.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Improved inserter's ability to pull from train wagons.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Inserter can now pick up up to 5 items when researched.}}

{{history|0.4.0|
* Smaller inserter bounding box}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New Inserter graphics}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* The item in the hand of the inserter is returned to the player when mined.}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Show direction of inserter}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Inserters]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Inserters}}

Inserter

2026-09-30T15:00:59Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Flipping

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Inserter}}
''For the article encompassing all inserter types, see [[Inserters]].''

The '''inserter''' can be used to transfer items between entities such as [[transport belt|transport belts]] and [[stone furnace|stone furnaces]]. It is the most basic [[electric system|electric]] inserter.

Unlike the [[fast inserter]], the inserter is not fast enough to pick up items moving on the far side of a curving [[express transport belt]]s and [[turbo transport belt]]s{{SA}}.

The inserter is notable in that it is used in the creation of [[logistic science pack]], so players must create an automated inserter assembly line. The basic inserter is also used in the creation of both the fast inserter and the long inserter, and serves as the base item for all electric inserters.

For more information on mechanics and uses see [[inserters]].

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Inserters can be flipped to make blueprint flipping reliable.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* All inserters now have filter option.
* Max energy consumption increased from 13.6 kW to 15.1 kW.
* Inserters now reliably pick up items off of [[express transport belt]]s and the far corner of curving [[fast transport belt]]s.}}

{{history|0.13.2|
* Inserters connected to the circuit network now have the option to only read hand contents.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Inserters can now send the item held in hand to the circuit network.
* Inserters are able to squeeze things ''slightly'' better to belts.
* All types of inserters can be controlled by the circuit and logistic network, once the respective network is researched.
}}

{{history|0.12.2|
* Inserters will never take more than the max stack size of an item.
* Inserters and logistic robots no longer extract from enemy chests
* Inserters now correctly pick up items from [[splitter]]s.
}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Inserters can now extract from [[Roboport]]s and [[Beacon]]s.
* Inserters now take items from right behind them, not from the center of the pickup target entity.
}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* New icon
* New sounds
}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Inserters can have arbitrary pickup and insert positions.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Inserter code optimization, inserters that have nothing to do will sleep.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Improved inserter's ability to pull from train wagons.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Fast inserter now has the same speed as the smart inserter.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Inserter can now pick up up to 5 items when researched.}}

{{history|0.4.0|
* Smaller inserter bounding box}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New Inserter graphics}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* The item in the hand of the inserter is returned to the player when mined.}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Show direction of inserter}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Inserters]]
* [[Fast inserter]]
* [[Long-handed inserter]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Inserters}}

Burner inserter

2026-09-30T15:00:47Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Flipping

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Burner inserter}}

The '''burner inserter''' is the most basic and slowest type of [[inserters]]. It is powered by burning [[fuel]], compared to the more advanced inserters which are powered by [[electric system|electricity]]. It will add fuel to its own supply if it picks any up, which makes it useful for filling [[boiler|boilers]] with [[coal]]. This has the advantage that it will continue working even if the power fails, as opposed to electrically-powered inserters which will be unable to function. It consumes no fuel while idle, though it consumes vastly more energy than most other inserters when active.

Even though it doesn't use electricity, a burner inserter can be connected to and controlled by the [[logistic network|logistic]] and the [[circuit network]].

Burner inserters, like all inserters, do not directly produce any [[pollution]] in their operation. However, burner inserters can still indirectly contribute to pollution by consuming fuel, which costs pollution to gather.

== Fuel consumption ==

A burner inserter consumes no power while idle and does not continuously consume the maximum amount of power when working. Burner inserters spawn with an internal energy buffer of 500 kJ, represented as 25% the value of a piece of wood fuel (which is 2MJ). Aside from not having drain, all its other power characteristics are identical to the rest of the inserters. It simply pulls its joules from its fuel rather than the power grid.

Burner inserters consume around 69.4 kJ per item transfer. That means the inserter can spin just below ~29 times from a single piece of wood (2 MJ). That makes ~58 for coal, and ~173 for solid fuel. With a maximum speed of ~0.79 per second, or inversely ~1.27 seconds per spin, it can run full speed for ~218 seconds before needing refueling using solid fuel. For more detailed information on inserter power characteristics, see [[inserters]].

Burners also have a behavior known as "leeching" where they will pull fuel from their input and commandeer it for their own use. This leeching behavior is not exactly quantified, but it is triggered whenever the internal fuel inventory reaches zero, and performing the action also consumes fuel since motion is never free.

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Inserters can be flipped to make blueprint flipping reliable.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* All inserters now have filter option.
* Energy consumption increased from 94.2 kW to 144 kW.
* Burner inserters now reliably pick up items off of [[fast transport belt]]s and [[express transport belt]]s.}}

{{history|0.13.2|
* Inserters connected to the circuit network now have the option to only read hand contents.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Inserters can now send the item held in hand to the circuit network.
* Inserters are able to squeeze things ''slightly'' better to belts.
* All types of inserters can be controlled by the circuit and logistic network, once the respective network is researched.
}}

{{history|0.12.16|
* Improved burner inserter's fuel searching logic; it will now search both transport belt lines for fuel}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Burner inserter now grabs fuel for itself even if the target doesn't need it}}

{{history|0.12.2|
* Inserters will never take more than the max stack size of an item.
* Inserters and logistic robots no longer extract from enemy chests
* Inserters now correctly pick up items from splitters
}}

{{history|0.12.1|
* Burner inserters start with enough energy to pick up 1 item and fuel themselves.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Inserters can now extract from roboports and beacons.
* Inserters now take items from right behind them, not from the center of the pickup target entity.}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* New icon
* New sounds}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Inserters can have arbitrary pickup and insert positions.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Inserter code optimisation, inserters that have nothing to do will sleep.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Improved inserter's ability to pull from train wagons.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Fast inserter now has the same speed as the smart inserter.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Inserter can now pick up up to 5 items when researched.}}

{{history|0.4.0|
* Smaller inserter bounding box}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New Inserter graphics}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* The item in the hand of the inserter is returned to the player when mined.}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Show direction of inserter}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Inserters]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Inserters}}

Inserters

2026-09-30T15:00:01Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Created section

{{Languages}}
''For the common yellow electrical inserter, see [[Inserter]].''

'''Inserters''' are devices which are used to move items over short distances. When placed, they have a fixed direction. They can move items from behind and place them in front of them. By doing this, they can move items from one transport belt to another, but also extract items from—and insert items into—machines or storage devices.

== Types of inserters ==
{| class="wikitable"
| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || The only [[fuel]]-powered inserter, with the slowest speed.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || The standard electrical inserter.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || Capable of inserting and removing items from a greater distance.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || Much faster than the inserter.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || As fast as the fast inserter, but can move many more items at the same time at once.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Stack inserter|space-age=yes}} || As fast as the bulk inserter, but can stack items on a belt.
|}

== Mechanics ==
Inserters '''will''':
* Pick up items off the ground, off of a [[Transport belts|transport belt]], or from any object that has storage space, such as [[chests]], [[furnace]]s, [[assembling machine]]s, or [[vehicle]]s.
* Place the item onto the ground, onto a transport belt, or into any object that has storage space.
* Run at slower speeds when starved for energy.
* Pick up as many items as their [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|stack size]] allows at once, if they do not have to wait too long to pick them up.
* Pick up items and drop them into the void of space or lava, permanently destroying them. This is useful for getting rid of unwanted items.

Inserters '''will not''':
* Pick up any items of a type that cannot be inserted into the adjacent entity.
* Pick up any items if the adjacent entity is a [[ghost]].
* Pick up items to place into an entity with a full inventory (however, it will pick up items up to its hand size even if not all of them will fit).
* Place more than one item at a time onto the same ground tile.
* Place items into an entity that cannot hold them, for example due to [[Stack#Filtered_stacks|filtered]] or [[Stack#Stack_limitation|limited slots]].
* Place items into a [[cargo wagon]] or fuel into a [[locomotive]] if the train it's part of is in motion, or in automatic mode and not stopped at a [[train stop]] (e.g. waiting at a signal). (Wagons will be visibly closed if they cannot be inserted into for this reason.)
* Fill up the entire target inventory of [[boiler]]s, [[nuclear reactor]]s, [[:Category:Producers|production building]]s, [[furnace]]s and [[turret]]s (see below).

If two or more inserters are picking up from the same tile, the inserter that can grab the items the fastest will grab them first. Besides faster inserters, this favors inserters taking from the inner lane of a transport belt.

=== Insertion limits ===
Depending on where an inserter is moving items, it does not always fill up the entire target inventory. This allows other inserters taking from the same transport belt to pick up their share of the items. For example, if a boiler has 5 or more items of fuel in it, an inserter will not insert additional fuel. This allows the other fuel to travel further down the transport belt. When the fuel drops below 5 items, the inserter will resume inserting fuel, up to the limit of 5 items.

{| class="wikitable"
! Entity !! Item type !! Automatic insertion limit
|-
| [[Boiler]]s, [[burner inserter]]s, [[furnace]]s, and [[nuclear reactor]]s || [[Fuel]] || style="text-align:center" | 5
|-
| [[Gun turret]]s || Magazines || style="text-align:center" | 10
|-
| [[Artillery turret]]s || [[Artillery shell]]s || style="text-align:center" | 5
|-
| [[Assembling machine]]s, [[furnace]]s, [[centrifuge]]s, [[chemical plant]]s, and [[Oil refinery|oil refineries]]|| Items needed for the recipe || The ingredients for 1 craft in addition to the ingredients for the number of crafts that can be completed (rounded up) during one full normal [[quality]] standard [[inserter]] swing (1.166 seconds); but at least the ingredients for 2 crafts and at most the ingredients for 100 crafts.[https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?p=309796#p309796]
|-
| [[Lab]]s || [[Science pack]]s || The number of normal quality science packs needed for one research unit in addition to the science packs for the number of research units that can be completed (rounded up) during one full normal quality standard inserter swing (1.166 seconds); but at least the ingredients for 2 research units and at most the ingredients for 100 research units.
|}

An inserter that has a higher [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|inserter capacity bonus]] than 1 can overfill the target building, due to the inserter picking up a higher amount of items than needed. Overfilling can also occur if multiple inserters are used to insert items into one building.

=== Inserters and transport belts ===
[[Transport belts]] have two lanes on which items can travel. Inserters only place items onto one side of the belt, either the far side from the inserter's perspective or, if the belt is going the same or the opposite direction as the inserter, the right side from the belt's perspective.

<gallery mode="nolines" class="center" widths=300px heights=350px>
File:Inserter_dropoff_locations.gif| Inserters place the item on the furthest lane. If a belt is in the same orientation as the inserter, the item will be placed on the right-hand lane, from the belt's perspective. In curves the inserter always places on the far side.
File:Inserter_pickup_locations.gif| If the belt is perpendicular to the inserter, inserters '''prefer''' taking items from the nearest lane. If the nearest lane is empty, the inserter will take from the far lane. If the belt is the same/opposite orientation of the inserter or a curve, the inserter '''prefers''' taking from the left lane, from the belt's perspective. If the left lane is empty it will take from the right lane.
</gallery>

=== Potential issues ===
Inserters may have problems picking up items:

* From very fast belts, because the items are moving too quickly.
* From the entry or exit of an underground belt (because the time they have to pick up is shorter)
* From turning belts if the item is on the inside of the corner

===Circuit network===
All inserters have the following options for connecting to a [[circuit network]]:
*'''Enable/disable''': Stops the inserter if the given condition is false. It will still have drain.
*'''Set filters''': Every ''strictly positive'' signal is either whitelisted or blacklisted. There is no limit to the number of item types that can be filtered this way, unlike manual filters which are limited to 5.
*'''Read hand contents''': Send held items to the circuit network. This has two modes:
**''Pulse'': Send the signal only for 1 tick when items are picked up.
**''Hold'': Send the signal continuously as long as the inserter is holding the item(s).
*'''Set stack size''': Specify a signal to set the maximum number of items to move at a time (default {{icon|signal-S}}). This is bounded by 1 and the inserter's inherent maximum, so setting this signal to 0 or less will not disable it but set the stack size to 1.

They can also be enabled on a [[logistic network]] condition.

== Inserter speed ==
[[File:all_inserter_speeds.gif|frame|right|Animation showing all inserter speeds at once.]]
{| class="wikitable"
! Type
! Rotation-speed (turns per [[Time#Ticks|tick]])<br/>Extension-speed ([[Map_structure#Tile|Tiles]] per Tick)
! Turns per [[Time#Seconds|Game-second]]
! Game-second per full turn
! Ticks per full turn
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || 0.013<br/>0.035 || ~0.7895 || ~1.267 || 76
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || 0.014<br/>0.035 || ~0.857 || ~1.167 || 70
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || 0.02<br/>0.05 || 1.25 || 0.8 || 48
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}}<br/>{{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}}<br/>{{Imagelink|Stack inserter|space-age=yes}} || 0.04<br/>0.1 || 2.5 || 0.4 || 24
|}

'''Note:''' The speeds per tick come directly from the [https://github.com/wube/factorio-data/tree/master/base/prototypes/entity factorio-data github repository], while the other values have been verified empirically in game. Discrepancies are due to rounding errors during the games runtime, so the empirical values are more accurate when dealing with speeds.

=== Rotation speed ===
Convention: 2π rad = 100% of a circle rotation = '''1 turn''' (or one full rotation).

Note:
* An Inserter doesn't always need to make full turns. When grabbing from a transport belt, it is slightly faster when grabbing items from the closest lane.
* If the rotation speed of an inserter would result in an odd number of ticks per full turn, the actual number of ticks per full turn for this inserter is truncated to be the next lowest even number. The reason for this is that the inserter needs to do two half turns to pick and drop an item. This takes a certain number of ticks two times, therefore the number of ticks for the full turn is always an even number. Example: The Fast inserter's rotation speed of 864°/s or 0.04 turns per tick would result in 25 ticks per full turn, but the inserter cannot do a half turn in "12.5 ticks", so it actually takes 2×12 = 24 ticks per full turn.

=== Extension speed ===
The extension-speed is normally not visible (only when compared to other inserters), but there are measurable speed differences when taking - for example - from the near or the far side of a belt. Also some mods can alter the pickup and drop locations of inserters, making this stat more relevant.

== Inserter throughput ==

=== Chest to chest ===
'''Note:''' Experimental data from 2.0.26, recorded in this doc [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L8Td5o6TAicGi-TPwzh4lz2YiH0n7Jkpp3E8FxNpnAs/edit?usp=sharing]. Chest to chest transfer transfers the entire hand size during a single tick, so most of the time is spent during the swing to and from.

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=2 | Type
! rowspan=2 | Arm cycles per second (ticks per cycle)
! colspan=8 | Items/second at [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] level (stack size)
|-
! colspan=2 | No capacity bonus
! colspan=2 | Capacity bonus 2
! colspan=2 | Capacity bonus 7
! colspan=2 | [[Transport belt capacity (research)|Transport belt stacking]] {{SA}}
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || {{Quality | 0.79 (76 ticks) | 1.03 (58 ticks) | 1.25 (48 ticks) | 1.5 (40 ticks) | 2 (30 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.79 |1.03 |1.25|1.5 |2 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 1.58 |2.07 |2.5|3 |4 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 2.37 |3.10 |3.75|4.5 |6 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 3.16 |4.14 |5|6 |8 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || {{Quality | 0.86 (70 ticks) | 1.11 (54 ticks) | 1.36 (44 ticks) | 1.67 (36 ticks) | 2.14 (28 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.86 |1.11 |1.36|1.67 |2.14 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 1.71 |2.22 |2.73|3.33 |4.29 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 2.57 |3.33 |4.09|5 |6.43 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 3.43 |4.44 |5.45|6.67 |8.57 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || {{Quality | 1.25 (48 ticks) | 1.58 (38 ticks) | 2 (30 ticks) | 2.31 (26 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.25 |1.58 |2|2.31 |3.33 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 2.5 |3.16 |4|4.62 |6.67 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 3.75 |4.74 |6|6.92 |10 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 5 |6.32 |8|9.23 |13.33 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || {{Quality | 2.5 (24 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) | 4.29 (14 ticks) | 5 (12 ticks) | 7.5 (8 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.5 |3.33 | 4.29 | 5 | 7.5 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 5 |6.67 | 8.57 | 10 | 15 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 7.5 |10 |12.86|15 |22.5 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 10 |13.33 |17.14|20 |30 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || {{Quality | 2.5 (24 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) | 4.29 (14 ticks) | 5 (12 ticks) | 7.5 (8 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 5 |6.673 | 8.57 | 10 | 15 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 10 |13.33 |17.14|20 |30 }}
|| (4)
|| {{ Quality | 30 |40 |51.43|60 |90 }}
|| (12)
|| {{ Quality | 30 |40 |51.43|60 |90 }}
|| (12)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Stack inserter|space-age=yes}} || {{Quality | 2.5 (24 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) | 4.29 (14 ticks) | 5 (12 ticks) | 7.5 (8 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 15 |20 | 25.71 | 30 | 45 }}
|| (6)
|| {{ Quality | 20 |26.67 | 34.29 | 40 | 60 }}
|| (8)
|| {{ Quality | 40 | 53.33 | 68.57 | 80 | 120 }}
|| (16)
|| {{ Quality | 40 | 53.33 | 68.57 | 80 | 120 }}
|| (16)
|}

=== Chest to belt ===
Throughput going from chest to belt depends on how full the belt is. An inserter will not put down an item on a belt that has items back-to-back (aka full compression) - it waits until there is a gap. However, if the gap is narrower than the item, then the items upstream on the belt will stop to make room for the item being inserted. The direction of the belt compared to the inserter does not matter however.

In these measurements inserters move items onto an empty belt. Values are given for the stack sizes at four different [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] levels.

'''Note:''' Experimental data from 2.0

<div style="display:inline-block; width: 100%; overflow-x: auto; vertical-align:top; margin-right:20px;">
{|class="wikitable" min-width: 100%;
! rowspan="3" style="position: sticky; left: 0; outline: 0.5px solid #888;" | Type
! colspan="20" | Items/second at [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] level (stack size)
|-
! colspan="5" | No capacity bonus
! colspan="5" | Capacity Bonus 2
! colspan="5" | Capacity bonus 7
! colspan="5" | [[Transport belt capacity (research)|Transport belt stacking]] {{SA}}
|-
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px ]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Turbo transport belt.png|link=Turbo transport belt|32px]] ||
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px ]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Turbo transport belt.png|link=Turbo transport belt|32px]] ||
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px ]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Turbo transport belt.png|link=Turbo transport belt|32px]] ||
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px ]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Turbo transport belt.png|link=Turbo transport belt|32px]] ||
|-
! align="left" style="position: sticky; left: 0; outline: 0.5px solid #888;" | {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}}
|| {{ Quality | 0.78 | 1.03 | 1.25 | 1.5 | 2 }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.78 | 1.03 | 1.25 | 1.5 | 2 }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.78 | 1.03 | 1.25 | 1.5 | 2 }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.78 | 1.03 | 1.25 | 1.5 | 2 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 1.57 | 2.03 | 2.43 | 2.93 | 3.87 }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.57 | 2.03 | 2.43 | 2.93 | 3.87 }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.57 | 2.03 | 2.43 | 2.93 | 3.87 }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.57 | 2.03 | 2.43 | 2.93 | 3.87 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 2.15 | 2.72 | 3.2 | 3.75 | 4.75 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.25 | 2.9 | 3.45 | 4.1 | 5.3 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.3 | 3 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.6 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.3 | 3 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.6 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 2.6 | 3.27 | 3.73 | 4.27 | 5.2 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.87 | 3.65 | 4.27 | 5 | 6.33 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.93 | 3.8 | 4.53 | 5.33 | 6.87 }}
|| {{ Quality | 3 | 3.87 | 4.6 | 5.47 | 7.07 }}
|| (4)
|-
! align="left" style="position: sticky; left: 0; outline: 0.5px solid #888;" | {{Imagelink|Inserter}}
|| {{ Quality | 0.85 | 1.12 | 1.37 | 1.67 | 2.13 }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.85 | 1.12 | 1.37 | 1.67 | 2.13 }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.85 | 1.12 | 1.37 | 1.67 | 2.13 }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.85 | 1.12 | 1.37 | 1.67 | 2.13 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 1.7 | 2.17 | 2.67 | 3.23 | 4.13 }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.7 | 2.17 | 2.67 | 3.23 | 4.13 }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.7 | 2.17 | 2.67 | 3.23 | 4.13 }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.7 | 2.17 | 2.67 | 3.23 | 4.13 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.45 | 4.1 | 5 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.45 | 3.1 | 3.75 | 4.5 | 5.6 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.75 | 6 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.75 | 6 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 2.8 | 3.43 | 4 | 4.6 | 5.47 }}
|| {{ Quality | 3.07 | 3.87 | 4.6 | 5.47 | 6.67 }}
|| {{ Quality | 3.2 | 4.07 | 4.87 | 5.87 | 7.27 }}
|| {{ Quality | 3.27 | 4.13 | 5 | 6 | 7.48 }}
|| (4)
|-
! align="left" style="position: sticky; left: 0; outline: 0.5px solid #888;" | {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}}
|| {{ Quality | 1.2 | 1.58 | 2 | 2.3 | 3.33 }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.2 | 1.58 | 2 | 2.3 | 3.33 }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.2 | 1.58 | 2 | 2.3 | 3.33 }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.2 | 1.58 | 2 | 2.3 | 3.33 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 2.33 | 3 | 3.87 | 4.43 | 6.3 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.33 | 3 | 3.87 | 4.43 | 6.3 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.33 | 3 | 3.87 | 4.43 | 6.3 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.33 | 3 | 3.87 | 4.43 | 6.3 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.75 | 5.3 | 6.92 }}
|| {{ Quality | 3.35 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 6 | 8.18 }}
|| {{ Quality | 3.45 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 6.4 | 9 }}
|| {{ Quality | 3.45 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 6.4 | 9 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 3.65 | 4.45 | 5.20 | 5.72 | 7.07 }}
|| {{ Quality | 4.13 | 5.2 | 6.33 | 7.07 | 9.23 }}
|| {{ Quality | 4.33 | 5.6 | 6.87 | 7.73 | 10.43 }}
|| {{ Quality | 4.47 | 5.73 | 7.07 | 8 | 10.92 }}
|| (4)
|-
! align="left" style="position: sticky; left: 0; outline: 0.5px solid #888;" | {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}}
|| {{ Quality | 2.5 | 3.33 | 4.28 | 5 | 7.5 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.5 | 3.33 | 4.28 | 5 | 7.5 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.5 | 3.33 | 4.28 | 5 | 7.5 }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.5 | 3.33 | 4.28 | 5 | 7.5 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 4.8 | 6.3 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.52 }}
|| {{ Quality | 4.8 | 6.3 | 8 | 9.23 | 13.33 }}
|| {{ Quality | 4.8 | 6.3 | 8 | 9.23 | 13.33 }}
|| {{ Quality | 4.8 | 6.3 | 8 | 9.23 | 13.33 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 5.62 | 6.92 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.52 }}
|| {{ Quality | 6.42 | 8.18 | 10 | 11.25 | 15 }}
|| {{ Quality | 6.9 | 9 | 11.25 | 12.85 | 18 }}
|| {{ Quality | 6.9 | 9 | 11.25 | 12.85 | 18 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 6 | 7.07 | 7.5 | 7.52 | 7.52 }}
|| {{ Quality | 7.5 | 9.23 | 10.92 | 12 | 15 }}
|| {{ Quality | 8.27 | 10.43 | 12.62 | 14.13 | 18.47 }}
|| {{ Quality | 8.58 | 10.92 | 13.33 | 15 | 20 }}
|| (4)
|-
! align="left" style="position: sticky; left: 0; outline: 0.5px solid #888;" | {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}}
|| {{ Quality | 4.8 | 6.3 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.52 }}
|| {{ Quality | 4.8 | 6.3 | 8 | 9.23 | 13.33 }}
|| {{ Quality | 4.8 | 6.3 | 8 | 9.23 | 13.33 }}
|| {{ Quality | 4.8 | 6.3 | 8 | 9.23 | 13.33 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 6 | 7.07 | 7.5 | 7.52 | 7.52 }}
|| {{ Quality | 7.5 | 9.23 | 10.92 | 12 | 15 }}
|| {{ Quality | 8.27 | 10.43 | 12.62 | 14.13 | 18.47 }}
|| {{ Quality | 8.58 | 10.92 | 13.33 | 15 | 20 }}
|| (4)
|| {{ Quality | 6.93 | 7.35 | 7.5 | 7.52 | 7.52 }}
|| {{ Quality | 11.23 | 12.4 | 13.33 | 13.85 | 15 }}
|| {{ Quality | 14.4 | 16.38 | 18 | 18.95 | 21.18 }}
|| {{ Quality | 16.4 | 18.97 | 21.2 | 22.5 | 25.72 }}
|| (12)
|| {{ Quality | 6.93 | 7.35 | 7.5 | 7.52 | 7.52 }}
|| {{ Quality | 11.12 | 12.4 | 13.33 | 13.85 | 15 }}
|| {{ Quality | 14.4 | 16.38 | 18 | 18.95 | 21.18 }}
|| {{ Quality | 16.4 | 18.97 | 21.2 | 22.5 | 25.72 }}
|| (12)
|-
! align="left" style="position: sticky; left: 0; outline: 0.5px solid #888;" | {{Imagelink|Stack inserter|space-age=yes}}
|| {{ Quality | 11.27 | 13.87 | 15 | 15 | 15.03 }}
|| {{ Quality | 12.87 | 16.37 | 20 | 22.5 | 30 }}
|| {{ Quality | 13.8 | 18 | 22.5 | 25.7 | 36 }}
|| {{ Quality | 13.8 | 18 | 22.5 | 25.7 | 36 }}
|| (6)
|| {{ Quality | 12 | 14.13 | 15 | 15.03 | 15.03 }}
|| {{ Quality | 15 | 18.47 | 21.83 | 24 | 30 }}
|| {{ Quality | 16.53 | 20.87 | 25.23 | 28.27 | 36.93 }}
|| {{ Quality | 17.17 | 21.83 | 26.67 | 30 | 40 }}
|| (8)
|| {{ Quality | 13.33 | 14.57 | 15 | 15.03 | 15.03 }}
|| {{ Quality | 20 | 22.87 | 25.27 | 26.67 | 30 }}
|| {{ Quality | 24 | 28.27 | 32 | 34.3 | 40 }}
|| {{ Quality | 26.67 | 32 | 36.9 | 40 | 48 }}
|| (16)
|| {{ Quality | 24 | 28.27 | 30 | 30.07 | 30.07 }}
|| {{ Quality | 30 | 36.93 | 43.67 | 48 | 60 }}
|| {{ Quality | 33.07 | 41.73 | 50.47 | 56.53 | 73.87 }}
|| {{ Quality | 34.33 | 43.67 | 53.33 | 60 | 80 }}
|| (16)
|}
</div>

=== Chest to splitter ===
When an inserter drops items onto the side of a perpendicular splitter, it always is considered to do so on the input side, enabling the splitter to move half of the items to the other belt (assuming that the splitter filter/priority settings allow it to do so and that there is available space on both belts). This allows the inserter to drop its items more quickly. A bulk inserter with capacity bonus 7 can move 16.0 items/second instead of the usual 14.4 items/second.

<gallery mode="nolines" class="center" widths=400px heights=250px>
File:Inserter to splitter comparison.gif|By inserting onto the side of a splitter, a fully-upgraded bulk inserter can fill 71% of an express belt lane instead of the usual 64%. (Gif from 1.1)
File:Inserter belt saturation.gif|In 1.1, three bulk inserters could saturate an express belt if one of them inserts onto a splitter. In 2.0, three bulk inserters can saturate an express belt if two of them insert onto splitters. (Gif from 1.1)
</gallery>

===Belt to chest (perpendicular)===

'''Note:''' The following is based on experimental data from [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q4hxL69qrK3qeEKU8aDkuwM3gJy6I2dJ4FYSs-FQUpI/edit?usp=sharing 1.1].
Most of the 1.1 experimental data was gathered using the following circuit blueprint to measure the exact tick difference between inserter swings. A lot of the data on this page (specifically the belt to chest data) relies heavily on the conditions of the setup on which the measurements are done. If your setup differs from the ones tested on this page, you can use the following blueprint to do the measurements yourself.

{{BlueprintString|bp-string=0eNrtXF1v4kYU/SuRq75UkMz32GhbKY996FvfuivkwBCsBYNss20U8d87NiHAwMVzHdjsKKtIURzb1zPn3K85Y3iOHmYrsyyyvIoGz9HYlKMiW1bZIo8G0V8mLVeFKW+yvDRFZYqbalosVo/T5aq6WeVj+49xNpmYwuTVzWiRj7P6xvL2c/45n1bVshzc3f2bfc1uJ+moWhTZ4na0mN/9+WKs/GX71/DvV7Of86gXZdZWGQ3+eY7K7DFPZ/XIqqelsUPKKjO3V+TpvD4qq3T0tb8dXbS2t9pR/RcN6LrXenNaZNV0bqps1LfDesjy1I5xzwZbf+lFdmZ2UmYzmubgaZiv5g/2aQPaYqoXLRdltsHyObIW+/pW9qIn+we3jxlnhRltzopeZKdcFYvZ8MFM02+ZvdvesjM73KFbn5hkRVkNj+b3LSuqlf3PDp/miv59PavS1DZqQxa1mm1KetFiaYr0he07e99iVVkSUJbX62bw+WYuzfBo/asw433QMnvE7ZVZMVplVXNI11/svQy4mEp7el3z6MDO0LCr94HdpKPpHvI4uvaZ+fSpAzWbpyPYkUfs9KLHwpi8hUa2o/Hk5VQBRHI0kfJHjp9frx4/1GWod3Ca8RYm2HH8neJFoHnhHzuvKUxea1g6BbtEw85+5jUPdtj5qNFgnlO4PMcEQKxCE0s/dp4T5xnjtIUJ6Zfn9Osot5M9zwrZsmLjbn2aiUk2qzvb070rBA6JGmurGuw+JVonXFEWtzSzkDV6YI3HgjLC2V5XizHGDowlhBCaaLqzxlHW+J41O0+uBY2ZeDUmUMbEwdCojmWSiD1rEmVNHnKQCE05FztrCmVN7VljVHAWJ/vGNMqYPhialDROmIjJq7UYZS0+sKY4lbFgUr1aS1DWkgNrzP5IHu9ZowRl7v7kVHfWNoHftZ89zCKJX5KIscmbfOxeiFJMM8Qh2BMs7PRnL+TBDtzsuLy1dTucAczVLvcyyrEZZWNTnOVNvLDWlNQ93tRp3l5Mvo20NH+qpln+uMk221gh9cF8mRbNQAfRHx0IqSFvjC6fhk0eG06KxXyY5dZKNJiks9JAbJ1mhZ/XSNgRaRC9nms/iha12MfuVeOWXjVpiSPPMkTRqpfY71XbA+tSvLxEwBEzfXrIzG9dowsXPwTMaqfC6ehqh0zlSRaHFOojlnT7mmL7xPlibIaLyXAPxT0lrjDpeDhNN5hXdkAWmapYmd0VzcnmstpS46rdgQSnvhOPynk6m/Vn6Xx5Yi0Vb+dNt/P2G4cg0IN38sncjLPVvG9m1mJho2S5mJlzQyDgENo1uKYK2ieb7HH6sFg1Sz/Ge5x+OTVG5QeOPgIHdIrXWO0QquR8/fsUoUKNnY8dGkPEaT9Q1PcBhV4UFJpAs46RrkCuOmt22Vkrh3wBNosJkvzrwsAvC4N2YYCkX0b8YJBBJgaIfEb9Zi261goNPZgh4b6u14nLwk1cr4P23xjHlkzRqWTy8y2yaK+otrjz5FRFZZ7tBg8xcOT5ispAXqUfKCzEisrAoFZIVwipojLhkC+hPphpJPkhVVQmXRigdQjz7K9oiImBg+R7tlOkY0WV0Ds5nCDhDqqixq7XQTu9nGIrKulUUdX5ihq/oaJyv96IhBg3SYu8A9LKvTChIdZTDoa0wDlCSOWUu9RLSJ3gEkd9SNWUcxcFSK3gqsueDv2eezqvOy8/yHaO327N2a0B5blnw/1aPhZkqwMGZoybdEgNB3eFIwUJRzxBNhy8m+jd8uap1m9QxQXBbRkQXM9K3aWTAN97pbiB4LcuHFahBbxgOHH4ur4tLyuKus20gLouwXHa8HVRUJfeF3BQgNowIXC+cN3kri+KgnDbMAWJO0LifIEG1IYJtw1TUM0TCqdbh5QXmOsLAkRB47YNkPWCHenTUFcsYhwd13XK+LJO6W7hKRCFBEcHfhPH6TUg8UsSnAAcVHS4dEhoU01SnP4bUtVkri9I8LM0DOcLIVVN6faRGmpoJcf5QkhVUx6tQcCIEDhtOqS8wF1fkNCaQkrc1gC2aroNrYRaOalwdIRUNaW71tRggtI4OvAbNc5AoFWWjFEyb1DB4bKhwNYhQam8IdVM7nqCgqqFIihPCKpkuqKDhpbbiqI8IaiK6aZoDdUKxTrI/cRV+9n3VPv5ETaXVvvrl6lxkafObzcqhnk3XQnfr2fw3TZQHKWgB5X53XhXYLyLDq5O39XVXWx+7/YZl4tta6mWN7/dzYG2T2+fuv4kdRLlvyH1kcqVBDUkhimF27NgSPUFBF/jZGl2VfSTy2pfwleQVTFOlr4uCveXRUEei/OekqBKcMIoC6i0iNjXOTTBCaPY0ITQ1xSnfYUUmpL5qj6a4bSvkEJT8mMF0FN30BynvoQUmlJ5O4fAqS/I0AS1Ly1RS+yQIlMR39WlVqgldkiBqeixzuDZyGndYSHC3nUhwi6w5r7vuOJ+2wpZ4FYs51fm9Uf8e29bymjcy2whJWUlT+cFC1nzdayDvS+g7UWz9MHYMUbbb4a9eUxXj/VrbN9MUW48PKZCJ0xLQbkkcr3+HxANddo=}}

When picking items from a belt, many more factors come into play besides belt fullness:

* How fast the items move (i.e. if they are queued up on the belt or move at belt speed).
* Whether the belt is perpendicular to the inserter or approaches it head on.
* Whether items are on the near or far lane of a perpendicular belt.
* Whether the belt turns or not, and whether the items are in the inner or outer side of the bend.
* If the belt is an underground entrance or exit. This shortens the time items are visible to the inserter for pickup.
* All sorts of intricate timing factors between the inserter and the items on the belt, since the game simulates the arm homing in on every item.

The test setup used below is with an inserter taking items from a perpendicular belt with items on the far lane only. The belt is fully compressed and timings are both for items that move at full speed and queued up as much as possible. Values are given for the stack sizes at three different [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] levels.

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=4 | Type
! colspan=15 | Items/second at [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] level (stack size)
|-
! colspan=5 | No capacity bonus
! colspan=5 | Capacity bonus 2
! colspan=5 | Capacity bonus 7
|-
! colspan=3 | Items at<br/>belt speed
! rowspan=2 | Items<br/>queued<br/>up
! rowspan=2 |
! colspan=3 | Items at<br/>belt speed
! rowspan=2 | Items<br/>queued<br/>up
! rowspan=2 |
! colspan=3 | Items at<br/>belt speed
! rowspan=2 | Items<br/>queued<br/>up
! rowspan=2 |
|-
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]]
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]]
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]]
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || 0.60 || '''0.65''' || 0.50 || 0.64 || (1) || 1.11 || '''1.20''' || 1.13 || 1.26 || (2) || 1.61 || 1.61 || '''1.65''' || 1.71 /<br/>1.73 /<br/>1.86 * || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || '''0.94''' || '''0.94''' || '''0.94''' || 0.88 || (1) || '''1.67''' || '''1.67''' || 1.50 || 1.74 || (2) || '''2.50''' || 2.25 || 2.33 || 2.37 /<br/>2.37 /<br/>2.54 * || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || 1.18 || 1.18 || '''1.25''' || 1.20 || (1) || 2.20 || 2.31 || '''2.40''' || 2.40 || (2) || 3.21 || 3.21 || '''3.46''' || 3.40 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || '''2.50''' || 2.31 || '''2.50''' || 2.50 || (1) || 4.50 || 4.29 || '''5.00''' || 4.80 || (2) || '''6.43''' || 6.00 || '''6.43''' || 6.43 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || 4.50 || 4.29 || '''5.00''' || 4.80 || (2) || 7.50 || 7.50 || '''8.00''' || 7.50 /<br/>8.57 /<br/>8.28 * || (4) || 7.50 || 11.25 || '''15.00''' || 7.50 /<br/>13.09 /<br/>15.32 * || (12)
|}

<nowiki>*)</nowiki> Throughput for basic/fast/express belt.

Since there are many more factors involved, these measurements exhibit a more complex pattern than chest-to-belt.

* Boldface cells show for which belt each inserter has the best throughput on each bonus level when items move at belt speed. Higher speed belts mean that inserters have to work harder to catch the fast moving items. The effect is most noticeable for slower inserters and smaller stack sizes.
* When items are queued up the belt type hardly matters, so there is only a single column for that. The exceptions are the stack inserters - for basic transport belts it's the belt that sets the limit for stack sizes above 4, and there is also a notable difference between fast and express belts.

=== Belt to chest (facing inserter) ===
'''Note:''' Experimental data from 1.1

When picking up items from a belt facing the inserter, there are multiple small differences between different setups. The following throughput tests are performed with [[express transport belt]]s and [[bulk inserter]]s with the maximum [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]].
Each setup in the following picture shows the amount of ticks per cycle of the inserter and the amount of items per second the inserter moves. These measurements are consistent in all orientations of the setup.

[[File:Inserter_belt_to_chest_throughput.png|center|900px]]

=== Insertion into lava/space ===
{{About/Space age}}
Inserters can dump items into lava on [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}} or into space on [[space platform]]s{{SA}}. This act however is not as fast as inserting into a chest or similar container.

When inserting into lava/space, one item is removed from the inserter's hand every tick. So a [[stack inserter]] holding 16 items requires 16 ticks to dump its contents into lava/space. By contrast, when inserting into a container, the entire hand size is placed in the container in one tick.

== Power usage ==
''Disclaimer: Information below is only valid up to version 2.0.77. Due to small changes in inserter movement mechanics the data has been skewed slightly and this information is no longer completely accurate (most notably as it concerns the long inserter). Be mindful when applying the information.''

Inserter power draw is determined by several factors.

Firstly like most machines, all of the inserters (with the exception of the burner) have drain. Drain is the energy cost of existence, and is expended constantly as long as the inserter exists on the power grid, regardless of activity or lack thereof.

Inserters also have two costs associated with movement. These costs are applied separately and cumulatively for rotational motion as well as extension/retraction.

Lastly, inserters exhibit a power spike when acquiring and dropping off an item. This can be referred to as "item spike" because it is typically observed directly after item interaction. This is because after receiving/delivering an item it will begin extending/retracting a distance of 0.2 units (distance sourced from [https://github.com/wube/factorio-data/blob/master/base/prototypes/entity/entities.lua source code]). This power cost associated with linear movement is significantly more expensive than that of rotational movement, hence the sharp increase in power consumption.

[[File:Yellow Inserter Power Spikes.png|thumb|Power Consumption graph of Yellow Inserter]]

Here we can see that for the duration of the lateral movement the power consumption is significantly higher.

Burner inserters, despite not using electricity, also have the same power consumption characteristics as the rest of the inserters (excluding drain). Upon accepting fuel they will replenish something resembling an internal battery, and draw from it in the same manner other inserters draw from the power grid, item spikes and all. Aside from their exclusion from drain, burner inserters function identically to other inserters.

=== Energy costs ===

[[File:Inserter Testing Setup.png|thumb|Inserter testing setup]]

It's important to note that due to rounding errors the game's values cannot be taken at face value when doing calculations, so a blend of theoretical and empirical methods must be used to ensure accuracy. More information can be viewed here at this [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?t=128389 forum topic].

The game calculates inserter power based on its hard coded power modifiers:

These values are derived from [https://github.com/wube/factorio-data/blob/master/base/prototypes/entity/entities.lua source code].

{| class="wikitable"
|+Inserter power modifiers (kJ)
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 50 || 5 || 5 || 7 || 20 || 40
|-
|}

The way the game uses these values is it takes the game's programmed speed in ticks (which can be found higher up on the page), and then uses that alongside these numbers to derive a wattage, using the following equation:

<code>Speed × Power Modifier × Ticks per second</code>

Applying the equation we can derive the following values:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Cost of rotational movement in kW
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 39 || 4.2 || 6 || 16.8 || 48 || 96
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Cost of linear movement in kW
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 105 || 10.5 || 15 || 42 || 120 || 240
|-
|}

Taking these two values and adding them together, alongside drain, will give you your max power. It is critical to note that while the duration of consumption is affected by rounding errors in the game like the time per spin and so on, the actual wattage is unaffected by these rounding errors. Just because the inserter spins slightly faster than in the game's code doesn't mean it uses slightly more wattage, it still demands the same wattage.

Rotational power is used during the entire time the inserter is spinning, while the the extension cost is only used briefly during item interaction, causing item spike. By calculating the duration of both one can accurately calculate how many joules an inserter is using in any given situation. Just like with the rotational speeds, item spike duration is subject to rounding errors from the game. It can be calculated by taking the game's rated distance of 0.2 and dividing it by the inserter's rated speed, and then truncating the number. To save you some hassle here is a reference table:

{| class="wikitable"
|+Tick duration of item spike
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 5 || 5 || 4 || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
|}

Knowing these values, energy cost is easy to calculate, and is linear to inserter utilization. This means if your inserter is only running half the time, it will only use half the power, with the exception of drain which remains constant in all situations.

These values are isolated from drain. Values were theoretically derived and empirically confirmed for accuracy. [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?t=128389 More information]

{| class="wikitable"
|+Cost per transfer cycle in kJ
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 66.9 || 6.65 || 7 || 8.12 || 23.2 || 46.4
|-
|}

=== Inserter efficiency ===

The above data can be used to compare inserter efficiency directly. Remember that the transfer cycle cost remains the same regardless of how many items are moved. This means that the later inserters with their larger stack sizes can outperform other inserters despite their higher transfer cost, since they can achieve a lower cost per item. Here are some graphs of chest-to-chest data showing the efficiency of different inserters at differing stack sizes. Because the other inserters maintain a proportional relationship (as in an identical stack size) these graphs will primarily focus on highlighting the Green Inserter and new Stack Inserter. Dots have been marked at the turning point where they overtake the other inserters in consumption

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png||No capacity bonus
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2).png|Capacity bonus 2
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 4).png|Capacity bonus 4
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png|Capacity bonus 5
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 6) (Zoomed).png|Capacity bonus 6
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png|Capacity bonus 7
</gallery>

Important to note is that the actual efficiency of the inserters is best measured in terms of kJ / item. Such a version of these graphs wasn't generated because it is almost a flat line. This is because for this kind of linear power consumption the kJ / item would just be the slope of the line, or in other words it would be kJ per transfer cycle / stack size.

Now for an important caveat. The above graphs are assuming unlimited input. That is to say the graphs assume that the inserter is always spinning at its maximum hand size. In situations that are input limited however, the inserter will not always do so. When the inserter completes its spin, the only time it waits for items is when there are none to take. As long as there is at least a single item, the inserter will transfer whatever is there immediately, regardless of the inefficiency of moving less than its maximum. Stack inserters are an exception to this as they actually do wait for a full hand before making the transfer, but no other inserter does. An example of an input limited situation would be the unloading of an assembler. Here are some graphs showing power usage in input limited situations:

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2, Input Minimum 1).png | Capacity bonus 2, input minimum 1
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2, Input Minimum 1, kJ).png | Capacity bonus 2, input minimum 1
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7, Input Minimum 1).png| Capacity bonus 7, input minimum 1
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7, Input Minimum 1, kJ).png| Capacity bonus 7, input minimum 1
</gallery>

Here is how the behavior works. The inserter will increase its spin speed to max power as a utilization function of its minimum input. In simpler terms, if the minimum input is 1, it will increase power consumption as though it had no capacity bonus. Once it reaches the maximum, it will maintain max power while gradually increasing the average hand size it's moving, thereby gradually increasing its efficiency. We can see this behavior in the kJ graph, where we get this swooping descent curve as it gains efficiency. We can see that with each subsequent inserter the average improves, and it will ultimately converge towards the same value as the previous set of graphs, that being ''kJ per transfer cycle / stack size''. The graphs shared cover the most common use cases, but input minimums can very quite widely. For example the input minimum for crafting yellow belts would be 2, and in general for any recipe the input minimum would be the minimum craft quantity. When belt feeding, it's possible for inserters to experience inserter limiting as the belt approaches empty, or if using circuit limited sushi. Due to how many possible permutations of these graphs there are, sharing them all is simply not feasible. If you need a graph not displayed, you can generate one yourself using the code shared [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?p=670540#p670540 here]

Because the burner inserter doesn't have drain, its efficiency can only truly be appreciated in extremely low throughput situations. Thus we use these dedicated graphs. Before one graph with no capacity bonus would have been sufficient because at low throughputs inserters don't wait and always default to as stack size of 1. The stack inserter changes this though, because stack inserters do in fact wait until they get a full hand before beginning their swing, meaning they always remain at optimal efficiency unlike the rest of the inserters. Though having generated the graphs it appears to be largely irrelevant, as the fundamental relationship never really changes from one extreme to the other.

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Burner Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png|No capacity bonus
File:Burner Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png|Capacity bonus 7
</gallery>

Note: The burner graphs are mislabeled on the y-axis. They should read kJ, not kW.

=== Belt differences===
Up until now all data was regarding chest-to-chest use cases, due to their sterile and consistent nature. The introduction of belts creates special conditions that require consideration. Here is a power chart from the game for reference:

[[File:Yellow Inserter Belt-to-Belt Power Signature.png|frameless|center|upright=3]]

The yellow inserter above is doing a belt-to-belt transfer, and it has a stack bonus.

The erratic section of the graph is the loading process. We can see the behavior is irregular as the inserter does not wait for the item, but rather fishes around for it. The exact behavior here is still being studied, and due to its dependence on stack size and belt speed it is very difficult to give any firm answers regarding how much power this actually uses as a quantifiable generalization. Likely a set of tables would need to be generated with every possible combination as a reference, but such data does not currently exist. The behavior should be consistent across belt speeds and stack sizes, so it can theoretically be gathered and collated into a reference table, though such data doesn't exist at this time.

Looking at the unloading section, we can see the inserter swings around normally, but then there is this dip that doesn't exist in the chest to chest behavior. This is the inserter waiting at the belt to drop off all its items. During this waiting, it uses no power aside from its drain. Once all the items are delivered, it resumes operation as normal. Different amounts of delay caused by different belt speeds and stack sizes can create variations in both our throughput and our total cost per transfer due to the additional drain. This can also be easily modeled into a table, though such a table is currently unavailable

If you are interested in volunteering to collect and share this data, you are encouraged to do so!

What this currently means in practice is that you should just use the chest-to-chest data. The overall relationship between the inserters doesn't change significantly and their efficiency hierarchy remains undisturbed, though the exact consumption in joules per item likely increases noticeably. This could be problematic for other cost estimates in your factory, but for choosing inserters its not an issue.

'''Important:''' The above efficiency graphs only apply when loading from a chest. When loading from a belt, until a more accurate dedicated data set is provided, it is advised to reference the initial no capacity bonus version of the graph for all decisions. With an inserter stack size of 1, the efficiency relationship between chests and belts is identical.

'''Regarding quality:''' Quality inserters receive a linear speed boost for each level of quality, with a corresponding power cost increase. What this means is that the quality level of an inserter has no impact on its energy efficiency.

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Inserters can be flipped to make blueprint flipping reliable.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* Removed filter and stack filter inserter, instead all inserters can use filters now.
* Renamed old stack inserter to bulk inserter.
* Added new stack inserter that stacks items up to 4 high on belts.
* Increased extension and retraction speed. Burner inserters now reliably pick up items from fast transport belts and express transport belts.
* Increased the energy consumption of some inserters. (See their individual pages.)}}

== See also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Belt transport system]]
* [[Inserter capacity bonus (research)]]: Inserter moves more than an item per turn.

{{C|Logistics{{!}}#Inserters}} {{C|Inserters{{!}}#Inserters}}

Burner mining drill

2026-09-30T14:43:23Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Flipping

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Burner mining drill}}

The '''burner mining drill''' is the first type of drill accessible to the player. It burns [[fuel]] to [[mining|mine]] the ore underneath the 2×2 area it is placed on.

It mines about 7 items per single unit of coal used to fuel it, producing 0.25 items/s for [[copper ore]], [[coal]], [[iron ore]] or [[stone]]. Burner miners create a lot of [[pollution]] per item.

Burner drills are usually used until the player has built an [[electric system|electrical network]], at which point the larger and faster [[electric mining drill]] becomes more useful, though they can still provide some use as extra drills that take up less space.

==Interface==
[[File:Interface_of_Burner-Mining-Drill.png|upright=2]]
# Amount of [[fuel]] in the mining drill
# Depletion of 1 unit of [[fuel]]
# Progress of mining
# Product
==Self-Sustaining Coal Mines==
Both methods require no electricity.
=== Method 1 ===
Two burner mining drills can refuel each other when placed next to each other on a coal deposit as long as they're facing each other. Each drill fuels the other and coal gradually accumulates in their [[stack]]s, so you have effectively a storage of 100 coal (2 stacks, 50 coal, one in each burner miner, together 100). You can do this also for 4 or any other even number of miners.

[[File:Early_coal_mining_1.png‎|200px]]

Note that it takes slightly less than 3 minutes for the mining drills to completely fill each other's fuel inventory. Once full, the drills will sit idle until the accumulated coal is removed. It's possible to extend that time by having the drills output their coal into a buffer [[Chests|chest]] rather than directly into another drill's fuel stack.

[[File:Early_coal_mining_1b.png‎|250px]]

=== Method 2 ===
This method can be used for any number of burner mining drills in a coal deposit. Place a burner mining drill, then place at least three [[transport belt]]s from the output in a mirrored "L" like shape so that the third belt has a gap between it and the miner. Fill the gap with a [[burner inserter]] in a way that the inserter can insert coal to the miner. When placing this array of entities opposite of each other, ensure that no two burner inserters are trying to take coal from the same piece of belt or one of them might run out of fuel.

[[File:Early_coal_mining_3.png‎|400x400px|upright=2]]

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Added pumpjack and burner mining drill flipping.}}

{{history|0.18.0|
* Updated sound effects.}}

{{history|0.17.0|
* Mining speed for all ores except uranium is now 0.25/s.}}

{{history|0.8.1|
* Mining drill now ignores resources that can't be mined because of the higher hardness.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Player starts with one burner mining drill and one furnace in the freeplay.
* Increased mining speed of burner mining drill.}}

{{history|0.7.3|
* Shows area of effect when highlighted.
* Mining drill evenly mines from every tile in it's area.}}

{{history|0.7.0|
* Added support for modules to Electric mining drills.
* Mining drills deactivate when out of resources.}}

{{history|0.5.1|
* Show output arrows when alt mode is on.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* New Graphics.}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Shows count of available resources.}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

==See also==
* [[Mining]]
* [[Coal]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Resource extraction}}

Pumpjack

2026-09-30T14:43:02Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Flipping

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Pumpjack}}

'''Pumpjacks''' extract [[fluid system|fluid]]s from resource fields. Each field can be covered by only one pumpjack at a fixed spot. The pumpjack will then output an amount of fluid equal to 10 multiplied by the field's yield per second. For example, a field with 538% yield will generate 54 fluid per second. Without [[speed module]]s, one pumpjack cycle takes one second to complete.

Extracting fluid lowers the field's yield by 1% per 300 pumpjack cycles, to a minimum of 20% of the initial yield or 2 fluid per second, whichever is larger.

They are limited to a maximum output of 1000 fluid per cycle, achieved by a field with more than 9999% yield. However, such a high yield is rare with standard [[map generator]] settings.

Pumpjacks can only be placed on fluid resource field tiles. Furthermore, the output pipe location is fixed relative to the pumpjack's orientation.

In the base game, the only kind of resource field yields [[crude oil]]. In [[Space Age]]{{SA}}, the pumpjack can also extract [[sulfuric acid]] from [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}}, as well as [[fluorine]]{{SA}} and [[lithium brine]]{{SA}} from [[Aquilo]]{{SA}}.

Lithium brine resource fields are special; unlike the other resource fields, these can run out. These patches do not display a percentage; they instead report the total amount of fluid in the field. They also do not produce less fluid over time. A pumpjack will always produce the same amount of fluid per second on any lithium brine field until it is exhausted: 60 fluid per cycle.

== Tips ==
A resource field that has depleted (to the minimum of 20%) can still make use of [[speed module]]s, which are thus a good option for raising the pumpjack's output. With two [[speed module 3]]s, the output doubles from 2 to 4 fluid per second. With two [[quality|legendary]]{{SA}} speed module 3s, the output increases by a factor of 3.5 from 2 to 7 fluid per second.

The formula to determine the modified output is:

Output of unmodified pumpjack x (1 + number of modules in pumpjack x average module bonus + transmission strength x number of modules in each beacon x average module bonus)

Example:

For a pumpjack on a depleted resource field with two level 3 speed modules and 4 beacons with each two level 3 speed modules:

2 x (1 + 2 x 0.5 + √4 x 1.5 x 2 x 0.5) = 10 fluid per second.

Assuming that there will be always two speed 3 modules equipped in the pumpjack and beacons, the formula for 4 beacons can be shortened:

2 x (2 + √4 x 1.5) = 10 fluid per second.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="235px" heights="180px">
pumpjack_different_speeds.gif|Animation of different speeds of pumpjacks: one with two speed modules, one with no modules and one with two production modules. <small>''(Click to see GIF animation)''</small>
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Added pumpjack and burner mining drill flipping.}}

{{history|0.15.0|
* Pumpjacks can be turned on and off using the circuit network. They can also output the current oil mining rate.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Fluid system]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Resource extraction}}

Biolab

2026-09-30T14:41:31Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Circuit network connection

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Biolab}}
{{About/Space age}}
The '''Biolab''' is an upgraded version of the [[lab]] that is unlocked by researching the [[Biolab_(research)|biolab technology]]{{SA}} using [[agricultural science pack]]{{SA}} from [[Gleba]]{{SA}}.

Biolabs have a built-in speed bonus, meaning research is processed twice as quickly (effectively a 100% speed bonus). Additionally, biolabs have 50% science drain, meaning they consume half as many packs for the same amount of research progress. Put together, these two points effectively mean the biolab consumes science packs at the same rate as the regular lab, but gives double the research progress. This is like a productivity bonus, except it stacks multiplicatively rather than additively with other bonuses.

The speed bonus granted from [[lab research speed (research)]] multiplies with the biolab's increased speed.

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Labs can be connected to the circuit network, read contents, read current research cost, read technology level and set current research based on conditions.}}

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

== See also ==
* [[Lab]]
* [[Research]]
* [[Technologies]]

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

Lab

2026-09-30T14:40:54Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Circuit network connection

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Lab}}
[[File:Simplescience.png|thumb|right|Science packs put into the front lab will be passed to labs behind it.]]
'''Labs''' are buildings that perform [[research]] for [[technologies]] by consuming [[science pack]]s. Use of a lab is required to progress in Factorio.

When [[productivity module]]s are used in labs, the productivity bonus is directly calculated and applied each [[Time#Ticks|tick]] so the productivity bar is simply cosmetic. This means that it does not matter that the productivity bar resets when the research is changed, no productivity bonus is lost. [https://forums.factorio.com/26860]

The player can only research one technology at a time, but can use multiple labs for faster results. The speed bonus of labs when [[lab research speed (research)|lab research speed]] is researched and modules are present can be calculated using this formula: <code>research_bonus × module_bonus = speed_bonus</code>; the percentage bonuses have to be converted to decimals (e.g. +140% = 2.4) before the formula is used.

[[Inserters]] can insert and remove science packs from labs. This allows chaining multiple labs together with inserters, each inserter taking science packs, as needed, from one lab and placing it into the next.

==Production requirements==
Calculating the number of science packs needed per second is straightforward:
* <math>ERS = \left( 1 + \frac{B \left[ r \right] }{100} \right) \times \left( 1 + \frac{M \left[ r \right] }{100} \right) \times BLS </math>
* <math>ACT = \frac{T \left[ r \right] }{ERS}</math>
* <math>PPS = \frac{N}{ACT}</math>

Where:
*'''''ERS''''' is "effective lab research speed"
*'''''B[r]''''' is the speed bonus from the [[Lab research speed (research)]], in percent
*'''''M[r]''''' is the sum of all [[module]] speed effects ([[speed module]]s - positive; [[productivity module]]s - negative), in percent
*'''''BLS''''' is the base lab speed, which is adjusted by the [[quality]]{{SA}} of the lab
*'''''ACT''''' is "adjusted cycle time"
*'''''T[r]''''' is the research cycle time as displayed in the research screen
*'''''PPS''''' is "packs per second"
*'''''N''''' is the number of labs available.

Note: while the [[biolab]]{{SA}} has twice the speed of a regular lab, it also consumes packs half as fast. As such, the consumption rate of a biolab is the same as the consumption rate of an equal quality regular lab.

Thus, with 10 base quality standard labs, researching Nuclear Power (30 second cycle time) with Lab Research Speed 4 (140% bonus) and no module effects, the calculation is:
*<math>ERS = 1 + \frac{140}{100} = 2.4</math>
*<math>ACT = \frac{30}{2.4} = 12.5 s</math>
*<math>PPS = \frac{10}{12.5} = 0.8</math>

This means 0.8 science packs per second, of each type, would need to be produced to continuously supply the labs.

=== Equation simplification ===
Assuming all labs have the same ''B[r]'' and ''BLS''), the above calculations can be combined into one equation:

* <math>PPS = \frac{N}{T \left[ r \right] } \times \left( 1 + \frac{B \left[ r \right] }{100} \right) \times \left( 1 + \frac{M \left[ r \right] }{100} \right) \times BLS</math>

Thus for the numerical example:
* <math>PPS = 10 \times \left( 1 + \frac{140}{100} \right) \times \frac{1}{30} = \frac{10}{30} \times \left( 1 + 1.4 \right) = \frac{1}{3} \times 2.4 = \frac{2.4}{3} = 0.8</math> packs per second

If trying to find the amount of labs needed to consume a given amount of packs per second, use the following rearrangement:
* <math>N = \frac{PPS * T[r]}{\left(1 + \frac{B[r]}{100}\right)\times\left(1 + \frac{M[r]}{100}\right)\times BLS}</math>

== History ==
{{history|2.1.7|
* Labs can be connected to the circuit network, read contents, read current research cost, read technology level and set current research based on conditions.}}

{{history|0.15.12|
* Lab speed info in the description contains the researched speed bonus as well.}}

{{history|0.12.6|
* The research speed of a lab is now not dependent on its electricity consumption, and can be scripted.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Lab research is now continuous; Science packs now have progress bars.}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Labs are now named after early access backers when built from [[blueprint]]s.}}

{{history|0.7.2|
* Changed the recipe of Lab to require 4 transport belts, down from 5.}}

{{history|0.7.0|
* Added support for modules to labs.}}

{{history|0.6.0|
* New graphics.
* Labs are dedicated to backers (displayed in entity info).}}

{{history|0.2.7|
* Contents of the Lab is now shown in the entity info. }}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced }}

==See also==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Crafting]]

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

Heat exchanger

2026-09-30T14:40:17Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Circuit network connection

{{Languages}}{{:Infobox:Heat exchanger}}
The '''heat exchanger''' exchanges heat between a heat connection (normally from a [[heat pipe]] leading to a [[nuclear reactor]] or [[heating tower]]{{SA}}) and [[water]] to produce [[steam]].

Heat exchangers produce ~103 steam with a temperature of 500°C every second.

Heat exchangers will not produce steam until they reach 500°C. The steam produced is exactly 500°C hot, even if the exchanger is hotter. Heat exchangers have a heat capacity of 1 MJ/°C. Thus, they can buffer 500 MJ of heat energy across their working range of 500°C to 1000°C, and require 485 MJ of energy to warm up from 15°C to 500°C when initially placed.

== Calculating steam production rate ==

Heat exchangers produce 103 steam/second. This can be calculated by relying on [[steam turbine]] data: A steam turbine consumes 60 steam/second and produces 5.82MW (assuming 500°C steam). This means a single unit of 500°C steam has <code>5.82MW / (60/s) = 0.097 MJ</code> of energy. A heat exchanger produces 10 MJ a second, therefore it produces <code>10MJ / 0.097MJ = 103.0927835</code> steam per second.

The steam production rate can also be calculated using the energy consumption: 1 heat exchanger consumes 10MW, so it's putting 10MJ of energy into heating water/steam per second. To heat up 1 unit of steam 1 degree, 200 joules are needed, so the heat exchanger is heating up water by 50,000 unit-°C in total. We observe that this heating results in a temperature increase from 15°C to 500°C, so an increase of 485°C. So the 50,000 unit-°C is divided among 103 units of steam per second, since <code>50,000 / 485 = 103.09</code>. Since steam is produced from water in a 10:1 ratio, this also means that 10.3 units of water are consumed per second.

== History ==
{{History|2.1.7|
* Boilers and heat exchangers can be connected to the circuit network.}}

{{History|2.0.7|
* 1 Water will now produce 10 Steam in boilers/heat exchangers.}}

{{History|0.17.67|
* Heat pipes (also in reactors and heat exchangers) glow with high temperatures.}}

{{History|0.15.0|
* Introduced
* Doubled the heat capacity of water from 0.1kJ per degree per liter to 0.2kJ}}

== See also ==
* [[Power production#Nuclear power|Nuclear power]]
* [[Steam turbine]]
* [[Nuclear reactor]]
* [[Heating tower]] {{SA}}
* [[Heat pipe]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Energy}}

Boiler

2026-09-30T14:39:59Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Circuit network connection

{{Languages}}{{:Infobox:Boiler}}

The '''boiler''' uses [[fuel]] to convert [[water]] into [[steam]] at 165°C suitable for use in a [[steam engine]]. It has two water connectors on opposite ends and passes water through to adjacent equipment such as other boilers. The boiler features a single output for the steam it produces. It only consumes fuel as it creates steam. Boilers used in conjunction with [[offshore pump]]s and steam engines are a vital part of early [[power production|power generation]].

For each unit of water, 10 units of steam are produced. Inserting one [[coal]] (4 MJ) into a boiler then using the resulting steam in a steam engine will supply 4 MJ of energy to an electrical system. It costs 300 kJ to heat 1 unit of water to into 10 steam at 165°C, so one boiler will produce 60 steam per second.

[[Inserter]]s can insert fuel into boilers. However, using powered inserters to move fuel into a boiler can be problematic should fuel become unavailable: if no power is being produced, then powered inserters fueling a boiler cannot operate. Inserters can also remove fuel from boilers, allowing inserters to move fuel down a chain of boilers.

Using at least one [[burner inserter]], which uses fuel and not electricity, ensures that at least one inserter is available to restart a single boiler. On larger power grids a single burner may not be satisfactory to restart the grid since inserter will spin very slowly due to lack of electrical satisfaction, and won't be able to input coal to one section fast enough before the previous section runs out again, thus never achieving proper uptime or a successful restart.

A single boiler requires a piece of coal roughly every ~2.2... seconds (4/1.8), or 0.45 coal/second. Higher density fuels adjust consumption accordingly (wood is consumed twice as fast, solid fuel 3 times slower, etc). A single full yellow belt of coal (15 coal/second) can supply 60MW of power, feeding ~33.3... boilers.

== History ==
{{History|2.1.7|
* Boilers and heat exchangers can be connected to the circuit network.}}

{{History|2.0.7|
* 1 Water will now produce 10 Steam in boilers/heat exchangers.}}

{{history|0.15.10|
* Steam became a separate resource, boilers now produce steam rather than high temperature water that is displayed as steam
** This distinction is meaningful for circuit network accounting of steam and the [[coal liquefaction]] recipe}}

{{history|0.15.0|
* New graphics.
* Changed boiler dimensions to 3×2.
* 'Steam' is produced on a separate connector rather than heating water passed through.
** At this time, steam is actually water that is renamed when over 100 degrees.
* Significantly increased energy consumption/production.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* New fire graphics for boilers.}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Enabled the [[inserter]] to take [[fuel]] out of boilers.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Flickering light added to [[furnace]]s and boilers.}}

{{history|0.6.1|
* Boilers show their fuel inventory in the entity info.}}

{{history|0.5.1|
* Boilers are now fast-replaceable with pipes.
* New boiler graphics.
}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Fluid system]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Energy}}

Land mine

2026-09-30T14:38:45Z

HeliGungir: /* History */

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Land mine}}

'''Land mines''' are small defensive emplacements that explode in proximity to [[enemies]]. They leave behind [[ghost]]s that can be automatically rebuilt with [[construction robot]]s.

== Mechanics ==
=== Placement ===

Land mines can be placed on both natural and artificial tiles like [[concrete]], and do not obstruct players, vehicles, nor projectiles.

They can be placed freely and do not snap to the tile grid, but grid alignment is possible with [[blueprint]]s, like the one below.

{{BlueprintString|bp-string=0eNrVk8Fu1DAQhl9l5CMkYdc02zYSB9RDOcCJA4fd1cqJZ4NVZ7yynYpVtWck3oIDL8Aj8SSMnaKtRFVWnOCSZDzz//4mY9+J1o6484bipnXuRjR3x5UgmuWDMOUCqV0ZXdl7o1P8STTzQuz5eSiE6RxNmmB6UjYVkBpQNMIq0uVgCEWqI41JeFgXAimaaHCS5WC/oXFo0Wfn3+SF2LnACkf328+qOgPw+5AMTcSBFUfqgtUtMoz48eUrXPEe7F2IW/Qhu9QLeVmfybPLeibP5ezIx5//fPfzk3v//A3eG40ndT7/bzqf/7nv73DlPJ04c/mYXZlvxtHzmn9C+dpyr6jhLSPCO0YMXKExdN7sJkyRU4k+gLqvjg7iR4Qun8ICAk+kgFTWZUZwW4jGYqhWtNw6iq80btVoE4LV67QNhKhiaJYvUnq9omcgqzqLIHrT92zilTZjSKnFlNBqUD3Cc9aO9CD9MkwrevQqMWc3hvUM3YNGq/Yr+mBuDOMRu7djqoJ2D2/QmuuReuNBzuSiuqjkhfi7k6C6aG5x8+vSPTGlw08FVYyi}}

=== Arming ===

When placed, land mines start inert and spend 2 seconds arming and burying themselves in the ground. They can be targeted by enemies during this time, and as [[Military units and structures|military structures]], they are attacked on sight.

Once armed, land mines become untargetable and enemies ignore them. However, mines can still be destroyed through indirect fire from area of effect attacks, like a [[spitter|spitter's]] acid projectile.

=== Trigger and explosion ===

Land mines have a 2.5 tile trigger radius and 6 tile damage radius. They deal 250 [[Damage#Damage_types|explosive]] damage and stun any survivors for 3 seconds. They do not damage allied buildings, vehicles, or players.

Enemies do not aggro when damaged by land mines, making land mines the only passive defense in Factorio. However, this can be difficult to utilize since enemies '''do''' aggro when they see a newly-placed mine, as noted above.

=== Destruction ===

Armed land mines detonate if they are destroyed by damage (rather than triggered), while unarmed land mines do not.

Like most structures, land mines are vulnerable to friendly fire from area of effect weapons, like [[grenade]]s, [[flamethrower turret]]s, [[rocket turret]]s{{SA}}, and [[railgun turret]]s{{SA}}.

Land mines can be deconstructed as normal.

=== Control behaviors ===

Land mines can be connected to circuit and logistic networks.

* '''Enable if:''' Triggers detonation. Using this control behavior disables proximity-based triggering.

== History ==
{{History|2.1.7|
* Land mines can be connected to the circuit network.}}

{{History|2.0.48|
* Killed land mines now explode.}}

{{History|2.0.24|
* {{SA}} Land mines on space platforms now damage the space platform tiles in a radius when detonated.}}

{{History|0.16.31|
* Enemy mines are not completely invisible anymore in PvP scenarios.
* Land mines now also stun enemy players.}}

{{History|0.15.22|
* Explosive mine now only does damage to enemy units and structures.}}

{{History|0.15.0|
* Increased the damage of the explosion significantly.
* Land mines now also stun nearby enemies when they explode.}}

{{History|0.12.0|
* Optimized the land mine activation code.}}

{{History|0.8.6|
* Land mines can be rebuilt by construction robots.}}

{{History|0.7.0|
* Land mine now has a larger damage and trigger radius.}}

{{History|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Enemies]]
* [[Damage]]

{{CombatNav}}
{{C|Weapons}}

Heat pipe

2026-09-30T14:37:30Z

HeliGungir: /* History */ Circuit network connection.

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Heat pipe}}

The '''heat pipe''' can transport heat over longer distances and connect devices which produce and use heat. Currently, this is limited to [[heat exchanger]]s, [[nuclear reactor]]s, and [[heating tower]]s{{SA}}.

Heat pipes have a heat capacity of 1 MJ/°C. Thus, they can theoretically buffer 500 MJ of heat energy across their working range of 500°C to 1000°C, making them a space-efficient energy store. However, because temperature needs a drop of greater than 1 degree before it will "flow," you can't raise them all the way to 1000°C or drain them all the way to 500°C, so the practical energy capacity will depend on the layout.

As heat pipes rise in temperature, they will give off a very low-distance glow.

On the planet [[Aquilo]]{{SA}}, heat pipes are a necessity due to the freezing temperatures. If buildings are not adjacent to heat pipes (or similar objects) with a temperature of at least 30°C, the building will freeze and stop working.

== Heat pipe throughput ==

Each heat pipe holds an amount of heat energy, and there is a limit to how much energy can go through each of them for a given duration.

For any heat pipe entity with one input connection on one side and one output connection on another, this entity will lower the temperature by <code>1 + (P / 15) °C</code> with P being the power going through this entity expressed in MW.

A [[heat exchanger]] must heat up to 500°C before it can generate steam. And the maximum temperature of a heat generator (such as a nuclear reactor) is 1000°C. As such, the temperature difference between a heat source and the heat exchanger is at most 500°C. We can thus express the maximum length of a straight line of heat pipe as <code>500 / (1 + P/15)</code>.

For example let's take a single nuclear reactor outputting 40MW of heat power to a single line of heat pipes. The furthest that line can go is <code>500 / (1 + 40/15)</code> which is around 136 heat pipes long.

A nuclear reactor can also be used to transfer heat in a similar manner as a heat pipe, whether or not it is fueled. In this case, the reactor will drop the temperature by <code>1 + (P / 387) °C</code>, with P again being the power in MW going through the entity. Note that this is an approximation, the actual value measured is supposed to be 200000/517 or about 386.847.

That being said, the nuclear reactor entity is also much bigger, meaning that we must compare it to 5 lines of 5 heat pipes instead of just a single one. The nuclear reactor will thus lower the temperature 5 times less with near-zero power going through it, and nearly 26 times less when approaching infinite power, compared to those lines of heat pipes.

As an example, a single line of 100 nuclear reactors (or 500 tiles) will only lower the temperature by about 360°C while carrying 1GW.

In [[Space Age]]{{SA}}, on [[Aquilo]], heat pipes are used to prevent entities from [[Aquilo#Freezing|freezing]]. They automatically transfer heat into neighboring entities. Different entities consume different amounts of heat to prevent freezing, but they do not have the temperature requirements of a heat exchanger. Heat pipes only need to be at least 30°C to keep an entity warm. Also, heat pipes do not lose heat to the environment; they only lose heat to entities that need to be kept warm.

== History ==
{{History|2.1.7|
* Heat pipes can be connected to the circuit network.}}

{{History|0.17.67|
* Heat pipes (also in reactors and heat exchangers) glow with high temperatures.}}

{{History|0.15.11|
* Changed heat transfer mechanics, prior to this heat would flow better following the order of heat pipe placement}}

{{History|0.15.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Power production#Nuclear power|Power production]]
* [[Heating tower]]{{SA}}
* [[Heat exchanger]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Energy}}

Pipe

2026-09-30T14:36:12Z

HeliGungir: /* History */

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Pipe}}

The '''pipe''' is the most basic method of distribution of fluids. It is commonly used to provide water from [[offshore pump]]s to [[boiler]]s and steam to [[steam engine]]s for power generation, and later on, [[crude oil]] and [[Oil processing|oil products]]. Unlike [[transport belts]], [[player]]s and [[enemies]] can't walk over them.

Comprehensive information on fluid distribution can be found on the [[fluid system]] page.

Attempting to build a pipe that would potentially mix two liquids will fail, as the pipe won't be placed. Undesired fluid can be flushed from the pipe system by opening the pipe GUI and clicking the trash button next to the fluid. Fluids that are flushed from pipes are deleted permanently.

== Alternative recipes ==
{{About/Space age}}
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Process !! Input !! Output !! Made in !! Required technology
|-
| {{icon|Casting pipe||}} Casting pipe
| {{icon|Time|1}} + {{icon|Molten iron|10}}
| {{icon|Pipe|1}}
| {{icon|Foundry|space-age=yes}}
| {{icontech|Foundry (research)|}} [[Foundry (research)]]
|-
|}

== Gallery ==
<gallery heights=175px widths=273px>
File:pipe_mix_deny.gif||Failed attempt to mix fluids.
File:Pipe_GUI.png|GUI of a pipe inside a fluid system containing water.
File:pipes_placement_gui.png|The GUI of liquids going through pipes when ready to place more pipes.
</gallery>

== History ==

{{history|2.1.7|
* Pipes and pipes to ground can be connected to the circuit network.
* Added circuit network reads for pipeline contents and fluid temperature to pipes, pipes to ground, and storage tanks.}}

{{history|2.0.7|
* Reworked the fluid system flow logic. (https://factorio.com/blog/post/fff-416)
** Contiguous sections of pipes and storage tanks are merged into segments.
** Each segment contains a single fluid, and throughput is proportional to how full a segment is.}}

{{history|0.15.0|
* Increased stack size from 50 to 100.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Underground pipes and belts are placed at max connecting distance apart when built by dragging.}}

{{history|0.11.6|
* The Oil refinery and chemical plant are disconnected from pipes if the recipe is reset.}}

{{history|0.10.1|
* Added new icons}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* Unused pipe connections are passive and do not connect to pipes.}}

{{history|0.9.1|
* Pipes now refresh their connection to [[storage tank]]s when rotated.
* Small quantities of fluid can be pushed/destroyed by larger quantities in pipes.
}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* New graphics.
* All terminating pipes now have visuals.
* Pipes now show fluid inside when {{keybinding|ALT}} mode is enabled.
* Optimized bounding boxes.
}}

{{history|0.5.1|
* The [[boiler]] is now fast-replaceable with pipes, and vice versa.
* New graphics.
}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Visualization of connection to a pipe to ground.}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Pump]]
* [[Pipe to ground]]
* [[Fluid system]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Energy and fluid distribution}}