Technologies

The technology tree − Click to enlarge.

Researched tech bonuses.

Technologies are series of research projects that provide various enhancements. Some technologies unlock new items or recipes, while others provide bonuses.

Most technologies can be researched in labs by consuming science packs of various types. For example, the Logistics technology can be unlocked by placing 20 automation science packs into labs while the technology is selected for research. Some technologies will automatically unlock after meeting specific conditions, without consumption of any science packs.

Infinite technologies

While most technologies in Factorio are either one-off or have a finite, relatively small number of levels available, a few are "infinite", meaning the player can research as many levels as they can afford. All of them unlock bonuses to existing technologies, never new structures or abilities. The per-level bonuses are constant for a particular infinite technologies and, like finite research bonuses, are additive within a single technology. They are subject to diminishing returns; thus, the per-level and per-science pack contributions from very high levels of infinite technologies will eventually provide only marginal improvements.

All base game infinite technologies levels require space science packs, and are also the only technologies that do. As such, they are late-game technologies intended primarily for players who wish to continue playing and expand their factory past the nominal victory condition of launching a rocket.

Infinite technologies are identified in-game by a small ∞ infinity symbol shown in the top right corner of the research technology's card in the research screen.

Most infinite technologies are continuations of ordinary multi-level technologies; the "infinite" mechanic becomes effective once the player reaches the card initially labeled with N - ∞ in the research tree. In the base game, only the two artillery-related technologies (artillery shell range and shooting speed) are infinite-only; for these, 1 - ∞ is shown before any levels in them are researched. In either case, once the first infinite level is researched, the card label switches to the one discussed above.

Pricing formulas

The price of all infinite technologies is generated in a mathematical progression; for the majority of technologies, the progression is geometric, mostly in powers of 2. Two technologies - mining productivity and follower robot count - use an arithmetic progression instead.

The table below summarizes for all infinite researches their first infinite level, the cost of the first few infinite levels, the cost formula and the per-level bonus.

We denote by N the current level of the research, by F the final non-infinite level of the research (hence F+1 is the first "infinite" level) and by P[N] the price of the research at level N.

Technology	Category	Bonus	Science Packs	F+1	P[N]	P[F+1]	P[F+2]	P[F+3]	P[F+4]	P[F+5]	...
Mining productivity	Productivity	+10% Mining productivity		4	2,500 × (N - F)	2,500	5,000	7,500	10,000	12,500	+2500
Physical projectile damage	Weapon Damage	+40% Bullet damage +70% Gun turret damage +40% Shotgun shell damage +100% Cannon shell damage		7	1,000 × 2^(N - F - 1)	1,000	2,000	4,000	8,000	16,000	×2
Stronger explosives		+50% Rocket damage +20% Grenade damage +20% Land mine damage		7	1,000 × 2^(N - F - 1)	1,000	2,000	4,000	8,000	16,000	×2
Refined flammables		+20% Fire damage +20% Flamethrower turret damage		7	1,000 × 2^(N - F - 1)	1,000	2,000	4,000	8,000	16,000	×2
Energy weapons damage		+70% Laser damage +70% Electric damage +30% Beam damage		7	1,000 × 2^(N - F - 1)	1,000	2,000	4,000	8,000	16,000	×2
Artillery shell range	Non-Damage Weapon Bonus	+30% Artillery shell range		1	1,000 × 2^N	2,000	4,000	8,000	16,000	32,000	×2
Artillery shell shooting speed		+100% Artillery shell shooting speed		1	1,000 + 1,000 × 3^(N - 1)	2,000	4,000	10,000	28,000	82,000	×3 then - 2,000
Follower robot count		+25 Maximum following robots		5	1,000 × (N - F)	1,000	2,000	3,000	4,000	5,000	+1,000
Worker robot speed	Other	+65% Worker robot speed		6	1,000 × 2^(N - F - 1)	1,000	2,000	4,000	8,000	16,000	×2

Space Age

The table below summarizes all the infinite technologies in Space Age. Some are unique to Space Age, while some have their price and/or effect changed from the base game.

Due to the introduction of tesla weapons, the energy weapons damage technology is split into laser weapons damage and electric weapons damage.

Technology	Category	Bonus	Science Packs	F+1	P[N]	P[F+1]	...
Mining productivity	Productivity	+10% Mining productivity		3	1,000 × (N - F)	1,000	+1,000
Research productivity		+10% Lab research productivity		1	1,000 × 1.2^N	1,200	×1.2
Steel plate productivity	Recipe Productivity (no effect beyond level 30)	+10% Steel plate productivity +10% Casting steel productivity		1	1,000 × 1.5^N	1,500	×1.5
Low density structure productivity		+10% Low density structure productivity +10% Casting low density structure productivity		1	1,000 × 1.5^N	1,500	×1.5
Scrap recycling productivity		+10% Scrap recycling productivity		1	500 × 1.5^N	750	×1.5
Processing unit productivity		+10% Processing unit productivity		1	1,000 × 1.5^N	1,500	×1.5
Plastic bar productivity		+10% Plastic bar productivity +10% Bioplastic productivity		1	1,000 × 1.5^N	1,500	×1.5
Rocket fuel productivity		+10% Rocket fuel productivity +10% Rocket fuel from jelly productivity +10% Ammonia rocket fuel productivity		1	1,000 × 1.5^N	1,500	×1.5
Asteroid productivity		+10% Carbonic asteroid crushing productivity +10% Oxide asteroid crushing productivity +10% Metallic asteroid crushing productivity +10% Advanced carbonic asteroid productivity +10% Advanced oxide asteroid crushing productivity +10% Advanced metallic asteroid crushing productivity		1	1,000 × 1.5^N	1,500	×1.5
Rocket part productivity		+10% Rocket part productivity		1	2,000 × 1.5^N	3,000	×1.5
Physical projectile damage	Weapon Damage	+20% Bullet damage +20% Gun turret damage +40% Shotgun shell damage +100% Cannon shell damage		7	1,000 × 2^(N - F - 1)	1,000	×2
Laser weapons damage		+70% Laser damage		7	1,000 × 2^(N - F - 1)	1,000	×2
Artillery shell damage		+10% Artillery shell damage		1	1,000 × 2^(N - 1)	1,000	×2
Stronger explosives		+50% Rocket damage +20% Grenade damage +20% Land mine damage		7	1,000 × 2^(N - F - 1)	1,000	×2
Refined flammables		+20% Fire damage +20% Flamethrower turret damage		7	1,000 × 2^(N - F - 1)	1,000	×2
Electric weapons damage		+70% Tesla damage +70% Electric damage +30% Beam damage		4	1,000 × 2^(N - F)	2,000	×2
Railgun damage		+40% Railgun damage		1	1,000 × 2^(N - 1)	1,000	×2
Artillery shell range	Non-Damage Weapon Bonus	+30% Artillery shell range		1	1,000 × 2^(N - 1)	1,000	×2
Artillery shell shooting speed		+100% Artillery shell shooting speed		1	1,000 × 2^(N - 1)	1,000	×2
Railgun shooting speed		+15% Railgun shooting speed		1	1,000 × 2^(N - 1)	1,000	×2
Follower robot count		+25 Maximum following robots		5	1,000 × (N - F)	1,000	+1,000
Worker robot speed	Other	+65% Worker robot speed		7	1,000 × 2^(N - F)	2,000	×2
Health		+50 Character health		1	50 × 2^N	100	×2

Cumulative cost

As the price of most infinite technologies (specifically, those based on geometric progressions) increases very steeply, it may be a good idea for players to set realistic target levels for each of the infinite technologies they wish to pursue, and make their factory plans accordingly. To that end, the following properties of cumulative infinite research prices may be useful:

1. For infinite technologies whose underlying equation is a powers-of-two geometric series, the cumulative price of the first N - F infinite levels (skipping the first F level, so counting "infinite" levels only) is 2 × P[N] - P[F+1]; i.e., twice the price of the final researched level, less the price of the first "infinite" level.
   • As N increases, this is approximated well by 2 × P[N] = P[N+1], so the cumulative cost of researching to level N is about as much as researching level N+1.
   • If one decides a level M which one considers the "highest feasible" with their current science pack production capacity, expanding said capacity by a factor of X will allow about log[2](X) additional levels to be researched before the next level takes longer to research with the expanded capacity than level M + 1 would have taken with the pre-expansion production capacity.
   • For example, if one expands production capacity by a factor of 10, they will be able to research at least floor(log[2](10)) = 3 and at most ceiling(log[2](10)) = 4 additional levels in a given technology before the exponential increase in price negates the speed benefits of their ×10 capacity expansion.
2. The cumulative price of the first N - F levels of infinite technologies whose underlying equation is an arithmetic series is (N - F) × (P[N] + P[F + 1]) ÷ 2; i.e, N - F times the mean of the prices of the first and last "infinite" level. For the Follower robot count (research), an additional 900 × (N-F) need to be added.
   • Expanding production capacity by a factor of X, as above, will in this case allow an additional N × (X - 1) levels to be researched before the benefit of the expansion is wiped out (i.e., research progress speed drops to or below what it was pre-expansion).
3. The cumulative price of the first N levels of artillery shell shooting speed, the sole infinite technology whose underlying equation is a powers-of-three geometric series (equation type (2)) is 1.5 × P[N] - 0.5 × P[1]; i.e., 1.5 times the price of the final researched level, less half the price of the first level.

Note that these prices reflect research units, which will not be equal to science packs if productivity modules are used in labs. (In that case, the science pack requirement will be lower.)

Infinite productivity research limits

All recipes have a maximum productivity of 300%. This was primarily done to prevent infinite resource exploits involving the recycler and its 25% return of input items. This cap puts a hard limit on the effectiveness of most infinite productivity researches. It can be researched past level 30, but it will have no practical effect.

Note that miners are not crafting machines that execute recipes, nor are labs. As such, mining productivity (research) and research productivity (research) have no limit.

The railgun turret's shooting speed is limited by its animation, which means it can't shoot faster than 0.845 times per second (once per 71 ticks). This shooting speed is reached at level 10 and researching past that level will have no practical effect on the railgun turret, however it will continue to increase the shooting speed of the hand-held railgun.

Achievements

Tech maniac Research all technologies.

• Completing infinite technologies of any level is not required for Tech maniac. All non-infinite levels of technologies that have infinite continuations are still required.

See also

• Research
• Science pack