Factorio 2.0, also known as the Space Age DLC, tantalizes players with more than 50 hours of gameplay as they explore new planets to conquer. Among these celestial bodies, Vulcanus stands out as an intense, fiery environment where many players struggle to navigate and understand the requirements to build and gather essential items. This comprehensive guide will equip beginners with the necessary knowledge to thrive in Vulcanus within Factorio’s Space Age expansion.
Preparing for Your Adventure on Vulcanus
Before setting foot on Vulcanus, players must prepare thoroughly. This preparation includes gathering not only essential tools but also supplementary items that will significantly ease your gameplay experience in this challenging environment.
Essential Items to Bring
| Mandatory Items | Optional Enhancements |
|---|---|
| Processing Circuit (Blue Circuit) | Bulk Inserters |
| Rocket Fuel | Long Inserters |
| Low Density Structures | Roboports |
| Plastic Bars | Logistics Drones |
| Solar Panels | All Types of Logistics Chests |
| Accumulators | Assembly Machine 3 |
| Player Equipment (latest tech preferred) | Electric Furnaces |
| Uranium Ammo | Pumpjacks and Offshore Pumps |
| Big Electric Poles | Oil Refineries |
| Substations | Advanced Circuits (Red Circuit) |
| Radars | Electric Drills |
The items listed are vital for production capabilities that cannot be established without certain technologies available only in Nauvis. Bringing sufficient quantities will streamline your Vulcanus experience, allowing you to maintain an unlimited power supply and ultimately construct a Rocket Silo for launching items into space.
Items to Streamline Your Experience
While you can craft many items in Vulcanus, it’s advisable to leverage your prior knowledge and advancements from Nauvis. Skipping the slow developmental phases is key; maximize the use of logistics drones to automate certain tasks and facilitate your expansion across the different planets.
Optimal Power Supply Solutions in Vulcanus
Power management is crucial on Vulcanus since burner products and buildings are less effective. Fortunately, the planet’s Solar Panels are 300% more efficient. Place them strategically on your power grid and supplement with a few Accumulators to ensure energy availability during nighttime.
As you scale your production on Vulcanus, a consistent supply of both Solar Panels and Accumulators becomes imperative. Automating these items in Vulcanus or transporting your existing stock from Nauvis can significantly ease your workload.
Understanding Production Lines in Vulcanus
One of the key challenges in Vulcanus is the absence of Crude Oil and Uranium Ore, as well as limited water resources. Although water can be generated via steam, certain crucial fluids like Light Oil, Petroleum Gas, and Plastic are not produced without external resources:
- Light Oil
- Plastic
- Petroleum Gas
These products are typically derived from Crude Oil, necessitating research advancements, particularly in Coal Liquefaction, accessible only after returning Metallurgy Science Packs (orange potions) to Nauvis.
Coal Liquefaction allows you to convert Coal, Heavy Oil, and Steam into the necessary fluids when combined with an Oil Refinery. Meanwhile, Vulcanus benefits significantly from new resources, including Calcite and Tungsten, while familiar resources like Coal and Sulfuric Acid remain crucial.
A unique advantage of Vulcanus is the abundant lava, which can produce a variety of basic and intermediate items, such as Iron Plates and Copper Cables, without needing to convert ores. This simplifies your workflow, as you can directly utilize Molten Iron and Molten Copper from lava for your production lines.
The key challenge lies in processing Tungsten Ores into Tungsten Carbide for Foundries—your main production building. This initially requires you to manually extract Tungsten from large volcanic rocks or utilize Roboports and drones for assistance.
Efficient Management of Resource Byproducts
Once your production systems are operational, you’ll likely accumulate stone byproducts from processing Molten Iron and Molten Copper. To manage these effectively, collect them onto a single belt and direct them into the lava for disposal.
While some stone is necessary for other production lines such as Concrete, you can stockpile a portion into a red logistics chest for easy access, ensuring you have resources available when needed. As your factory expands, consider adding bulk inserters at the end of the stone belt for rapid disposal into the lava.
How to Tackle Demolishers in Vulcanus
Another challenge in Vulcanus is acquiring Tungsten Ores while expanding your territory, both of which require dealing with Demolishers defending these areas.
Opening your map will reveal regions broken into distinct territories marked by red borders. You can identify more territories by positioning Radars throughout Vulcanus. Each bordered area is guarded by a Demolisher, which, while initially passive, will attack if you infringe upon its territory.
To claim new territory, you must eliminate these Demolishers effectively. The best strategy is to build Gun Turrets loaded with Uranium Ammo, known for their high damage output against these creatures. Without access to electric technology in the beginning, Uranium Ammo will serve as your most reliable weapon.
Establish a grid of Gun Turrets, ideally in a 5×5 or 3×7 configuration, and ensure they are stocked with Uranium Ammo (at least five rounds per turret). To distribute the ammo quickly, select it from your inventory and spread it across the turrets by pressing “Z”.
Timing is crucial: you only have three seconds to defeat the Demolisher before it destroys your turrets and regenerates. Position your turrets strategically and await the Demolisher’s arrival. Once defeated, new territory will be available for expansion.
Vulcanus Exclusive Resources and Export Opportunities
With your operations established, focus on exporting Metallurgy Science Packs back to Nauvis to initiate research that enables access to Light Oil and Petroleum Gas.
After completing this research, the most valuable exclusive products from Vulcanus include:
- Cliff Explosives
- Turbo Transport Belts, Underground, and Splitters
- Artillery and Shells
Cliff Explosives will allow you to clear obstacles on Nauvis or other planets, while Turbo Transport Belts enhance your transportation capabilities significantly. Additionally, acquiring artillery will bolster your military efficiency against adversaries, streamlining encounters in hostile territories.
Leave a Reply