Whether productivity modules are “worth it” in Factorio is a nuanced question with no single right answer. It depends heavily on your goals, the stage of the game you’re at, and your priorities. Here’s a breakdown to help you decide:
What Productivity Modules Do:
- Increased Output: They increase the number of items produced from a recipe cycle. For example, a smelting recipe that normally yields 1 iron plate might yield 1.1 or even more plates with productivity modules.
- Increased Power Consumption: This is the major drawback. They significantly increase the power required by the machine they’re installed in.
- Slower Production Speed: This is a less noticeable drawback, but they also slightly reduce the production speed of the machine.
When Productivity Modules ARE Worth It:
- Late Game/Megabase: In the late game, especially when building a megabase, maximizing resource efficiency becomes paramount. You’ll likely have abundant power, and the reduced consumption of resources more than offsets the increased power usage.
- Expensive or Resource-Constrained Items: They are most impactful on recipes that use rare resources or complex chains. Examples include:
- Rocket Parts: Very high resource cost.
- Processing Units (Blue Circuits): Long, complex recipe chain.
- Low-Yield Resources: If you have a limited amount of a particular resource, maximizing its yield is essential.
- When Power Is Not a Limiting Factor: If you have a robust, overbuilt power grid, the increased power consumption of productivity modules is a non-issue.
- Long Production Chains: The cumulative benefit of productivity modules across multiple steps in a production chain can be enormous. For example, using productivity modules in both the copper ore smelting and copper wire production stages can significantly reduce the amount of copper ore needed for your final products.
- When Using Beacons: Beacons can counteract the speed reduction of productivity modules while simultaneously sharing the increased output. This synergy is very powerful in late-game setups.
When Productivity Modules MAY NOT Be Worth It:
- Early Game: Early on, your power production is likely limited, and you might struggle to keep up with the energy demands of productivity modules. Speed modules or even no modules at all may be a better choice in the early to mid-game.
- Simple, Abundant Resources: For items that are easy to come by, like iron plates or gears, the resource savings of productivity modules are often negligible compared to the hassle of setting them up and the extra power cost. You might get faster production by using speed modules instead.
- Power-Constrained Bases: If you are constantly struggling with power shortages, using productivity modules will likely exacerbate the problem. Focus on expanding your power generation first.
- When Starting Out on New Planets: When starting on a new planet in space exploration, it might be better to use speed and efficiency modules to get the initial production up and running before switching to productivity once you have enough power.
Key Considerations:
- Module Tier: Higher-tier modules provide more productivity but also consume more power and cost more to produce. Balance the benefits with the costs.
- Beacon Setup: To maximize the effectiveness of productivity modules, especially in the late game, consider using beacons to buff the output while counteracting the production slowdown.
- Power Infrastructure: You’ll need a reliable and scalable power grid to support the increased demand. Nuclear power is often the go-to option in the late game.
- Personal Preference: Ultimately, your module choice is a matter of preference. Experiment with different module setups and find what works best for your playstyle.
In summary:
- Productivity modules are extremely powerful in the late game, especially for resource-intensive items and long production chains. They can drastically reduce your overall resource needs, leading to a more efficient base.
- They are less useful in the early game, when power is a limiting factor, and may not be optimal for simpler production processes.
- Consider the cost/benefit ratio for each scenario. If you have the power capacity to support them, productivity modules are generally the best option for optimizing resource usage.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and find what works best for your specific goals and base. Factorio is a game about optimization and efficiency, and modules play a crucial role in achieving that. Good luck!
