Beginner Guide: Getting Started & First Steps
Factorio is a factory-building game about automating production and expanding a base while defending it. This beginner guide covers the essential early-game goals, the basic machines and logistics you’ll use, and simple strategies to get a working, expandable factory.
What to aim for first
- Get a stable supply of the basic resources: iron, copper, stone, coal, and later oil and uranium. Use mining drills to continuously extract ore; a drill will keep mining as long as it has power and its output is not blocked.
- Automate a basic research loop so you can unlock better machines. Early science is produced by hand at first, then automated using assembly machines and inserters.
- Build reliable power generation (steam power) to run machines and mining drills.
- Produce a small stock of rails, assembling machines, and at least one locomotive and wagons when you decide to use trains.
Early production chain (core buildings and flows)
Mining and power
- Mining drills are placed on resource patches to extract ore. They stop if their output is blocked; keep belts or chests emptying the drill output so it continues working.
- Offshore Pump → Boilers → Steam Engines is the standard early power setup. Place an Offshore Pump in water, connect boilers to it, attach steam engines to boilers, and put an Electric Pole within range of the engines. One boiler can supply enough steam for two steam engines; add more boilers/engines as demand grows.
- Fuel (coal/wood) is inserted into boilers to start power generation until you move to more advanced power.
Smelting and basic items
- Conveyors (transport belts) carry items between machines. The basic transport belt is sufficient for early game and provides a predictable throughput for two-lane belts.
- Furnaces (stone furnaces early) convert ore into plates. Feed furnaces with ore on a belt or with inserters from chests.
- Assembly machines craft intermediate and final items such as inserters, belts, gears, and science packs. Automate production chains so items flow from mining → smelting → assembly → lab.
Science automation
- Start by hand-crafting simple science packs, then automate Red (automation) and Green (logistic) science to unlock more tech.
- Gradually expand to military and higher-level science packs. As research complexity grows, you’ll need multiple intermediate products and more elaborate production lines.
- Automated science production is core to progression; aim to have at least one steady automated science line early.
Logistics and layout tips
- Build a “main bus” (a set of parallel belts carrying core resources) or simple branching lines to distribute iron plates, copper plates, circuits, and gears. This simplifies expansion and keeps resources organized.
- Keep space for inserters, belts, and power poles near machines. Mining drills and electric furnaces require room and power coverage.
- Avoid blocking mining drill outputs—use belts, chests, or inserters to clear their outputs so they keep mining.
Trains and rail basics (when to use them)
- Build rails piece by piece or automate rail production. Early-game automated rail production uses an assembler chain: iron sticks → straight rails → curved rails as needed.
- Basic rail components: rails, locomotives, wagons, and signals. A manually driven train needs only rails and a locomotive; you can enter and drive a locomotive yourself.
- Train signals create blocks on the track. Only one train may occupy a signal block at a time. Use regular signals and chain signals to manage movement through intersections:
- Regular (rail) signals mark block boundaries and show whether the block ahead is free (green), reserved/approaching (yellow), or occupied (red).
- Chain signals are placed before junctions to prevent trains entering if the exit path is not clear; they are essential for multi-track or two-way traffic.
- Signals must be on the right side of the track relative to travel direction; placing signals on both sides allows bidirectional traffic, while only placing them on one side enforces one-way operation.
Defensive basics
- As you expand, pollution will attract enemies. Place turrets, walls, and lay out defenses around mining outposts and the factory perimeter.
- Prioritize automated production of turrets and ammunition once you start encountering attacks.
Game settings, mods, and progression advice
- Play vanilla at least once before trying large overhaul mods. Big mods often require starting a new game and can significantly change balance and systems.
- If you want a gentle enhancement, consider mods that extend vanilla features without radically changing core mechanics.
- Space Age / DLC content changes some late-game assumptions; if using those, be aware progression to space involves additional systems.
Useful beginner practices and numbers to remember
- Keep mining drills supplied with power and their outputs cleared to maintain continuous extraction.
- One boiler powers two steam engines in the basic steam setup.
- Early belt throughput and densities are designed to support an organized main bus; build around belt capacity when planning production.
- For rail construction, expect to build many straight rails and fewer curves—roughly an order-of-magnitude more straights than curves in typical early networks.
Starting checklist
- Place at least one electric mining drill on iron and one on copper, power them, and route outputs to furnaces.
- Set up a basic steam power plant (offshore pump, boilers, steam engines) and connect a power pole.
- Build a simple automated line for red science (assemblers + inserters + belts) and start research.
- Produce basic logistics: belts, inserters, and chests, and lay out a rudimentary main bus.
- Prepare a small defense of turrets and begin automating ammo.
This will get you through the early phase, unlock key technologies, and provide a stable foundation for mid- and late-game expansions such as more advanced power, oil processing, trains, and space technologies. Adjust layouts as you learn the game’s flow—Factorio rewards iteration and incremental improvement.