Cobalt

Cobalt is a refined metal used in a wide range of mid- to late-game industrial applications. Like other refined metals, it is a general-purpose construction material for advanced power systems, buildings, and automation components, making it useful wherever conductivity and refined-metal requirements matter.

It can also be used at the Exosuit Forge to produce an Atmo Suit. The recipe accepts 300 kg of Cobalt and 2 units of Reed Fiber to create 1 Atmo Suit. This makes Cobalt one of several valid refined metals for suit production, alongside other common options.

Cobalt is produced from Cobalt Ore in several ways. The most direct method is through the Metal Refinery, which converts 100 kg of Cobalt Ore into 100 kg of Cobalt at a 1:1 ratio, but it requires Duplicant operation. Another industrial option is the Rock Crusher, which can process 100 kg of Cobalt Ore into 50 kg of Cobalt and 50 kg of Sand. This method is much less efficient and is generally not recommended unless the side products are specifically useful. Smooth Hatches provide a ranching alternative: they consume Cobalt Ore and excrete refined Cobalt at about 75% of the ore’s mass.

Cobalt also has notably high thermal conductivity. Because of this, it can serve as a substitute for diamond when making Temperature Shift Plates if a highly conductive material is needed. This makes it valuable not only as a construction resource, but also as a thermal management material in setups where rapid heat exchange is important.

• Cobalt is a refined metal, so it fits the same broad class of uses as other refined metals in advanced infrastructure.
• It is a valid material for Atmo Suit production at the Exosuit Forge.
• The Metal Refinery provides the best conversion efficiency for ore-to-metal processing.
• The Rock Crusher is the least efficient conversion method and creates Sand as a byproduct.
• Smooth Hatches can convert ore into refined Cobalt through ranching.
• Its high thermal conductivity makes it useful for Temperature Shift Plates when diamond is unavailable or unnecessary.
• Cobalt can be used in the Power Control Station to produce Microchips.