Yo, what’s up, factory builders? Divu is here, and dude—Alchemy Factory has me hooked. This medieval automation gem just hit Steam Early Access on Dec 12 (props to D5 Copperhead & Gamirror Games), and it’s blowing up with 91% “Very Positive” reviews. Think Satisfactory meets Potion Craft: voxel factories, potion lines, shop sim—but cozy scale, no mega-sprawl burnout. If you’re grinding early game (like me, post-launch patch chaos), this guide’s your blueprint bible. We nuke manual farms with self-sustaining fertilizer modules (20/min each!), crank glass for vitality potions, and loop infinite coins. Modular city-block layouts on floors only—a pro move for that clean USA factory vibe. Free Steam demo if you’re testing the waters.
Grabbed the 10% launch discount ($16.19 till Dec 25)? Smart. Let’s automate and print gold!
Early Game Base Setup: Clean Slates & Money Loops (Pre-Fert Chaos)
Shoutout to the Steam forums commenter who beefed my stone/clay/brick line—extra table saw + stone crusher = 60 stone in, 15 clay/min + 10 bricks/min out. Bricks? Eternal early gold. Sand at 60/min; charcoal feeds everything. Fits like a glove.
Key Hacks (Reddit/Steam Approved):
- Full Money Belt Loop: Sales coins → boxes → catapults (wall-punch genius) → sigils/land → back to shop. Why do no IRL stores do this? Beats me. Snagged 8 sigils early—one-time ROI king.
- Floors Everywhere: Builds on floors = aesthetic win. Vertical stacking saves plots (limited space meta).
- 6-Input Portals: Window entry feeds modules. Ditch messy ground clutter.
- Research Smart: Basic fertilizer first (nurseries don’t demand it). Skip glass—pissed customers tank rep till automated.
Bought the house plot and hid farms in the corner. Money dips? Investment phase—brick sales and quests rebound it. Fuel Efficiency Lv2 is mandatory (wood-charcoal stalls otherwise).
Blueprint #1: Basic Fertilizer Module (20/min—Self-Bootstraps Farms!)
Community nightmare: Fertilizer needs sage (plant ash), but sage needs fertilizer. Solved: Kickstart loop. Matches GitHub calc ratios (3 crushers for 60 stone/min). Post-Dec 13 patch: Plant ash nerfed to 1 (dev fix!).
Production Chain:
- Stone → Quicklime (Crucible, 9s) → Quicklime Powder (Grinder, 9s)
- Sage → Plant Ash (Crucible)
- Wood → Charcoal Powder (Furnace)
- Assembler: Ash + Powder → Fertilizer
Optimized Ratios (Full Belt, 20/min) :
| Machine | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Crusher | 3 | 60 stone/min input |
| Crucible | 6 (3 QL, 3 Ash) | Fuel loop essential |
| Grinder | 3 | Powder bottleneck |
| Assembler | 1 | Final step |
| Sage Nursery | 2 | Self-feeds after kickstart |
| Furnaces | 2-3 | Charcoal sustain (Lv2 fuel) |
Step-by-Step Build (Blueprint-Ready):
- Fuel First: Wood belt → furnaces → split to crucibles. (No stutter!)
- Stone Path: 3 crushers → 3 crucibles → 3 grinders → assembler input 1.
- Sage Loop: 2 fert-fed nurseries → crucibles → ash → assembler input 2.
- Kickstart: Box ~100 fert manually, catapult extras back. Bounces to main belt.
Scalability: 1 module feeds 3 nurseries net. x4 = 60/min belt (12 nurseries). Nail splitters for branches (cheap AF). Use the alchemy-factory-codex.com planner for tweaks.
Patreon/Discord: Blueprints dropping (Google Drive). Tweak & share!
Blueprint #2: Glass Line (1/sec – Potion Gateway)
Unlocks blenders/vitality pots. Sand from stone byproduct—ratio heaven.
Chain:
- Stone → Sand (Crusher)
- Sand + Fuel → Glass (Kiln, 6s, 1:1)
Machines (30/min Sand):
| Machine | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Crusher | 3 | Ties to stone mainline |
| Kiln | 4-5 | Fuel split top/bottom |
| Crucible | 2 | Charcoal/boards |
Build:
- Fuel: Wood → 2 crucibles → kiln split.
- Stone: 3 crushers → balanced kiln feed.
- Out: Storage → catapult to belt/box. 3-tile buffers kill jams.
Compact, vertical beast. Hook stone byproduct—zero waste.
Shop & Economy Hacks: Passive Coin Printers
- Catapult Restock: Auto-shelf from belts. Belt Speed Lv1 + Catapult Lv1 early (shop profit x2 after).
- No Silver Clogs: Filter splitter rush.
- Priority Sells: Bricks/clay > all. Overflow? Storage first.
Upgrades: Money Gen x2 → Belt Speed → Prod Speed. “T” key configs = lifesaver.
Pitfalls Fixed (My Fails + Community Wisdom)
Fert stalls? Fuel Lv2 + manual stage kick. Jams? Buffers/T-swaps. Ratios: 3×6.7=20/min base.
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Fert Loop Fail | Fuel up + 100 kickstart |
| Belt Jam | 3-tile buffer + splitters |
| Low Output | +1 machine/20/min |
| Space Tight | Floors + vertical (staging area!) |
Research trap: Automate before unlocking.
Next: Vitality Pots, Advanced Fert & Multiplayer Mayhem
Glass → blenders → “blood” → pots. Linen/rope combo next (pulleys!). Iron manual? Automate it. Advanced fertilizer mega-farms are incoming—rebuild the messy early stuff.
Multiplayer? Co-op factories invite buds for ratios. Farms are gone, money is passive. Blueprints = zero-brain scale.
Factorio vets are loving the cozy twist—hit the comments with your tweaks (brick upvotes inspired this!). Sub for eps, Patreon blueprints. Stay efficient, alchemists—catch you grinding!
