Factorio modules become powerful when you use them for a clear job. They save resources, fix one bottleneck, or reduce pollution before biters punish your expansion.
Key points
- Factorio modules improve speed, productivity, efficiency or quality depending on the selected module type.
- The official wiki says beacons transmit module effects to nearby machines in a 9x9 tile area.
- Productivity modules increase output but add speed, power and pollution tradeoffs.
- Efficiency modules help reduce power demand and pollution pressure, especially around mines.
This guide is for players who already have red, green and blue science running. It explains where productivity, speed, efficiency modules and beacons belong.
For official updates, keep the Factorio developer blog, the official module wiki page, and useful jeu.video sections such as Articles, Actualité and Dernières actualités nearby.
Factorio modules guide: key takeaways
- Put productivity modules on expensive repeated recipes.
- Use speed modules to solve one real bottleneck.
- Use efficiency modules to lower pollution and power draw.
- Do not add productivity to a fragile line.
- Build your first beacons around a stable production block.
Factorio modules guide: pick the right tool
The right module starts with the symptom. Need more throughput? Speed may help. Burning ore too fast? Productivity is the long-term answer.
If pollution is causing attacks, efficiency can buy time. The common mistake is filling machines with speed modules because the result is immediate.
| Problem | Best module | First target | Mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Save ingredients | Productivity | Circuits, science, intermediates | Adding it without enough power |
| Increase throughput | Speed | Machine limiting the chain | Speeding up a blocked output |
| Reduce pollution and power | Efficiency | Mines, outposts, repeated blocks | Ignoring the real gain |
Factorio productivity modules: place them where they pay back
A productivity module adds extra output to compatible recipes. It also brings speed, power and pollution penalties.
That makes it best on expensive recipes that run for the whole game. Start small. Put productivity in a few red circuit machines and watch the line.
- Choose a line that already runs without interruptions.
- Add one productivity module to only a few machines.
- Watch power, pollution and input belts for several minutes.
- Add speed support or more machines if final throughput drops too far.
- Repeat the method on science packs and costly components.
Labs are also valuable once your science pack production keeps up. Every research consumes packs, so productivity extracts more value from the factory.
Use speed to fix one bottleneck
Speed modules increase machine throughput. They are excellent with productivity because they offset the slowdown. Before beacons, they can drain belts faster.
Identify the real bottleneck first. A machine stopped with empty inputs needs upstream production. A machine stopped with blocked output needs better transport or demand.
- Empty input: increase mining, smelting or upstream production.
- Blocked output: improve belts, splitters, storage or downstream usage.
- Always active machine: test speed or add another machine in parallel.
- Unstable power: delay speed modules and expand electricity first.
Lower pollution and power with efficiency
Efficiency modules are less flashy, but they can save beginner and mid-game maps. If nests are close, cutting energy use lowers pollution pressure.
Upgrade outposts near biters first, then always-on blocks. The benefit is defensive: fewer attacks, less ammo spent and more time to expand.
If your base already has stable power and safe walls, efficiency becomes less urgent than productivity on costly chains.
Factorio beacons: build them at the right time
According to the official wiki, a beacon transmits module effects to nearby machines in a 9x9 tile area. It costs power and advanced materials.
A beacon should affect several useful machines. If it boosts only one isolated assembler, normal assemblers may be cheaper and clearer.
- Pick a straight production block with space around machines.
- Place machines in readable rows.
- Keep inputs and outputs separate.
- Add one or two speed beacons on the edge.
- Watch power usage before extending the pattern.
Factorio modules guide: safe progression order
For beginner and intermediate players, the safest route is to wait until blue science is stable. Then test modules on one short production area.
Modules do not replace readable belts, reliable power or well-sized smelting. They come after those fundamentals.
| Game stage | Module priority | Concrete action |
|---|---|---|
| Red and green science | No mass module use | Stabilize power, belts and defense |
| Blue science | Efficiency or productivity 1 | Test mines, circuits and science |
| Advanced mid-game | Productivity plus targeted speed | Improve red circuits, blue circuits and labs |
| Late game | Speed beacons | Rebuild costly blocks around beacon coverage |
Common Factorio module mistakes to fix
The first mistake is filling every machine as soon as modules unlock. Modules are expensive, slow to make and often wasted.
The second mistake is forgetting electricity. Productivity and speed modules can raise demand enough to cause brownouts.
The third mistake is beaconing a cramped base. If you need to tear apart half the factory, build a clean block farther away.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Factorio module should I craft first?Craft efficiency modules if pollution is causing attacks. Otherwise, test productivity 1 on circuits or science.
Use them on expensive repeated recipes: circuits, science packs, advanced components and labs when science supply is stable.
No. They are good on a real bottleneck with steady inputs, but bad on machines with empty inputs or blocked outputs.
Wait for stable blue science, comfortable power and a clean block where each beacon can affect several machines.
Productivity and speed increase power demand. Expand electricity before spreading those modules across the base.
Yes, depending on the goal. Use efficiency for pollution and power, or speed for a limited patch.
Not always. If a beacon touches only one or two machines, adding normal assemblers may be cheaper.
Use the official Factorio blog, the module wiki and the beacon wiki.
Verified sources
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