Speedrun Guide

Introduction
This is a beginners’ guide on how to speedrun Factorio. Any intermediate Factorio
player should be able to follow this guide and launch a rocket in under 4 hours.
Getting the “There is no spoon” achievement should be easy following this guide.
The guide is a step-by-step suggestion on what to build and in what order.
It uses direct resource feeding in every build. Every build starts with increasing
iron and copper miners, etc. This is an easy way to make sure your build runs at
full capacity all the time.
This should teach you the basic flow of a speedrun. To go even faster you just
have to build more of everything faster. But that’s for you to design later.
Map
This guide can be run on any map.
Using very high resource settings is recommended.
To get the “There is no spoon” achievement there are a few important settings to
use:
● Pollution: Diffusion ratio → 0
● Starting area size → max
● Do not change any other settings under enemy tab
Doing otherwise may make the achievement harder or disable it.
Example map string: https://pastebin.com/AHf7uz31
General Note on Research
Mandatory Order
Some research can
❏ Automation ❏ Logistics 2 ❏ Productivity
be delayed, ❏ Logistics ❏ Railway Modules 3
therefore they are ❏ Electronics ❏ Speed Modules 1 ❏ Speed Modules 3
colored in the ❏ Fast Inserter ❏ Adv. Oil processing ❏ Rocket Control Units
research queues ❏ Logistic Science ❏ Lubricant ❏ Effect Transmission
❏ Steel Processing ❏ Electric Engines ❏ Rocket Silo
and repeated as a
❏ Steel Axe ❏ Robotics
frequent reminder ❏ Automation 2 ❏ Construction Robots
until the latest ❏ Adv. Material Proc. ❏ Worker Robot Speed 1
possible time if ❏ Engine ❏ Worker Robot Speed 2
Optional Order
applicable. ❏ Fluid Handling ❏ Adv. Electronics 2
❏ Toolbelt
❏ Oil Process. ❏ Adv. Material
❏ Lab Speed 1
❏ Plastics Processing 2
❏ Lab Speed 2
❏ Advanced Electronics ❏ Production Science
❏ Flamables
❏ Sulfur Processing ❏ Low Density Structures
❏ Concrete
❏ Chemical Science ❏ Utility Science
❏ Battery ❏ Rocket Fuel ❏ Lab Speed 3
❏ Modules ❏ Productivity Modules 2
❏ Productivity Modules 1 ❏ Speed Modules 2
Frequent Mistakes - and how to avoid
● Connect power plants properly (water, fuel, poles) ● Building using bots:
● Limit chests for mall, steel furnaces, robot frames ○ Avoid mixed miners. On Nefrums seed: stone mixed
● Green chips setups: don't forget the yellow inserters into power plant coal and coal mixed into circuits copper
● Sulfur priority: into chemical science first, sulfuric acid ○ Ensure all roboports are connected to power and
second existing network
● Don't forget to automate prod1 modules after bots ○ Builds that are copied from map view often need
● Buffers are required for: additional power poles. In particular power plants and
General hint:
○ stone and bricks miners
Take the time to double and
○ all steel builds ○ Check that remote builds are completely covered by
triple check every setup
○ both red chips builds roboports (in particular mining, power plant, rocket
before moving on
○ robot frames parts, long belts)
○ chemical, production, utility science ○ Wait until the build queue for bots is low before giving
○ blue chips and modules them new orders
○ LDS, RCU, rocket fuel ● Prod1s into assemblers for chips in “big green”,
● All tanks in the first oil build required are: blue chips, production and utility science and labs
2 petroleum, 8 light, 1 heavy oil ● Prod3s into rocket silo
● Stock up on intermediates before handcrafting (especially ● Red circuits, LDS, RCUs: Make sure all output belts are
oil-related buildings) connected
● Check oil levels before rocket fuel, if low go for cracking
 (16) (10)

8, 10, 12
21 16
Useful Links:
(7) (9) (11)(14) (15) (17) (18)

(17)

(11) (10)
7 (11) (14) (17)
Map string:
https://pastebin.com/AHf7uz31 (17)
(21) 9 15
7
Save file: (15)
(20) (18)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gmy2mwbbdf0x146/guide%20game
11 17 19
.zip?dl=0

13 14 18 32 30
High res screenshot: (20)
(20)

(24)
https://i.imgur.com/yN27tV3.jpg (29) (13)
20
(27)
(24)
(17)
Eyefriendly dark Guide: 32 24
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19yuwxdcBKODTlfo03A
31 32 27
rbNa0_4Qtgz--IOaA-dGU-RZY/edit?usp=sharing
(22)
29 22
Basic guide to streaming: 26
https://youtu.be/bsfmgXaw1SQ
(22)
25 23
Splits for LiveSplit or LiveSplit (25)
(25)
One: Numbers in parentheses have only
28 25
a mention in the text but no
https://ardoric.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/factorio/Factorio_ screenshot on the respective page
in most cases. (28) (28)
Beginner_Splits.zip
Positions of Roboports:
Burner phase Research Queue

Mine rocks and build burner

miners, start with iron.
Try to keep handcrafting
as much as possible.
Number of burner miners:
● 10 on iron Crafting list
● 6 on copper
35 10
● 16 on coal 19 1
● 4 on stone 1 1
1
2
On the right you’ll 10
find a heads up
what’s needed next 20
1
Power and lab Research Queue
1. Automation
Keep burners fueled. 2. Logistics
Start crafting science packs 3. Electronics
and go chop down trees. 4. Fast Inserter
5. Logistic
Return when crafting is done. Science
Build a small powerplant
and put down the lab. Crafting list
Start researching Automation.
10 15
1 20
1 24
1 100
2 70
10 4
20 6
1 2
First half iron lane Research Queue

Start crafting and go chop enough wood

for the rest of the run, ca. 200.
As soon as automation finishes craft a few
assemblers to make gears and wire and
handfeed plates to them.
Build half an iron line, feed coal from a chest. Crafting list
Automate gears and belt.
15 4
Add a temporary small science setup, 20 8
handfeed copper plates into it. 24 2
100 10
70 40
4
6
2
Power is low! Research Queue

Extend the powerplant.

Automate coal for smelting.

Crafting list
4 30
8 20
2 48
10 120
40 6
12
20
6
2
Green circuits Research Queue
1. Steel
Build more iron and then copper Processing
smelting. 2. Steel Axe

Add an overflow buffer for iron.

Automate green circuits, add an
overflow buffer.
Automate inserters and miners. Crafting list
Keep sci fed with copper. 30 5
20 10
Limit gear chests to a few stacks. 48 5
120 5
6 40
12
20
6
2
Double power Research Queue

Add 5 more boilers

to the powerplant.

Crafting list
5 17
10 1
5 28
5 2
40
Automate red/green sci Research Queue
1. Automation 2
Remove the mini science and 2. Advanced
automate red/green science Material Proc.
3. Engine
● 9 red science 4. Fluid Handling
● 10 green science 5. Oil Process.
● 30 labs

Crafting list
17 30
1 48
28 10
2 15
10
25
Mall Research Queue
1. Plastics
Build another iron line. 2. Advanced
Electronics
Build some gears and combine
3. Sulfur
with green circuits on a belt. Processing
Automate most of the basic 4. Chemical Sci.
5. Battery
construction materials.
Limit output chests to a Crafting list
few stacks (1-4 slots).
30 30
Steel for lvl 2 assemblers 48 56
10 8
follow on next slide.
15 28
10 7
25
Steel and bricks Research Queue
1. Modules
Build steel and brick smelting. 2. Prod Mod 1
15 miners each. Double input 3. Toolbelt
belts for the steel smelter to 4. Lab Speed 1
allow us to upgrade it later. 5. Lab Speed 2

Automate steel furnaces. Limit the chest!

Connect steel to assembler2s.
Crafting list
Upgrade to assembler2s:
30 1
● Copper wire 56 20
● Inserters 8
● Miners 28
● Pipe 7

● Red/Green sci
Another powerplant Research Queue
1. Logistics 2
Build a standard 20 boiler power plant. 2. Railway
It needs 18 coal miners connected 3. Speed Mod 1
(Don’t put them all on one side of the 4. Flamables
belt, one side can only carry coal from 5. Concrete

15 miners max).
Connect water!
Crafting list
Fill up the coal for the smelting belt to
a full belt (30 miners). 1 3
20 8
3
Red circuits Research Queue
Upgrade the steel smelter with steel ❏ Toolbelt
furnaces, add 15 more miners to it. ❏ Lab Speed 1
❏ Lab Speed 2
Build an iron smelter (30 miners), ❏ Flamables
add 2 pipe and one gear assembler. ❏ Concrete

Build a copper smelter (30 miners)

and 7 GC plus 3 wire assemblers.
Build 8 refineries and 3 plastic plants. Crafting list
Build 18 red circuit assemblers. 3 1
8 1
3
Blue science Research Queue
1. Adv. Oil Proc.
Fetch water and add a
2. Lubricant
sulfur plant, mix sulfur 3. Elec. Engines
and red circuits on a belt. 4. Robotics
5. Const. Robots
Output gears and pipe
onto a belt and drag it
next to the steel belt.
Build the blue sci and Crafting list
connect the output to the 1 5
labs. Add a buffer 1 12

Start researching towards

construction bots.
Batteries and lube Research Queue
Build acid and batteries, spaghetti ❏ Toolbelt
a belt of iron and copper to it. ❏ Lab Speed 1
❏ Lab Speed 2
Connect batteries to the same belt
❏ Flamables
as steel. Make sure not to starve
❏ Concrete
sulfur for chem sci.
Switch the two bottom refineries to
advanced oil.
Crafting list
Add tanks to all outputs to make
5 1
sure nothing backs up. Make sure 12 20
the tank connections touch. Light 10
oil will be used to make rocket fuel
later.
Build one lube plant.
Bots Research Queue
Build more engines and electric
1. Worker Robot
engines, connect green circuits
Speed 1
from the red circuit build.
2. Worker Robot
Build frames and an output chest, Speed 2
limit the chest to 8 stacks to be 3. Advanced
used for yellow sci. Handfeed 3 Electronics 2
stacks of green circuits into the
chest. Place the construction bot
assembler and a roboport. Crafting list
Upgrade all of the chests in 1 60
the mall to provider chests, also 20
at the assembler for steel furnaces. 10
Automate power poles anywhere
there is copper and place the only
storage chest there.
Tell the bots to gather some wood.

Set up 2 prod module assemblers.

All the power Research Queue
1. Adv. Material
Copy-paste the power plant built
Processing 2
earlier 3 times, adding up to a total of 4. 2. Production
Add 18+ coal miners to each powerplant. Science
3. Low Density
Connect water! Structures

Make sure everything is in roboport range.

Put boilers in a provider chest. Crafting list
Start researching towards 60
yellow and purple sci.
More smelting Research Queue
Copy-paste 2 steel smelters
❏ Toolbelt
(with buffer chests) and 5 ❏ Lab Speed 1
normal smelters. ❏ Lab Speed 2
2 for iron and 3 for copper. ❏ Flamables
❏ Concrete
Put this build close to ore patches
with plenty of space next to it.
Blueprint miners and connect them
Crafting list
to the smelters. Each smelter
needs a full belt of ore (30 miners). 30

Also connect a full belt of coal.

Big green circuits Research Queue
1. Utility Science
Use the three copper and
2. Rocket Fuel
two iron lines to make 3. Prod Mod 2
green circuits. Buffer all the 4. Speed Mod 2
green circuits so we can 5. Lab Speed 3
drain 4 belts of circuits
later. Add prod1s to green
circuit assemblers (not wire
Crafting list
though!) for better ratio.
30 5
Build a few assemblers and 24
copy-paste them and let the 12
bots build the rest.
Continuously check if the
bots are short on anything.
And craft it for them.
Big oil Research Queue
❏ Toolbelt
Build 24 refineries and 1.5
❏ Lab Speed 1
belts of plastics. ❏ Lab Speed 2
Connect coal. You can ❏ Flamables
❏ Concrete
use the overflow from
coal from both smelting
lines.
Crafting list
5
24
12
Big red circuits Research Queue
❏ Toolbelt
Blueprint another smelter
❏ Lab Speed 1
and copper miners. Turn it ❏ Lab Speed 2
into two belts of copper ❏ Flamables
wire (10 AM2). ❏ Concrete

Build 60 red circuits

assemblers and add an
output buffer. Crafting list
Leave some space 30
between green and red
circuits so we can
spaghetti through more
belts later.
Modules and blue circuits
Build 16 module assemblers
(8 prod1, 8 speed1) and 28
blue circuits assemblers (with
two prod1 modules inside
them).

Connect the red and green

circuits and get acid from the
battery production.
Purple science
Direct feeding purple sci.

Build one print and copy-paste

it.

Get the stone and bricks belt

from the starter base. Add 3
stick assemblers to the starter
base to get half a belt of sticks,
mix this with red circuits.
Connect a full belt of steel.
Connect prod modules to the
inside of the output belt.

Connect everything to the labs

and add prod1s to the labs.
LDS
Build 2 more copper
smelters and mix the half
belt of plastics with steel.

Build 40 LDS assemblers

and add an output buffer.
Yellow science Research Queue
Yellow sci is very simple. Just add a mixed LDS and 1. Prod Mod 3
blue circuits belt. 2. Speed Mod 3
3. RCU
Pick up 400 frames from the buffer chest at the bot
4. Effect
production and handfeed half a stack (25) to each
Transmission
assembler. 5. Rocket Silo
Cut the electric engine belt and add a buffer chest to
get the 200 we need to make the silo later.
Crafting list
Connect yellow to labs. And double the amount of
labs. 30 20
Rocket fuel Research Queue

Use the buffered light oil

to make rocket fuel.
Build ~40 rocket fuel assemblers.

Crafting list
20
RCUs Research Queue

Build 64 RCU assemblers.

Connect speed modules and blue circuits.
If you have enough purple science (1600)
you can switch all module assemblers to
speed modules.

Crafting list
14
Prod3s, concrete, silo spot Research Queue
Feed 100 blue and red circuits
and 80 prod1s to make 20 prod
2s. Make the 4 prod3s for the
silo from those.

Make 1000 concrete from 500

bricks and 100 iron ore. Can be
built anywhere there is water.

Prepare a spot for the silo and Crafting list

route all rocket components
there. 14 1

Craft beacons. Place them and

put speed1s into them.

If red, green or blue sci is low,

add speedmodules to it.
Rocket launch
Craft the rocket silo and immediately put all 4 level 3 prod modules in it.

(You can help the silo prepare a bit faster by picking up components and putting
them in the silo manually, since the blue inserters are not quite fast enough to
keep up.)

Hit launch!
Congratulations!
Submit the run on speedrun.com/Factorio!