The first decision that matters: power
Your opening 30 minutes are about one thing — getting off hand-fed power.
- Biomass Burner: 30 MW each, fed by leaves, wood, or biomass. It is your starter; it ramps to demand so it will not trip a tiny early grid.
- Coal-Powered Generator: 75 MW each. This is your first real, automated supply.
The coal math (verified)
One Coal-Powered Generator at 100% clock:
| Input | Rate |
|---|---|
| Coal | 15 / min |
| Water | 45 m³ / min |
| Output | 75 MW |
Water: a Water Extractor makes 120 m³/min, so three extractors (360 m³/min) feed exactly eight generators (8 × 45 = 360). One pure coal node with a 100% Miner (120 coal/min) also supports eight generators. Run the water line on a Mk.2 Pipe (600 m³/min) so it does not hit the Mk.1 300 m³/min cap.
Practical first build: one Miner on a coal node → belt to ~8 Coal Generators, three Water Extractors on a shared Mk.2 pipe, all onto your starting grid. That is 600 MW of stable power from a single node.
The trip rule applies from day one
Coal power is the first place new players trip the grid. Unlike most games, Satisfactory does not slow machines when power is short — the whole grid shuts off the instant demand exceeds supply with empty storages. Build to about 130% of current draw and read the power guide before you expand.
What to automate next
- Coal power (above). Stable power unlocks everything else.
- The MAM. It unlocks alternate recipes and research from Hard Drives and resources.
- Hard Drives. There are 118 Crash Sites on the default map. Each MAM scan takes 10 minutes and offers two recipes; pick one. The alternate recipe guide has the full allocation.
- Tier milestones, in order — each one is a new production line, not a side quest.
Do not overbuild early
A beginner trap is building a giant factory before power and logistics are stable. Build to ~130% of demand, automate coal + MAM, then expand in tiers. Early overbuild just costs time you could spend unlocking the next milestone.