Satisfactory Quartz research: Blade Runners, Explorer, Radar Tower

In Satisfactory you’re not strictly tied to milestone progress. Those are a good guideline, but you can also strike out on your own to discover new resources. Quartz only becomes crucial later on, but research in the MAM can grant you several important items you might otherwise miss. We therefore recommend getting hold of the resource early or at least setting up a rudimentary factory at one of its locations. Many of the recipes you unlock here will matter later, giving you a head start. Today we’ll look closely at what you need Quartz for and why starting the research earlier than you might think is worthwhile.

Satisfactory: finding Quartz – best locations and tips

Normally you only unlock the Quartz scan on Tier 7, but you can of course go looking beforehand. That’s absolutely worth it if you check some of the rewards in the MAM. Researching these so late in the game is a little counter-productive. Quartz nodes aren’t overly common, but helpfully two to three deposits are usually clustered together.

We recommend checking:

• Titan Forest (2x normal and 1x pure)
• Red Jungle / Western Dune Forest (2x pure)
• Rocky Desert (2x pure and 1x normal)
• Southern Forest (1x pure, 1x normal and 1x impure)

Quartz is easy to recognise by its purple, spiky crystals jutting from the ground at deposits. You can mine it by hand or with a Portable Miner. We suggest grabbing some Quartz on your first scouting runs to kick off the research.

Satisfactory Quartz research in the MAM: all branches

Thanks to its colour, Quartz is hard to miss, and with our map you’ll easily find the deposits. Build a small outpost there and hook up a Portable Miner. You don’t need huge amounts of Quartz to get the research going, but it’s better to start early and scale production later. The research splits into four sections, which we’ll go through together.

Section 1: Unlock Silica, Blade Runners, and inventory slots

We recommend focusing on the right-hand branch of the research tree first. To begin, you’ll need 30x raw Quartz to unlock the first two steps and the Quartz scan for your Resource Scanner. You’ll also unlock some great goodies in the AWESOME Shop. After that, tackle Silica production by combining Quartz in a Constructor – quick and simple. Also have 10x Modular Frames ready.

• Quartz: Complete with just 10 Quartz to unlock the Quartz scan on your Resource Scanner.
• Silica: With another 20 Quartz you unlock the Silica recipe, plus Windows and a glass roof in the AWESOME Shop to spruce up your factories.
• Blade Runners: One of the best gear items in the entire game. Aim for this next by using 50 Silica and 10 Modular Frames to unlock. Blade Runners let you jump higher, run faster, and take less fall damage. Craft them from Silica, Modular Frames, and Rotors.
• Inventory expansion: Spend 200 Silica to gain 6 new inventory slots. Not essential right away, but very useful later on.

Section 2: Quartz Crystals, Shatter Rebar, and Crystal Oscillator

The left branch of the research is next and sets up recipes that form the basis for the following two sections, while also being required for several late-game recipes.

• Quartz Crystals: A refined product of raw Quartz and the foundation for many recipes. Produced in a Constructor and required for the next two unlocks.
• Shatter Rebar: Use Quartz Crystals and Iron Rebar to unlock Shatter Rebar. It deals more damage and is immensely helpful when defending yourself against creatures.
• Crystal Oscillator: Unlock this crucial item with Quartz Crystals and Reinforced Iron Plates. The Oscillator is needed for many advanced recipes and even some alternate recipes, for example for computers.

Section 3: Unlock Explorer vehicle and Pulse Nobelisk

Section three again shows why Quartz research is especially great for exploration. Here you’ll unlock a reliable vehicle for your adventures and an explosive tool. For the latter, you’ll need to have started Sulfur research.

• Explorer: Use 10 Crystal Oscillators and 100 Modular Frames to unlock the Explorer. It’s perfect for exploring the map without always having to run. It runs on fuel and can reach up to 107 km/h. The Explorer is very agile and handles rough terrain well.
• Pulse Nobelisk: To unlock this Nobelisk type, you first need the standard Nobelisks, a kind of grenade you unlock in the Sulfur MAM. So you may need to wait for this one. Pulse Nobelisks create a shockwave on detonation that doesn’t deal damage but pushes objects away.

Section 4: Crash Site scan, Radar Tower, and Priority Splitter

You should be able to fully research this last section by Tier 6, as it requires Crystal Oscillators and Computers. After that, it’s just a matter of gathering the resources. This final part of the Quartz research again focuses primarily on exploration.

• Crash Site scan: Crash Sites are important for finding Hard Drives for the MAM’s alternate-recipe system. Being able to scan for them with the Object Scanner is very handy.
• Radar Tower: With Oscillators, Heavy Modular Frames, and Computers you can unlock the Radar Tower, which lets you scan for objects over long distances. It reveals not only ore deposits, but also enemies and other important items. Its range is one kilometre.
• Priority Splitter: Finally, you’ll unlock another splitter for your conveyor belts. It lets you prioritise outputs and distribute resources more effectively. This item is new in version 1.1 and helps minimise blockages and backed-up belts.

Conclusion: start Quartz research early to explore the planet better

You should invest in Quartz research early to unlock several helpful items for exploring your surroundings. From Blade Runners to the Explorer, there are some truly practical research goals you shouldn’t miss. You’ll also get new ammo for your Rebar Gun and Nobelisks to hold your own against enemies. Various Quartz-related recipes are also very useful for alternate recipes if you plan to use them.

[Rent one of our Satisfactory servers]{.underline} and discover Quartz and its many uses for yourself. You can also share your knowledge directly with friends and explore the map more efficiently.