After completing the second phase of the Space Elevator, Tiers 5 and 6 become available (Satisfactory Guide: Successfully complete Space Elevator Phase 2) . The demands on your production increase massively and can be overwhelming, especially for first-time players. Many new concepts and materials are introduced, including oil, petroleum by-products and, in Tier 6, locomotives. We recommend taking it slow and unlocking the key areas one at a time. Today we’ll focus on Tier 5 and show you how to integrate these new elements into your base – or even start fresh, if you prefer.
Satisfactory Tier 5 guide: Unlock the jetpack and use fuel
The first Tier 5 milestone isn’t complicated and offers a great mobility upgrade. You should unlock it first, as there isn’t much else in this milestone anyway.
Complete with:
- 50x Motor
- 1000x Cable
- 1000x Iron Plate
For this relatively small cost you unlock three additional inventory slots as well as the Jetpack – both very welcome upgrades and perfect to tackle right away.
You still need to craft the jetpack yourself (5x Motor, 10x Steel Pipe, 25x Iron Plate, 50x Wire) and equip it in your inventory. It requires fuel to operate. For early game travel in general, Solid Biofuel is a handy option, but note that the Jetpack specifically only accepts Packaged Fuel. If you have already unlocked Dimensional Storage for your inventory, store your fuel there so you won’t run out while travelling and can reach hard-to-access locations. Later, once oil processing and packaging are online, switch to Packaged Fuel, which offers better energy density.
Satisfactory oil processing: Extract crude oil and produce plastic, rubber and fuel
Next, you’ll need oil as a new resource, as the following milestones require components that can only be made from it. This is a complex area, so take your time and proceed step by step.
Complete with:
- 50x Motor
- 100x Encased Industrial Beam
- 500x Steel Pipe
- 500x Copper Sheet
After completing this milestone you can scan for crude oil, extract it and process it into various products. As in real life, oil is used in many different applications and is one of the most important resources in the game.
The core products here are plastic, rubber and fuel. Place an Oil Extractor at one or more crude oil nodes. The process is similar to mining ore, except it’s a fluid. Connect pipes and send the oil to a Refinery.
In the Refinery you’ll produce rubber and plastic. This generates Heavy Oil Residue as a by-product. With the right recipes you can convert it into Residual Fuel. This lets you supply many parts of your factory with a powerful new fuel – for example the Jetpack (in packaged form) or dedicated generators.
Satisfactory Logistics Mk. 4: faster conveyor belts, lifts and the Truck
A new milestone also brings a logistics upgrade. You’ll need a working rubber production line for this.
Complete with:
- 200x Rubber
- 300x Encased Industrial Beam
- 400x Modular Frame
This milestone adds a few but very useful upgrades. You unlock Conveyor Belts Mk. 4 and Conveyor Lifts Mk. 4. Use them as needed to relieve bottlenecks in production lines. It’s not strictly necessary, since Tier 4 already introduced the big jump to Mk. 3, which often suffices.
You’ll also unlock the Truck, a better transport option than the Tractor. Learn more in our transport guide: (Satisfactory transport guide: conveyor belts, vehicles, trains and hypertubes) .
Packaging fluids in Satisfactory: canisters, transport and efficiency
Packaging fluids makes your factory significantly more efficient and becomes especially important with oil production. It also helps you handle different fuels more effectively for various uses.
Complete with:
- 200x Plastic
- 400x Steel Beam
- 1000x Copper Sheet
This milestone unlocks the Packager and the Empty Canister recipe. Unlike raw fluids, packaged fluids can be transported on conveyor belts. You can package almost anything, from water and fuel to later sulphuric acid.
The main benefit of packaging is safe, scalable transport. Pipes aren’t always the best solution, as you’ll need pumps (and thus power) for elevation changes. Packaged fluids are often more effective over long distances, whether via inventory, Truck, conveyor or train. Some equipment, such as the Jetpack, even accepts only packaged fuels.
Satisfactory Fuel Generator: petroleum power and large fluid storage
Unpackaged fuel is valuable as well. It enables another upgrade to your power production. With this you round off Tier 5 and can gradually phase out your earlier coal power.
Complete with:
- 100x Motor
- 100x Encased Industrial Beam
- 200x Rubber
- 200x Plastic
Alongside larger fluid storage, you unlock the Fuel Generator. This lets you store produced fuel efficiently and use it to give your power production a major boost. A single Fuel Generator produces up to 150 MW, considerably more than a Coal Generator’s 75 MW. The setup requires planning and patience, but later you can repurpose coal for other needs.
You can also now effectively scan for Caterium nodes. You may have discovered them via the MAM already. It’s worth looking ahead and researching more late-game elements. Among other things you can unlock the Zipline, Smart Splitter and upgraded Power Poles.
Conclusion on Satisfactory Tier 5: Use oil, plastic and fuel wisely
Tier 5 ushers in a new era in Satisfactory and will have you rethink some of your existing production lines. With oil, you gain access to more key materials and can also convert it into fuel to produce much more power. Add the Jetpack and faster conveyor tech to expand your production precisely where it matters.
With a rented Satisfactory server you’ll reach the oil age even faster. It’s especially fun with friends to tackle milestones and discover new aspects of the game together.
