Satisfactory Quartz Research: Exoskeleton, Explorer, Radar Tower

In Satisfactory, you’re not strictly tied to advancing through Milestones. They’re a great guideline, but you can also venture out and find new resources on your own. Quartz becomes important later in the game, but research in the MAM can unlock several crucial items you’d otherwise miss. We recommend grabbing this resource early or at least setting up a rudimentary outpost at one of its locations. Many of the recipes you unlock here remain important later, giving you an early edge. Today we’ll look closely at what you need Quartz for and why starting the research earlier than you might think really pays off.

Satisfactory: finding Quartz — best locations and tips

Normally, you only unlock the Resource Scanner for Quartz at Tier 7, but you can of course go looking for it earlier. That’s absolutely worth it when you look at some of the MAM rewards. Waiting until that late in the game to research them is a bit counterproductive. Quartz deposits aren’t common, but thankfully they tend to cluster two to three nodes at one spot.

We recommend checking these areas:

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

Quartz is easy to spot thanks to its sharp, purple crystals jutting from the ground at deposits. You can mine it by hand or with a Miner. We suggest picking up some Quartz during your first scouting runs to kick off the research.

Satisfactory Quartz research in the MAM: every branch

Quartz stands out thanks to its color, and with our map you’ll easily find its deposits. Set up a small outpost and place a Miner Mk.1. You don’t need massive amounts of Quartz to begin, but it’s best to start early and scale up production later. The research splits into four sections, which we’ll go through together.

Section 1: Unlock Silica, Exoskeleton, and inventory slots

We recommend focusing on the right branch of the research tree first. You’ll need 30x Raw Quartz to unlock the first two steps and get the Quartz entry for your Resource Scanner. You’ll also get some nice goodies for the AWESOME Shop. Then move on to Silica, which you craft by processing Quartz in a Constructor. Super simple and quick. Also have 10x Modular Frames ready.

• Quartz: Complete with just 10 Quartz to unlock the Resource Scanner entry for Quartz on your device.
• 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.
• Exoskeleton: One of the best gear items in the entire game. Aim for this first by using 50 Silica and 10 Modular Frames. Afterwards you can equip the Exoskeleton for your legs to jump higher, run faster, and take less fall damage. Craft it using Silica, Modular Frames, and Rotors.
• Inventory Slot Upgrade: With 200 Silica you can unlock 6 additional inventory slots. Not essential at the very start, but very handy later.

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

The left research branch is great for the following recipes and should come next. Here you’ll unlock the foundation for the next two sections and several recipes needed later in the game.

• Quartz Crystal: A refined form of Raw Quartz and the basis for many recipes. Crafted in the Constructor and required for the next two unlocks.
• Shatter Rebar: Use Quartz Crystal and Iron Rebar to research Shatter Rebar. It deals higher damage and is extremely helpful when defending yourself against creatures.
• Quartz Oscillator: With Quartz Crystal and Reinforced Iron Plates, you unlock this very important recipe. Oscillators are needed for many advanced recipes and also enable alternative recipes, for example for Computers.

Section 3: Unlock the Explorer vehicle and Pulse Nobelisk

This third section shows again why Quartz research is fantastic for exploration. You’ll unlock not only a reliable vehicle for your adventures but also an explosive weapon. For the latter you’ll need to have started the Sulfur research line.

• Explorer: Use 10 Quartz Oscillators and 100 Modular Frames to unlock the Explorer. This vehicle is perfect for exploring the map so you don’t always have to run. It consumes 90 MW worth of 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 must first have the standard Nobelisks. They’re a kind of grenade you unlock in the Sulfur MAM tree, so you may need to wait on this. Pulse Nobelisks emit a shockwave on detonation that doesn’t deal damage but pushes objects away.

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

You should be able to fully complete this last section by Tier 6, since it requires Quartz Oscillators and Computers. Otherwise, it’s just a matter of time until you have all the resources. The final part of the Quartz research again focuses primarily on exploration.

• Crash Site Scanning: Crash sites are essential for finding Hard Drives for the MAM’s second use case and thus unlocking alternate recipes. Being able to scan for them makes targeted searching much easier.
• 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 resource nodes but also enemies and other important items. Its range is one kilometer.
• Priority Splitter: Finally, you’ll unlock another splitter for your conveyor networks. It lets you prioritize outputs and distribute resources more effectively. This item is new in Version 1.1 and helps reduce clogs and backed-up belts.

Conclusion: Start Quartz research early to explore the planet better

Invest in Quartz research early to unlock several helpful items for exploration. From the Exoskeleton 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 additional Nobelisk options to hold your own against enemies. Various Quartz-based recipes are also very useful for alternate recipes if you like using them.

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