After completing Phase 1 of the Space Elevator, both Tier 3 and Tier 4 become available in the Milestones. We’ve already covered Tier 3 (Satisfactory Tier 3 Guide: Coal Power, Truck Transport, and Steel Production) , and now it’s time to expand your factory’s logistics. That’s exactly what this next stage of your progress focuses on. You won’t unlock many entirely new features; instead, you’ll upgrade existing ones. From new miners and conveyor belts to the beloved Blueprints, Tier 4 packs quite a few surprises! It’s also the last section you can complete for now. After that, you’ll need to work on Phase 2 of the Space Elevator to continue.
Satisfactory Tier 4: Use FICSIT Blueprints efficiently
Blueprints are an extremely helpful tool for building your factory and can be unlocked in this tier. They let you expand consistently without having to plan every single segment. We recommend unlocking them while you’re still working on Tier 3—the earlier, the better!
Cost to complete:
- 100x Modular Frame
- 200x Steel Beam
- 500x Cable
- 1000x Concrete
Blueprints Mk. 1 give you a 4x4 grid, which isn’t huge yet, but it’s incredibly practical. Later on, you can unlock larger footprints—but for now, this is your starting point.
Press Q to select and place the Blueprint Designer. A grid will appear on the floor along with a workstation. Build your desired template on the grid and save it at the station. There you can set a name, icon, and description so you can tell your blueprints apart. You can then reuse your blueprint to build repetitive parts of your production faster and more effectively.
Logistics Mk. 3 in Satisfactory: Faster belts and storage
This Milestone is crucial, especially for speeding up your production and moving more items. You should unlock it as soon as possible to take advantage of its benefits.
Cost to complete:
- 200x Steel Beam
- 200x Steel Pipe
- 400x Reinforced Iron Plate
First, you’ll unlock improved Conveyor Belts Mk. 3, along with the matching Conveyor Lift Mk. 3 for better vertical transport. These belts are more than twice as fast, allowing your machines to receive far more resources. It’s best to upgrade every belt in your factory over time. You don’t need to dismantle old segments—just upgrade the existing belts!
Also extremely important are the new Industrial Storage Containers, which now have double the capacity of the older containers. Consider replacing the containers at the end of your largest production lines to store even more resources. You’ll also benefit from their two inputs and two outputs for flexible layouts and throughput.
Satisfactory steel production: Encased Industrial Beams, Motors, Stators & Miner Mk. 2
Steel remains one of your most important resources and will be vital for progressing the Space Elevator. It’s worth investing early here, even if the required materials are a bit trickier to produce.
Cost to complete:
- 100x Steel Pipe
- 100x Modular Frame
- 200x Rotor
- 500x Concrete
Before you can unlock the last two Tier 4 milestones, you’ll need to set up production of Encased Industrial Beams. They’re important later in the game and are also required to finish Tier 4. Craft them from Steel Beams combined with Concrete.
This milestone also unlocks production of Motors, Stators, and—most importantly—Automated Wiring. That’s the final material you need for the Space Elevator. You can already produce both Smart Plating (Tier 2, intermediate production) and Versatile Framework (Tier 3, steel production). Spin up this production chain as well so you can unlock Tiers 5 and 6 next.
Don’t forget the new Miner Mk. 2, which you can now use to extract ore. It lets you pull twice as much ore from a node, boosting pure nodes from 120 to a full 240 items per minute! Combined with Conveyor Belts Mk. 3 from the previous milestone, you’ll be set for a major production upgrade.
Expand your power network: Power Towers, Zipline, and Power Storage
You’ll first need improved steel production for Encased Industrial Beams, but after that, you should quickly upgrade your power network. This lets you span long distances—both for power distribution and thanks to Ziplines for personal travel.
Cost to complete:
- 50x Encased Industrial Beam
- 100x Steel Beam
- 200x Modular Frame
- 2000x Wire
The new Power Towers you unlock here are incredibly useful for expanding your factory. They have a much longer reach than standard power poles, making long-distance power runs far easier.
They’re not just for power distribution: once you have the Zipline, you can ride along power lines yourself to cover long distances! Use Power Towers with intermediate platforms to take full advantage. You unlock the Zipline in the MAM by researching Caterium.
Also important is Power Storage, which you can now build. It prevents wasted power and helps smooth out power spikes. Each unit has a capacity of 100 MW, so build several and avoid throwing away surplus energy.
Hypertubes in Satisfactory: Fast player transport
You don’t have to unlock this final Tier 4 milestone right away since it isn’t essential for production. Still, Hypertubes are worth it—especially over long distances.
Cost to complete:
- 50x Encased Industrial Beam
- 300x Steel Pipe
- 500x Copper Sheet
Hypertubes are an additional mode of transport for you as a player. They work like giant pneumatic tubes, propelling you quickly via air pressure. Use them across long distances or multiple floors to move around in a flash. Some players even use them as cannons! Look online for blueprints (we covered these in point 1) or get creative yourself.
Conclusion: Tier 4 as the foundation for progress and efficiency
To advance the Space Elevator and improve your production, Tier 4 is essential. Here you unlock many key elements that significantly boost your output. From faster conveyor belts and upgraded power infrastructure to better miners for ore extraction, this tier has a lot to offer. And thanks to Blueprints, you can now plan and build far more efficiently.
You can rent your own Satisfactory server from us to build together with your friends. Once you complete Tier 4, the game opens up in many directions—making it even more fun to play together!
