In Satisfactory you’ll find both real and fictional resources to expand your factory. Caterium is one such ore that doesn’t exist in the real world, yet it plays a big role in Satisfactory. This golden ore becomes especially important later in the game and is a key part of your progression. Even more exciting, however, is the related branch in the MAM. By researching Caterium, you unlock several extremely useful features that are absolutely worth it. Today we’ll look at what’s hidden in this research tree and what you should focus on first.
Satisfactory Caterium locations: deposits, scanner, and extraction
Caterium Ore can be found on Satisfactory’s planet much like Iron or Copper. Its primary use is in electronics, so think of it as a kind of improved Copper. Caterium is much rarer, which makes it harder to integrate into existing factories. Most deposits are scattered in a ring around the map, usually as single nodes. Your best hotspot is the Titan Forest, where you’ll find two normal and one pure deposit.
You might stumble across Caterium earlier, but your Resource Scanner can only search for it starting from Tier 6 with the Oil Power milestone. You can also add it earlier by completing the first node of the MAM research. You extract it with a standard Miner just like any other ore. The better the miner, the more ore you’ll get.
Caterium research in the MAM: all branches at a glance
Once you’ve mined your first Caterium Ore, you should head to the MAM for research. We’ve already covered how to use this building in another article (Satisfactory MAM Guide: Research, Hard Drives & Best Recipes) . By the time you finish Tier 6, you should be able to complete almost all branches of the tree. Still, you can get started early and unlock the first sections right away.
Section 1: Caterium Ore, Quickwire, Zipline, and Stun Rebar
The first steps aren’t difficult: you only need 60x ore to get going. This unlocks the Caterium scanner, followed by the recipe for Caterium Ingots. You should smelt the ore into ingots and use 50 of them to unlock Quickwire. Quickwire is crafted from Caterium Ingots. With that, you’ve laid almost all the important foundations for the rest of the research.
The research then splits into three branches:
Zipline: The Zipline is an extremely handy tool that lets you traverse along power lines, allowing you to swing quickly from factory to factory. Unlock it with 100x Quickwire and 50x Cable. You’ll then get the crafting recipe, which requires a Xeno-Zapper and Iron Rods in addition to Quickwire and Cable.
Stun Rebar: The right-hand branch is important if you want to defend yourself against creatures. Here you unlock Stun Rebar for your Rebar Gun. Use 50x Quickwire and 10x Iron Rebar to get the recipe. The same items are required to craft it.
Progress: Invest another 100x Quickwire to unlock Section 2.
Section 2: Power Poles, High-Speed Connector, and Power Switches
The second section focuses primarily on improving your power grid. Since Caterium is required for many of these recipes, it’s no surprise you unlock them here. First, you’ll set the groundwork for the later recipes that follow.
Again, there are three paths:
Power Poles: Following the middle branch unlocks two upgraded versions of Power Poles. You can complete Mk.2 right away, while Mk.3 requires progressing through the other branches. These poles support more connections, which means less cable clutter.
High-Speed Connector: With Quickwire and Plastic you can unlock the High-Speed Connector, an important component for later electronic items. It’s essential for several Caterium research steps.
AI Limiter: On the other side, using Quickwire and Copper Sheet unlocks another key electronics component.
From these last two unlocks you can then enable switches:
Power Switch: Combine the AI Limiters you just unlocked with Steel Beams to research the Power Switch. It’s useful for getting your power distribution under control and distributing energy more efficiently.
Priority Power Switch: For even finer control of your grid, invest High-Speed Connectors and Quickwire. This lets you control your power network remotely, shutting down or prioritizing entire sections.
Section 3: Smart Splitter, Homing Rifle Ammo, and Geothermal Generator
In the final section, many of the items and recipes you’ve unlocked so far come together. It’s worth automating these materials ahead of time to speed through the research. Here you’ll encounter four important components that make factory life easier.
Smart Splitter: These splitters are among the most important items in Satisfactory, letting you filter and organize conveyor belts. You should aim to unlock them as soon as possible, as early as Tier 2. Define which items, and how many, should pass through on each belt path.
Programmable Splitter: A step above the Smart Splitter, the Programmable Splitter gives you even more control over how you route items on belts. Unlocking it requires Computers and Heavy Modular Frames, which become available in Tier 6.
Homing Rifle Ammo: You can also upgrade your rifle from the Sulfur research tree by unlocking Homing Rifle Ammo. It’s especially handy against tougher creatures since you don’t always need perfect aim to hit your target.
Geothermal Power: The last major unlock in this branch is the Geothermal Generator. This lets you harness geysers to produce power. Besides High-Speed Connectors, you’ll need Motors from Tier 4, so you can unlock these generators fairly early. Your scanner can now search for geysers to use as an alternative power source.
Conclusion: Caterium research for power, splitters, and geothermal
Caterium research provides many crucial components for your production lines. It’s worth investing early and making use of them. Since many steps build on each other, you can unlock most of them in the early game and complete nearly all sections by Tier 6. This lets you expand your power grid, sort conveyors more effectively, and generate alternative power with Geothermal Generators.
To jump straight into Caterium research, rent a Satisfactory server from us: https://www.4netplayers.com/en/gameserver-hosting/satisfactory/. Don’t underestimate how many great items you can find in the MAM—and show your friends how quickly you can research them.
