Satisfactory 1.0: Hard Drives & The Library
Hard Drives are the key to unlocking **Alternate Recipes**, which are essential for building efficient late-game factories. In Satisfactory 1.0+, the way you research these drives has changed completely.
1. The Crash Sites
Hard Drives are found inside Drop Pods scattered across the map. You usually need power (Biomass Burner) or specific items (Rotors/Motors) to open them.
2. The Library
In 1.0, scanning a drive adds it to your **MAM Library**. You don't have to choose a recipe immediately. You can bank them.
3. The Reroll
If you don't like the 2 recipes presented, you can spend another Hard Drive to **Rescan/Reroll** the selection. (Warning: This consumes the drive!).
How the 1.0 MAM Library Works
Previously, you had to pick 1 of 3 options immediately. Now:
- **Insert Hard Drive:** Takes 10 minutes to scan.
- **The Results:** The MAM offers you 2 choices (reduced from 3 in Early Access).
- **Save for Later:** You can close the menu and the choices remain saved. You can stack up 10+ scanned drives in your library.
- **Unlock:** Once you pick a recipe, it is permanently unlocked.
Strategy: When to Reroll?
Since the map has a finite number of Hard Drives (~115), you technically have more drives than recipes. However, wasting drives on rerolls early game is risky.
- **Early Game:** Do NOT reroll. Take whatever Cast Screw or Stitched Iron Plate recipe you can get.
- **Late Game:** If you are desperately hunting for *Diluted Fuel*, use your spare drives to reroll the options until it appears.
Finding Drop Pods
You can unlock the **Object Scanner** radio tower research to track Crash Sites.
Alternatively, map tools like the SCIM (Satisfactory Calculator) allow you to upload your save and see exactly which drives you missed.
Essential Alternate Recipes Priority
Not all recipes are created equal. Here's a tiered priority list for efficient factory planning:
| Priority | Recipe | Why It's Essential |
|---|---|---|
| 🔴 Critical | Cast Screw | Cuts Iron Ore usage by 25% for Screws - use early and often. |
| 🔴 Critical | Stitched Iron Plate | Best early game iron efficiency, requires Steel though. |
| 🔴 Critical | Encased Industrial Beam | Saves Steel for the Space Elevator while producing beams. |
| 🔴 Critical | Steeled Frame | Reduces Heavy Modular Frame steel consumption by 33%. |
| 🟠 High Priority | Quickwire | Copper wire from Copper sheets - massive productivity boost. |
| 🟠 High Priority | Copper Alloy Ingot | Better copper-to-quickwire ratios than standard processing. |
| 🟠 High Priority | Diluted Fuel | Converts Packaged Heavy Oil Residue to Turbofuel - essential mid-game. |
| 🟠 High Priority | Catered Circuit Board | Uses Caterium instead of Copper for Circuit Boards. |
| 🟡 Medium Priority | Iron Wire | Iron ingots to wire - useful when copper is scarce. |
| 🟡 Medium Priority | Coated Iron Plate | Copper + Plastic for iron plates - niche but useful. |
| 🟢 Optional | Steel Screw | Screws from Steel - expensive but saves Iron. |
| 🟢 Optional | Pure Copper Ingot | Water + Copper for pure copper - only if you have excess water. |
Advanced Hard Drive Strategies
The "Banking" Strategy
In 1.0+, the MAM Library allows you to store scanned drives. This means you can collect 10+ drives before making any decisions. Here's the optimal approach:
- Collect 8-10 Drives First: Don't scan any drives until you have a healthy collection.
- Scan All at Once: Insert all drives in sequence (10 min each, can run simultaneously).
- Review All Options: You'll see 2-4 recipe options per drive (16-40 total choices).
- Select Strategically: Pick the recipes that address your current bottlenecks.
- Reroll Only Critical Gaps: If you're missing a crucial early-game recipe like Cast Screw, use 1-2 extra drives to reroll until it appears.
Map Efficiency: Crash Site Routes
Optimizing your drop pod collection route saves hours of game time:
- Northern Forest First: The forest has the highest density of accessible pods. Start here for your first 5-6 drives.
- Grass Fields Second: Many pods are on the surface, but some require Concrete to reach.
- Dune Desert for Late-Game: Contains hard-to-reach pods that often reward late-game recipe options.
- Power Slugs First: Many drop pods require Biomass Burners (slugs) or Motors/Reinforced Plates. Clear the area first.
Multiplayer Coordination
On dedicated servers, hard drive collection can be a team effort:
- Split the Map: One player scouts Northern Forest, another covers Grass Fields.
- Share Scan Results: The MAM Library is shared across the server. Any player can scan a drive.
- Coordinate Rerolls: Only use your spare drives for rerolls after team consensus.
- Mod Considerations: Some mods alter drive rewards or scan times. Check your server's mod list.
Multiplayer Tip: Modded servers often require all players to be online to sync MAM research status properly. If you can't see the Library, try reconnecting.
Pro Tip: The total number of Hard Drives on the map is approximately 115. There are 105+ known Alternate Recipes. This means you have enough drives to unlock nearly every recipe, but rerolling wastes potential unlocks. Scan strategically!
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