Quick Links
As you explore the planet inSatisfactory, you may come across crash sites with wrecked Ficsit infrastructure. Exploring these crash sites will yield Hard Drives, which you can then research in the MAM to unlock Alternate Recipes.
Alternate Recipes are different ways to craft items. For example, instead of crafting Screws with Iron Rods, if you have the Cast Screw Recipe unlocked, you’re able to craft Screws using Iron Ingots. Alternate Recipes are the key to an efficient factory, so going out and gathering Hard Drives is essential. Below, we’ll take a look at how to find Hard Drives, and how to use them.
How To Find Hard Drives
Hard Drives are found atCrash Siteswhich are scattered throughout the map. Oftentimes, you may see them from afar by thesmoke that rises into the air. Alternatively, you can use tall structures likeLookout Towersto get an overview of the area and help you find them.
There are a total of118 Crash Sitesfound around the map, which also means there are118 different Hard Drivesto collect.
The best way to find Hard Drives is to unlock theRadio Signal Scanning research in the Quartz research treein the MAM. This will let yourObject Scannersearch for Hard Drives, allowing you to seek them out just like you would with edibles, Mercer Spheres, or anything else you have unlocked.
How To Open Crash Sites
Once you’ve found the Crash Site, you’ll need tounlock the drop pod containerto get the Hard Drive inside. There are a few different ways this can be done, depending on the specific Crash Site, but they all boil down to two categories.
The first are Crash Sites that require aspecific power inputto be unlocked. To open the hatch on the container, you’ll need tosupply it with enough power. For low power requirements, you can set up a small Biomass Burner power supply on-site, but higher power requirements may need you to connect the Crash Site to your power grid.
The second type of Crash Site simply requires you toinsert the designated itemto open the hatch. Sometimes you can evenfind the item scattered around the very same Crash Site.
Once you’ve fulfilled either requirement, you can take out the Hard Drive stored inside.
How To Use Hard Drives
With your Hard Drive in your inventory, return tothe MAMand select theHard Drives option, then selectScan Hard Drive. It will take10 minutes for the Hard Drive to be scanned.
Once the scanning is complete, you will be able tochoose between two Alternate Recipes. Whichever one you choose will beautomatically unlocked, allowing you to start building that item using its new recipe.The unchosen Recipe is not lost, however, and simplyreturns to the pool of available choiceswhen you scan the next Hard Drive.
You may also have the option toexpand your inventory sizeupon scanning a Hard Drive. There are two of these ‘items’ available, and they are likewisenot lost if you don’t choose themimmediately.
Additionally, there arefour MAM research nodes that require an unscanned Hard Drive to be consumed, these being Compacted Coal, Turbofuel,Rocket Fuel, and Ionized Fuel.
