Combustible Unit

Combustible Unit is a crafted fuel and explosive item made from Coal. It serves as both an energy source and a thrown weapon, and it is also used in multiple weapon recipes, including Missile Set and Shell Set. As a fuel, it is slightly more efficient than Energetic Graphite in terms of energy per item, while Energetic graphite is more resource-efficient per Coal consumed. This makes Combustible Unit a strong option when you want higher energy density in Icarus’s fuel chamber or in Thermal Power Plants.

When burned, Combustible Unit provides more energy per item and per stack than Energetic graphite, and it also gives a stronger combustion bonus for power generation. In practice, that makes it especially convenient for early-game logistics and power, since it is simple to mass-produce and easy to stockpile. It is a particularly good early fuel for Icarus and for Thermal Power Plants on other planets. If you use Proliferator on it, you gain an almost free 12.5% extra energy, which further improves its value as a fuel.

Combustible Unit is also one of the strongest early weapons against the Dark Fog. Icarus can throw it like a grenade to deal high explosive damage in a small area, letting it damage planetary bases and hit multiple enemies at once. Because Icarus can throw another unit as soon as the previous one explodes, repeated throws at minimum range create very high damage per second without harming Icarus. This makes it far more effective than basic firearms for clearing groups and for breaking down heavily armored structures. It is also required for the Strangle in the Cradle achievement.

• Combustible Unit can be used as a fuel in Icarus’s fuel chamber and in Thermal Power Plants.
• It is a practical early-game fuel because it is easy to mass-produce.
• It works well with Proliferator, which adds a 12.5% energy bonus.
• It can be thrown as a weapon, dealing strong explosive area damage.
• It is effective against Dark Fog units and planetary bases, especially in close-range rapid throws.
• It is used in other ammunition recipes, including Missile Set and Shell Set.
• It eventually upgrades into Explosive Unit.

Compared with Energetic graphite, Combustible Unit trades a bit of raw Coal efficiency for higher energy per produced item and better power-generation performance. That makes it a good choice when item throughput, storage convenience, or combat use matters more than squeezing the last bit of fuel efficiency out of Coal.