Electromagnetic Combat & Power (Teslas, Supercapacitors, Holmium)
If your late-game power grid is fragile, your defenses are still relying on older weapons, or you are trying to break into Fulgora-era production, electromagnetic tech is the jump that ties all of that together. Start by unlocking the holmium side of the tree, then build the new machine that everything important depends on, and only after that push into Tesla gear, lightning defense, and Mech armor. The chain is powerful, but it is also picky: if you skip the setup, you will bottleneck on fluids, starve your production, or unlock combat tech you cannot yet supply.
Unlock Holmium processing and the electromagnetic plant first
Your first target is Holmium processing, because it is gated behind Recycling and it is the prerequisite for Electromagnetic plant research. Do not plan your combat factory before this step is done. The whole subsystem runs through the Electromagnetic plant, and without it you cannot realistically sustain the key recipes that matter most.
Once researched, build the Electromagnetic plant as soon as you can. It is crafted in Assembling machine 1 from Holmium plate ×150, Steel plate ×50, Processing unit ×50, and Refined concrete ×50, so this is not something you drop casually into an early outpost. Treat it as your gateway machine: it is used for electromagnetic science, supercapacitors, electrolyte, and the Tesla weapon line, and it also gives 50% productivity to eligible recipes. That productivity bonus matters most on expensive intermediates, so this is one of the best places in the game to concentrate high-value production.
To keep the whole chain readable, here is the core recipe reference you will keep coming back to:
Set up holmium solution and electrolyte so the chain can actually run
The first real bottleneck is not the machines, it is the fluids. Holmium solution is made in a Chemical plant from Holmium ore ×2, Stone ×1, and Water ×10, and it outputs Holmium solution ×100 in 10 seconds. From there, Holmium plate is your first solid holmium derivative, made from Holmium solution ×20.
Build this chain on-site where the holmium ore is available. That is the cleanest way to do it, because Holmium solution cannot be put into barrels and cannot be sent by rocket. You should not waste time trying to export the fluid; ship the ore and process it locally instead.
The same rule applies to Electrolyte. It is made in the Electromagnetic plant from Stone ×1, Heavy oil ×10, and Holmium solution ×10, outputting Electrolyte ×10 in 5 seconds, and it also cannot be barreled or sent by rocket. That means your real planning job is fluid logistics: bring in ore, water, stone, and heavy oil, then keep the conversion close to the source. If you separate the chain across too many planets or too many outposts, you will spend more time solving transport than producing anything useful.
Prioritize Superconductor and Supercapacitor before you try to make weapons or armor
Once the fluids are stable, stop chasing every recipe and focus on the two parts that unlock the rest of the system: Superconductor and Supercapacitor. Superconductor is made in the Electromagnetic plant from Holmium plate ×1, Copper plate ×1, Plastic bar ×1, and Light oil ×5, outputting Superconductor ×2 in 5 seconds. Supercapacitor is made in the Electromagnetic plant from Holmium plate ×2, Superconductor ×2, Electronic circuit ×4, Battery ×1, and Electrolyte ×10, outputting Supercapacitor ×1 in 10 seconds.
This is where the plant’s 50% productivity becomes especially valuable. Both parts are expensive, and both are used everywhere downstream. Do not make them as a side effect of other production; give them a dedicated line and feed that line well. If you try to jump straight to Tesla weapons or Mech armor without steady Supercapacitor output, you will end up starving every branch at once.
Bring up electromagnetic science so you can research the combat and power upgrades
Your next goal is to get Electromagnetic science pack flowing. It is made in the Electromagnetic plant from Supercapacitor ×1, Accumulator ×1, Electrolyte ×25, and Holmium solution ×25, outputting one science pack in 10 seconds. This pack itself requires Electromagnetic plant research, so the machine comes first and the science comes after.
Use this science as a bridge, not a distraction. Once it is stable, go straight after the technologies that solve real problems: Lightning collector, Mech armor, and Tesla weapons. Lightning collector research needs Electromagnetic science pack. Mech armor requires Power armor MK2 plus Electromagnetic science pack. Tesla weapons requires military 4 and Electromagnetic science pack.
Choose whether you need Tesla weapons, lightning collection, or Mech armor first
At this point, choose the branch that fixes your biggest bottleneck fastest.
If your power grid is exposed to storms and you want to stabilize your network, make Lightning collector first. It is crafted from Lightning rod ×1, Supercapacitor ×8, Accumulator ×1, and Electrolyte ×80. It protects a large area from lightning strikes and converts the energy into the electric network, so it is a defensive power tool, not a luxury upgrade. Use it when power reliability is the thing holding the factory back.
If you need personal combat power, start with Tesla gun and Tesla ammo. Tesla gun uses Holmium plate ×10, Superconductor ×10, Plastic bar ×30, and Electrolyte ×100. Tesla ammo uses Supercapacitor ×1, Plastic bar ×1, and Electrolyte ×10. Build these once the ammo supply is safe; do not craft the gun and then stall because you treated Supercapacitor like a rare trophy instead of a consumable component.
If you are defending a base, move to Tesla turret. It is a much heavier consumer of your new materials, using Tesla gun ×1, Supercapacitor ×10, Processing unit ×10, Superconductor ×50, and Electrolyte ×500. It electrocutes nearby enemies, and its electric bolt can bounce to secondary enemies in an arcing chain. That makes it ideal when you want your base defense to scale with your electromagnetic supply line rather than with old-school bullet logistics.
If your goal is survivability and mobility, prioritize Mech armor. It requires Power armor MK2 ×1, Holmium plate ×200, Processing unit ×100, Superconductor ×50, and Supercapacitor ×50, and it is the strongest armor in the game. It adds 50 slots to the player's inventory, lets you fly over all obstacles, and even carries you over liquids and trains. Build it when you can support the full cost, because the payoff is huge: it becomes your all-purpose exploration, logistics, and combat suit.
Be careful with the flying ability. Smoke clouds from demolishers disable the Mech armor’s flying ability and force you to land, and if you land on unwalkable terrain you can die almost instantly. Do not assume the armor makes you invulnerable; it gives you freedom, but you still need to respect where you are flying.
The clean rule is simple: stabilize fluids first, lock in Superconductor and Supercapacitor, bring up Electromagnetic science pack, and then choose the branch that solves the biggest live problem in your factory. That order keeps the chain from collapsing under its own demand and turns holmium into power, defense, and mobility you can actually use.
