Modules and Modular Armor Guide

Unlock the module path before you try to mass-produce it

If your factories are burning too much power, you want stronger personal protection before Power armor, modules and Modular armor are the next upgrades to aim for. Start by pushing oil processing and Plastics so you can reach Advanced circuit, then unlock Modules. Don’t plan a module economy before that chain is in place, because every module tier here depends on advanced circuit production.

The research order you should follow is simple: get Oil processing, then Plastics, then Advanced circuit, then Modules. Once Modules is researched, you can unlock both Efficiency module and Quality module. If you want a better armor upgrade before Power armor, research Heavy armor and then Modular armor once Advanced circuit is available. That puts you on the cleanest path forward without wasting time on dead-end prep.

Build the ingredient chain you will actually need

Your real bottleneck is not the final item; it is steady Advanced circuit production. Keep that in mind when you build out the inputs. Advanced circuit uses Electronic circuit×2, Plastic bar×2, and Copper cable×4, and it takes 6s in an Assembling machine 1. That means your module plan lives or dies by three feeds: Electronic circuit, Plastic bar, and Copper cable.

Plastic bar is the other piece that will usually slow you down first. It takes Petroleum gas×20 and Coal×1 in a Chemical plant for 1s, and it makes Plastic bar×2. So if your oil handling is still rough, fix that before you try to expand modules. If plastic is starved, everything downstream stalls at once.

For a quick reference, keep these core recipes in mind while you scale up:

Treat Advanced circuit as the center of your setup, because it feeds both modules and Modular armor. If your plastics or copper cable supply is shaky, fix that first; otherwise every downstream build will stall. In practice, that means you should expand oil, plastic, and circuit production before you ever think about a large module line.

Choose the first module type based on the problem you are solving

Efficiency module is the right first pick when power is the bottleneck. It decreases machine energy consumption, and its minimum energy consumption is 20%. That makes it a strong fix when you are trying to stretch an early grid farther. Use it where you want to cut waste, not where you want more output at any cost.

Quality module is the opposite choice: use it when you are deliberately chasing better outputs. It allows a machine to make higher quality products. The trade-off is that it is not a free upgrade; it is for specialized production lines where quality matters more than raw throughput. Do not mix the two goals casually. If you are short on power, lean into Efficiency module. If you are building for quality, commit to Quality module and accept the production slowdown.

When you start comparing tiers, remember that Quality module 2 increases a machine's ability to make quality items by 2% and decreases its speed by 5%, while Quality module 3 increases that ability by 2.5% and decreases its speed by 5%. All levels of Quality module have the same speed penalty. That means you should not rush upward just because a higher tier exists; you should only upgrade when the extra quality chance is worth the extra cost and the lower speed does not hurt your build.

Upgrade in tiers only when the added cost is worth it

The tiered module path is expensive on purpose. Efficiency module 2 is built from Efficiency module×4, Advanced circuit×5, and Processing unit×5 in 30s. Efficiency module 3 then asks for Efficiency module 2×4, Advanced circuit×5, and Processing unit×5 in 60s. Quality module 2 and Quality module 3 follow the same pattern, each stacking the previous tier with Advanced circuit and Processing unit.

That structure tells you how to approach them: do not treat tier 2 and tier 3 as early goals. First, prove that the base module is actually helping your factory. Then build enough Advanced circuit production that the extra cost does not choke everything else. Processing unit is the other gate here, so hold off on mass tier upgrades until your electronics chain is comfortably ahead of demand.

A good rule is to expand in this order: base module first, then a small tier-2 run if the benefit is obvious, and only later a tier-3 line for long-term scaling. If you try to jump straight to the top, you will spend more time feeding the recipe than benefiting from the result.

Equip Modular armor as the bridge before Power armor

Modular armor occupies the player's armor equipment slot, and it sits between basic Armor and the Power armor series. Craft it once you can afford the Advanced circuit and Steel plate cost, and use it as your stepping stone into the power-armor path. The recipe is heavy on Advanced circuit, so this is another reason to make that part of your factory reliable before you invest.

If you are still wearing basic Armor and want a meaningful personal upgrade now, Modular armor is the right transition point. It is part of the broader defensive and equipment progression, and it connects naturally to later upgrades like Power armor and Power armor MK2. Think of it as the point where you stop just surviving and start building toward a proper equipment loadout.

Because it is tied into the Armor system and later mobility and survivability upgrades, Modular armor is worth making as soon as the materials are realistic for your current factory. Use Modular armor as the bridge that gets you there safely.

What to do next

Start by securing Oil processing, Plastics, and Advanced circuit production. Then unlock Modules, make a small batch of Efficiency module if power is tight, or Quality module if you are building a dedicated quality line. Upgrade to Efficiency module 2, Efficiency module 3, Quality module 2, or Quality module 3 only when your electronics supply can support the extra cost. If your personal armor is still behind your factory, craft Modular armor as soon as Advanced circuit and Steel plate are easy to spare.

That sequence keeps you from stalling out on ingredients, and it puts each upgrade to work for the reason you built it.