Satisfactory: How to Remove Rocks and Boulders

Satisfactory: How to Remove Rocks and Boulders

As a seasoned Satisfactory player, I can confidently say that the game’s terrain is as challenging as the resource management and factory building itself. Those pesky boulders and rocks might slow you down, but they are part of the charm!


A satisfactory experience might be more straightforward if the terrain was consistently flat and unobstructed everywhere. However, that’s not always the case for you. You may encounter obstacles such as boulders and rocks that can make it challenging to position your machinery, or they could block access to new biomes or concealed collectibles.

In the game “Satisfactory”, certain rocks can be destroyed, however, you need the appropriate tool to do so. Some rocks are integral parts of the scenery, but there are methods available to deal with them effectively. It’s always beneficial to understand what you’re dealing with before planning a strategy for removal.

Ore Nodes

Satisfactory: How to Remove Rocks and Boulders

Ore nodes are the easiest rocks to remove. They often appear above ore deposits, and you need to remove them if you want to place a miner. To get rid of them, simply walk up to it and hold the interaction button (the E key by default) to collect ore. Eventually, the node will run out of ore and explode into dust.

If you still need ore and don’t have a portable miner handy, you can collect more by interacting with the ore deposit itself. However, a portable miner or full-size miner will gather ore faster.

Occasionally, you might stumble upon ore-bearing rocks nestled on cliff sides or scattered across the terrain. These rocks often don’t obstruct your path, but if you want to collect the valuable ores they contain, you can do so in a similar manner as extracting ore from a deposit site.

Destructible Boulders

Satisfactory: How to Remove Rocks and Boulders

In the game ‘Satisfactory’, certain rocks and walls bear ominous, dark fissures. These fractures suggest that these barriers can be broken down, an action which frequently uncovers secret pathways, hidden treasures buried beneath, or simply facilitates the passage of vehicles through tight spaces.

The only way to get rid of these boulders is with explosives, which are called “nobelisk” (after Alfred Nobel, the inventor of TNT). You can unlock nobelisk in the Sulfur section of the MAM, but it’s a few steps into the tree. What you’ll need to get nobelisk is:

  • Sulfur (allows you to scan for sulfur deposits)
    • 10 Sulfur
  • Black Powder (allows you to craft black powder at the equipment workshop or assembler)
    • 50 Sulfur
    • 25 Coal
  • The Nobelisk Detonator (lets you build the detonator tool and craft basic nobelisk charges)
    • 50 Black Powder
    • 100 Steel Pipe
    • 200 Cable

To put it simply, fulfilling the need for a steel pipe implies that Nobelisk won’t be accessible to you until you reach Tier 3 milestones and gain access.

In other MAM research branches, you’ll discover various types of nobelisk, but for breaking rocks, the fundamental charge is sufficient. To utilize a nobelisk, simply employ the basic charge.

  1. Build a nobelisk detonator and craft several basic nobelisk charges. Basic charges are red.
  2. With the charges in your inventory, equip the detonator. Press the reload button (default R) to ready a charge, or hold the button down to choose between the charge types in your inventory.
  3. Click the action button (default left mouse button) to throw the charge. Click and hold the button to increase the throw power and hurl the charge further. The charge will stick to whatever object or animal it hits.
  4. You can throw several charges at once without exploding them by readying and throwing them with the action button.
  5. Once you’re ready to do some demolition, click the right mouse button to detonate every nobelisk charge you’ve thrown. No matter what ADA might say, the charges will always explode at the same time.

Nobelisks detonate cause deep fissures in rocks and walls, uprooting trees and bushes, making it impossible to gather resources from the area. However, they can be useful for eradicating hostile lifeforms and toxic stone structures that release harmful gases. Just be careful where you deploy them.

Indestructible Boulders

Satisfactory: How to Remove Rocks and Boulders

Regardless of size, an uncracked and seamless boulder is invincible and permanent, posing potential problems for conveyor belts and equipment. However, there are alternative methods to deal with such impediments.

A straightforward approach would be to construct a foundation that envelops the problematic boulder entirely. This foundation can extend over any part of the existing landscape, even irregular stones or boulders. Notably, this four-meter foundation is adept at surmounting rough terrain and its resource expenditure matches that of a one-meter foundation.

As a gamer, I appreciate foundations for their ability to ensure my machinery and conveyor belts align perfectly on a grid. This feature makes arranging machines effortless, ensuring each one has enough space for optimal performance. If you’re not blessed with a naturally flat starting area, consider investing in the Base Building milestone and craft your very own level playing field.

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2024-09-17 11:03