Dealing with Biters in Factorio: A Detailed Guide

In the world of Factorio, one of the most pressing challenges players face is the relentless threat of biters. These hostile alien creatures are native to the planet and are highly sensitive to pollution produced by the player’s factory. As your industrial empire expands, so does the pollution, triggering increasingly aggressive biter attacks.

Biters come in various forms and sizes, from small, manageable groups to large, formidable swarms that can wreak havoc on your carefully constructed factory. Understanding how to effectively manage and defend against these persistent adversaries is crucial for any Factorio player aiming to thrive on this hostile planet.

Early Game Tips

• Heal Yourself with Fish: Catch fish in water for healing. Use a red deconstruction planner to stun them for easy capture.
• Prevent Early Attacks: Destroy small biter bases near your factory early to prevent frequent attacks. Use buildings like furnaces to block biters.
• Block Biters with the Environment: Use trees to block biters, but avoid getting blocked yourself. Utilize cliffs as natural defense barriers.
• Efficient Ammunition Distribution: Use the “z” key to distribute ammunition efficiently to your turrets.
• Monitor Pollution: Regularly check the pollution map to predict biter attacks. Use radars to monitor nearby biter bases.
• Melee Combat: Use a pickaxe for melee combat by pressing the spacebar when you run out of bullets.

Mid Game Strategies

• Offensive Gun Turret Strategy: Place gun turrets near enemy bases and load them with ammunition for effective offensive tactics.
• Monitor Statistics: Use the “p” key to check pollution statistics and predict incoming attacks.
• Wall Management: Use the deconstruction planner to create passages in thick walls without destroying them. Use belts to supply ammunition to turrets.
• Weapon Combinations: Combine weapons like submachine guns and grenades for effective combat. Use poison capsules for clearing enemy bases.
• Flamethrowers: Place flamethrowers connected to oil for powerful long-range attacks. Be careful with trees as they can catch fire.
• Vehicle Weapons: Use car-mounted guns for better damage. Flamethrowers in tanks have different properties compared to handheld ones.
• Rocket Launchers: Use rocket launchers to outrange small and medium worms.
• Environmental Advantages: Preserve trees to absorb pollution and slow down biter evolution and expansion.
• Mines: Use mines offensively by placing them inside enemy bases for significant damage.

Late Game Tactics

• Expanding and Upgrading Defenses: Regularly expand your walls and upgrade your ammunition belt with a one-to-one balancer. Place a second layer of turrets if necessary.
• Multiple Power Connections: Defend your outposts by connecting them with multiple power lines to prevent power loss if biters destroy poles.
• Flamethrower Turrets: Use flamethrower turrets in oil outposts for effective defense.
• Roboports for Repairs: Place roboports with passive provider chests and repair packs in outposts to automate repairs after attacks.
• Laser Turrets: Use laser turrets with modular armor and fast robots to reclaim land from biters.
• Mixed Defenses: Combine laser turrets and flamethrowers for indestructible defenses. Flamethrowers deal high AoE damage and work without power.
• Backup Power: Use steam storage in tanks and power switches to provide backup power to laser turrets if main power lines are destroyed.
• Confusing Biters: Build dotted walls in front of main walls to confuse biters and make turrets’ jobs easier.
• Armor Management: Craft multiple sets of modular armor for different tasks (e.g., running and combat) for easy swapping.
• Spidertron Setup: Equip Spidertron with batteries, fusion reactors, and shields. Use multiple Spidertrons for increased damage output.
• Statistic Tracking: Use the “P” key to open the statistics window and track how many biters have been killed.

Conclusion

By following these tips and strategies, you can effectively manage and defend against biters in Factorio, ensuring your factory remains safe and productive. Happy building and defending with one of our dedicated servers here!