| Miner Mk.1 | Miner Mk.2 | Miner Mk.3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impure | 30 | 60 | 120 |
| Normal | 60 | 120 | 240 |
| Pure | 120 | 240 | 480 |
Caterium Ore
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Caterium Ore is an ore smelted or refined into 
Caterium Ingots. It is one of the ores with its own MAM research chain. Researching caterium offers useful unlocks even in the early-game. Later on, it becomes a crucial element in advanced electronics.
Obtaining
Unlocking
Additionally, its resource scanner is unlocked in the Tier 6 milestone Logistics Mk.4.
Resource acquisition
Caterium Ore can be harvested by hand (default E) in trace amounts from resource deposits scattered across the world, or from inexhaustible resource nodes on which Miners can be constructed to extract automatically. Additonally, Lizard Doggos will ocassionally bring it when tamed.
- Items produced per minute
| Miner Mk.1 | Miner Mk.2 | Miner Mk.3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impure | 75 | 150 | 300 |
| Normal | 150 | 300 | 600 |
| Pure | 300 | 600 | 780 |
Number of Caterium Ore resource nodes is as follows:
| Node purity |
Number of nodes |
Mk.3 mining rate |
Mk.3 mining rate at 250 % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impure | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Normal | 8 | 1,920 | 4,800 |
| Pure | 8 | 3,840 | 6,240* / 9,600 |
| Total | 16 | 5,760 | 11,040* / 14,400 |
*Note: The extraction rate of a Miner Mk.3 at 250 % is 1,200/min, but a Mk.5 Conveyor can only carry 780/min, therefore the maximum mined amount cannot be transported.
Extraction energy
It takes about 8.49 MJ to extract 1 Caterium Ore. Further reading: Extraction energy
Usage
Research
Crafting
| Recipe | Ingredients | Produced in | Products | Unlocked by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caterium Ingot | 3 ×  Caterium Ore45 / min |
Smelter 4 sec |
1 ×  Caterium Ingot15 / min |
MAM Caterium Research - Caterium Ingots |
| Pure Caterium Ingot Alternate |
2 × Caterium Ore24 / min2 ×  Water24 / min |
Refinery 5 sec |
1 × Caterium Ingot12 / min |
MAM Caterium Research - Caterium OR Tier 3 - Coal Power |
× 4AWESOME Sink
Tips
- Caterium nodes are usually found on their own, rather than in proximity of other Caterium nodes, but are fairly evenly distributed around the world. This can make the usage of Alternate Recipes that introduce Caterium to a production line more practical than it may initially seem.
- Caterium is frequently found in locations that aren't immediately obvious, such as up cliffs, or behind rocky outcroppings. The usage of Radar Towers can help locate nodes such as these without the need to constantly scan for Caterium Ore.
- Certain Caterium Ore nodes are blocked by cracked boulders that need to be detonated with a Nobelisk or Explosive Rebar before a Miner can be placed on them. However, it is still possible to mine blocked nodes by hand, and Portable Miners can be placed between and around those boulders.
- Because of the scarcity of Caterium Ore it is recommended that the Pure Recipe for Caterium Ingot is used despite the higher Power Usage because it turns 2 Ores into 1 Caterium Ingot unlike the normal recipe which turns 3 Ore into 1 Caterium Ingot.
Trivia
- Caterium is named after Caterina Parks, the CEO of FICSIT Inc.[1]
- It very likely replaced gold before the game entered closed alpha, as gold was mentioned in a dev highlight but was never seen in-game.[2]
- It is named OreGold in the code, Caterium Ingots GoldIngot, which, in addition, used to have gold purity markings on them, until an Update 3 patch.
- Stockpiling ~500 Caterium Ore is highly recommended at the beginning of the game, which is enough to unlock Zipline for early exploration.
See also
Gallery
A caterium node
A caterium deposit
A caterium node obstructed by Cracked boulders
Unused menu icon introduced in Patch 0.3.4.7
History
- Patch 0.3.4.9: Reverted to the old mesh as of 0.3.4.7, improved icon readability
- Patch 0.3.4.7: New mesh and icon introduced
- Patch 0.2.1.19: New mesh and icon introduced
