Alchemy Factory Research & Unlocks Guide

Progression in Alchemy Factory is split across production research, Workbench unlocks, business growth and physical factory expansion. Version 1.0 changed this structure, so older Early Access research routes can send players looking for unlocks in the wrong place.

Production and business progression feed each other

Official game information describes a continuous loop: manufacture goods, stock the shop and complete commissions, earn coins, then use those coins to buy land, research equipment and upgrade technology. A useful progression choice is therefore one that removes the constraint currently preventing that loop from growing.

Use the Tech Tree for production progression

Version 1.0 removed non-production devices from the Tech Tree. This makes the research side more focused on manufacturing and production development than it was during Early Access.

Use the Workbench for non-production devices

Non-production devices now need to be unlocked at the Workbench. If a utility, shop or other non-production item is absent from the Tech Tree, check Workbench progression before assuming a prerequisite is missing.

Research recipes with a purpose

The Steam store specifically identifies researching recipes as part of the growth loop. Prioritise recipes that open a useful product, commission opportunity or production path rather than unlocking complexity that your current material supply cannot support.

Land is a progression resource too

Coins can purchase additional land. Space becomes strategically valuable as production chains gain more stages, shared intermediates and logistics. Buying or using space well can be more valuable than squeezing another machine into an area that has already become impossible to expand.

Shop Recognition replaced old Reputation progression

Version 1.0 replaced the old Reputation system with Shop Recognition. Recognition can increase shop reputation and profits, while purchase feedback no longer directly changes Reputation. Sales-upgrade and purchase-contract bonuses were also folded into this newer system.

Plan for advanced logistics rather than rushing them

The rail-based Wagon System has greater capacity than conveyors but is more complex to construct. Unlocking or accessing a larger logistics tool does not automatically mean every existing belt should be replaced. Introduce wagons where distance, volume or factory zoning creates a genuine benefit.

Grand Portal progression is commercial progression

The Grand Portal allows customers from distant cities to reach the shop. Before leaning into additional customer traffic, make sure production, stocking and customer navigation are strong enough to support it.

Version 1.0 shop layout affects progression

Customers can now reach upper floors, the original entrance can be removed and multiple shop gates can be built. This means acquiring more production and commercial capability does not require keeping the shop trapped in its original footprint.

A sensible priority system

When choosing what to pursue next, ask four questions: Is production capacity the constraint? Is material movement the constraint? Is physical space the constraint? Is the shop/business layer the constraint? Spend research, money and building effort on the answer rather than following a universal unlock order that ignores the state of your factory.

For returning players

Recheck both the Tech Tree and Workbench, review Shop Recognition and verify old recipes before rebuilding an Early Access layout. Version 1.0 changed enough underlying progression that rebuilding from an old checklist can create unnecessary work.

Version 1.1.5024 additions

Version 1.1.5023 introduced the Recognition Display Stand for showing earned Shop Recognitions, the vertically heat-transferring Charcoal Block, and the support-free World Tree Block. Check their current in-game unlock requirements rather than assuming they use the older Tech Tree progression. The 1.1.5024 hotfix addressed selection of new track variants.

Which unlock should you pursue next?

A useful early-game rule is to follow the next main-quest item, then research the machines and intermediates needed to make it. The following milestones are based on the v1.1.5023 community research tree and are intended as a practical route, not a claim that every research node between milestones is optional.

Production research, Workbench or Recognition?

• Tech Tree: look here for manufacturing devices, recipes and production upgrades.
• Workbench: many non-production and shop utility devices moved here in the 1.0 release; do not search old Tech Tree locations for them.
• Shop Recognition: a separate business progression system with product or sales conditions and application costs, rather than a replacement name for ordinary production research.

For an early example, the community tech-tree database records Sundries Recognition I as requiring the sale of six Mortar and a 400-copper application cost. It reports a reward of +8 Shop Reputation and +10% Sundries Profit. That is a concrete commercial milestone to work toward alongside the main production quest. Check the current NPC application screen and requirements in your own game.

Choosing between research upgrades

At base settings, machine production and conveyor movement are separate limits. If finished devices are waiting for ingredients while a belt is saturated, improving Logistics Efficiency may be more useful than faster machines. If materials arrive faster than machines can process them, consider Factory Efficiency or additional devices. The v1.1.5023 community data describes Factory Efficiency as increasing device production speed while also increasing heat consumption speed, making fuel supply part of the decision. Fuel Efficiency and Fertilizer Efficiency address different supporting resources rather than replacing production or logistics upgrades.

A repeatable research decision

1. Identify the next main quest or sellable good.
2. Trace that product to its required devices and raw inputs.
3. List unmet research, Workbench or Recognition requirements separately.
4. Check whether the existing factory can supply the proposed new devices.
5. Buy the unlock that removes the present bottleneck, then test the resulting chain.

Source and review note: Early milestones and the Recognition example are from the Alchemy Factory community tech tree (dataset marked v1.1.5023), checked 22 October 2026. The game introduced additional building and track devices in v1.1.5023; this section does not assert unverified research prerequisites for those new devices.

Specific early unlock requirements

The v1.1.5023 community research table gives costs and research-point requirements for production nodes. They are useful planning checkpoints rather than a substitute for following the prerequisite branches shown in-game.

Each node still has prerequisites. For example, Steel Ingot needs the Level V production chain including Athanor and Coke; purchasing the last node alone does not create a functioning steel factory. Use the community tech tree with prerequisite tracing and verify requirements in the game.

Workbench unlocks players frequently miss

The Cargo Lift Loader and Unloader depend on the Shaft Workbench unlock. Workbench availability is not the same as having the money and materials to build the item. This table is drawn from the v1.1.5023 Workbench list, and the current game should be checked before committing expensive materials.

Research versus commercial progression

Research unlocks production; Workbench unlocks many utilities; Shop Recognition qualifies and improves sales; Licensed Alchemist enhances portal traffic; Licensed Supplier advances contracts. Keep those on separate planning checklists. When a fully automated product will not sell, check its shelf, authorisation and customer types before spending more research on machinery.