Overview
A concise guide to learn need to know refinery recipes in order to minimize the grind.
The Only Section Needed
* [link]
-Current wiki recipe database
Update: 10/2/18
I was away from the game for awhile, and did some minor updating to bring it in line with the modern values. Please consult the link for the most detailed and comprehensive list to date.
First off, there are THREE different refineries that can be utilized in NEXT. The first is required to advance the main storyline and warp, so you should be familiar with the portable refinery. The small refinery sucks though, because it is incredibly resource ineffecient. More on this to follow.
The medium and large refineries are unlocked through the base building quests. As of 7/28/2018, current bugs prevent existing saves from obtaining these in some cases. I am not sure if the experimental patch has fixed this, but you can safely assume it will be fixed in time.
-The medium refinery is unlocked through the base analyzer missions. You will be granted this blueprint around the halfway mark.
-The large refinery is unlocked through the science terminal missions. It is unlocked very early on.
*These advanced refineries afford two to three slots respectively, but CANNOT be moved once placed.
Important Recipes
This is what you came for. The advanced refineries can spit out resources at an ungodly rate. I will list the most effecient conversions I’ve found for the various resources. If you find something better, please let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the list.
*Atmospheric gasses can be converted into other gasses via refining with oxygen at a 1:1 ratio. LARGE refiners can turn the gasses into their REFINED gas products by adding condensed carbon and chlorine (carbon and salt work also, just listing most effecient). Not only does this allow a bypassing of the formulas, it also REDUCES total volume of gas needed. You need 100 say nitrogen to make nitrogen salt as opposed to 250. This allows you to make a stasis device or fusion ignitor with only THREE harvesters per cycle- Lightening the load by a staggering 900 units of resources. Total needed units of gas element = 600 by using the large refiner. Total needed units of gas element without: 1500.
Sample Formula: 100 Nitrogen + 10 condensed carbon + 5 chlorine = Nitrogen salt.
Chromatic Metal
x1 Copper/Cadmium/Emeril/Indium + x1 Gold + x1 Silver = Lots of CM.
Magnetised/Pure Ferrite
1 Activated element + Ferrite Dust = Varying amounts of MF. Platinum + Oxygen still yeilds a lot I think.
Carbon
2 Carbon + 2 Oxygen = 5 Condensed Carbon
1 Condensed Carbon + 2 Oxygen = 6 Condensed Carbon
Sodium
Sodium Nitrate was nerfed relative to carbon and cobalt; adding oxygen to Na or Na+ will still yield more than the input, just not at a 1:6 ratio. If you use the large refiner, you will have a slight surplus of atmospheric gas. You can combine say Nitrogen with magnetised ferrite to create Na+ at a 1:3 ratio.
Cobalt
Same ratios as carbon.
Dioxite
Sodium Nitrate plus Carbon or Condensed Carbon will yeild Dioxite.
*Dioxite can be turned into Ferrite Dust at a 1:1 ratio. Useful if no rocks are nearby, but you have a source of Sodium Nitrate and Condensed Carbon plus sufficient Oxygen.
Chlorine
Salt + Oxygen into Cholrine + Oxygen. Watch your money breed rapidly. Chlorine can be turned back into salt by removing the oxygen.
Silver/Gold/Platinum
Silver can be extracted from most manufactured alloys, except lemmium which converts to gold. Geodesite and Iridesite convert to Platinum. The ratio is 1:125 for silver (some yield 250 for silver) and gold alloys, while Geo/Iridesite converts to Platinum at a 1:250 ratio.
Parrafinnium
1 Silver + 1 Oxygen = 2 Parrafinium
Pyrite
1 Gold + 1 Oxygen = 2 Pyrite
Planetory Resources
These operate on a conversion loop according to the wiki. For example, 2 Parrafinnium and 1 Ferrite Dust will yeild 1 ammonia. Dioxite->Phosphorus->Uranium. Eats up a lot of dust, but I guess it could be worth it. With the glitchy AMU’s, this is unfortunantely the best we have short of bulk space station purchases.
Outliers
Coprite can multiply existing sodium and carbon reserves.
1 Coprite + 1 condensed carbon = 3 condensed carbon.
This makes Coprite a useful 16th plant if you do 4 large planter production cycles.
It’s possible to turn Coprite into Mordite and then Mordite into Marrow Bulb with either oxygen or sodium (I forget which it is), thus making it possible to convert coprite into cobalt. Potentially useful.
Pungeum acts as a multiplier for many resources. Best used to expand ferrite reserves as oxygen is better for carbon and sodium.
Di-Hydrogen will convert into Deuterium when placed with any secondary resource.
Tritium will multiply carbon by a factor of two when placed together, and when placed with almost anything else, can directly be transformed into Sodium Nitrate.
Additional Info
Oxygen Harvesters have been added with NEXT, allowing for a self sustaining base that can create fuel and shielding without any need for a spaceport purchase. 50 Condensed Carbon is used to fuel the collectors, which return 250 Oxygen.
Oxygen can be combined with atmospheric gasses to transform it into any of the other two gasses. This allows for only needing one set of atmospheric harvesters assuming you have enough Oxygen harvesters. The good news is Oxygen harvesters fill relatively quick (around 5-10 minutes if I had to take a guess.) This means relatively few can keep up with your atmospheric harvesters if you stay around your base enough.
Suggestions: Maintain a large tray of coprite, and use the coprite to multiply your condensed carbon for your harvesters. One large tray requires 17 condensed carbon every 2 hours. You can use coprite to keep condensed carbon topped off. Especially if you’re trying to use Oxygen to convert atmospheric gasses to another planet’s form.