The Exocomp Factory runs your Exocomp program. It opens the Consumables Store, unlocks additional Exocomps you can assign to tasks, raises the grade of consumables you can buy, and hands out Axionic Chips every day. It becomes available at Operations level 16 and upgrades to level 60. The early levels are cheap and fast, so it pays to build it as soon as it opens; the top levels cost a fortune and take years to finish without speedups.
What the Exocomp Factory does
The factory covers three jobs. First, it unlocks Exocomps: you start with one Galaxy Exocomp at level 1, add a Station Exocomp at level 5, a Combat Exocomp at level 15, and a Multi-purpose Exocomp at level 35. Exocomps are what let you activate Consumables. Second, it sets the grade of Exocomp Consumables you can buy in the Consumables Store, which climbs from grade 2 up to grade 5 as the building levels. Third, it controls how many Axionic Chips you can claim from the Consumables Store each day, rising from 5 chips at level 1 to 282 at level 60.
| Buff | Active from | Values by level |
|---|---|---|
| Axionic Chips daily bundle | Level 1 | 5 at level 1, 22 at level 15, 53 at level 30, 91 at level 40, 156 at level 50, 282 at level 60 |
| Exocomp consumable grade | Level 1 | Grade 2 from level 1, grade 3 at level 25, grade 4 at level 40, grade 5 at level 55 |
| Exocomps unlocked | Level 1 | 1 at level 1, 2 at level 5, 3 at level 15, 4 at level 35 |
How to unlock the Exocomp Factory
The Exocomp Factory opens once your Operations building reaches level 16. Placing it at level 1 costs 800 Parsteel and one Exocomp Factory Key, and finishes in about three minutes. From there the building’s own upgrades gate against Operations. Levels through 15 need Operations 16, and from level 20 onward each milestone matches your Operations level, so level 20 needs Operations 20, level 30 needs Operations 30, and level 60 needs Operations 60. The factory can never run ahead of your Operations building.
Upgrade costs and build times
Upgrades lean on Parsteel and Tritanium, with Axionic Servo as the specialized material at every level past the first. Here are the milestone costs and unboosted build times.
| Level | Cost | Build time | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 800 Parsteel, 1 Exocomp Factory Key | 3m | Operations 16 |
| 10 | 7,000 Parsteel, 150 Tritanium, 34 Axionic Servo | 2h 45m | Operations 16 |
| 20 | 144,500 Parsteel, 4,250 Tritanium, 47 Axionic Servo | 1d 22h | Operations 20 |
| 25 | 1.591M Parsteel, 46,800 Tritanium, 150 Axionic Servo | 2d 7h | Operations 25 |
| 30 | 13.26M Parsteel, 390,000 Tritanium, 200 Axionic Servo | 4d 22h | Operations 30 |
| 35 | 114.4M Parsteel, 3.366M Tritanium, 840 Axionic Servo | 16d | Operations 35 |
| 40 | 2.866B Parsteel, 30.1M Tritanium, 1,400 Axionic Servo | 80d 19h | Operations 40 |
| 50 | 125B Parsteel, 1.39B Tritanium, 2,100 Axionic Servo | 1,383d 11h | Operations 50 |
| 60 | 40.19T Parsteel, 246.2B Tritanium, 7,100 Axionic Servo | 2,914d 20h | Operations 60 |
The full run from level 1 to 60 costs 114.2T Parsteel, 689.6B Tritanium, and 67,456 Axionic Servo, plus the Exocomp Factory Key and an Advanced Exocomp Factory Key II. Cumulative build time is 27,838 days unboosted, so the late levels only clear with construction speedups and research behind them.
How the Exocomp Factory fits your station
Because it opens at Operations 16, the Exocomp Factory arrives once you are past the earliest game and into consumable-driven play. The daily Axionic Chips are the reason to keep it moving: chips buy consumables, and the daily amount grows with every level, so even small upgrades pay you back over time. The Exocomp unlocks are the other early prize, since a second and third Exocomp let you keep more consumable effects active at once. Past level 40 the Parsteel and time costs climb sharply, so most players push the factory in step with Operations rather than rushing it ahead of the rest of the station.
Is the Exocomp Factory worth upgrading?
Yes, at least through the middle levels. The early upgrades are cheap, the daily chip payout keeps growing, and the extra Exocomps and higher consumable grades change what you can run in combat and mining. The final stretch to level 60 is a long-haul project measured in Parsteel by the trillion and years of build time, so treat those top levels as a slow background goal rather than a priority. For most stations, keeping the Exocomp Factory near your Operations level is the right call.