Which upgrades should I buy first?
Two upgrades sit behind almost every production complaint. Both are bought per product, not once for the factory.
Quick answer
Craft speed raises how often a product spawns and craft value raises what each one pays, and the one recording that shows the purchase buys craft value for a named product rather than for the whole factory — a 20 August 2026 full-release playthrough raises craft value for cash registers by name, and later buys the auto machine, craft value and craft speed together as it moves to its next product. A 21 August systems video argues for craft speed first, on the reasoning that speed is what keeps fans, chutes and launchers supplied and that gaps in the flow are what break combos, then craft value so the extra volume is actually worth something. That ordering is one creator's argument rather than a documented rule, and no developer source cited here ranks the upgrades at all.
Steps
- Open the upgrade list and find the entries for the product you are actually producing. The 20 August recording raises craft value for cash registers by name and notes room for two or three more products, so a purchase does not appear to cover everything you make.
- Buy craft speed on your main product first if you are following the 21 August video's argument: it raises spawn frequency, which is what keeps a chute or fan line fed.
- Buy craft value on the same product next, so the extra items each carry more payout rather than just more traffic.
- Repeat on each new product as you unlock it. The 20 August recording buys the auto machine, craft value and craft speed together at the point it turns to its next product.
- Re-check the flow after each craft speed purchase. Both recordings show items escaping or jamming once output rises, which is a layout problem rather than an upgrade problem.
Requirements / limits
- The per-product structure comes from the 20 August recording alone, which names cash registers when it raises craft value. The 21 August video never mentions individual products, neither recording publishes a full upgrade tree, and no official source cited here documents one.
- The craft speed before craft value ordering has a single source. It is presented as reasoning, not as a measured comparison, and no second recording tests it.
- No numbers are published anywhere cited here for how much either upgrade adds per level, or whether the cost curve makes one better late.
- Both recordings date from 20–21 August 2026, the days around full release. Update 1.0.5 of 22 August added the multi-level Panel Rack upgrade and Update 1.0.6 of 26 August gave the rack its own keybind, so the purchase list has moved twice since.
- Upgrades do not fix a leaking layout. The same 21 August video treats escaping items as the main efficiency drain, separately from any upgrade.
Common mistakes
- Assuming one craft value purchase covers everything you make. The recordings buy it per product.
- Buying craft speed and leaving the line unchanged. More items per minute through the same gaps means more items lost per minute.
- Treating the recommended order as a rule. One creator argues for it; nothing official ranks the two.
- Chasing situational upgrades before either of these. Both recordings return to the same two entries repeatedly, which is the strongest signal available that they carry the early game.
Still unverified
- How much does each craft speed or craft value level actually add?Not verifiedNeither recording reads out per-level numbers, and no official source cited here publishes an upgrade table.
- Is craft speed genuinely better than craft value first?Single unconfirmed reportArgued in the 21 August systems video on reasoning about combo continuity. No second source tests the ordering.
- Did Update 1.0.5 or 1.0.6 change the upgrade list?Not verifiedThe 22 August changelog adds a multi-level Panel Rack upgrade and the 26 August one gives it a keybind. Neither says whether craft speed or craft value changed, and both recordings predate both.
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