BlockFactory:Epochs

Block Factory's progression is split into epochs, from the hand-fed start to nuclear power. Every research belongs to one Knowledge Scroll tier, and that tier is its epoch: research paid with Knowledge Scroll II belongs to Epoch 2, and so on. Everything you can build without any research belongs to Epoch 0.

How epochs work

• Each research costs Knowledge Scrolls of one tier (I to V). That tier is the research's epoch.
• Each tier ends with a "Scholars" research. It costs scrolls of its own tier and unlocks writing the next tier: Goblin Scholars unlocks Scroll II, Golem Scholars Scroll III, Rune Scholars Scroll IV, Core Scholars Scroll V.
• Every research of a tier also needs that tier's Scholars research, even if the techtree line does not show it. Scroll I research is the exception: you can start it right away.
• Each team progresses on its own (see Teams and Raids).

The epoch display

Under the minimap the HUD shows Epoch: followed by the highest scroll tier your team can write. A new world starts at I · Steam, because Knowledge Scroll I needs no research. The display moves up each time a Scholars research is finished. The techtree at the Outlander Test Site uses the same names.

Music

The soundtrack follows your team's progress. It uses the highest tier among the research your team has completed:

Completed research up to	Music
none (Epoch 0)	calm, rural
Tier I or II	playful, mechanical
Tier III to V	grand, solemn

Overview

Epoch	Name in game	Paid with	What changes
0	–	no research	Everything by hand; you refuel every machine yourself
1	I · Steam	Knowledge Scroll I	First power grid, automation, steel
2	II · Logistics	Knowledge Scroll II	Faster belts, fluids, trains, Golems, Goblin logistics
3	III · Oil	Knowledge Scroll III	Oil, plastics, sulfur, batteries, circuit network
4	IV · Industry	Knowledge Scroll IV	Runes, processing units, Hob-Goblins
5	V · Nuclear	Knowledge Scroll V	Uranium, reactors, the Great Portal

The full list with costs and prerequisites is on Research Tree.

Epoch 0: the start

You start with what you can build without research: the Wooden Drill, Brick Furnace, Belt T1, Coal Grabber, Wooden Chest, Pipe T1, Gun Tower and Wooden Walls. Every machine burns fuel that you top up yourself or feed with a Coal Grabber.

The big goals of this epoch:

1. Rebuild the Portal of the Ancient near the bunker.
2. Summon two Goblins for a Goblin Research Center and an Outlander for the Outlander Test Site.
3. Deliver products to the research center, write Knowledge Scroll I and test your first research.

Epoch 1: Steam

Research	What it brings
Steam Power	Water Pump, Water Boiler, Steam Generator, Small Power Pole, Auto Drill, Lamp
Automation	Fabricator T1, Grabber T1
Logistics	Underground Belt T1, Splitter T1, Iron Chest
Steel Processing	Blast Furnace, Steel Plate, Steel Beam, Steel Chest
Goblin Carts	Rail, Buffer Stop, Goblin Cart
Goblin Scholars	Knowledge Scroll II

Also in this epoch: Hunting, Masonry, Firearms and Light Armor. See Power and Smelting.

Epoch 2: Logistics

The factory outgrows hand feeding. Key research: Automation 2 (Fabricator T2), Logistics 2 (Belt T2), Fast Grabber, Concrete, Fluid Handling, Coal Power, Railway and Rail Signals, Golemcraft (the Golem call at the portal and the Stone Golems Refinery), Goblin Logistics (Goblin Hut, Logistic Chests and the Goblin Planner), Rangertower, Cryonics, Tree Farming and Heavy Armor.

The epoch ends with Golem Scholars, which unlocks the Golem Research Center and Knowledge Scroll III. See Golems and Railways.

Epoch 3: Oil

Oil comes as fluids, and its processing makes by-products that need somewhere to go. Key research: Oil Processing and Advanced Oil Processing, Plastics, Sulfur Processing, Advanced Electronics, Silicon Processing, Solar Energy, Batteries, Logistics 3, Reinforced Pipes, Goblin Logistics 2 (Big Goblin Hut), Circuit Network and Programmable Interface.

The epoch ends with Rune Scholars (Knowledge Scroll IV). See Oil Processing and Fluids.

Epoch 4: Industry

Rune modules make machines faster, more efficient or more productive. Key research: Rune Etching, Rune Crafting and Rune Crafting 2 (rune modules and the Rune Beacon), Processing, Automation 3 (Fabricator T3), Advanced Smelting, Golemcraft 2, Electric Engine, Hob-Goblin Construction (Hob-Goblins and the build modes of the Goblin Planner), Ancient Rites (build more portals), Golem Locomotive and Modular Armor.

The epoch ends with Core Scholars (Knowledge Scroll V). See Rune Modules.

Epoch 5: Nuclear

Key research: Uranium Processing (Uranium Golems Refinery), Nuclear Power, Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing, Golem Resonance, Logistics 4, Hob-Goblin Construction 2 and Rune Crafting 3. The last research of the game is Great Portal. See Nuclear Power and Great Portal.

How much research per epoch

Epoch	Researches	Scrolls in total
1 Steam	10	18 × Scroll I
2 Logistics	21	60 × Scroll II
3 Oil	21	68 × Scroll III
4 Industry	19	80 × Scroll IV
5 Nuclear	9	49 × Scroll V

What one scroll costs in research points is on Research.

See also

• Research
• Research Tree
• Field Manual and HUD