Beacons

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Beacons are 3×3 structures that broadcast the effects of their installed modules to nearby machines. They accept speed and efficiency modules only — productivity modules cannot be used in beacons. Each beacon has 2 module slots, and its effects reach machines within a 9-tile radius of the beacon's edge. However, transmitted effects are only 50% as strong as the same module installed directly in a machine.

The tradeoff is coverage: one beacon can simultaneously affect many machines around it, and a machine can receive bonuses from multiple beacons at once. This makes beacons useful for boosting a dense row of assembling machines or chemical plants far beyond what direct module installation alone could achieve.

Beacons consume a large amount of power regardless of whether their affected machines are running.

When to use beacons

Beacons become worthwhile in the late game when you need to dramatically increase the throughput of a production line without physically expanding it. A common pattern is to surround a row of assembling machines with speed module beacons, then install productivity modules directly in the machines themselves. The speed modules counteract the slowdown from productivity modules while the productivity bonus stacks up over time.

Efficiency module beacons are less common but can be used to reduce the power draw of a machine cluster.

Placement

Because a machine can receive effects from multiple overlapping beacons, optimal beacon layouts try to maximize the number of beacons in range of each machine. For a row of assembling machines, placing beacons on both sides of the row ensures each machine is covered from two directions. Denser arrangements are possible but require more planning.

The Scanner tool can help you verify coverage: place a beacon, then scan the surrounding area to confirm which machines fall within range.

For full stats and placement patterns, see the official Factorio wiki page on beacons.

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