Smelting
Production Technology • Tier 1
Overview
Smelting is the first major technological breakthrough in StarRupture, transforming raw ores into refined metal ingots. This critical technology unlocks the furnace, which converts iron ore and copper ore into their ingot forms - the building blocks of all advanced crafting. Smelting marks the transition from primitive survival to industrial development, enabling the creation of metal tools, machines, and structures. Every progression path requires smelting, making it one of the most important early-game technologies to research.
Cost
100 DP
Data Points required to unlock
Prerequisites
Unlock Requirements
- Requires Basic Tools technology first
- Costs 100 Data Points (DP)
- Research items at Research Station to earn DP
- Recommended as your first technology purchase
- Gather at least 20 stone and 10 iron ore before researching
- Build furnace immediately after unlocking
Benefits
- Unlock Furnace - Process ores into ingots automatically
- Unlock Iron Ingot crafting - Essential for tools and machines
- Unlock Copper Ingot crafting - Required for electronics
- Enable metal tool crafting (metal pickaxe, metal axe)
- Open path to electronics and automation technologies
- Increase resource value - ingots worth more DP than raw ore
Tips
- Research smelting as soon as you have 100 DP - it's the highest priority
- Build 2-3 furnaces early to avoid production bottlenecks
- Place furnaces near mining areas to reduce ore transport time
- Stockpile coal for fuel - most efficient burning material
- Don't research raw ores for DP - smelt them into ingots first
- Connect furnaces to power grid mid-game for automation
- Keep a buffer of 50+ iron ingots and 30+ copper ingots at all times