In this deep analysis of Abiotic Factor, we dive into a critical gameplay issue that’s halted many players: the Energy Brick crafting bottleneck. This isn’t just a minor inconvenience—it’s a major design flaw that interrupts momentum, stifles creativity, and has confused much of the community. Instead of a general overview, we’ll explore this specific progression choke point from multiple angles: game design, resource access, player feedback, and potential fixes.

1. Early-Game Guidance: The Drip-Fed Tutorial Paradigm

At the beginning of the game, players find themselves inside the G.A.T.E. research facility with limited tools, recipes, and understanding of the world. The game introduces mechanics slowly, deliberately pacing tutorials to avoid overwhelming players.

However, this slow onboarding becomes an obstacle when it comes to crafting more advanced items like the Energy Brick. Key resources such as circuit boards, tech scrap, and case fans are hidden behind inaccessible zones until the player reaches deeper into the Level 2 Data Farm. As a result, crafting the Energy Brick can feel impossible early on, even when it’s technically unlocked.

2. Recipe Availability and Interface Confusion

One major contributor to the confusion is the game’s interface and its treatment of crafting recipes. The Energy Brick recipe is only visible if you have a powered Crafting Bench. Many players don’t realize that the bench needs to be powered for certain recipes to appear at all.

Additionally, the ability to repair and craft circuit boards from tech scrap isn’t intuitively explained. Without that knowledge, many players assume they need to find fully-formed boards—when in reality, they can create them using repair nodes. This lack of feedback from the UI leads players to think they’re stuck or missing key items.

3. Level 2 Data Farm: Resource Gatekeeping

The only viable area to gather the needed components is the Level 2 Data Farm. It contains the printers, PCs, and tech scraps required to build the Energy Brick.

However, reaching this location can be frustrating. Players often find the tram system confusing or buggy, and some don’t realize they’ve passed the Data Farm entirely. The design is technically linear but still disorienting due to lack of signage and clear visual cues. This makes it easy to miss the critical resources locked behind the area.

4. Community Frustration and Dead-End Reports

Many players have turned to forums like Reddit and Steam to express confusion. The common theme: they hit a point where there’s no clear direction forward. Often, they’re told to “get to Level 3,” but without knowing that the missing Energy Brick is the key.

What’s worse is that some players believe they’ve hit a dead end due to a lack of class unlocks or recipes, not realizing that the real issue is how materials and power systems are introduced. This fuels frustration and causes players to prematurely give up on the game.

5. Crafting the Energy Brick: What You Actually Need

To make an Energy Brick, you need a few very specific materials:

• Tech Scrap

• Circuit Board

• Power Supply Unit

• Case Fan

These are all obtained by smashing electronics in the Data Farm. Once you’ve unlocked the Repair Bench node, you can turn tech scrap into circuit boards and case fans. You’ll also need a powered Crafting Bench, which requires electrical wiring and a reliable energy source.

It’s not hard once you understand the system—but that’s the core issue. Many don’t even realize what they’re missing.

6. Strategy: Efficient Resource Gathering

If you want to avoid the Energy Brick bottleneck, here’s the optimal strategy:

1. Set up a small base near the Level 2 entrance.

2. Power your Crafting Bench immediately—don’t wait.

3. Smash every printer and PC in the area for tech scrap and components.

4. Unlock the Repair Bench tech tree as soon as possible.

5. Use a Vacuum Tool to gather scrap faster and safer.

These small steps can save hours of aimless backtracking and confusion.

7. Desync and Power System Bugs

Multiplayer games often suffer from desync bugs, and Abiotic Factor is no exception. In co-op, clients often see crafting benches as unpowered, even when they’re actually working on the host’s screen. This makes crafting the Energy Brick appear impossible for some players unless they restart the game or rejoin the server.

There are also bugs with the tram system, where players fall out or find themselves stuck in the wrong map section. This can make it even harder to get to the necessary areas for crafting.

8. The Social Element: Silence Around the Problem

It’s interesting that while forums are full of complaints, the broader community doesn’t always acknowledge this bottleneck. There’s a tendency to focus on the game’s high points—like environmental design and narrative depth—while minimizing the effect of structural issues like this one.

New players often find themselves lost and discouraged, while veteran players suggest simply “playing with a guide.” This response highlights a lack of in-game clarity that many have simply worked around by using external help.

9. Developer Response and Patch Potential

The developers at Deep Field Games have responded to connectivity and desync issues, promising fixes in upcoming patches. However, they haven’t explicitly addressed the confusing progression or UI feedback tied to Energy Brick crafting.

There is potential in future updates—like the “Crush Depth” and “Dark Energy” roadmaps—to improve recipe visibility, power system logic, and crafting interface clarity. These changes would go a long way toward making the early and midgame feel less like a guessing game.

10. Recommendations and Final Thoughts

If you’re a player stuck at the Energy Brick phase:

• Don’t panic—it’s not a dead end.

• Set up a power grid for your Crafting Benches.

• Smash everything in the Data Farm.

• Use the Repair Bench to convert scrap.

• Check your recipes after powering benches.

If you’re a developer reading this:

• Add better in-game prompts for missing materials or unpowered stations.

• Improve signage for critical areas like the Data Farm.

• Fix the client-host desync issue as a top priority.

The Energy Brick bottleneck isn’t just a minor bug—it’s a major design flaw that blocks momentum. Solving this would greatly improve retention and player satisfaction.

Conclusion

Abiotic Factor is a rich and immersive survival game, but it’s undermined by unclear design at critical moments. The Energy Brick bottleneck illustrates how a lack of feedback, poor UI signaling, and confusing resource gating can combine to stop a player’s journey cold. With community feedback and thoughtful patching, these issues can be resolved—and doing so would make the game more accessible, rewarding, and fun for everyone.