Why relics matter
Relics are Alchemy Factory’s late-game products: they turn sprawling supply chains into valuable shop stock and progression. Every relic can be sold from a relic stand or sent to the Knowledge Altar for experience, so your decision affects both cash flow and upgrades.
There are seven relics, named after classical planets and unlocked in sequence. The first few are useful factory milestones; the later ones are major logistics projects that combine potions, jewels, metals, and rare materials.
| Order | Relic | Shop value | Knowledge experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jupiter | 30 | 10 |
| 2 | Saturn | 150 | 71.5 |
| 3 | Mars | 280 | 126 |
| 4 | Venus | 510 | 2,693 |
| 5 | Mercury | 2,693 | 9,537.5 |
| 6 | Luna | 9,537 | 24,439 |
| 7 | Sol | 24,439 | Not listed |
Relics are assembled in a Shaper. A Shaper has six input connections, and each recipe is designed around those connections. Keep every line supplied; a missing input can leave a large and expensive production line waiting.
Crafting the first three relics
Jupiter is the first relic and the best introduction to Shaper ratios. Its six inputs take two lanes of planks, three lanes of small wooden gears, and one lane of wooden pulleys. Logs become planks in table saws, while flax supports the rope needed for pulleys.
| Jupiter input | Shaper connections | Main production route |
|---|---|---|
| Planks | 2 | Logs to table saws |
| Small wooden gears | 3 | Planks to processors |
| Wooden pulleys | 1 | Planks and rope to processors |
Saturn replaces wooden components with bulk materials. It needs two Shaper inputs each of glass, salt, and brick. Glass is the space-intensive part: stone becomes sand in grinders, then glass in kilns. Salt and clay-based brick can be made through compact cauldron routes before their final processing.
| Saturn input | Shaper connections | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Glass | 2 | Stone to sand to kilns |
| Salt | 2 | Cauldron production |
| Brick | 2 | Clay to kilns |
Mars is the first relic with four separate component types and the first that relies on steel. It needs two connections of iron nails, one of steel gears, two of bronze rivets, and one of copper bearings. This is a useful point to separate your factory into clear metal districts rather than trying to run every intermediate along one shared belt spine.
| Mars input | Shaper connections | Production notes |
|---|---|---|
| Iron nails | 2 | Iron ingots processed into nails |
| Steel gears | 1 | Iron and coke powder become steel, then gears |
| Bronze rivets | 2 | Bronze processing chain |
| Copper bearings | 1 | Copper powder, crucibles, and processors |
For Jupiter through Mars, match machine output to your current conveyor speed. Exact ratios look elegant, but a little surplus capacity prevents a Shaper from repeatedly stopping because one upstream line falls behind.
Venus, Mercury, Luna, and Sol
Venus changes the pattern by accepting liquid as one of its six inputs. It requires Healing, Vitality, Growth, Transformation, and Blast Potions, plus a piped liquid. Since each potion has its own ingredients and heat requirements, Venus is often where fuel shortages and poor pipe routing become visible.
Mercury is built from five jewels and quicksilver. Its jewel inputs are turquoise, malachite, topaz, obsidian, and lapis lazuli. Cauldrons can make several of these chains shorter, but their recipes may consume valuable coins or catalysts. Build Mercury only after its rare ingredient supply is stable; otherwise, it can absorb resources needed for more dependable shop goods.
Luna uses five ingots—steel, bronze, copper, silver, and gold—plus moon tears. The basic metals may already exist in your factory, but silver, gold, and moon tears can make Luna an expensive expansion. Moon tears come from star dust, so plan that route before committing to a continuous Luna line.
| Relic | Six Shaper inputs | Main challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Venus | Five potions plus one liquid | Coordinating potion belts and pipes |
| Mercury | Five jewels plus quicksilver | Rare jewels and costly cauldron inputs |
| Luna | Five ingots plus moon tears | Precious metals and star-dust supply |
| Sol | Six lower relics, perfect diamonds, eternal essence, world cores | Final multi-chain assembly |
Sol is the final relic and the main-quest turn-in. It combines the six previous relics with perfect diamonds, eternal essence, and world cores. Unlike an ordinary product line, Sol is often best approached as a deliberate project: stockpile the required materials, check each dependency, then assemble the final item.
Sell relics or convert them to Knowledge
A completed relic has two primary uses:
- Place it on a relic stand for shop sales.
- Send it to the Knowledge Altar to gain experience and earn skill points.
- Reserve a small buffer so a quest, contract, or final crafting project does not empty your supply.
- Route relics through priority splitters if a particular destination must always receive them first.
Early on, Jupiter is a reasonable way to unlock initial Knowledge upgrades, but its experience reward is small. Once Saturn and Mars are available, their larger rewards make them more attractive altar inputs. As your factory expands, relics become valuable enough that selling some while sacrificing others is usually safer than committing every unit to one purpose.
Use sales when you need money for land, devices, fuel capacity, or research. Use the altar when a skill upgrade removes a genuine bottleneck, such as weak throughput, slow logistics, or inefficient heat use. The right balance changes with your factory: an empty shop shelf is lost income, while a stalled upgrade can make every production line weaker.
A simple starting policy is to sell the first reliable relic output until operating costs are comfortable, then divert surplus into Knowledge. If a contract offers a relic order at a premium, compare it with normal shop demand before rerouting your whole line.
FAQ
What are alchemy factory relics?
Alchemy factory relics are seven advanced Shaper products: Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Luna, and Sol. They are high-value goods that can be sold or converted into Knowledge experience.
Where do I craft relics?
Craft relics in a Shaper. Feed its six inputs with the materials required by the selected relic recipe, then route the completed relic to a stand, storage, the Knowledge Altar, or another crafting line.
Should I sell Jupiter or use it for Knowledge?
Use a few Jupiters for early progression if you need initial skill points. Because Jupiter grants only 10 experience, selling it or moving on to Saturn is often more efficient once your shop income is stable.
What does Sol require?
Sol requires the six earlier relics, perfect diamonds, eternal essence, and world cores. It is the final relic and is used to complete the main quest.
Why has my relic Shaper stopped?
Check all six inputs, not just the most obvious belt. A starved liquid pipe, missing rare material, backed-up output, or fuel-starved upstream machine can stop relic production.