Satisfactory: How to Use Ziplines (Update 4)

Having recently received a substantial update, Satisfactory has added several new tools and buildings for a variety of uses. This includes things like drones, light switches, power savers, and so on. Power and transport are big themes in this update, so it is really fitting that the update adds a tool for player movement as well in the form of a zipline tool.

Allowing players to easily travel from one connected point to the other, this tool is a favorite for explorers who do not want to cart around loads of concrete or other walkway materials. After all, why build a makeshift bridge to get over that big gap when they can just zipline to the other side? Unlocked by selecting the appropriate option in the caterium research tree, players will need to donate 50 wire and 100 caterium wire to obtain the zipline schematic. From there, players will need to go to the equipment workshop in order to craft the actual zipline tool.

How to Use Ziplines in Satisfactory

When the zipline tool is obtained, players will quickly note that it looks different from what they were probably expecting. It doesn’t use rope or a metal claw to hang onto things. Instead, it uses caterium wire to essentially magnetize itself to power cables. Cables that, if the player has advanced this far in the game, are already strewn all throughout the factory and possibly even the entire region. In a way, players have probably already built their own zipline system. Although it may need some tweaking later if players want to optimize this form of travel.

But to use the actual zipline tool, players need to approach a power line and simply press the left mouse button. But don’t let go of the mouse button mid-transit. The tool only remains in use when activated, so releasing the mouse button at any point will result in the player being dropped from the power line. While on the power line, players cannot reverse direction or control the speed of their character.

Traveling to a lower point of elevation is easy enough provided that there is nothing obstructing the player’s travel path. But what about traveling to a higher point of elevation? Unlike regular ziplines that have to rely on gravity, Satisfactory’s zipline presumably uses a combination of magnetism and electricity to propel its players. So traveling upwards should be possible. Well, it is. But it can be a bit quirky sometimes depending on a variety of factors.

One of the biggest factors is whether or not the power pole it is connected to is holding multiple power lines. Because more often than not, the zipline tool will try to attach itself to another power line entirely instead of attaching to the player’s desired powerline. Other times the zipline tool will connect to the proper power line, but the player will find themselves continuously hitting the power pole since the game considers it an obstructing object.

Jumping toward the power line before using the tool in midair tends to bypass both of these issues, but it sometimes doesn’t work depending on just how steep the incline of travel is. But generally speaking, if the incline of the power cable does not exceed 80 degrees (i.e. almost straight up) the zipline tool should not have too much trouble taking the player upward. Even if it is a bit slow due to gravity.

With all of that in mind, the zipline tool is best used on “minimalist” power line systems. Meaning that any power pole in the system only has two power line connections at most. Provided that there is nothing obstructing the player while ziplining, this should ensure that players can easily travel from point A to point B without any difficulty.

Satisfactory is available on PC

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