Introduction

In 2016, we were first introduced to Nauvis—Factorio's first planet. It revolutionized the automation genre, pushing the limits of production to new heights not seen in other games. Eight years later, Factorio 2.0 expands the universe further, adding Vulcanus, Fulgora, Gleba, and Aquilo—each bringing unique mechanics that redefine factory design.

• Vulcanus: A world where coal is the only resource. Craft rocket parts from freely available sulfuric acid and extract precious materials from molten lava.
• Fulgora: Experience the challenge of limited space on scattered islands. Reverse the recipe tree and deconstruct advanced products into their basic components.
• Gleba: Experiment with the time dimension in a world where every item is rapidly transforming into something else.
• Aquilo: Develop futurist technologies on a frozen, desolate world.

These new worlds are compelling, but one question still lingers: where do we go from here?

Welcome to Maraxsis

Let me introduce this pristine, submerged world. Far away from the sun, this planet paradoxically maintains a comfortable temperature through a runaway greenhouse effect. Preliminary surface scans show an average temperature of 101°F. It's not too hot and not too cold, the perfect Goldilocks zone for liquid water. Maybe even too perfect...

Maraxsis is 100% covered by deep ocean. There is no land on the entire planet meaning you'll have to invest in aquatic technologies such as submarines, torpedos, fiber optic cables, and submerged pressure domes. In terms of progression, Maraxsis is unlocked at the same point as Aquilo. This means the mod can be seamlessly added to a finished Space Age save.

Submarines

Your armor is designed to protect against attacks from various creatures, but it's totally useless against the immense pressure of the ocean. Your only hope is to build an underwater pressure can; the submarine.

This deep sea vessel is capable of submerging to any depth, and can be automated with a schedule to follow underwater channels.
With further technologies, construct the nuclear submarine and atomic torpedoes.

Be careful, swimming outside the submarine will quickly result in death by extreme pressure, drowning, or both.

Trenches

Occasionally while exploring Maraxsis, you might find a deep gash in the planet's crust. I wonder where this goes?

Your submarine descends for what feels like hours. Light levels slowly drop until everything is surrounded by a deep blackness. Your submarine begins to make horrible wrenching sounds as the hull integrity is pushed to its maximum. Finally you crash into the seabed. Is this finally the bottom?

While exploring the trench, you come across a geothermal vent. The magma appears to have similar composition as that found on Vulcanus. Perhaps it can be processed into basic metals?

As you are leaving, your sonar systems sense some underwater movement in the distance. But the equipment must be faulty, it's impossible for anything to live down here. Right?

Deep sea logistics

So, Maraxsis has two surfaces. How does item and fluid transfer happen between these two zones?

todo: write this section

Fiber optics

Standard power poles are ineffective underwater, rendering traditional circuit and power transfer methods unusable. To overcome this challenge, you’ll need to invest in deep-sea fiber optic cables, which allow the transfer of both power and signals.

Fiber optic cables function similarly to pipes, as they are 1x1 entities that connect on all four sides. However, unlike vanilla pipes, these cables can transmit energy and signals vertically, reaching the deepest trenches of Maraxsis.

Pressure domes

As you explore Maraxsis, you’ll quickly discover that many of your standard machines are ineffective underwater. You are able to research new designs that function underwater however many recipes are still impossible. In these situations, constructing high-pressure domes becomes essential.

These specialized structures are designed to withstand the immense pressures of Maraxsis’ depths. However, maintaining equilibrium inside the domes requires continuous pumping of atmospheric gases into ballast tanks.

Progression

Maraxsis is available at the same time as Aquilo. The mod does not change any vanilla recipes meaning the mod can be seamlessly added to any existing Space Age save, even if the save is completed. The tech tree on Maraxsis is designed to be small, focused, and efficient. The mod leans heavily into the puzzle genera requiring creative setups to solve difficult challenges. Do you have what it takes to craft the hydraulic science pack?

Etymology

The name "Maraxsis" draws inspiration from Frank Herbert's Arrakis. The two worlds can be considered "equal but opposite".

• Both lack essential resources—land on Maraxsis, water on Arrakis—making survival difficult.
• Both are dominated by colossal, worm-like apex predators that terrorize their respective environments.

This connection is mirrored in their names. The shared suffixes “-kis” or “-sis” evoke a harsh, guttural sound, hinting at the hostility in these landscapes.

• Arid → Arrakis
• Marine → Maraxsis

Credits

Maraxsis would not be possible without the help of these amazing, fantastic, incredible open source projects.

Unused Renders

• Creator: malcolmriley
• Source: Unused Renders
• License: CC BY 4.0
• Changes: Yes. Icons rescaled and cropped to 64x64. Various color adjustments.

Tropical Fish Pack

• Creator: ZivixLLC
• Source: Turbosquid
• License: TurboSquid 3D Model License
• Changes: Yes. Added animations via Blender and converted to PNG.

Advanced Furnace & Singularity Lab

• Creator: Krastor and Linver
• Source: Krastorio 2
• License: GNU LGPLv3
• Changes: No.

Submarine & Nuclear Submarine

• Creator: Archezekiel
• Source: Commissioned
• License: N/A
• Changes: Yes. Compressed for Factorio with Spritter