Applied Energistics 2 (AE2) is a powerful and complex mod for Minecraft that revolutionizes item storage, automation, and crafting. If you’re new to AE2 and feeling overwhelmed, this Ae2 Guide will walk you through the essential early steps to get you started, from gathering basic resources to setting up your first Matter Energy (ME) network.
Your First Steps: Quartz Acquisition
The foundation of AE2 technology lies in Quartz. You’ll need to acquire two types: Certus Quartz Crystal, added by AE2, and Nether Quartz, from vanilla Minecraft. Initially, Certus Quartz is crucial as it’s the primary ingredient for crafting early-game AE2 tools and devices. These include the Certus Quartz Wrench, Certus Quartz Cutting Knife, and basic Certus Quartz tools.
Beyond tools, Certus Quartz, like Nether Quartz, can be processed in a Grindstone to create Certus Quartz Dust. This dust is a versatile resource used in crafting Certus Glass (a key component in more advanced Tech 2 items), Tiny TNT (used later for Singularity creation), and most importantly, Seeds for crystal growth.
Crystal Growth: Automating Basic Resources
AE2 is designed with automation in mind, even for the most fundamental resources. Seeds are a cornerstone of AE2’s early game. By combining Certus Quartz Dust or Nether Quartz Dust with Sand, you can craft Seeds specific to each quartz type.
| Recipe for Certus Quartz Seeds | Recipe for Nether Quartz Seeds |
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These Seeds are placed in water and will grow into their respective crystals over time. A significant advantage of using seeds is that you get two seeds for every dust you use, effectively doubling your crystal yield for most AE2 applications. To speed up this growth process, the Crystal Growth Accelerator is invaluable.
Moving Up the Tech Tree: Fluix Crystals
As you progress through the AE2 tech tree, you’ll quickly realize the necessity of Fluix Crystals. These are essential for crafting more advanced components and machines. Fluix Crystals can be obtained through two methods:
- Growing Fluix Seeds in Water: Similar to Certus and Nether Quartz, Fluix Seeds can be grown in water.
- Crafting with Charged Certus Quartz, Nether Quartz, and Redstone in Water: This method involves combining specific ingredients in a pool of water.
While the second method sounds straightforward, it requires a crucial ingredient: Charged Certus Quartz Crystal. Simply using regular Certus Quartz won’t work. Charged Certus Quartz Crystal is created in a Charger, which itself needs power, often initially from a Vibration Chamber fueled by coal.
The initial challenge is that many of these machines require Fluix Crystal to craft, creating a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. Fortunately, some Charged Certus Quartz Crystal can be found in world generation alongside regular Certus Quartz. In the early stages, it’s often wise to convert most of your initial Charged Certus into Fluix Crystal to bootstrap your production. Don’t forget to create Fluix Seeds to automate your Fluix Crystal supply as soon as possible! Growing Fluix Crystals without accelerators can take some time, but it’s a worthwhile investment.
Once you’ve grown enough Fluix, prioritize crafting a Vibration Chamber, a Charger, and Crystal Growth Accelerators. Continuously expanding your quartz and Fluix crystal production through seeds and mining will be crucial as you advance. With these machines operational, you’re ready to delve into the next tier of technology, starting with the Inscriber.
Unlocking Advanced Technology: Inscriber Presses
If you’re familiar with Applied Energistics 1, you might notice that crafting circuits in AE2 is different. Furthermore, the plates required for the Inscriber machine lack traditional crafting recipes. Don’t worry, AE2 isn’t broken! The missing pieces are Inscriber Presses.
These presses are essential for creating the circuits needed for Tech 2 machines and beyond. There are four types of presses you’ll need:
| Inscriber Presses are crucial for circuit crafting |
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These presses aren’t crafted; they are found randomly in Sky Stone Chests located within Meteorites. Meteorites spawn randomly throughout the world, typically underground. This initiates a treasure hunt!
However, this hunt is more guided than searching for initial Charged Certus. You can craft a Meteorite Compass to aid your search. The compass points towards the chunk where a meteorite has generated, not the exact block or center. You’ll need to dig around the indicated chunk to locate the meteorite, break it apart, and find the Sky Stone Chest at its core, where the precious Inscriber Presses await.
Matter Energy (ME) Networks and Storage: Revolutionizing Item Management
With Inscriber Presses in hand, the real fun begins! You now possess all the tools to create the complex components that Applied Energistics 2 offers. It’s time to explore Matter Energy (ME) Networks and Storage, the core of AE2.
ME Storage is a sophisticated item management system, far beyond a simple multi-block chest. It allows for vast storage capacity in a compact space and provides multiple access points, fundamentally changing how you manage items in Minecraft.
Understanding ME Storage
ME systems store items within special items called Storage Cells. These cells come in four tiers, each offering progressively larger storage capacities. To utilize a Storage Cell, it must be placed inside either an ME Chest or an ME Drive.
| ME Chest and ME Drive for accessing Storage Cells |
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The ME Chest provides a simple interface to view the contents of a Storage Cell and allows you to add or remove items as if it were a regular Chest. However, the items are actually stored within the Storage Cell itself, not the ME Chest.
While the ME Chest is excellent for understanding the basics of ME Storage, the true power of AE2 is unlocked by setting up an ME Network.
Setting Up Your First ME Network
Creating a basic ME Network is surprisingly simple. You’ll need an ME Chest or ME Drive, an ME Terminal (or ME Crafting Terminal), and some ME Glass Cable to connect the Terminal.
Place these components adjacent to each other. Congratulations! You’ve created the most basic ME Network, providing both storage and access.
You can insert Storage Cells into the ME Drive (or use one in the ME Chest for initial setup) and access all stored items through the ME Terminal.
To expand your network and place ME Terminals in different locations, use ME Glass Cable. Any ME blocks connected to the ME Glass Cable will become part of your ME Network.
Expanding Your ME Network: Automation and Beyond
With basic storage and access established, you’ll likely want to automate processes. A prime example is automating ore smelting.
Place an ME Export Bus on top of a furnace to automatically feed ores into it from your ME Network. Then, place an ME Import Bus on the bottom of the furnace to automatically extract the smelted ingots back into your network.
The ME Export Bus pulls items from your ME Network and inserts them into the attached inventory (like the furnace). Conversely, the ME Import Bus extracts items from the attached inventory and imports them into your ME Network.
Channel Limits and ME Controllers
As you expand your network and connect more devices (approximately 8 or more), you’ll encounter channel limits. Many, but not all, AE2 devices require channels to function. Devices solely involved in power transmission or connectivity (like cables) do not require channels. However, any device that handles items or performs actions will consume channels.
By default, a basic ME Network supports 8 channels. Once you exceed this limit, you’ll need to incorporate an ME Controller into your network to expand its capacity significantly.
Each face of the ME Controller can output 32 channels. The actual channel capacity depends on what you connect to the controller’s faces. For example, connecting an ME Dense Cable allows for the full 32 channels to be utilized, while connecting an ME Drive or a non-dense cable will only provide 8 channels.
Channel Tunneling with P2P Tunnels
Managing channels across a large network can become complex. P2P (Point-to-Point) Tunnels are the solution for efficiently routing channels over distances. When configured for ME channels, P2P Tunnels allow you to transmit channels from one point to another. Each pair of P2P Tunnels can carry up to 32 channels.
This tunneling system simplifies complex network layouts and allows you to distribute channels effectively throughout your base.
Conclusion: Unleash the Power of AE2
Congratulations! You’ve taken your first significant steps into the world of Applied Energistics 2. This ae2 guide has covered the essential early game progression, from acquiring quartz and growing crystals to setting up a functional ME Network. You now have the foundation to explore the vast possibilities of AE2, automate your base, and revolutionize your Minecraft experience. Dive deeper into the mod, experiment with different devices, and unlock the full potential of Matter Energy technology!
