Sandustry Aura Guide: Aura Extractor and Tier 6

Build the Auralite-to-Aura chain

Aura is the final non-physical output of a late-game production chain. The official Aura Extractor page starts with Auralite, which is shaken from Aurixite. The extractor attracts Auralite toward a glowing point inside its radius, consumes it, and forms Auralite Crystals. Plan the upstream Shaker close enough that the global attraction does not pull material across an unrelated factory route.

Separate the extractor radius from the rest of the Auralite economy. If another research or storage task still needs Auralite, reserve that amount before opening the attraction route. A late-game bottleneck becomes much easier to diagnose when intended research stock and Aura feed are not competing invisibly.

Auralite movement is part of the intake design. Start with a small visible supply and watch the attraction path before enclosing the module. Keep launchers, conveyors, and storage out of that path unless they are intentionally feeding the extractor. A route that handled Auralite correctly before placement can change as soon as the extractor begins attracting it.

Give the extractor a permanent service area when possible. Leave room to select the building, observe the glowing target, and see every forming crystal. Late-game output is slow enough that a blocked or misdirected step can waste substantial observation time, so the first test should favor visibility over compactness.

Direct nanobots and manage Auralite Crystals

Click the Aura Extractor to select a target for its nanobot swarm, then drag the target to a forming Auralite Crystal. The nanobots break down the crystal and produce Aura. Auralite Crystals are impervious to ordinary player tools according to their official page; the extractor nanobots are the documented way to mine them.

Do not count visible crystal size as Aura output. The functional result appears only after the swarm processes the Auralite Crystal. Keep notes on waiting crystals and completed Aura progress so a visual buildup is recognized as work in process rather than finished production.

If Auralite is attracted from too far across the factory, stop its source and relocate either the Shaker or extractor in a recovery copy. Test the new radius with one sample before rebuilding launchers or storage. The cleanest late-game module keeps attraction inside an intentional local supply zone.

Aura does not fall into a physical output bin. The official tip describes it as a non-physical currency similar to Fluxite, ending the functional byproduct chain. Track the Tier objective or interface value rather than waiting for a visible solid. With enough Aura, Swarm Zoning research can make the swarm target crystals automatically.

In v0.5.6 the extractor can be removed after crystallization begins. Removed Auralite Crystals are buffered, and rebuilding the extractor releases their progress as Auralite. Clear an intentional landing zone before rebuilding so the returned material does not get pulled into a launcher or mixed route.

Reach the 10,000 Aura Tier 6 target

The official Viability Tiers page lists Factory Tier 6 as 10,000 Aura. Treat that as a cumulative production objective and keep the entire chain stable: Aurixite supply, Auralite creation, attraction, crystal formation, and nanobot breakdown. Inspect the earliest stage whose inventory stops changing as expected before adding capacity elsewhere.

Track three counts or observations during a sample: Auralite entering the radius, crystals waiting, and Aura progress gained. If crystals accumulate, targeting or swarm automation is the likely limit. If no crystals form, inspect supply and attraction. This boundary method avoids expanding the wrong part of an expensive late-game chain.

After relocating the extractor, save and reload before resuming full supply. Verify where the buffered Auralite was released and whether the attraction path changed. Keep the previous position documented until the rebuilt module completes a full cycle without stranded crystals or material crossing an unrelated route.

Manual targeting can become the operator limit even when material supply is healthy. Observe how many crystals wait for nanobots, then prioritize Swarm Zoning when its current research requirements fit the factory plan. Automation should remove a measured constraint; it should not conceal a starved Auralite source or an obstructed extraction radius.

Update #3 reduces renderer crashes caused by Aura refreshing the full Tech Tree. If a crash persists, preserve the save and current log, record v0.5.6, branch, and mods, and reproduce the smallest sequence. The published fix addresses a named cause but does not make every late-game crash an Aura fault.

Field facts