Key Points
- The Arcane Fountain acts as a catapult or cannon and can throw items towards its designated spots.
- The Advanced Hopper accepts items thrown by the Arcane Fountain only.
- You can unlock both structures at the Workbench and craft them from the Build Menu.
If you are looking to streamline your item assignment, then you can’t go wrong with the Arcane Fountain and Advanced Hopper in Alchemy Factory. The Arcane Fountain lets you toss multiple items towards different shelves, while the Advanced Hopper allows stacking of these multiple items. With these, you can make your life all the more easier and more streamlined.
Alchemy Factory – Arcane Fountain and Advanced Hopper Overview
| Crafting stations | Workbench, Build menu |
| Requirements | Steel ingots, Copper Bearing, Bronze Rivet |
| Unlock condition | None |
How to Get the Arcane Fountain and Advanced Hopper
Similar to the Grand Portal, you need to unlock the recipes for the Arcane Fountain and the Advanced Hopper. But unlike the Grand Portal, you would have the required items to unlock it already. I would suggest progressing through the game until you reach mid to late levels. That’s because you won’t require the Arcane Fountain or the Advanced Hopper right away, and you can make do with cannons, wagons, and conveyor belts in the meantime.
Also, you will require some items that are only available after reaching somewhere in mid-game. Those items are the Copper Bearing, Bronze Rivet, and Steel Ingots. You will require a total of 30 Steel Ingots, 24 Bronze Rivets, and 12 Copper Bearings to unlock the recipes for both structures. After acquiring them, you can head straight for the workbench.
To build the Arcane Fountain and Advanced Hopper, you will require an additional 8 Steel Ingots, 4 Copper Bearings, and 4 Bronze Rivets for the Arcane Fountain, and 4 Bronze Rivets and 2 Steel Ingots for the Advanced Hopper. You will find both recipes in the Build Menu, under Logistics.
How to Use the Arcane Fountain and Advanced Hopper
The Arcane Fountain is similar to a cannon or catapult, as it can shoot any item that feeds into it and place it on the selected shelf or rack. But unlike the cannon or catapult, the Arcane Fountain can be fed multiple production lines at a time and have all the items segregated accordingly. At most, the Arcane Fountain can take in four different production lines, but if you are creative enough, you can merge those lines to input more than 4 items.
The Advanced Hopper is similar to the regular hopper, as it will accept items for storage. But the only issue with the Advanced Hopper is that it will only accept items from the Arcane Fountain. You can’t assign catapults or cannons to send items to the Advanced Hopper. Besides that, the Advanced Hopper can store multiple different items, and you can also use the Filter option to assign a hopper to accept only particular items.
FAQs
Is the Arcane Fountain worth it?
The Arcane Fountain can be assigned multiple items to be tossed and stacked, making it a more feasible structure to use if you need to stock several different items at a time.
Is the Advanced Hopper worth it?
The Advanced Hopper offers a lot more stacking space than shelves or racks, but it can only be assigned to the Arcane Fountain. If that drawback doesn’t really affect your production, then you can go ahead with the Advanced Hopper, or just assign the Arcane Fountain to the required shelves.
Can I increase the throwing speed of the Arcane Fountain?
Yes, any speed upgrades you have placed for throwing, be it for catapults or cannons, will also affect the throw speed of the Arcane Fountain.
