The Tainted Refinery is a corrupted version of the standard Refinery, created through a volatile transformation process. It processes the same refinery recipes but operates on a fundamentally different power mode. It accepts virtually unlimited energy with diminishing returns, and its output and energy efficiency can be dramatically increased by surrounding it with the right blocks.

Creation

The Tainted Refinery cannot be crafted. It is created in-world by exploding a Refinery while a charged Enchantment Catalyst is nearby (within 6 blocks).

The catalyst must contain at least one soul. When the explosion hits the refinery, the catalyst detonates, the refinery is consumed, and a Tainted Refinery appears in its place. The refinery's facing is preserved. The multiblock structure sets itself up automatically, no manual core placement is needed.

Energy Model

Unlike normal machines with a fixed RF/t draw, the Tainted Refinery has a dynamic energy intake.

• It only accepts energy while actively processing a recipe. When idle, its intake is zero.
• It consumes all stored energy each tick and converts it into processing progress.
• Higher energy input gives more progress per tick, but with diminishing returns. The relationship follows a power curve:

progress = 0.2 × energy^0.45

This means doubling your energy input does not double your speed. The machine rewards steady high-throughput power but does not punish you harshly for fluctuations. Its maximum intake is 500M RF/t, so you can feed it as much as your infrastructure allows. You might want to limit the power input by using a portable energy storage.

Output Selection

The Tainted Refinery operates on standard refinery recipes, which may produce multiple different fluid outputs. However, it only outputs one fluid at a time.

The desired output slot can be selected through a button in the GUI (slot 1, 2 or 3). Any fluid outputs that do not match the selected slot are discarded. Choose the output you need before starting production.

Environment Bonuses

The Tainted Refinery scans its surroundings (within 16 blocks, manhattan distance) for specific block types. These blocks must have line of sight to the refinery. Solid blocks in the way will obstruct them.

There are two categories of bonus blocks:

Sculk Blocks -> Yield Bonus

Sculk-themed blocks increase the output multiplier, ranging from 1x to 3x. This affects both item and fluid outputs.

Valid blocks include: Sculk, Sculk Catalyst, Sculk Sensor, Calibrated Sculk Sensor, Sculk Shrieker, Sculk Vein, Spawner, Infested Stone variants, Spawner Cage, and Spawner Controller.

Arcane Blocks -> Energy Efficiency

Arcane-themed blocks increase the energy scaling factor, ranging from 1x to 9x. This multiplier is applied to the energy before the diminishing-returns curve, effectively making each RF worth much more.

Valid blocks include: Enchanting Table, Bookshelf, Chiseled Bookshelf, End Rod, Amethyst Block, Budding Amethyst, Amethyst Buds and Clusters, Soul Torch, Soul Lantern, Soul Campfire, Crying Obsidian, Respawn Anchor, Arcane Augment Station, Enchanter, and Enchantment Catalyst.

Optimization

For maximum effect, you want 16 blocks of each type, spread across at least 4 different block types within each category. Having fewer than 4 types applies a penalty, though you can compensate by placing more blocks.

factor = min(1, blockCount / 16 × typeCount / 4)

The environment is scanned when the multiblock is first assembled. Breaking and reassembling the refinery triggers a rescan.

Breaking

When any part of the Tainted Refinery multiblock is broken, the entire structure is dismantled. A regular Refinery item is dropped. There is no Tainted Refinery item obtainable in survival. The only way to get a new one is through the explosion ritual again.