How to Turn Factorio Spidertrons Into Autonomous Drones: Waypoints, Squads, and Multi-Planet Control

Verified on Factorio 2.0 / Space Age. Mechanics accurate as of May 2026.

The spidertron is the most underused unit in Factorio. Players build one, stuff it with rockets, and manually drive it into biter nests. That’s using a programmable autonomous drone as a bumper car.

In Space Age, the spidertron with a full waypoint queue functions as a mobile maintenance drone: load it with construction materials and bots, queue four outpost stops, and watch it run the circuit without you. Meanwhile, you’re on Fulgora. Players who keep using spidertrons as “big tanks” miss roughly 90% of their utility.

This guide covers the complete drone workflow: unlock requirements, the RTS command system, weapon loadout, four practical drone use cases, a head-to-head comparison with mech armor, and the squadron control pattern most guides skip entirely. For a full overview of all Space Age systems and planet order, see our Factorio Space Age Beginner’s Guide.

Quick Start: Deploy Your First Spidertron Drone in 5 Steps

1. Craft the spidertron — requires Portable Fission Reactor ×2, Exoskeleton ×4, Radar ×2, Rocket Launcher ×4, Raw Fish ×1. Research Spidertron technology first.
2. Load the equipment grid — at minimum: 2× Personal Roboport MK2, 1× Portable Fission Reactor, 2× Energy Shield MK2. Fill remaining slots with Exoskeletons for speed.
3. Fill the inventory — construction materials relevant to your outpost, plus 200–500 Rockets or Explosive Rockets.
4. Craft a Spidertron Remote and connect it: hold Left Mouse Button and drag over the spidertron until it highlights.
5. Queue the first patrol — open the map (M), hold SHIFT and Right Mouse Button at each stop in sequence. The spidertron will visit them in order, deploying bots at each stop.

That’s the core loop. Everything below explains the mechanics behind each step and how to build it out into a full multi-unit system.

Unlock Requirements and Crafting Costs

The Spidertron research technology unlocks the recipe. It sits in the late-game tier and requires Rocket Launcher tech and Military 5 as prerequisites.

Crafting one spidertron takes 10 seconds and consumes [1]:

• 2× Portable Fission Reactor
• 4× Exoskeleton
• 2× Radar
• 4× Rocket Launcher
• 1× Raw Fish

The raw fish requirement is not a joke — it is the only item in the entire game that requires raw fish as a crafting ingredient. Keep a chest near your fishing spots.

In Space Age, the ingredient chain spans two planets. Raw fish and the uranium-235 needed for Portable Fission Reactors come from Nauvis. Carbon fiber for rocket turrets comes from Gleba. Automating spidertron production means maintaining a regular cargo route between them [1].

Quality tiers matter. A Legendary spidertron has 7,500 HP (versus 3,000 at Common), a 15×11 equipment grid (versus 10×6), 200 storage slots (versus 80), and a range of 54 tiles (versus 36) [1]. If you have access to quality modules, crafting even Rare-tier spidertrons before committing to a planetary patrol system is worth the extra material cost.

The Space Age Drone Command System

Space Age rebuilt the spidertron remote from a single-unit clicker into a full RTS command layer. Understanding three specific mechanics unlocks the drone workflow.

The RTS Tool (ALT + A)

Pressing ALT + A activates the RTS Tool — the upgraded spidertron remote introduced in Factorio 2.0.7. From here [2]:

• Left Mouse Button + drag — box-select any spidertrons on screen or map
• Right Mouse Button — command the selection to move to a location
• The tool remembers your last selection per surface, so switching back to Nauvis picks up the squad you left there

This is the key difference from the old one-remote-per-spidertron model. A single RTS selection can command a four-unit squad simultaneously.

Waypoint Queueing: SHIFT + Right Mouse Button

A single right-click sends the spidertron to one location and stops. SHIFT + Right Mouse Button queues a sequence of move commands [2]. Each queued position is drawn in the spidertron’s color on both the map view and the world view, so you can see the full patrol route before it executes.

This is where the drone workflow lives. Queue four outpost positions, return to base, and the spidertron runs the circuit. Each stop, the Personal Roboport deploys construction robots to repair and build using whatever is in the spidertron’s inventory. The robots return, the spidertron moves to the next waypoint.

In practice, a well-loaded spidertron covering four outposts separated by 200–400 tiles runs a complete circuit in roughly 5–10 minutes unattended, depending on how much building work the bots find.

Follow Command

SHIFT + Right Mouse Button on a specific entity — a player, a train, another vehicle — sets the spidertron to follow it rather than move to a fixed coordinate [2]. This is useful during combat: send a spidertron to follow you into a biter nest and it provides suppressing rocket fire while you handle precise placement.

Cross-Planet Remote Management

In Space Age, remotes stored in the quickbar retain their spidertron connections even when you travel to another planet [2]. The remote icon gains a small overlay showing which planet those spidertrons are currently on. Clicking it opens the map centered on them, even from Aquilo.

This is what enables the full multi-planet drone model: deploy a squad of three spidertrons on Nauvis with overlapping patrol routes, travel to Fulgora, and manage the Nauvis patrol from your quickbar. If a spidertron stops (runs out of ammo, gets stuck), you see it in the map view and can queue new waypoints remotely.

Weapon Loadout and Ammunition Strategy

The vanilla spidertron carries four rocket launchers operating in chain-fire mode — they cycle through the four arms for continuous fire at a rate of one rocket per second at Common quality [1]. There are three ammunition types:

For outpost maintenance runs, load Explosive Rockets as the primary ammunition. The splash damage clears approaching biters while the spidertron is parked and bots are working. Rockets are better for precision work when the patrol route passes near your own infrastructure.

The spidertron’s auto-targeting fires at enemies within range without any input. During a construction stop, the unit will engage approaching threats automatically. You do not need to be present.

Equipment Grid Setup for Drone Roles

The Common spidertron has a 10×6 equipment grid — 60 slots [1]. Legendary expands to 15×11 (165 slots). Grid composition determines what the spidertron can do autonomously.

Personal Roboport Mechanics

A single Personal Roboport MK2 covers a 30×30 tile radius and deploys up to 10 construction robots simultaneously [4]. The internal buffer holds 35 MJ; the charge threshold to deploy robots is 20% — around 7 MJ [4]. With a Fission Reactor in the grid, the buffer recharges between stops without issue.

Two MK2 roboports scale the coverage to ~42×42 tiles and allow 20 active robots. For outpost maintenance, that covers a full wall section in a single stop.

Critical rule: the construction robots draw from the spidertron’s own inventory, not the player’s [4]. Load the spidertron’s 80 slots with the materials it needs before queuing the route — repair packs, wall pieces, ammunition, rails, or whatever the outpost requires. The robots will not pull from external networks or from your character’s inventory.

Four Drone Workflows

Here is where the spidertron-as-drone model pays off. These are the four most useful autonomous patterns in Space Age.

1. Outpost Maintenance Circuit

Load the spidertron with: repair packs (200+), wall pieces (200+), turret ammo (500+ rounds), and explosive rockets for self-defense. Queue four to six outpost waypoints in a loop using SHIFT+RMB on the map. The spidertron walks the circuit, bots repair damaged walls and refill ammunition, and the spidertron eliminates any biters that approach during the stops.

One spidertron covering six outposts replaces six manual resupply trips per game hour. For a sprawling Nauvis perimeter, run two spidertrons on offset circuits so the whole wall is covered every 10 minutes.

2. Biter Cluster Removal

Queue a path through the biter territory you want cleared using the map view. Load Explosive Rockets. Set the path to loop back to a resupply chest at the end. The spidertron walks the path, auto-targeting every nest it passes. With 36-tile range (54 at Legendary), it can clear nests before entering direct contact range.

For large worm-heavy territory, swap to Explosive Rockets + one or two Atomic Bombs in the inventory for manual fire on the fortified core. You’ll need to be online for the atomic bombs — auto-targeting uses rockets by default, not bombs.

3. Exploration Scouting

The spidertron carries two Radars as part of its crafting recipe, and additional Radars can be placed in its storage. Queue a long waypoint path through unexplored territory. As the spidertron moves, it reveals the map. The built-in auto-targeting handles any biters it encounters. You get a fully mapped corridor without spending your own time crossing it.

This is particularly useful on Nauvis in the mid-game, before you have satellite coverage. A 500-tile scouting run reveals enough territory for the next hour of expansion planning.

4. Logistics Relay

Load the spidertron with 80 slots of materials needed at a remote outpost — rails, inserters, assemblers, whatever the next build phase requires. Queue a path to the outpost, unload (the bots will do it if you place a blueprint), and queue a return path. This works best with the follow command: set the spidertron to follow a construction train, and it escorts the delivery with covering fire.

For Space Age multi-planet play, this pattern matters most on Vulcanus: the spidertron’s terrain immunity means it can cross lava fields and volcanic terrain that block belts and trains. Use it as the final-mile delivery vehicle for tungsten outposts deep in hostile territory — the same outposts covered in detail in our Factorio Vulcanus Guide.

Mech Armor vs. Spidertron: Mobility Comparison

Mech armor is the Space Age alternative to spidertron-style mobility — but it applies to the player, not an autonomous unit. Understanding the difference tells you when to use each.

The decision rule: if you need it to go somewhere on its own while you do something else, that’s a spidertron job. If you need to be there personally — running a precision build, exploring a planet for the first time, navigating demolisher zones — mech armor is the better tool.

Mech armor is not a spidertron replacement. It is not autonomous. Its HP and equipment grid advantage only matters for the player wearing it. A mech armor player cannot be queued to maintain six outposts overnight.

The practical setup for late Space Age: mech armor on the player for personal mobility, two or three spidertrons running autonomous patrol circuits on each settled planet, managed from the quickbar remotely.

Squadron Control: One Remote, Many Spidertrons

The RTS Tool’s group selection is the most underused feature in the command system. Here’s the exact pattern [2]:

1. Press ALT + A to activate the RTS Tool
2. Hold Left Mouse Button + drag to box-select two or more spidertrons
3. Right Mouse Button on a destination — all selected spidertrons move toward it. They spread to avoid overlap.
4. For waypoint queues on a squad: issue the SHIFT+RMB sequence. All selected units queue the same waypoints simultaneously.

The selection is saved per surface. If you command a three-unit squad on Nauvis, switch to Fulgora, and return, ALT+A will preselect those same three spidertrons.

When squadron control matters most:

• Biter base assault: three spidertrons advancing together cover each other’s flanks and combine 12 rocket launchers for 12 rockets/second of combined fire — enough to clear any vanilla biter fortress in under 30 seconds
• Parallel maintenance: two spidertrons running offset circuits on the same perimeter double the coverage frequency without doubling your setup time
• Planetary handoff: when you arrive on a new planet, send your squadron from orbit waypoints first to clear the landing zone, then follow in the ship

Ammunition Replenishment and Resupply Logistics

A drone-running spidertron burns through ammunition. At Common quality with Explosive Rockets, a single outpost run through six stops against moderate biter activity will consume 100–200 rockets. Plan resupply stops into the waypoint route.

Two patterns work:

Requester chest at base: End the patrol circuit at a requester chest near your production line. Open the spidertron and insert the resupply manually, then restart the queue. Takes 30 seconds and ensures the spidertron is always at full load before the next run.

Spider logistics via bots: Place a roboport network near the spidertron’s return point. Add a requester chest configured to keep 500 Explosive Rockets available. When the spidertron parks, you manually transfer from the chest. There is no automatic logistics link between roboport networks and spidertron inventories in vanilla — you must transfer items yourself or use a circuit-network inserter setup to push items into the spidertron’s inventory while it stands still.

Common Spidertron-as-Tank Mistakes

• Piloting it manually into nests — puts the player at risk and wastes the waypoint system. Queue a path through the target area instead and let the auto-targeting handle it.
• Empty equipment grid — a spidertron with no Personal Roboport is a slow combat vehicle. Load at minimum two roboports before any patrol assignment.
• Single waypoint destinations — sending it to one place and forgetting to queue a return means it stays there indefinitely. Always queue the return path.
• Using Rockets instead of Explosive Rockets for cluster clearing — the single-target rocket is correct for precision work near your own structures, but for open-field nest clearing, the splash from Explosive Rockets cuts patrol time by 30–50%.
• Not using the map view for waypoints — placing waypoints in the world view limits you to what’s on screen. Open the map (M) first, then SHIFT+RMB across the full patrol route in one session.
• One spidertron per remote — the pre-2.0 habit. In Space Age, one RTS Tool selection handles any number of units. Build three, connect them all, send them together.

FAQ

Does the spidertron need fuel?

No. The spidertron moves without fuel. The equipment grid requires power (from a Fission or Fusion Reactor inside the grid) to run shields, roboports, and exoskeletons — but locomotion itself is fuel-free [1]. This is the reason it excels as an autonomous drone: it can run a waypoint circuit indefinitely without a resupply stop, as long as the reactor has fuel rods.

Can the spidertron cross lava on Vulcanus?

No — the spidertron walks on legs and cannot cross liquid terrain. It navigates volcanic rock and rough terrain without speed penalty, making it excellent for Vulcanus outpost work, but it cannot traverse the lava seas between islands. Mech armor (with flight) can cross liquids; the spidertron cannot [1][3].

Does the waypoint queue persist through logout?

Based on community-reported behavior, the spidertron stops when the game is saved and loaded mid-patrol. Waypoints in the queue are retained, but the unit will not move in a paused or unloaded game — it resumes from the current position when you re-enter.

Can spidertrons use cannon shells or machine guns?

Not in vanilla Factorio. The spidertron’s four arms are dedicated rocket launchers; they accept Rockets, Explosive Rockets, and Atomic Bombs only [1]. Cannon shells and machine guns on spidertrons require mods (such as SpidertronWeaponSwitcher). The vanilla loadout is more than sufficient for biter clearance and outpost defense given the 36–54 tile range advantage over most ground threats.

What is the best equipment grid load for a Legendary spidertron?

A Legendary spidertron’s 15×11 grid supports: 1× Fusion Reactor, 2× Personal Roboport MK2, 4× Energy Shield MK2, 5× Exoskeleton for ~102 km/h speed. With 7,500 HP and 54-tile range, that build handles anything in vanilla combat while maintaining the construction-drone function through the two MK2 roboports covering a 42×42 tile area [1][4].

Key Takeaways

• The spidertron’s core advantage is autonomous operation via waypoints — use it as a drone, not a tank
• SHIFT+RMB queues a full patrol circuit; map view makes this practical for long routes
• ALT+A (RTS Tool) enables squadron control — one selection, many units, per-surface memory
• Personal Roboport MK2 in the equipment grid turns patrol stops into construction events: the bots repair and build from inventory automatically
• Mech armor gives the player flight mobility but is not autonomous — use both in parallel for maximum late-game coverage
• Cross-planet remote management in Space Age means your Nauvis patrol runs while you work on Fulgora

Sources

1. Spidertron — Official Factorio Wiki
2. Spidertron remote — Official Factorio Wiki
3. Mech armor — Official Factorio Wiki
4. Personal roboport — Official Factorio Wiki

Michael R.

I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.