Oxygen Not Included Equipment Guide — Best Equipment Ranked

Q: What is the best oxygen setup in Oxygen Not Included?

The SPOM (Self-Powered Oxygen Module) is the gold standard. Build one Electrolyzer in a sealed room with two Gas Pumps — one at the top for hydrogen, one at the bottom for oxygen. Route hydrogen to a Hydrogen Generator, which powers the pumps and electrolyzer. This setup is self-sustaining, requires only water input, and supports 8-10 Duplicants.

Q: How do I manage temperature in ONI?

Early game, use Insulated Tiles (Igneous Rock) to seal your base from hot biomes, and place Wheezeworts in critical areas. Mid game, build an Aquatuner + Steam Turbine combo: the Aquatuner cools liquid by 14C per pass and dumps heat into a sealed steam room, where a Steam Turbine converts that heat into power. This deletes heat from your system permanently.

Q: How many Duplicants should I have?

Stay at 4-6 Dupes for the first 50 cycles until your food and oxygen systems are stable. Expand to 8-12 once you have a SPOM and sustainable food (ranching or advanced farming). Going beyond 16 requires significant infrastructure. Each Dupe needs 100g/s oxygen and 1000 kcal/cycle minimum.

Q: What should I research first in ONI?

Rush Insulated Tiles and Deodorizers in the first 10 cycles, then prioritize Meal Prep (Microbe Musher) and Basic Farming. Next, get Filtration (for your SPOM setup) and Smart Batteries. Temperature management tech (Thermo Regulators, then Steam Turbines) should come before cycle 80.

Q: Is the Spaced Out DLC worth it?

Yes. Spaced Out adds multi-asteroid colonies, new biomes, radiation mechanics, and modular rockets. It fundamentally changes mid-to-late game progression by splitting rare resources across different asteroids, forcing you to build supply chains between colonies. The DLC also includes new critters, buildings, and the Data Bank research system.

Complete Oxygen Not Included equipment guide. Every equipment option ranked with stats, best builds, and how to get them.

Oxygen Not Included is Klei Entertainment's colony survival sim where you manage a group of Duplicants trapped inside a procedurally generated asteroid. Every breath of oxygen, calorie of food, and degree of temperature must be meticulously managed through complex piping, ventilation, and power systems. The Spaced Out! DLC adds multi-asteroid colonies and interplanetary rocket logistics. With hundreds of hours of depth in thermodynamics, gas physics, and liquid mechanics, ONI rewards systems-thinking players who enjoy solving cascading engineering puzzles.

Your choice of equipment defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.

Equipment Rankings

Equipment	Tier	Best For	Notes
Electrolyzer	S	Researcher (to unlock), then general base oxygen supply	The Electrolyzer splits Water into Oxygen and Hydrogen at 1kg/s water input.
SPOM System	A	All builds — universal oxygen solution	The Self-Powered Oxygen Module combines an Electrolyzer, Hydrogen Generator, Gas Pump, and Gas Filter in a self-sustaining loop.
Steam Turbine	A	Mid-to-late game heat deletion and power generation	The Steam Turbine converts steam above 125C into power and 95C water output.
Aquatuner	B	Temperature management for farms and living areas	The Aquatuner cools any liquid passing through it by exactly 14C per pass, outputting the heat into its surrounding environment.
Solar Panels	B	Late-game sustainable power generation on the surface	Solar Panels generate up to 380W each when exposed to direct sunlight on the asteroid surface.

S-Tier: Electrolyzer

The Electrolyzer splits Water into Oxygen and Hydrogen at 1kg/s water input. It's the backbone of any sustainable oxygen system, producing 888g/s O2 and 112g/s H2. Place it in a sealed room with gas pumps at the top (hydrogen) and bottom (oxygen) for efficient separation.

Attribute	Detail
Tier	S
Best For	Researcher (to unlock), then general base oxygen supply
Key Mechanic	gas management
Recommended Build	Researcher

How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.

Best builds using Electrolyzer: Pairs naturally with Researcher thanks to stat scaling synergies.

A-Tier: SPOM System

The Self-Powered Oxygen Module combines an Electrolyzer, Hydrogen Generator, Gas Pump, and Gas Filter in a self-sustaining loop. The hydrogen byproduct powers the generator, which runs the pumps and electrolyzer. A properly built SPOM requires zero external power and produces net-positive oxygen for 8-10 Duplicants.

Attribute	Detail
Tier	A
Best For	All builds — universal oxygen solution
Key Mechanic	pipe systems
Recommended Build	Farmer

How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.

Best builds using SPOM System: Pairs naturally with Farmer thanks to stat scaling synergies.

A-Tier: Steam Turbine

The Steam Turbine converts steam above 125C into power and 95C water output. It's the primary method for deleting heat from your base — pair it with an Aquatuner in a sealed steam chamber. Each turbine can produce up to 850W of power while cooling the aquatuner's output loop.

Attribute	Detail
Tier	A
Best For	Mid-to-late game heat deletion and power generation
Key Mechanic	duplicant skills
Recommended Build	Miner

How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.

Best builds using Steam Turbine: Pairs naturally with Miner thanks to stat scaling synergies.

B-Tier: Aquatuner

The Aquatuner cools any liquid passing through it by exactly 14C per pass, outputting the heat into its surrounding environment. It draws 1200W and is almost always paired with a Steam Turbine to handle the generated heat. Use it to cool your base, farms, or industrial equipment.

Attribute	Detail
Tier	B
Best For	Temperature management for farms and living areas
Key Mechanic	research tree
Recommended Build	Cook

How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.

Best builds using Aquatuner: Pairs naturally with Cook thanks to stat scaling synergies.

B-Tier: Solar Panels

Solar Panels generate up to 380W each when exposed to direct sunlight on the asteroid surface. They require clearing regolith (which falls from meteor showers) using Robo-Miners. A solar panel array with automated regolith clearing provides free, renewable power for late-game bases.

Attribute	Detail
Tier	B
Best For	Late-game sustainable power generation on the surface
Key Mechanic	space exploration
Recommended Build	Suit Wearer

How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.

Best builds using Solar Panels: Pairs naturally with Suit Wearer thanks to stat scaling synergies.

Equipment Progression Path

The order you should acquire equipment as you progress:

Starting gear → Enough to clear Starting Biome
SPOM System → Your first real upgrade, available early
Steam Turbine → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
Electrolyzer → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous

Equipment Tips

Always upgrade your primary equipment before diversifying — one strong option beats three mediocre ones.
Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
Build a SPOM (Self-Powered Oxygen Module) by cycle 30 — one Electrolyzer, two Gas Pumps, a Gas Filter, and a Hydrogen Generator in a sealed room provides oxygen for 8 Dupes with zero external power.
Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.

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