So wait is them eating pollution a good thing or not?

[rolypoly]

I'm a wee bit confused. Should I try to keep as much alien nests around as possible because they eat the pollution that I produce? Therefore they will launch less attacks against me?

[DCYW]

That is why they are after your base not you because of all your pollution you produced.

[Lost Latios]

The bugs will take the pollution you are making and grow stronger over time.

[GIGAWATT]

Imagine the bugs as environmentalists, only they're also terroristic crusaders. Pollution makes them angry and thus they will stop at nothing to squader your efforts and then your existence.

[rolypoly]

No I mean isn't pollution is what triggers them to attack? But they eat pollution. So I should not destroy their spawners, because they eat pollution and thus reduce the frequency of their attack?

[DCYW]

They evolve by pollution.

[knighttemplar1960]

Total pollution produced (whether it is absorbed or not) is what governs the evolution rate. Pollution that reaches spawners is used to produce bugs that then move toward a rally point. Once the number of bugs reaches a random "critical mass" that group of bugs becomes a wave that heads toward the largest/closest source of pollution and will try to chew their way through anything that blocks their path to that pollution source.

If a military asset or player comes into their perception range they will change to that target.

If they are all ready focused on a military asset (turret/radar) and a player comes into their perception range they will switch targets to attack the player.

https://wiki.factorio.com/Pollution

Producing power with boilers and steam engines produces pollution. Producing it with nuclear reactors is much cleaner but still produces some pollution. Producing it with solar panels produces no pollution.

Every machine or item that consumes power produces pollution. You can reduce power consumption (and the pollution it produces) by adding efficiency modules (max of 80% reduction) to those machines that accept them.

[rolypoly]

Oh okay, so the pollution "consumption" doesn't really even matter at all?

[PunCrathod]

Originally posted by rolypoly:

Oh okay, so the pollution "consumption" doesn't really even matter at all?

For evolution no. For spawning more biters yes.

[Tibault]

Basically it is better for you if the trees and ground absorbs the pollution instead of the nests because there will be less biters attacking you.

[Azrael]

Well, Trees are a kind of soft, green wall for pollution, but they will wither and eventually die, so don't rely solely on them. Keep your perimeter, aka the area around your base infected by pollution clean of nests.

Then you'll receive no biter attacks at all.

[Hurkyl]

Eaten pollution is the currency that biters spend to produce attack waves.

I could imagine there's some value in strategically leaving some bases alive to exert some control where the attacks are coming from and how big they are.

I haven't really thought much about how effective of a plan it would be, though.

[Azrael]

I don't see "value" in it. In earlier versions, when you needed to actually loot alien technology stuff from biter nests, there was some value in letting a perimeter of biter nests live, so they could expand and grant you thus more points.

But now, their only purpose is to keep the player on his toes, give him something that he needs to combat (because seriously, who plays Peaceful Mode? That is boring) and to damage stuff.

I see no strategic value in keeping any Biters alive, kill them all and you can build in peace or, if you're done building, go Nuts on them and massacre them as much as you want.

[player144]

The other thing is, and you can see this on the strategic map, the pollution will reach further and further and thus linclude more and more spawners to start attacking your base.

[Chad Gaymer]

Best is just research better weaponry and higher damage to wage war on biter

[Premu]

If you have some nests there the attack path is easily defendable (for example through a choke point), or the biters can't even reach you at all because they are sitting on an island, let them eat the pollution! Otherwise it will spread further and might trigger biters further away.