It's been in development for a while, but Foundry update 4 is nearly upon us. When it arrives, factory-making enthusiasts will be treated to a host of new features and quality-of-life fixes. As a result, even more options will be available while pursuing the joy of creating and automating. Here, we'll tell you everything we know so far about Foundry update 4, including its release date, new content, and more.

Foundry Update 4 Release Date

We won't have to wait much longer for Foundry update 4! It releases on Steam on Tuesday, April 28th. As the title of the update implies, this is the fourth update Foundry has received since it entered Early Access. In fact, Foundry has been in Early Access since May 2, 2024, though at this time, we don't have any information on when the game is planned to reach its full 1.0 launch.

What's New in Foundry Update 4? (Unofficial Patch Notes)

So what will be on the factory-building menu in Foundry update 4? Like any Early Access title update, new content, bug fixes, and some additional polishing. However, thanks to Channel 3 Entertainment's developer blogs, we have a pretty good idea of the specific and exciting additions on the way!

Construction Drone

?si=10gbqk3WWmjg20CR As detailed in the video above, the Construction Drone will remove a whole lot of unnecessary travel time. This is a remote-controlled flying drone built for factory production. Have a conveyor belt that's miles long and is stuck somehow? Dispatch the drone from your character, and you can fly along the line to make a quick fix. Want to customize or add on to the highest reaches of your buildings? Send up the drone, and it can actually build and paint for you. Want an overhead view of how the factory is coming together and where to build next? Send up the drone for a perfect aerial view. While the drone has a maximum range, it doesn't require any power or fuel. Additionally, you can unlock it early on in a brand new game as one of the early science pack 1 research inclusions. That means this handy tool will become your best friend throughout your Foundry journey.

More Visual & SFX Polish

While the full breakdown of visual and SFX improvements will likely be detailed in the patch notes for update 4, we do know that the animation for building and demolishing machines has been changed. Additionally, a huge amount of work has gone into updating and refining the game's massive sound effects library.

Long Distance Transport Changes

Arguably, one of the biggest changes in update 4 is the change to shipping pads. When the update arrives, you can only use them to move items up or down rather than in both directions at the same time. This might not be a popular change for those who have built entire factories operating on the shipping pads, working the way they do now. However, the development team has planned for this. Preexisting saves will have the option to switch their shipping pads to the new behavior when they load their game. However, brand-new games will have the shipping pad rules enabled by default.

Additional New Content

Here's a quick rundown of even more features we can expect to see in Foundry update 4:

• The Xeno Power Plant
  • Made out of multiple modular buildings and built for up to 360MW of power.
• The Fuel Mixer
  • A building that creates the liquid reactor fuel from precursor items and liquids you'll have to manufacture.
• The Xeno Reactor
  • The central piece of the plant, this reactor burns the fuel and generates Energized Reactor Compound (another liquid).
• The Steam Generator
  • A giant heat exchanger that takes the Energized Reactor Compound, mixes it with Water, and generates High-Pressure Steam and Depleted Reactor Compound.
• The High-Pressure Turbine
  • It works just like a normal turbine, but it's significantly larger and produces ten times as much power.
• The Cooling Tower
  • Disperse Exhaust Steam from the High-Pressure Turbine.
• Heavy Caster
  • A new building and replacement for the 96 Casting Machines that are required for a Blast Furnace.

There's still plenty more coming to Foundry update 4 that we don't know about. However, we'll have to wait until the update is closer or finally arrives to learn more!