If you want to take Minecraft a couple of notches above and modernize it, Applied Energistics 2 will catch your eye.
This mod adds an insane amount of content to the game, mostly focusing on energy and technology.
Although similar to âMekanism, ,Applied Energistics has a unique library of items, tools, and concepts. Among the exciting things to do, Applied Energistics lets you create and expand complicated computer systems.
So, buckle up; this one has a lot of technical stuff.
To make things a bit easy on the eye, weâve come up with a Minecraft Applied Energistics 2 guide. Weâll cover all bases to help you get the ball rolling on this mod quickly and easily.
Applied Energistics 2
Applied Energistics 2 is the second and most modern version of the âApplied Energeticsâ mod by âAlgorithmX2â. The mod is free and you can download it here.
If youâre having trouble executing the mod, try reading this article of ours that teaches mod implementation for Minecraft.
This mod focuses on presenting computer systems, technological devices, energy, circuits, and the gameâs superstar, the âMatter Energyâ. Stating that youâll be able to build underground âarea 51â facilities or a secret Batcave is one way to put it â lots of screens, buttons, and levers.

The matter-energy (ME) is a network where players can store items; itâs an in-game âdigitalâ storage. You can connect different devices on this network. For example, connecting an âME Driveâ allows you to store items and a âME Terminalâ grants you access to the storage.
Applied Energistics 2 also brings new âcommonâ stuff to the table. For example, the mod introduces new minerals such as the âCertus Quartzâ and the âSkystoneâ, which are necessary to craft most devices.
In addition, youâll also find new things throughout the map. For instance, you can stumble upon different meteor crash locations which contain exclusive minerals and unique treasure chests.
Early Game
While on the first in-game days, find yourself somewhere to hang your hat and begin stacking resources. This modâs machines and tools need large amounts of materials.
So, youâll have to do a runner and get as many diamonds, iron, gold, Redstone, and certus quartz as possible.
Bonus points if you spot a meteor crash site. Apart from the minerals that youâll find there, a meteor can hold treasure chests containing some inscribed presses. These presses are essential for crafting plenty of the stuff in Applied Energistics 2.
Youâll need some quartz to craft this modâs first tools. Itâs recommended that you start by creating the nether or certus quartz wrench, a tool youâll use to interact with most machines later on.

Then, you can turn your nose to the grindstone â literally! A utility block called âQuartz Grindstoneâ will be vital for you later. This block grinds quartz into dust, which youâll use for crafting.
Fluix Crystals
When looking for certus quartz, keep your eye peeled for the charged ones. The charged certus quartz is a bit more flashy; itâll display a few sparks. Youâll want these charged crystals because you can use them to make âFluix Crystalsâ.
To make a fluix crystal, youâll need to follow a few steps.
First, gather one unit of each: Redstone, Nether quarts, and charged certus quartz. Then, combine them in water; you can use a cauldron or dig a hole in the ground and fill it with water. You need to drop them together.
After theyâre dropped in the water, theyâll start reacting together and transform into fluix crystals.
Charger
The fluix crystals youâve just got will be necessary to create a âChargerâ. A charger is a machine that will take regular certus quartz crystals and turn them into charged ones.

Purifying Crystals
This mod has a chemist side. In Applied Energistics 2 you can create pure fluix crystals, nether quarts, and certus quarts. But, to do so youâll first need to dust the crystals and combine them with sand.
The combination above will make the dust particles become seeds.
For instance, mixing fluix dust with sand results in fluix seeds. To make these seeds pure, youâll have to drop them as dropped items into a block of water. They wonât disappear unless you clear all dropped items through cheat.
Youâll have to sit on it for a while â the purification process can take about eight hours.
Creating Processors
Youâll have to shift your attention back to meteor crashing spots again. On these sites, youâll find the presses we mentioned inside chests.
To proceed, youâll need to craft an âInscriberâ, which can create four different plates (presses). The plates are:
- Printed Silicon â Gold and Logics Press.
- Printed Engineering Circuit â Pure Certus Quartz Crystal and Calculation Press.
- Printed Calculation Circuit â Diamond and Engineering Press.
- Printed Logic Circuit â Silicon and Silicon Press.
Iâve put down the ingredients youâll need to craft each above.

Each of the prints is necessary for crafting processors such as the Engineering, Calculation, and Logic ones. These processors will be essential later on to create machines and drivers.
Creating a Network
Now, you can create something a bit more complex, a network. The first step is to create an âEnergy Acceptorâ. The acceptor is a power source that transfers energy into ME networks. This device can even convert power from different mods, such as Mekanism.
Youâll need a few quartz glasses, iron ingots, and one fluix crystal to craft the acceptor.
Before jumping straight to the network creation, try building a simple drive first.
Letâs begin with the ME drive, which allows players to store about 10 ME Storage Cells. Note that youâll be able to further access the stuff inside an ME drive with a terminal; the block doesnât work as a chest.

To craft the ME drive, youâll need to create some âquartz fiberâ, which youâll get by combining dusted quartz with glass. Then, combine the quartz fiber with two fluix crystals and acquire ME glass cables.
Youâll use glass cables to make most ME devices, including the drive. In addition, the cables behave similar to Redstone circuits.
ME Terminal
Now, letâs go ahead and create an ME terminal to access the drive. The terminal inserts or extracts items from the ME System you connect it to. In this case, the ME drive.

Creating the terminal is tricky and youâll need some high-value items. First, create a formation core using a certus quartz unit with a fluix dust and a logic processor. Then craft an annihilation core with the same recipe as the formation one, only swapping certus quartz with nether quartz.
Next, youâll need to make an illuminated panel. Do so using quartz glass with glowstone dust, Redstone dust, and an iron ingot.
With the illuminated panel, the two cores, and a logic processor youâll be able to craft an ME Terminal.
Channels
To have a working network in Applied Energistics 2, youâll have to understand how channels work. In this mod, youâll be able to craft an item called âME Cableâ. This item is a pack of lines containing one power cable and eight data channels.
The data channels connect to a network-related block.
So, for example, an ME Cable that passes through an ME Terminal will spend a data channel on it. Since an ME Cable has eight data channels, itâll only be able to connect to eight blocks on its network.
If you want to keep track of the channels your ME Cable is connecting to, youâll need to craft a âSmart Cableâ. You can make one by combining covered cable with one unit of glowstone and one of Redstone.
In addition, crafting an ME Controller will be your best tool if you want to expand your network.
This item informs all there is to know concerning a networkâs power consumption. In addition, this block shows the controllerâs status, the total energy stored, and which devices are connected.

One method of stretching the number of channels on a network is by using P2P tunnels on an ME Cable. A P2P tunnel can carry up to 32 channels, and you can have up to eight of them on a single ME cable.
To manage the energy output for P2P tunnels, you can use memory cards.
Automation
To begin your automation escapade on Applied Energistics 2, youâll need to craft some tools beforehand. Begin by creating a Crafting CPU using the Crafting Storage, Crafting Co-Processing unit, and Crafting Unit blocks.
CPUs hold a capacity and a more complex mechanism will demand a higher CPU output. You can upgrade a CPU capacity by implementing Co-processing units in this mod.
One example of automated processing you can do with this mod is by setting an auto-craft through the âMolecular Assemblerâ. The molecular assembler is a device that can carry an encoded pattern (set by you) to craft that specific pattern alone. This mode wonât require a CPU.

But, to expand this process youâll need a CPU. You can expand it by placing the molecular assembler adjacent to an ME interface. On the interface, any encoded pattern will operate through the molecular assembler.
This way, you can connect many molecular assemblers to a single ME interface and set a specific encoded pattern to begin en masse production.
Applied Energistics 2 is an enormous mod, and this article only scratches beyond its surface. But, overall, the modâs progression follows the presented logic above. Youâll be able to upgrade and craft more complex machinery by gathering the resources weâve mentioned.
The progression will run like clockwork as youâve grasped the essential knowledge.