XyCraft Machines guide for FTB Skies 2 1.5.1 to 1.6.1
XyCraft Machines guide for FTB Skies 2
Last verified for FTB Skies 2 v1.6.1 on Oct 17, 2026 · text last changed Oct 17, 2026
A newer release (1.24.0) is out Guide for the current version
- Sections
- 6
- Recipes shown
- 13
- Items named
- 30
- Quests covered
- 2
5 sections are written for this pack; 1 is shared from another pack's guide.
Every recipe and number here was checked against FTB Skies 2 1.6.1's own files.
What is XyCraft Machines?
XyCraft Machines is part of this pack at version 0.7.45. It has been in the pack since version 1.0.1 or earlier, so it's a long-standing part of the modlist and not a recent addition.[1]
The pack's quest book points you at two of its items. The first is the Extractor, which has its own quest, a quest in "?", in the resource_generation chapter. That placement suggests the mod plays a part in the pack's resource generation.[2]
The second is the Balloon on a Stick (in-game name: Balloon on a Stick), which has the quest a quest in "?" in the useful_items_tips chapter. So the quest book also treats it as a handy utility item.[3]
How do you get started with XyCraft Machines?
5 parts
The Machine Base and the ports show up in a lot of XyCraft Machines recipes. Make those first and most of the rest of the mod opens up. Here is the order I'd go in.[4]
Step one: Machine Base
Start with the Machine Base. Several of the machines later in this guide build on it.[4]
Crafting Shaped
| any aluminum ingot | any kivi |
| any kivi | any aluminum ingot |
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shaped/machine_base
Step two: Ports
Next come the ports. The Item Port is used in the Buffer, Item IO and Soaryn Box. The Fluid Port is used in the Valve and the Hydro Pump.[4]
Crafting Shapeless
- any brass like nuggets
- any brass like nuggets
- any wooden chest
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shapeless/port_item
Crafting Shapeless
- any aluminum nugget
- any aluminum nugget
Bucket
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shapeless/port_fluid
Step three: Extractor
Your first real machine should be the Extractor. It extracts items and fluids out of the environment. The pack's quest book also has a quest for it, a quest in "?", in the resource_generation chapter.[2][5]
Crafting Shaped
| any kivi | any port | any kivi |
| any aluminum ingot | any aluminum ingot | |
| any aluminum ingot | any aluminum ingot |
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shaped/extractor
The mod includes an Extractor recipe that turns leaves and logs into resin, and another that produces ore slurry with no item inputs.[4]
Then: Fabricator
Once you have a Machine Base, make the Fabricator. It crafts items automatically.[4][5]
Crafting Shaped
| any xychorium gem | any xychorium gem | |
| any kivi | any kivi | |
| any xychorium gem | any chest | any xychorium gem |
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shaped/fabricator
Handy extras
- The Valve allows the creation of tanks.[4][5]
- The Hydro Pump automatically pumps water into a connected tank.[4][5]
- The Light Field prevents spawns in a cubed volume.[4][5]
- The Balloon on a Stick has its own quest, a quest in "?", in the useful_items_tips chapter.[3]
Crafting Shapeless
Lead
- any wool
- any log
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shapeless/balloon_on_a_stick
This is the item the useful_items_tips quest asks for.
How does XyCraft Machines work?
6 parts
XyCraft Machines is built around a handful of single-block machines that you wire together with ports, tanks and filters. The sources I have only cover short tooltips and recipes, so this section sticks to what those confirm and flags the gaps at the end.[4][5]
The building blocks
Many machines start from a Machine Base, so craft a few before you start.[4]
Crafting Shaped
| any aluminum ingot | any kivi |
| any kivi | any aluminum ingot |
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shaped/machine_base
The other shared parts are the ports. The Item Port goes into the Buffer, Collector, Item IO and Soaryn Box. The Fluid Port goes into the Valve and Hydro Pump. That tells you which machines deal with items and which deal with fluids.[4]
Fluid handling
The Valve is what lets you build tanks. The Hydro Pump pumps water automatically into a connected tank, and it can be extracted from at a higher rate. Its tooltip lists a base rate and a waterlogged rate, both given per cycle, but the actual values aren't in my sources.[4][5]
The Fluid Void stops fluids from flowing into adjacent blocks. Use it to keep a fluid where you want it.[4][5]
The Extractor pulls items and fluids out of the environment, so it's your entry point for gathering resources into the rest of your setup.[4][5]
Item handling and automation
- Item IO: you can toggle its fill or drain side with a wrench.[4][5]
- Collector: it's filterable and collects items before they become entities.[4][5]
- Fabricator: it crafts items automatically.[4][5]
- Void Container: it holds a contained black hole and can be used to void things.[4][5]
There's also a Charger block, which charges items using external energy.[5]
Unlimited items and fluids
The Item Selector creates an unlimited amount of items, and the Fluid Selector does the same for a fluid. In this pack, both are crafted with recipes the pack adds, shown below.[4][5]
Steam and nitrogen
Steam comes from an Ark Melter recipe that takes water. Nitrogen comes from an Atmospheric Vacuum recipe that needs no item inputs. The sources don't describe the machines behind those recipes.[4]
Ark Melter (xycraft_machines)
- 100× any water
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:ark_melter/steam
Atmospheric Vacuum (xycraft_machines)
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:atmospheric_vacuum/nitrogen
Area control
The Light Field prevents mob spawns in a cubed volume, which is handy for protecting a base or farm.[4][5]
Unverified I couldn't confirm how machines are powered, whether any machines are multiblocks, the exact per-cycle rates of the Hydro Pump, or what the Buffer, Accelerated Planter and Ignition Plate do beyond their recipes. There's no guidebook or config file for this mod in the pack, so treat those details as unverified.
How do you progress through XyCraft Machines?
5 parts
The pack doesn't split this mod into formally numbered tiers, and its quests only touch it twice. So the path below follows what each in-pack recipe depends on, from the basic building blocks up to the pack's own endgame additions.[2][3][4]
First: building blocks
Nearly everything starts with the Machine Base, which is the foundation for most of the machines in this guide.[4]
Crafting Shaped
| any aluminum ingot | any kivi |
| any kivi | any aluminum ingot |
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shaped/machine_base
The other basics are the ports. Many machines need the Item Port or the Fluid Port, so craft a few early.[4]
Crafting Shapeless
- any brass like nuggets
- any brass like nuggets
- any wooden chest
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shapeless/port_item
Crafting Shapeless
- any aluminum nugget
- any aluminum nugget
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shapeless/port_fluid
Next: your first real machine
The pack's quest chapter "resource_generation" has a quest a quest in "?" that asks you to obtain the Extractor. It needs a port, so you'll want your ports ready first.[2][4]
Crafting Shaped
| any kivi | any port | any kivi |
| any aluminum ingot | any aluminum ingot | |
| any aluminum ingot | any aluminum ingot |
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shaped/extractor
The Extractor has an in-pack recipe that turns leaves and logs into resin. The Blender can then combine water and resin into a Block of Resin. The Resin Ball can be compacted into a block and unpacked again.[4]
There is also a slow Extractor recipe for ore slurry that needs no item inputs.[4]
Then: utility machines
Once you have a Machine Base and ports, these machines all have their own in-pack crafting recipes. Most of them build on a Machine Base or a port.[4]
- Fabricator for crafting.[4]
- Item IO, Soaryn Box and Buffer for moving and holding items.[4]
- Collector for collecting items.[4]
- Valve, Water Block and Hydro Pump for fluid handling.[4]
- Fluid Void and Void Container for getting rid of fluids and items.[4]
- Light Field, Ignition Plate and Accelerated Planter for lighting, fire and farming.[4]
The Foil also has its own recipe. I can't confirm from the sources where it's used in this pack.[4]
A fun side quest
The "useful_items_tips" chapter has a quest a quest in "?" for the Balloon on a Stick, the Balloon on a Stick. It's a simple shapeless recipe.[3][4]
Crafting Shapeless
- any wool
- any log
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:shapeless/balloon_on_a_stick
Endgame: what the pack changed
The pack adds recipes of its own. The Fluid Selector and the Item Selector are each crafted from an Extractor, a Creative Ascension and one more machine: a Valve for the fluid version, a Soaryn Box for the item version.[4]
The pack also changed the smithing recipe for the Perfected Gauntlet. You upgrade the Improved Gauntlet at a smithing table.[4]
Smithing Transform
Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template
Improved Gauntlet
- any netherite ingot
Recipe id: minecraft:gauntlet_perfected_smithing
How does XyCraft Machines work with other mods?
3 parts
XyCraft Machines doesn't have a huge web of connections in this pack. The in-pack recipes I could confirm show a few spots where it meets other mods, and they're worth knowing about.[4]
Resin Ball to Bio Fuel (Mekanism)
The pack adds a Mekanism crushing recipe that turns a Resin Ball into Bio Fuel. If you're making resin with XyCraft, you can feed it into a Mekanism crusher for a fuel source. This recipe is added by the pack, so you won't find it in the mods on their own.[4]
Creative selectors
The pack also adds shapeless crafting recipes for the Fluid Selector and the Item Selector. Both are built around the pack's own Creative Ascension item, so these selectors are tied to pack progression rather than being plain XyCraft crafts. You can see both recipes below.[4]
Aluminum in the Refinery
XyCraft's own Refinery has an ore slurry recipe for aluminum that involves the Aluminum Ingot. Unlike the recipes above, this one is a mod recipe and not something the pack added. The recipe dump doesn't show its output, so I can't say what it produces.[4]
Refinery (xycraft_machines)
Recipe id: xycraft_machines:refinery/ore_slurry/aluminum
This Refinery recipe takes an item from the xycraft_world namespace.
In the quest book, the Extractor has a quest in the "resource_generation" chapter (a quest in "?"), and the Balloon on a Stick has one in the "useful_items_tips" chapter (a quest in "?"). Both quests ask only for XyCraft items.[2][3]
Which FTB Skies 2 quests use XyCraft Machines?
3 parts
Same as in the FTB Skies 2 1.22.0 guide
XyCraft Machines shows up in two quest chapters in this pack, and in each one it's a single quest asking you to have one item. Nothing here is a long questline, so it's easy to pick up as you go.[6][7]
Resource Generation
In the resource_generation chapter, quest a quest in "?" has a single task: obtain the Extractor. The quest has no title in the pack files.[6]
Useful Items and Tips
In the useful_items_tips chapter, quest a quest in "?" has a single task: obtain the Balloon on a Stick, which appears in this pack as Balloon on a Stick. This quest is also untitled in the pack files.[7]
Order
Unverified The sources list each quest on its own, so the order in which these two quests unlock, and whether either one depends on another quest, can't be confirmed. Rewards for these quests aren't shown either.
Sources
- FTB Skies 2 1.6.1 mod list · pack file
- FTB Skies 2 1.6.1 quests: "resource_generation" · pack file
- FTB Skies 2 1.6.1 quests: "useful_items_tips" · pack file
- FTB Skies 2 1.6.1 recipe dump: recipes making XyCraft Machines items · pack recipe dump
- xycraft_machines tooltips and descriptions (English lang file) · official mod data
- FTB Skies 2 1.22.0 quests: "resource_generation" · pack file
- FTB Skies 2 1.22.0 quests: "useful_items_tips" · pack file
Where this guide comes from
Written from what FTB Skies 2 itself ships: its files and recipes, the in-game guidebooks and the mods' own pages. Every statement links to the source it came from, and the numbers are checked against the pack before publishing.
Guide last verified Oct 17, 2026.
Guides for other versions: 1.11.0 to 1.24.0 · 1.9.0 to 1.10.2 · 1.7.0 to 1.8.0 · 1.0.1 to 1.5.0