Can Em All upgrade guide: Factory Priority Rankings - Guide

Can Em All upgrade guide: Factory Priority Rankings

Use this Can Em All upgrade guide to prioritize weapons, collection tools, crushers, conveyors, and automation across each factory stage.

2026-10-31
Can Em All Wiki Team
Quick Guide
  • Can Em All upgrade guide: Upgrade the slowest stage of your production loop before expanding elsewhere.
  • Early priority: Improve combat efficiency, basic collection, and reliable access to the crusher.
  • Mid-game priority: Increase collection speed, crusher throughput, and conveyor coverage.
  • Late-game priority: Expand capacity and automate the full route from creatures to sold cans.
  • Best rule: Match every purchase to the current bottleneck instead of following a fixed order.

Can Em All Upgrade Guide: The Core Priority Rule

The strongest Can Em All upgrade guide is based on production bottlenecks rather than a rigid shopping list. The factory loop depends on combat, collection, processing, transport, and sales. If one stage is slower than the others, improving a different stage may add capacity without increasing actual income.

Start by watching where unfinished material accumulates. Creatures waiting to be defeated point to a combat problem. Bodies left outside the factory point to a collection or movement problem. Queues near the crusher indicate processing limits, while finished cans piling up near the output suggest transport or sales capacity needs attention.

BottleneckLikely upgrade focusWhat success looks like
Creatures take too long to defeatWeapon efficiencyMore consistent material supply
Bodies remain outside the factoryCollection speed or capacityShorter trips and fewer abandoned inputs
Material queues before processingCrusher throughputLess waiting before can production
Machines finish faster than items moveConveyor coverageFewer manual transport runs
Finished cans accumulate at outputSales or transport flowCompleted products leave the line regularly

Combat

Improve clearing speed when defeating creatures is the slowest part of the loop. Faster combat supports every later factory stage.

Collection

Prioritize collection when raw material exists in the field but does not reach the processing area quickly enough.

Processing

Improve the crusher or related equipment when input queues build faster than machines can handle them.

Automation

Expand conveyors and connected equipment after the factory has a reliable supply of material.

Upgrade Rule

Track the stage where items wait the longest. That stage usually offers the best next investment, even when another upgrade looks more advanced.

Early-Game Upgrade Order

Early progression should make the basic loop reliable before it becomes complicated. Your first goal is not maximum automation; it is a repeatable route that produces saleable cans without long idle periods. Combat and collection support the factory input, while the crusher provides the first important processing checkpoint.

Use the following order as a flexible starting point:

1

Improve weapon efficiency

Upgrade combat when creatures require too much time or repeated effort to defeat. A stronger or more efficient weapon increases the supply of raw material and reduces the time spent away from the factory. Do not overinvest if the crusher is already waiting for input.

2

Increase basic collection capacity

Improve the collection tool or carrying capacity when bodies are available but transporting them takes too many trips. Collection upgrades are especially valuable when combat is already fast enough to create a steady field supply.

3

Keep the crusher accessible

Make sure the crusher can be supplied consistently before purchasing broad factory expansion. If the machine sits idle, the production chain cannot convert combat progress into cans.

4

Reinvest the first sales

Sell finished cans and use the earnings on whichever stage now limits output. The correct follow-up purchase may be another combat improvement, a collection upgrade, or a basic production improvement.

Early upgrade areaBest timingMain benefitAvoid when
Weapon efficiencyCombat is slowMore raw material per active minuteThe factory lacks input transport
Collection capacityBodies are left behindFewer trips to the processing areaCombat remains the main bottleneck
Crusher accessInput reaches the factoryMore consistent processingThe field supply is too low
Basic production capacityExisting machines stay activeBetter conversion into cansNew capacity would sit idle
Early-Game Warning

Do not spend all early income on advanced automation while the factory still lacks a steady supply of creatures or processed input.

Mid-Game Factory Upgrade Priorities

The mid-game begins when the basic production loop works consistently. At this point, manual transport often becomes the main source of lost time. The factory may have enough creature supply, but the player must repeatedly move bodies, feed machines, or redirect products.

Prioritize upgrades that increase throughput across several connected stages. A faster crusher is useful only when collection can keep it supplied. Additional conveyor coverage is valuable when machines are producing enough material to justify automated movement.

Mid-game priorityUpgrade focusWhy it mattersBottleneck signal
1Collection speed or capacityKeeps processing equipment suppliedBodies remain in the field
2Crusher throughputConverts more input into cansQueue forms before the crusher
3Conveyor coverageReduces repeated manual carryingPlayer spends most time transporting
4Balanced factory capacityPrevents one stage from overwhelming anotherOne machine works while another waits

A practical mid-game layout should separate the main stages:

  • Input area: A reliable place for collected bodies to enter the factory.
  • Processing area: Crusher and related equipment positioned for easy supply.
  • Transport route: Conveyors connected without unnecessary detours.
  • Output area: A clear path toward finished-can sales.
  • Player route: Enough space to intervene when a machine or line needs attention.
Throughput Check

Before expanding the line, watch one full production cycle. If the crusher completes work faster than material arrives, collection is the priority. If products wait after processing, improve transport or output flow.

Late-Game Automation and Expansion

Late-game upgrades should reduce interruptions across the complete factory chain. The goal is not simply to own more machines; it is to keep combat supply, collection, processing, transport, and sales synchronized.

Automation becomes more valuable as the number of repeated actions increases. A conveyor that removes one short walk may have limited impact early, but several connected conveyors can significantly reduce manual handling during high-volume production.

Expansion choiceRecommended useMain riskBetter decision
More production equipmentExisting machines are consistently activeInput supply cannot keep upExpand only after confirming demand
Larger conveyor networkManual transport interrupts productionPoor routing creates detoursConnect the shortest reliable route
Higher-capacity collectionCombat produces more bodies than current capacityExtra capacity remains unusedMatch collection to field supply
Balanced automationSeveral stages need constant attentionOne isolated upgrade creates a new queueImprove the complete chain

Factory Upgrade Checklist:

  • Identify the longest waiting queue before buying an upgrade
  • Confirm that combat can supply the planned production capacity
  • Keep the crusher supplied during a full production cycle
  • Connect conveyors toward processing and sales without unnecessary detours
  • Expand only after the current factory stages remain active
Late-Game Goal

A strong automated line keeps material moving with limited manual intervention while leaving enough capacity for the player to correct occasional bottlenecks.

Upgrade Decisions, Farming, and FAQ

A good upgrade route also improves money farming because every completed can depends on the entire production chain. Manual operation is useful while the factory is small and during temporary bottlenecks. Mixed operation becomes stronger when some stages are automated but one slow point still needs direct attention. Full automation is most effective when machines, transport, and sales can support the increased output.

Production styleBest stageMain focusUpgrade target
Manual productionOpening factoryLearn the loop and prevent idle machinesBasic equipment and collection
Mixed productionFactory expansionAutomate repetitive work and handle bottlenecksCrusher, conveyors, collection
Automated lineHigh-volume growthKeep every stage supplied and connectedCapacity, coverage, balanced throughput
Fast money routineSaving for expansionSell finished stock without blocking outputOutput flow and the slowest stage
Money Farming Tip

The best income improvement usually shortens the time between creature defeat, processing, and sale. Do not optimize one machine while finished cans remain unsold.

For official game information, check the Can 'Em All Steam page and the LuisDev official website. The game released on October 30, 2026, and its listed format is a single-player Windows factory simulation with first-person action and incremental progression.

Q: What should I upgrade first in Can Em All?

Start with the stage that limits your production loop. Weapon efficiency is a strong first choice when creatures take too long to defeat, while collection capacity is better when bodies are left outside the factory.

Q: Should I prioritize weapons or factory machines?

Prioritize weapons when combat cannot supply enough material. Prioritize machines when the factory has input but queues form before processing or finished cans cannot move toward sales.

Q: When should I invest in automation?

Invest in automation after the factory has a reliable material supply and repeated manual transport becomes the main time cost. Automation is less useful when existing machines are frequently waiting for input.

Q: What is the best money farming upgrade?

The best money farming upgrade is the one that increases completed cans per minute across the full chain. Compare combat, collection, processing, transport, and sales instead of judging one machine alone.