The Refiner and Copy press in Far Far West are map structures you can use to change jokers, and the fastest way to spot them is by checking the map for the black structure markers after pressing Tab. Once you find the right layout, the two machines do very different things: the Refiner swaps a joker for another joker of the same quality, while the Copy press duplicates a joker.
Both can appear on the map, but their spawn is not guaranteed. If you are planning a run around one of them, check the map first and be ready to spend gold before you commit a valuable joker.
Layouts and how to spot them on the map
Far Far West uses map-generated structures, and they show up as different black spots on the map when you press Tab by default. These markers represent specific layouts, so learning their shape on the minimap can save time later.
The important ones here are:
- Refiner
- Copy press
Other structures can also appear, such as a nuke site or a building with a blue joker at the loft on one of the Desert map buildings, but the key idea is the same: the black spot tells you a structure is there before you reach it.
Refiner
The Refiner lets you sacrifice one joker to get another joker of the same quality.
A few practical points matter here:
- You must have gold available to use it.
- You choose the joker to sacrifice.
- The replacement comes back at the same quality.
The source guide also notes that the Refiner can randomly spawn, or not, on the map, so do not assume it will always be available in a run.
Refiner layout
Refiner example
Copy press
The Copy press is the stronger-sounding option if you want to duplicate a joker instead of trading it away.
Key rules from the source:
- Pick a joker to duplicate.
- It has a maximum of 5 uses.
- It costs 50 gold at white quality, then +50 gold per quality tier.
- At gold quality, the cost reaches 250 gold per use.
That means the total cost can add up fast if you are building toward repeated copies. For example, if you want an x6 dwarf situation using the base joker plus one extra per use, the source example puts the total at 1250 gold overall.
The Copy press can also randomly spawn, or not, on the map.
Copy press layout
Copy press example
How to use the Copy press efficiently
The simplest way to think about the Copy press is this: it is a limited-use duplication machine, so the real question is whether the joker you selected is worth paying for multiple times.
A practical approach:
Check your gold first.
The price scales with quality, so a low-gold run can disappear quickly if you start copying too early.Pick the right joker before spending anything.
Since the machine only duplicates what you choose, make sure the target is one you actually want to build around.Watch the use limit.
You only get 5 usages max, so plan the full chain instead of treating it like an unlimited copier.Compare quality cost to value.
A white joker is much cheaper to copy than a gold one, but the gold version may be the one worth duplicating if it is central to your build.
Quick planning examples
If you are aiming for multiple copies, the Copy press becomes a gold check as much as a build decision.
- Low-quality joker: cheaper to start, better if you only need a few copies.
- High-quality joker: far more expensive per use, but often worth it if the joker is build-defining.
- Long copy chain: only realistic if you can afford the total gold cost before you begin.
For the Refiner, the decision is different. I would use it when I want to keep the same quality tier but replace a joker I no longer want. It is less about duplication and more about controlled reshuffling.
Before you spend gold
A quick checklist helps avoid wasting a valuable structure:
- Confirm the structure on the Tab map first.
- Make sure you are looking at the Refiner or Copy press layout, not another black spot.
- Check your gold reserve before interacting.
- Choose the joker carefully, especially on the Copy press where the cost can escalate fast.
- Remember that both structures are not guaranteed to appear in every run.
If you only remember one thing: the Refiner changes a joker, while the Copy press duplicates one. Both depend on gold, both can appear as map structures, and both are worth using only when the joker you pick is already central to your run.