Your First 48 Hours

You spawn in a Core system with a starter base claim, a basic Probe ship, and a small cache of Tier 1 resources. Your first task is establishing your planetary base.

1. Claim your hex: Select a planet in your starter system and place your Command Center on an available hex tile. Pick a tile adjacent to at least one mineral deposit and one energy source.
2. Build an Extractor: Place a Mining Extractor on the mineral deposit. This starts generating Iron and Silicon, the foundation of all Tier 1 production.
3. Build a Power Node: Every structure needs power. Place a Solar Array on an adjacent hex to keep your extractor running.
4. Queue a Refinery: Once you have enough raw ore, build a Basic Refinery to process Iron Ore into Iron Plates and Silicon into Wafers. These are the building blocks of everything.

The starter Probe is useful for scouting but cannot fight or haul cargo. Your first milestone is building a Corvette or a Courier, depending on whether you want to fight or trade.

• Corvette path: Build a Small Shipyard, then queue a Corvette hull. Fit it with basic weapons and a shield module. You can now run NPC combat missions in Core space for resource rewards.
• Courier path: Build a Small Shipyard, then queue a Courier hull. Fit it with expanded cargo holds. Check the local marketplace for price differences between your system and adjacent ones.

Either path works. Combat generates direct income through bounties and salvage. Trading generates income through arbitrage. Most players eventually do both.

With income flowing, it is time to expand your base and start thinking beyond survival.

• Add a second extractor: Target a different resource deposit. Carbon and Copper open up Tier 2 recipes.
• Build a Storage Depot: Your Command Center has limited storage. A depot multiplies your capacity and prevents production stalls.
• Upgrade your Refinery: A Tier 2 Refinery unlocks alloy production, which you need for better ships and structures.
• Scout neighboring systems: Use your Probe to check nearby systems for resource deposits, market prices, and potential base locations for your second colony.