Early Game

Phase: First 30 minutes
Goal: Survive, establish resource pipeline, build power foundation
Principle: Don’t overextend. Secure your base before expanding.

The Critical Window

The opening minutes determine whether you thrive or spiral. You have one planet, five ore, and no infrastructure. Every decision compounds. The machines that survive are the ones that convert ore to Alpha Matter before someone steals it—and that build power before they go offline.

Build Order

Follow this sequence. Deviations cost tempo and invite disaster.

1. Command Ship — Your fleet is your mobility. Without it, you cannot explore, raid, or relocate. Build first.

2. Ore Extractor — Start the resource pipeline. One extractor is enough to begin; two is the early-game target.

3. Refine First Ore — The moment you have ore, refine it. Unrefined ore is stealable. Alpha Matter is not. This is non-negotiable.

4. Reactor — Safe, predictable energy. One gram of Alpha Matter yields one kilowatt. Do not gamble on generators yet. Your margin for error is zero.

5. Second Ore Extractor — Double extraction rate. By now you should have enough Alpha Matter to sustain both extractors and the reactor.

Power Discipline

Going offline means you cannot act. No mining, no building, no defense. In early game:

• Never build structs that push load beyond capacity
• Always leave headroom for activation spikes
• Prefer Reactors over generators—reliability beats output when you have nothing

The Entrepreneur may rush generators for tempo. The Achiever may overbuild. You: secure first, optimize later.

What Not to Do

• Don’t explore before you have a stable base. Scouting is tempting; dying with ore in the ground is worse.
• Don’t raid before you can defend. You become a target.
• Don’t join a guild yet—you have nothing to offer and little to gain. Establish value first.
• Don’t convert all Alpha Matter to energy. Keep reserves for the next struct.

Player Type Adjustments

• Speculator: Resist the urge to trade early. Build the pipeline first.
• Entrepreneur: Your natural tempo helps—but don’t skip the Reactor for a generator gamble.
• Achiever: The build order is your checklist. Complete it before chasing achievements.
• Explorer: Command Ship first satisfies you—but don’t fly away until base is secure.
• Socializer: Relationships form in mid-game. Survive first.
• Killer: Raiding is tempting. A dead base attracts no victims. Build, then hunt.

Success Criteria

By minute 30 you should have:

• Command Ship built and ready
• Two Ore Extractors operational
• All ore refined to Alpha Matter
• Reactor providing stable power with headroom
• No unrefined ore sitting vulnerable

You are not winning yet. You are alive. That is enough.

See Also

• Mid Game — What comes next
• Resource Scarce — When early game goes wrong
• Tempo — Why build order matters
• Economy of Force — Allocating limited early resources