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getting started v1.0

Beginner Tutorial Walkthrough

A 15-step walkthrough through your first 48 ticks — from race selection to your first alliance join and resource surplus.

Before You Start

This tutorial walks you through your first 48 ticks at 1× speed. Each tick is approximately 5 minutes. The tutorial assumes you have created an account and are about to join your first round.

Step 1: Choose Your Race

At the round sign-up screen, select your race. For beginners, choose Terran — no bonuses but no penalties, and every guide you read will match your baseline stats.

If you want an economic focus, pick Catari (+15% Metal, +10% Crystal). If you want to fight early, pick Zikoan (+20% Fighter attack). Skip Xantha for your first round — their research advantage only pays off after tick 50.

Step 2: Set Your Government

After race selection, choose a government. Pick Democracy for your first round — the +15% income bonus means faster building, and the +10% diplomacy speed helps if you need to negotiate your way out of early trouble.

Step 3: Tick 1 — Inspect Your Home Planet

The round starts. Your home planet spawns in a random location. Open the Planet view and note:

  • Planet class (hover for modifier — aim for 1.0× or better)
  • Starting resources: 2,000M / 500C / 100A
  • Pre-built structures: Metal Mine L1 + Energy Plant L1

Step 4: Tick 1 — Queue Metal Mine L2

Open Planet → Construct → Upgrade → Metal Mine → Level 2. Cost: 500 Metal. Construction time: 2 ticks. Confirm.

Your income increases from 50M/tick to 100M/tick when this completes.

Step 5: Tick 1 — Queue Basic Metallurgy Research

Open Research → Economic Branch → Basic Metallurgy. Cost: 400 Crystal. Research time: 3 ticks.

This tech cuts construction costs by 8% permanently. Everything you build for the rest of the round costs slightly less — compound value over 100+ ticks.

Step 6: Tick 2 — Scout the Galaxy

Open the Galaxy Map. Click the nearest uncolonized system (1–2 LY away). Click Send Fleet → Scout → 1 Fighter → Confirm.

Travel time at Fighter speed (10 LY/tick): 1 tick to reach a 1 LY target. You get an intel report on tick 3 showing the planet class. Look for 1.0× or higher — that is your colony target.

Step 7: Tick 3 — Read the Scout Report

Open Notifications → Intel → Scout report. Read the planet class. If it is 1.0× or better, mark it as your colonization target. If it is barren (0.6×), scout another system.

Step 8: Tick 4 — Queue Research Lab L1

With Basic Metallurgy done (or nearly done), queue Research Lab L1 in the build queue. Cost: 800M / 300C (after -8% discount: ~736M / 276C). This unlocks a second research slot on tick 6.

Step 9: Tick 5 — Queue Crystal Mine L1

Crystal is the bottleneck resource for research. Queue Crystal Mine L1 while the Research Lab builds. Cost: 600M. Crystal income: +30C/tick starting tick 7.

Step 10: Tick 5 — Join an Alliance

Open Alliances → Browse. Sort by “Accepting recruits.” Look for an alliance with 5–15 members and a non-empty bank. Avoid 20-member alliances (no room for your growth) and 1-member alliances (no support).

Send a join request or click Join if the alliance is open-recruitment.

Step 11: Tick 6 — Deposit 200 Metal to Alliance Bank

Once accepted into an alliance, deposit 200 Metal to the shared bank. This signals good faith to your alliance leader and earns you goodwill and potential emergency support. Small contributions compound: 20 members × 200M = 4,000M seed bank.

Step 12: Tick 8 — Queue Shipyard L1

Metal Mine L2 completed tick 2. Research Lab completed tick 6. Now queue Shipyard L1. Cost: 1,000M / 200C. Shipyard completes tick 11. You will start training additional Fighters on tick 12.

Step 13: Tick 12 — Train 5 Fighters

Shipyard L1 is online. Open Planet → Train Ships → Fighter × 5 → Queue. Cost: 1,000M / 250C. Build time: ~2 ticks each (5 total ticks to complete the batch). You will have 8 fighters by tick 17.

Step 14: Tick 12 — Deploy Colony Pod

Your starting Colony Pod should be ready by tick 10. If your scout found a good planet, dispatch a fleet: Colony Pod + 3 Fighters for escort. Mission type: Colonize. At 1 LY away: arrival tick 13.

At tick 13, you own your second planet. Income starts immediately.

Step 15: Ticks 24–48 — Review and Accelerate

By tick 24 you should have:

  • 2 planets, both with Metal Mine L2+
  • 5+ Fighters
  • Basic Metallurgy and Research Lab researched
  • Alliance membership with active chat

Priority for ticks 24–48:

  1. Research Industrial Logistics (+12% income)
  2. Upgrade Metal Mine to L3 on home planet
  3. Queue Crystal Mine L2 on your second planet
  4. Accumulate 5,000M to deploy a second Colony Pod

You have survived the opening game. Continue to Advanced Strategy when you are ready for the competitive meta.