All Buildings Guide — From Solar Panels to the Ark Platform

The Build Order (If You Want to Skip the Thinking)

If you just opened the B menu for the first time and have no idea what to click — follow this order. Don’t overthink it.

5 Buildings New Players Waste Resources On

Pulled from community discussions — these are the most-regretted builds:

1. Auto Door Thought it kept bugs out. Nope, it’s just a door that opens automatically when your vehicle approaches. Useless for defense. Don’t build it.

2. Observation Window Pure decoration. Looks nice, but early-game materials are scarce. Save this for mid-game aesthetics.

3. Climate Controller Thought it blocked radiation. It doesn’t. It adjusts internal station temperature — zero effect on automation or defense. Need radiation protection? Use Shield Generator and dedicated radiation-proof modules.

4. Deceleration Module Consumes 20 power/sec to slow down ship turning. I genuinely can’t think of a use case for this. Skip it.

5. Drone Port Not completely useless, but expensive to research, takes up huge space, and early production can’t feed it. Don’t touch drones until you’ve mastered Inventory Pairing.

Energy Buildings (Always Do These First)

Solar Panel

• Unlock: Default
• Output: 5 power/sec
• Recommended: At least 4-6 early on
• Reality check: Good enough to start, but you’ll outgrow them fast

Small Reactor

• Unlock: Tech → Reactor Tech I
• Output: 25 power/sec
• Fuel: Uranium rods
• ⚠️ Requires cooling towers! My first reactor exploded because I forgot radiators.

Fusion Reactor

• Unlock: Tech → Fusion Tech (lategame)
• Output: 100 power/sec
• Fuel: Helium-3 (need gas giant collection)
• Why it’s great: No cooling needed, quiet, ultimate power source

Energy Progression

Mining & Production Buildings

Mining Drill

• Unlock: Default
• Output: 5 ore/sec
• Placement: Must be on asteroid surface (green highlighted areas)
• Gotcha: Needs Inventory Pairing to auto-ship ore — otherwise it just sits in the drill

Smelter

• Unlock: Default
• Throughput: 7 units/sec
• Iron ore → Iron Ingot, Copper ore → Copper Ingot, Silicon ore → Silicon Crystal

Assembler

• Unlock: Tech → Assembly I
• Use: Turns ingots/alloys into parts
• Recipes: Click the Assembler after building to select recipes

Advanced Smelter

• Unlock: Tech → Advanced Smelting
• Throughput: 10 units/sec
• Use: Alloys (steel alloy, alloy plates, etc.)

Chemical Plant

• Unlock: Tech → Chemistry
• Use: High-end materials (fuel rods, advanced components)
• Requires: Gas resource pipeline

Logistics & Storage Buildings

Storage Container

• Base capacity: 100 units
• Upgrade (Storage II): 200 units
• Three modes: Buffer / Priority Output / Reserve Stock (details in the Automation Guide)

Logistics Relay

• Unlock: Tech → Logistics II
• Purpose: Extends pairing range beyond 200 units
• Caveat: Takes up space — avoid if you can plan around the range limit

Wormhole Generator

• Unlock: Tech → Wormhole Tech
• Use: Cross-planet inventory links
• Rule: Build one at each end, set to the same channel number
• Upgrades: Lv1=5 units/sec, Lv3=20 units/sec

Defense Buildings (Don’t Skip These)

Turret

• Unlock: Tech → Defense I
• Ammunition: Iron plates
• Range: 30 units
• Setup: At least 2-3 per wormhole entrance
• Experience: Lost my first run because I had zero turrets at minute 30. Learned that lesson hard.

Shield Generator

• Unlock: Tech → Shield Tech
• Coverage: 50-unit radius
• Cost: 50 power/sec (yes, that’s a lot)
• When to use: After you’ve upgraded to fusion or have 3+ reactors

Missile Launcher

• Unlock: Tech → Advanced Defense
• Ammo: Alloy + explosive components
• Range: 80 units
• Best for: Big bug threats. Overkill for early-game invasions.

Tech & Ship Buildings

Research Lab

• Unlock: Default
• Consumes: Research data packs (1 per 30 seconds)
• Tip: Multiple labs in parallel = faster research

Shipyard (I / II)

• Shipyard I: Scout ships, cargo ships
• Shipyard II: Combat ships, Ark components
• My advice: Build a scout ship first to map nearby systems. Combat ships later — you’ll know when you need them.

Ark Platform

• Unlock: Endgame tech
• Purpose: Build the Ark ship — your final objective
• Materials: Tons of alloy, antimatter cores, alien relics
• Timeline: This is not a 2-hour project. Start collecting materials mid-game, build late-game.

FAQs (From the Discord)

Q: Building placed but not doing anything?

Two things to check. 80% of the time it’s power. 20% of the time it’s missing Inventory Pairing. Check both.

Q: Mining Drill not producing?

Three possibilities: ① No power ② Storage full ③ No Output Pair. Number 3 is the easiest to forget.

Q: Why did my reactor explode?

Not enough cooling. Every reactor needs at least 2 Cooling Towers. Don’t place them too close to other large buildings either.

Q: What wormhole level do I need?

Lv1 works fine early game (5 units/sec). Don’t wait for Lv3 — get Lv1 up first to connect your first resource planet.

Q: Is Shield Generator worth it?

Only after you have stable power (fusion level or 3+ small reactors). At 50 power/sec, it’ll cripple your early game. Turrets early, missiles mid, shields late.

Q: Shipyard I vs II — what’s the difference?

I builds small ships (scout, cargo). II builds combat ships and Ark components. Only build I early game; II is a mid/late-game investment.

Q: How do turrets get ammo?

They auto-pull iron plates from their paired Inventory link. Keep your iron plate line running and turrets stay fed. Line goes down, turrets go silent.

Q: Where do I build a second station?

Research the Telescope to scan nearby planets. Look for planets with rare minerals (silicon, uranium). That’s where you build next.

One Sentence Summary

Energy → Mining → Smelting → Assembly × Defense = Phase 1. Get that chain running smooth before touching wormholes, ships, or shields. Skip a step and you’ll rebuild it later.