Skip the Tutorial and the Grind
You have played the first hour three times. You know the drill (literally). You want to get past the early game and into the real factory building as fast as possible.
This route skips every optional step. No exploring. No decorating. No building things you will tear down. Pure speed to Station Level 5, where Freighters, Superalloy, and real automation unlock.
The Target
Station Level 5 in under 2 hours. Build order: 1 Solar -> 1 Drill -> 1 Smelter -> 1 Assembler -> 1 Research Lab. Research: Solar Efficiency -> Battery -> Smelter Upgrade -> Medium Storage -> Oxygen -> Fabricator. Skip everything else until Level 5.
v1.1: The optimal speedrun route changed. The Servitor Station now unlocks at Station Level 8 (earlier than before), and Mk2/Mk3 factories are available sooner. Rush Servitor at L8 and use Mk2 factories to compress your build order — see “v1.1 route changes” below.
v1.1 Route Changes
v1.1 shifts two things that matter for a speedrun: an earlier Servitor Station unlock and earlier access to Mk2/Mk3 factory tiers.
Servitor Station at Level 8
The Servitor Station now unlocks at Station Level 8, earlier than in previous versions. In a speedrun this is a new mid-game power spike you can plan around:
- You no longer wait as long for automated Servitor assistance — rush to Level 8 once your Level 5 foundation is stable.
- Fold the Servitor Station into your build order right after you lock in Superalloy production, so it accelerates the Level 8-10 grind.
Mk2/Mk3 Factories Available Earlier
Mk2/Mk3 factory tiers are reachable earlier in v1.1. Use them to compress the route:
- Upgrade your core Smelter / Fabricator / Assembler to Mk2 as soon as you can afford it — roughly double throughput per building means fewer parallel lines and less connector iron spent.
- A single Mk2 Superalloy Forge shortens the “forge pays itself back” wait that the mid-game crunch relies on.
Adjusted Unlock / Build Order
| Station Level | What Changed in v1.1 | Speedrun Action |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | (unchanged) Superalloy Forge, Shipyard II | Lock foundation, start Superalloy |
| 6-7 | Mk2/Mk3 factories reachable earlier | Upgrade core buildings to Mk2 |
| 8 | Servitor Station unlocks here (earlier) | Rush Servitor Station for automation |
| 9-10 | (standard) endgame prep | Scale with Mk2/Mk3 throughput |
Net effect: The route is faster end-to-end. Earlier Mk2 throughput plus a Level 8 Servitor Station means you reach a self-sustaining mid-game in less time than the Level 5-in-2-hours baseline assumed.
Plan your levels: See Station Level Progression Guide for the full unlock ladder, and Mk2/Mk3 Factory Guide for tier costs and throughput.
Phase 1 - First 15 Minutes[+]
The Build Order
| Time | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | Spawn, press B, build 2 Solar Panels | Power foundation |
| 0:02 | Build 1 Drill on nearest asteroid | Start mining immediately |
| 0:04 | Build 1 Smelter, connect to drill | Iron plates ASAP |
| 0:06 | Build 1 Small Battery | Night survival |
| 0:08 | Build 1 Assembler | Component crafting |
| 0:10 | Research Solar Panel Efficiency I | More power from same panels |
| 0:15 | Build 1 Storage Container | Prevent overflow stall |
What NOT to build in Phase 1:
- Corridors (not needed yet, just place buildings directly)
- Extra Drills (one is enough for the first hour)
- Weapons (no enemies in the first 2 hours)
- Lights (cosmetic, waste of materials)
Phase 2 - Minutes 15-45[+]
Research Speedrun
| Priority | Research | Materials Needed | Time Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solar Efficiency I | Iron + Copper | -15 min (fewer panels) |
| 2 | Small Battery | Iron | -10 min (no night stall) |
| 3 | Smelter Efficiency | Iron | -10 min (faster plates) |
| 4 | Medium Storage | Iron + Copper | -5 min (less hand-feeding) |
| 5 | Oxygen Generator | Iron | Required (hard time limit) |
| 6 | Fabricator | Iron + Electronics | Unlocks advanced buildings |
Research order visual:
Solar Eff I -> Battery -> Smelter Eff -> Med Storage -> O2 Gen -> Fabricator
(0:10) (0:18) (0:28) (0:35) (0:42) (0:50)
Do NOT Research
Skip these until Level 5: Weapon systems, Shield tech, Decorative items, Long-range sensors, Freighter upgrades (you get the basic freighter for free at Level 4). Every minute spent on these is a minute NOT spent on the critical path.
Phase 3 - Minutes 45-120 (Station Levels 1-5)[+]
Station Level Milestones
| Station Level | How to Unlock | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start | Basic buildings |
| 2 | Build 8 modules | Research Lab unlocked |
| 3 | Research 3 techs | Shipyard I, better research |
| 4 | Build 15 modules | Basic Freighter (free!), Drone Bay |
| 5 | Research 6 techs + 20 modules | Superalloy Forge, Shipyard II |
Checkpoints:
- Level 3 (45-60 min): Research Lab is running, first ship being built
- Level 4 (75-90 min): Freighter unlocked, start scouting nearby asteroids
- Level 5 (100-120 min): Superalloy production starting, real game begins
Resource check at Level 5:
- Iron Plates: 500+ stockpiled
- Copper Ingots: 200+ stockpiled
- Electronics: Production chain running (at least 10/min)
- Titanium: Either found or being prospected
Common Speedrun Mistakes
- Overbuilding solar: 3 panels is enough for Level 1-4. More is waste.
- Building too far from the asteroid: Every connector tile costs iron. Stay within 5 tiles.
- Forgetting the oxygen timer: At 90 minutes, your starting O2 runs out. Build the generator before minute 80.
- Researching everything: The tree has traps. Only research what is on the critical path.