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Dyson Sphere Program — Practical Progression Guide

Version 1.14 — natural-language and phase-scope cleanup

A practical route from your first factory to Mission Completed

I made this guide while learning DSP because I kept losing the thread between one successful build and the next. It's meant to stay open while you're playing, not be read once from top to bottom and memorized.

The rhythm that worked for me is:

check the guide → play for a while → come back when you need your bearings → find the next useful action → return to the game

The default route is:

Bootstrap → Blue → Red → Flight → Titanium → Yellow → ILS → Purple → Green → Dyson → Photon → White → Mission Completed

Cube names used in this guide

DSP gives every cube a formal name, but in the middle of a build you mostly need to recognize the color. This guide therefore uses the color as the normal name:

blue cube (Electromagnetic Matrix) · red cube (Energy Matrix) · yellow cube (Structure Matrix) · purple cube (Information Matrix) · green cube (Gravity Matrix) · white cube (Universe Matrix)

When a formal Matrix name appears later, it's because the guide is naming the technology you click in the tech tree. Manufactured items, rates, stockpiles, and recipes are referred to by cube color.

Warp, a permanent pre-photon Dyson Sphere, broad PLS deployment, Gas Giant Exploitation, interstellar power transmission, advanced mining, and Dark Fog industry are optional paths. They're real options, but this guide doesn't make them mandatory. Take one when it solves a problem you can already name.

How to use this guide without constantly rereading it

Build-ratio assumptions

The build cards use standard recipes, no rare-resource substitutions, and no proliferation. They assume Assembling Machine Mk.I at 0.75× speed and baseline-speed Smelters, Chemical Plants, Oil Refineries, Matrix Labs, and Miniature Particle Colliders.

Upgrading assemblers changes how many machines you need, but not how many ingredients the recipes consume.

Card presentation: Every phase requirement appears in the collapsed card index. The phase text tells you what matters; opening a card reveals one checked construction method. The cards stay closed until you ask for the answer.

Ratio provenance: Production recipes and recipe times were checked against the supplied runtime-derived canonical dataset. Rates describe steady operation at the advertised output unless a bullet explicitly says “full-load”.

That's the whole pattern: find your place → take the detail you need → go back to the game.

  1. Jump to the phase you're in. Use the phase strip on the right. If you're unsure, use the Quick Progress Index below.
  2. Read YOU ARE HERE first. It reminds you what you just solved, what matters now, and what comes next.
  3. Scan the phase dashboard. Your useful rate, next research, likely trouble spot, and move-on condition are all there.
  4. Use the collapsed build cards only when you want the how. Every required phase output is listed; open one card, several, or none.
  5. Read the rest only when you need the why. You shouldn't have to reread a chapter just to recover one number.

And when you do come back:

You aren't expected to remember where every table or ratio lives. Leave the guide open, disappear into the game for a while, and come back when you can no longer remember why half the belts exist.

Quick Progress Index

Quick jump: BOOT · BLUE · RED · FLIGHT · TI · YELLOW · ILS · PURPLE · WARP · GREEN · DYSON · SPHERE · PHOTON · WHITE

Coming back from the game and not sure where you left off? Find the last milestone you can honestly remember completing, then jump to the next row. The tag in brackets takes you straight there.

Stage Search tag What you're aiming for
0 [BOOTSTRAP] The factory builds the factory
1 [BLUE] Keep blue cubes flowing
2 [RED] Keep red cubes flowing and stabilize oil
3 [FLIGHT] Drive Engine Lv2 and safe planetary escape
4 [TITANIUM] A serious off-world titanium supply
5 [YELLOW] Make 200 yellow cubes and unlock ILS
6 [ILS] Automated interplanetary titanium and silicon
7 [PURPLE] Keep purple cubes flowing and unlock both paths to green
8 [WARP] Optional targeted pre-green scouting
9 [GREEN] Keep green cubes flowing and unlock cheap Space Warpers
10 [DYSON] Default swarm route to ≥1.655 GW Dyson generation
11[SPHERE]Optional slower permanent route to the photon-power target
12 [PHOTON] Critical Photons and Antimatter
13 [WHITE] Keep white cubes flowing and finish Mission Completed

Quick reference — Cube production targets

Come back to this table when an older cube line starts holding up research. The same useful numbers are repeated in the phase dashboards, so you don't need to memorize them.

These are useful targets for keeping the run moving, not commandments for how every factory must be built.

Cube color Minimum when first established Comfortable in its own phase Later target
Blue 20/min 40/min ~60+/min before the long green/endgame run of research
Red 10/min 20/min ~60+/min before the long green/endgame run of research
Yellow 7.5/min 15/min for the ILS bootstrap ~60+/min once later research is waiting on yellow
Purple 12/min 24/min ~40/min before sustained white-cube production
Green 10/min 20/min scale toward ~40/min for a comfortable endgame pace

Don't build the endgame factory during the blue phase. Expand the older cube line that research is visibly waiting on.

0. [BOOTSTRAP] — Stop Handcrafting the Factory

Phase dashboard

At a glance What matters now
Main goal Automate basic mining, smelting, components, belts, sorters, and factory buildings
Useful cube target Start around 20 blue/min once the line is running
Research next Electromagnetism → Automatic Metallurgy → Basic Assembling → Basic Logistics System → Electromagnetic Matrix tech (unlocks blue cubes)
Keep an eye on Power headroom and repeated handcrafting
Move on when Adding ordinary factory machinery no longer sends you back to handcrafting

Goal

Your first job is to stop being the factory. Reach the point where the machines, rather than Icarus, produce the materials needed to expand.

The bootstrap is complete when adding a miner, smelter, assembler, belt line, or sorter no longer sends you back to the replicator for another round of handcrafting.

Research first

  1. Electromagnetism
  2. Automatic Metallurgy
  3. Basic Assembling
  4. Basic Logistics System
  5. Electromagnetic Matrix — unlocks blue cubes

The early tech tree is full of useful distractions. Ignore most of them for now and unlock the machinery that stops you doing the same jobs by hand.

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

There's no useful megabase target yet, and no prize for pretending there's.

Build enough iron, copper, Magnetic Coil, and Circuit Board capacity that every new machine doesn't immediately rob cube production.

For blue cubes, begin at 20/min and move toward 40/min only when the basic factory can feed it cleanly.

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every required output in this phase. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the production chain yourself.

Starter smelting — Iron Ingots, Copper Ingots & MagnetsMANDATEDSCALE BY USE

Input

  • Mining Machines — keep Iron Ore and Copper Ore arriving continuously.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Iron Ingots — full-load draw: 60 Iron Ore/min.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Copper Ingots — full-load draw: 60 Copper Ore/min.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Magnets — full-load draw: 40 Iron Ore/min.

Pipeline

  • Keep the three products on distinct belts or in distinct storage so shortages remain visible.

Output

  • Continuous Iron Ingots, Copper Ingots, and Magnets for components and buildings.

These are capacities, not quotas. Add another smelter only when a downstream line is actually waiting.

Basic components — Magnetic Coils & Circuit BoardsMANDATEDCHECKLIST

There's no honest universal starter rate here. Keep the components available; the blue-phase card provides the first exact demand target.

Input

  • Feed Magnets, Iron Ingots, and Copper Ingots from the starter smelting block.

Pipeline

  • Mk.I Assembler — Magnetic Coils.
  • Mk.I Assembler — Circuit Boards.

Output

  • Store both components where blue-cube production and the starter mall can draw from them without hand-feeding.
Starter mall — Belts, Sorters, Mining Machines, Smelters & AssemblersMANDATEDCHECKLIST

Input

  • Provide Iron Ingots, Copper Ingots, Magnets, Magnetic Coils, Circuit Boards, Gears, Stone Bricks, and Glass as the selected recipes require.

Pipeline

  • Use small dedicated Mk.I Assembler lines and output each product into limited storage.
  • Automate Conveyor Belt Mk.I, Sorter Mk.I, Mining Machine, Arc Smelter, and Assembling Machine Mk.I.

Output

  • A readily available construction inventory that stops routine factory expansion from returning to handcrafting.

This is a checklist, not a fixed ratio. Cap the storage and expand whichever box keeps emptying.

Starter power — headroom for blue labs and oilMANDATEDCAPACITY CHECK

Input

  • Fuel or renewable generation appropriate to the starter planet.
  • Enough grid distribution to connect the planned labs and oil district.

Pipeline

  • Add generation before sustained demand reaches the grid ceiling; don't wait for a brownout cascade.

Output

  • A stable grid that can absorb Matrix Labs, Oil Extractors, and Oil Refineries without repeated power intervention.

Watch for

Overbuilding the starter layout. Most early long-distance belts have an expiration date, whether they know it or not.

The right bootstrap factory is the one that keeps you moving, not the one you'd preserve for fifty hours.

Ready to move on when

Next

Go to [BLUE].

1. [BLUE] — Get Blue Cubes Running

Phase dashboard

At a glance What matters now
Main goal Keep blue cubes and research labs running without hand-feeding
Good target 20 blue cubes/min minimum, 40/min comfortable
Research next High-Efficiency Plasma Control → Plasma Extract Refining → Energy Matrix tech (unlocks red cubes)
Keep an eye on Don't overbuild blue while oil and mobility are still missing
Move on when Blue is continuous and your grid has room for the oil setup

Goal

Blue cubes should become background noise—in the good sense. Keep them running so research no longer waits for you to remember the recipe.

Research first

To open the next cube tier:

  1. High-Efficiency Plasma Control
  2. Plasma Extract Refining
  3. Energy Matrix — unlocks red cubes

Take Steel Smelting and Thermal Power before the oil setup and first off-world outpost turn into a last-minute materials hunt.

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

Use this as a blueprint key, not a layout. Match the machine counts and input rates; route the belts in whatever way still makes sense on your planet.

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every required output in this phase. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the production chain yourself.

Blue cubes — 40/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • Mining Machines — collectively supply 80 Iron Ore/min and 40 Copper Ore/min.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Magnets — draws 40 Iron Ore/min at stated output.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Iron Ingots — draws 40 Iron Ore/min.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Copper Ingots — draws 40 Copper Ore/min.

Pipeline

  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Magnetic Coils.
  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Circuit Boards.

Output

  • 2 Matrix Labs — blue cubes.
  • Direct feed: 40 Magnetic Coils/min + 40 Circuit Boards/min.

The component assemblers have spare capacity. Scale Matrix Labs first; expand components only when their belts stop recovering.

Watch for

Don't make blue your first giant factory district. The next important transition is:

red cubes → Drive Engine Lv2 → leave the starter planet

A beautiful oversized blue complex does nothing for you if oil and mobility are still missing.

Ready to move on when

Next

Go to [RED].

2. [RED] — Build the Oil Economy and Keep Red Cubes Flowing

Phase dashboard

At a glance What matters now
Main goal Keep both refinery outputs moving and produce red cubes continuously
Good target 10 red/min minimum, 20/min comfortable
Research next Mecha Core Lv2 + Drive Engine Lv2, while lining up the listed PLS/ILS requirements
Keep an eye on Hydrogen or Refined Oil filling up and stopping the refinery line
Move on when Red is stable, flight is ready, and the important pre-ILS research is queued or done

Goal

Oil is the first part of the game where a line can stop because you've got too much of something. Keep red cubes running, keep both refinery outputs moving, and line up the research for flight and the later ILS rush.

Research first

Get ready to fly

  1. Mecha Core Lv1
  2. Mecha Core Lv2
  3. Drive Engine Lv1
  4. Drive Engine Lv2

Research the ILS requirements early while the needed techs still use red cubes

Research or visibly queue:

The tech tree makes one dependency especially easy to miss:

To research PLS, you also need Thruster and Vertical Construction Lv1. Queue them now rather than discovering the gap after the titanium trip.

Later, ILS also needs High-Strength Titanium Alloy and Reinforced Thruster.

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every required output in this phase. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the production chain yourself.

Red cubes — 20/min with balanced refinery outputsMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • Oil Extractors — collectively supply 80 Crude Oil/min.
  • 3 Oil Refineries — Plasma Refining — process 80 Crude Oil/min at stated output.
  • Coal Mining Machines — supply 80 Coal/min.
  • 2 Arc Smelters — Energetic Graphite — draw 80 Coal/min.

Pipeline

  • Route the refinery Hydrogen directly to the cube labs or through a buffer.
  • Route Refined Oil to storage or a consuming chemical line so the Hydrogen side can't deadlock.

Output

  • 2 Matrix Labs — red cubes.
  • Direct feed: 40 Hydrogen/min + 40 Energetic Graphite/min.

Surplus Yield

  • 80 Refined Oil/min.

Three refineries have headroom beyond the exact target. The listed raw and byproduct rates are the steady-state flows imposed by 20 red/min.

Watch for

The classic refinery failure isn't lack of crude oil. It's one output filling up and silently stopping the other.

Don't panic-burn or discard Hydrogen; later phases will ask for absurd amounts of it. Early on, however, a finite buffer is still better than letting a full tank stop research.

Ready to move on when

Next

Go to [FLIGHT].

3. [FLIGHT] — Drive Engine Lv2 and Planetary Escape

Phase dashboard

At a glance What matters now
Main goal Reach the titanium planet safely and leave behind useful mining and smelting
Good target No cube-rate target here; bring enough fuel, power, and buildings to avoid a token trip
Research next Drive Engine Lv2 → Titanium Smelting → finish PLS requirements → Magnetic Particle Trap → Processor → Reinforced Thruster
Keep an eye on Fuel margin, destination power, and remote defense on Dark Fog runs
Move on when You can mine and preferably smelt titanium off-world without improvising the whole outpost by hand

Goal

This isn't a sightseeing trip. Leave the starter planet safely and come back with the ability to exploit off-world titanium.

The starter planet has no normal Titanium Ore veins. Silicon can be bootstrapped inefficiently from Stone, but Titanium has no ordinary synthetic fallback.

To reach yellow cubes, you eventually have to leave the starter planet.

Research first

  1. Drive Engine Lv2
  2. Titanium Smelting
  3. Finish the research needed for PLS:
    • High-Efficiency Logistics System
    • Thruster
    • Vertical Construction Lv1
    • Planetary Logistics System
  4. Magnetic Particle Trap
  5. Processor
  6. Reinforced Thruster

Drive Engine Lv2 also needs Drive Engine Lv1 and Mecha Core Lv2.

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

There's no cube target here. The target is a trip that changes what your factory can do.

Before launch, carry enough fuel and core-energy margin to survive a bad approach, plus enough construction material to leave a real outpost behind. A token miner and a promise to come back don't count.

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every required output in this phase. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the production chain yourself.

First off-world industrial loadoutMANDATEDCHECKLIST

Input

  • Fuel sufficient for departure, course correction, landing, and recovery margin.
  • Prebuilt Mining Machines, Arc Smelters, power generation, Tesla Towers, belts, sorters, and storage.
  • Basic defenses when Dark Fog is active and the outpost will persist unattended.

Pipeline

  • Carry enough of each item to establish extraction, smelting, storage, and local power in one visit.
  • Confirm the destination and its power conditions before launch.

Output

  • A functioning off-world outpost rather than a token miner requiring an immediate second trip.

There's no honest universal item count here: destination conditions and fuel technology vary too much. Use this as a completeness check, not an invented loadout ratio.

Watch for

Persistent remote outposts on Dark Fog runs

An unattended mining world can acquire an unpleasant new neighbor while you're away.

Before leaving a persistent outpost behind, make the choice explicitly:

Don't configure early defenses to attack orbital or Relay targets unless escalation is deliberate.

Ready to move on when

Next

Go to [TITANIUM].

4. [TITANIUM] — Your First Off-World Industrial Expedition

Phase dashboard

At a glance What matters now
Main goal Establish remote titanium mining and smelt it before transport
Good target First haul: 810–860 Titanium Ingots; remote source: 60/min minimum, 120/min comfortable
Research next Only what's needed for the Structure Matrix tech (yellow cube unlock) → High-Strength Titanium Alloy → ILS
Keep an eye on Don't spend scarce first titanium on a broad PLS rollout
Move on when You've built a serious titanium stockpile and direct silicon is available or planned

Goal

Make the first trip count. Return with enough titanium to break through the yellow/ILS transition instead of commuting between planets with pocketfuls of ore.

Research first

This is a poor moment to wander into interesting side research.

Finish only the research you need for:

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

First serious haul

Aim for 810–860 Titanium Ingots.

That's a practical target for:

The hard technical minimum for the 200-yellow research batch, two ILS towers, and one vessel is about 770 Titanium Ingots.

Persistent remote smelting

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every required output in this phase. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the production chain yourself.

Remote Titanium Ingots — 120/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • Mining Machines — collectively supply 240 Titanium Ore/min.

Pipeline

  • Belt the mined ore through a compact source-side smelting block, then into storage or the later source ILS.

Output

  • 4 Arc Smelters — Titanium Ingots.

Miner count is deliberately left open because vein coverage and mining upgrades change the answer.

First serious titanium haul — 810–860 ingotsMANDATEDFINITE BATCH

Input

  • A functioning remote Titanium Ingot line and enough personal cargo capacity for the return trip.

Pipeline

  • Let remote storage accumulate before returning; avoid repeated tiny hauling trips.

Output

  • A single serious Titanium Ingot return haul reaches the starter planet.
  • This practical batch covers the 200-yellow rush plus the first two ILS towers and roughly five starter vessels when their supporting parts are prepared.

About 770 ingots is the hard floor for the research batch, two ILS towers, and one vessel. The larger target buys enough margin to make the trip feel worthwhile.

Direct Silicon Ore source — sustainable supplyMANDATED OR PLANNEDRATE BY DEMAND

Input

  • Mining Machines — cover enough Silicon Ore veins to meet the home Processor demand you intend to build.

Pipeline

  • Buffer locally now; connect the source to an ILS when interplanetary logistics comes online.

Output

  • A direct Silicon Ore source that can replace the 10 Stone → 1 Silicon Ore fallback for bulk production.

Watch for

PLS is tempting, but your first titanium has a more important job: ending manual interplanetary hauling.

Before ILS, PLS can tidy local transport, but it can't move titanium between planets. Build only the units that will become your first ILS pair unless the local belts are genuinely costing more time than another titanium trip.

Ready to move on when

Next

Go to [YELLOW].

5. [YELLOW] — Make 200 Yellow Cubes and Break the Hauling Loop

Phase dashboard

At a glance What matters now
Main goal Produce 200 yellow cubes and have the first ILS hardware ready when research finishes
Good target 7.5 yellow/min minimum, 15/min comfortable for the ILS rush
Research next Chemical branch → Structure Matrix tech (yellow cube unlock) → High-Strength Titanium Alloy → confirm PLS + Reinforced Thruster → ILS
Keep an eye on The oil-heavy Organic Crystal chain and missing ILS prerequisites
Move on when 80 yellow has gone to Titanium Alloy, 120 to ILS, and the first station pair is ready to build

Goal

This is one of the cleanest bargains in the run: produce 200 yellow cubes, spend them on the two technologies that matter, and retire yourself from interplanetary freight duty.

Default allocation:

Make 200 yellow, spend it, and move on. The game will give you plenty of reasons to build more later.

Research first

If the chemical branch is incomplete:

  1. Basic Chemical Engineering
  2. Polymer Chemical Engineering
  3. High-Strength Crystal
  4. Structure Matrix — unlocks yellow cubes
  5. High-Strength Titanium Alloy
  6. Confirm the PLS required research
  7. Confirm Reinforced Thruster
  8. Interstellar Logistics System

ILS requires:

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

For the ILS rush:

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every required output in this phase. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the production chain yourself.

Yellow cubes — 15/minMANDATEDKEEP CUBE LINE

Input

  • 2 Arc Smelters — Energetic Graphite — collectively draw 90 Coal/min at stated output.
  • 3 Oil Refineries — Plasma Refining — process 75 Crude Oil/min.
  • 2 Arc Smelters — Titanium Ingots — draw 90 Titanium Ore/min.
  • Water Pumps — supply 15 Water/min.

Pipeline

  • 2 Chemical Plants — Plastic.
  • 2 Chemical Plants — Organic Crystals.
  • 2 Mk.I Assemblers — Titanium Crystals.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Diamonds.

Output

  • 2 Matrix Labs — yellow cubes.
  • Direct feed: 15 Titanium Crystals/min + 15 Diamonds/min.

Surplus Yield

  • 37.5 Hydrogen/min.

The three refineries have some headroom. The listed 75 Crude/min and 37.5 Hydrogen/min are the steady-state flows at 15 yellow/min.

ILS bootstrap hardware — 2 ILS + 5 Logistics VesselsMANDATEDFINITE BATCH

Input

  • 80 Steel.
  • 80 Titanium Ingots.
  • 180 Titanium Alloy.
  • 130 Processors.
  • 80 Particle Containers.
  • 50 Electromagnetic Turbines.

Pipeline

  • Build 10 Reinforced Thrusters from 50 Titanium Alloy + 50 Electromagnetic Turbines.
  • Build 2 Planetary Logistics Stations.
  • Upgrade them into 2 Interstellar Logistics Stations.
  • Build 5 Interstellar Logistics Vessels.

Output

  • The prepared towers and vessel fleet can be deployed immediately when the technology completes.
  • Titanium commitment: 260 ingots for the hardware chain; together with 600 ingots embodied in 200 yellow cubes, the practical total is 860 Titanium Ingots.

This is a practical five-vessel start, not the absolute minimum. Activate ILS now and add the rest of the fleet from the same lines later.

Yellow research reserve — 200 cubesMANDATEDFINITE BATCH

Input

  • A continuous yellow line at 7.5/min minimum or 15/min comfortable.

Pipeline

  • Reserve the first 200 cubes rather than spending them on unrelated research.

Output

  • 80 yellow cubes for High-Strength Titanium Alloy.
  • 120 yellow cubes for Interstellar Logistics System.

Watch for

The 15/min line is a bridge to ILS, not your final yellow factory.

The first 200 yellow cubes only get you through the ILS rush. Later research will eat thousands more, but ILS will make the eventual expansion far less painful.

Ready to move on when

Next

Go to [ILS].

6. [ILS] — End Manual Interplanetary Hauling

Phase dashboard

At a glance What matters now
Main goal Keep the first ILS routes running and start using PLS where it actually saves effort
Good target Titanium and silicon arrive unattended; later, move older blue/red/yellow cube lines toward ~60/min each only when research is waiting on them
Research next Applied Superconductor if needed → High-Strength Material → Particle Control → Processor if needed → Information Matrix tech (unlocks purple cubes)
Keep an eye on ILS charging spikes and the temptation to rebuild the entire planet at once
Move on when Logistics is stable and the research queue is clearly pointed at purple

Goal

You're no longer the cargo ship. Replace manual interplanetary hauling with continuous supply, then convert only the worst global belts into local logistics districts.

Research first

Point the main research queue toward purple:

  1. Applied Superconductor, if still missing
  2. High-Strength Material
  3. Particle Control
  4. Processor, if still missing
  5. Information Matrix — unlocks purple cubes

The Information Matrix tech (purple cube unlock) requires Processor + Particle Control.

Unlocking ILS feels like a victory lap. It isn't a reason to research every yellow-tier utility technology before pointing the queue at purple.

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

The target here isn't a prettier planet or a larger cube number. It's:

Once logistics is working, check the older cube lines occasionally. Before the long run to green, around 60/min each for blue, red, and yellow is comfortable—but expand only the color research is actually waiting on.

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every required output in this phase. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the production chain yourself.

Automated Titanium route — source ILS to home ILSMANDATEDCONFIGURATION

Input

  • Remote Titanium Ingot production and a source ILS.
  • A powered home ILS with vessels and enough grid headroom to charge them.

Pipeline

  • Remote source ILS: Remote Supply; local setting may remain Storage/None.
  • Home ILS: Remote Demand.
  • Set the home station belt-port filter to Titanium Ingots when belting them out.
  • The powered home station may dispatch vessels to an unpowered remote source station.

Output

  • Titanium Ingots arrive automatically and manual interplanetary hauling ends for this resource.
Automated Silicon route — source ILS to home ILSMANDATED OR EQUIVALENTCONFIGURATION

Input

  • A direct Silicon Ore source with enough mining throughput for Processor demand.
  • Source and home ILS capacity, vessels, and power.

Pipeline

  • Source ILS: Remote Supply for Silicon Ore.
  • Home ILS: Remote Demand for Silicon Ore.
  • Use a dedicated home ILS when silicon competes with enough other bulk traffic to starve.

Output

  • Sustainable automated Silicon Ore delivery, or a demonstrably equivalent local source.
Local logistics district — imported resource to PLS consumerMANDATED WHERE USEFULCONFIGURATION

Input

  • Home ILS holding an imported material and Logistics Drones in the local network.
  • A consumer-district PLS with available storage slots.

Pipeline

  • Home ILS: imported item set to Local Supply after remote receipt.
  • Consumer PLS: same item set to Local Demand.
  • Keep short belts inside the production district; replace only the long global transport segment.

Output

  • Imported material delivered by drones into a compact local production district.

The intended transition is global spaghetti → drone logistics → local spaghetti. Blueprint perfection isn't a phase requirement.

Watch for

ILS charging spikes

A newly placed ILS charges a large internal buffer and can make the power graph look as though the factory has suddenly lost its mind.

The spike is real but temporary. Don't size the whole grid around it; lower the station charging-power setting if the early network can't absorb it comfortably.

Premature total rebuilds

Don't celebrate ILS by demolishing the planet. Replace one irritating long-distance belt at a time, and leave anything that still works alone until it becomes the problem.

Ready to move on when

Next

Go to [PURPLE].

7. [PURPLE] — Build the First Truly Wide Production Tier

Phase dashboard

At a glance What matters now
Main goal Keep purple cubes flowing and complete both the Strange Matter and Quantum Chip paths
Good target 12 purple/min minimum, 24/min comfortable
Research next Miniature Particle Collider → Strange Matter → Gravitational Wave Refraction and Casimir Crystal → High-Strength Glass → Wave Function Interference → Quantum Chip → Gravity Matrix tech (unlocks green cubes)
Keep an eye on Processors, Particle Broadband, Graphene/Carbon Nanotubes, and older blue/red/yellow cube rates
Move on when Purple cubes are stable and both tech branches needed for green are finished or nearly finished

Goal

Purple is where the tidy little chains stop pretending they're independent. Keep the cubes running and finish the two branches that meet at green.

Your next clear goal is:

sustain purple → complete the Strange Matter branch → complete the Quantum Chip branch → unlock the first green cube

Once you can make the first green cube, purple has done its job. Stabilize the weak links, but don't hold the run hostage until the whole district looks respectable.

Research first

Work on both paths as the factory allows; neither branch is optional if you want green.

Branch A — Strange Matter / gravity side

  1. Miniature Particle Collider
  2. Strange Matter
  3. Gravitational Wave Refraction

Branch B — Quantum Chip side

  1. Casimir Crystal
  2. High-Strength Glass
  3. Wave Function Interference
  4. Quantum Chip

Wave Function Interference sits downstream of Casimir Crystal and High-Strength Glass.

Then unlock green

  1. Gravity Matrix — unlocks green cubes

The Gravity Matrix tech (green cube unlock) only becomes available after both the Quantum Chip path and Gravitational Wave Refraction are finished.

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

A 12/min purple-cube line takes about 83 minutes to produce 1,000 cubes if purple alone sets the pace. At 24/min, the same amount takes about 42 minutes.

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every required output in this phase. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the production chain yourself.

Processors — 24/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • 1 Arc Smelter — Iron Ingots — draws 48 Iron Ore/min.
  • 2 Arc Smelters — Copper Ingots — draw 72 Copper Ore/min.
  • 4 Arc Smelters — High-Purity Silicon — draw 192 Silicon Ore/min at stated output.

Pipeline

  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Circuit Boards — supplies 48/min.
  • 3 Mk.I Assemblers — Microcrystalline Components — supply 48/min.

Output

  • 2 Mk.I Assemblers — Processors.
  • Direct feed: 48 Circuit Boards/min + 48 Microcrystalline Components/min.

Two Processor assemblers can make 30/min while this branch consumes 24/min. Keep that spare capacity visible; Quantum Chips will use it next, and later production will use it again.

Graphene — 40/min with synthetic Sulfuric AcidSUPPORT ROUTESTANDARD RECIPE

Input

  • 2 Arc Smelters — Energetic Graphite — draw 120 Coal/min.
  • 1 Oil Refinery — Plasma Refining — draws 30 Crude Oil/min.
  • Stone Mining Machines — supply 40 Stone/min.
  • Water Pumps — supply 20 Water/min.

Pipeline

  • 1 Chemical Plant — Sulfuric Acid — supplies 20/min.

Output

  • 1 Chemical Plant — Graphene — consumes 60 Energetic Graphite/min + 20 Sulfuric Acid/min.

Surplus Yield

  • 15 Hydrogen/min.

Fire Ice or a Sulfuric Acid ocean can replace much of this standard chain later.

Carbon Nanotubes — 24/min from standard GrapheneMANDATEDSTANDARD RECIPE

Input

  • 2 Arc Smelters — Energetic Graphite — draw 108 Coal/min at stated output.
  • 1 Oil Refinery — Plasma Refining — draws 27 Crude Oil/min.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Titanium Ingots — draws 24 Titanium Ore/min.
  • Stone Mining Machines — supply 36 Stone/min.
  • Water Pumps — supply 18 Water/min.

Pipeline

  • 1 Chemical Plant — Sulfuric Acid — supplies 18/min.
  • 1 Chemical Plant — Graphene — supplies 36/min.

Output

  • 1 Chemical Plant — Carbon Nanotubes — consumes 36 Graphene/min + 12 Titanium Ingots/min.

Surplus Yield

  • 13.5 Hydrogen/min.
Particle Broadband — 12/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • 1 Arc Smelter — High-Purity Silicon — draws 48 Silicon Ore/min at stated output.
  • 3 Arc Smelters — Energetic Graphite — draw 132 Coal/min.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Titanium Ingots — draws 24 Titanium Ore/min.
  • 2 Oil Refineries — Plasma Refining — draw 51 Crude Oil/min.
  • Stone Mining Machines — supply 36 Stone/min.
  • Water Pumps — supply 18 Water/min.

Pipeline

  • 1 Arc Smelter — Crystal Silicon.
  • 1 Chemical Plant each — Sulfuric Acid, Graphene, Carbon Nanotubes, and Plastic.

Output

  • 3 Mk.I Assemblers — Particle Broadband.
  • Direct feed: 24 Carbon Nanotubes/min + 24 Crystal Silicon/min + 12 Plastic/min.

Surplus Yield

  • 25.5 Hydrogen/min.
Purple cubes — 12/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • 24 Processors/min.
  • 12 Particle Broadband/min.

Pipeline

  • Bring the two prerequisite products to the cube district on separate visible feeds.

Output

  • 2 Matrix Labs — purple cubes.

When you scale toward roughly 24 purple/min, copy the full prerequisite capacity—not just the final Labs.

Watch for

Purple feels messy because it exposes several old resource networks at once:

Judge each one by whether it keeps up, not by whether the district deserves a screenshot.

A synthetic Sulfuric Acid district can be ugly and still be perfectly adequate. A beautiful Processor district that only makes half the required rate is the real problem.

Ready to move on when

Next

Default route: go to [GREEN].

For a targeted rare-resource detour, read [WARP] first.

8. [WARP] — Optional Pre-Green Interstellar Scouting

Phase dashboard

At a glance What matters now
Main goal Warp for a named resource with a clear payoff
Good target Make only a small stock of expensive pre-green Space Warpers
Research next Gravitational Wave Refraction → Drive Engine Lv3 → Mecha Core Lv4 → Drive Engine Lv4
Keep an eye on Aimless exploration and confusing personal warp with vessel warp
Move on when The target resource has been collected and you can explain exactly which painful chain it replaces or simplifies

Goal

A warp drive isn't an itinerary. Use personal warp early only when you can name the rare resource you want and the production pain it will remove.

Warp isn't required for Mission Completed. The standard chains can carry you through the starting system just fine.

Research first

For personal warp before green:

  1. Gravitational Wave Refraction
  2. Drive Engine Lv3
  3. Mecha Core Lv4
  4. Drive Engine Lv4
  5. Optional Universe Exploration Lv3 when better scouting information has a concrete payoff

Drive Engine Lv4 also needs Drive Engine Lv3, Mecha Core Lv4, and Gravitational Wave Refraction.

Personal warp and vessel warp are separate capabilities. Icarus learning to cross the stars doesn't magically teach the ILS fleet to follow.

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

Before green:

1 Graviton Lens → 1 Space Warper

After green:

1 green cube → 8 Space Warpers

That economic difference is why the default route still goes to green first.

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every required output in this phase. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the production chain yourself.

Pre-green Space Warpers — 4.5/min per Mk.I AssemblerOPTIONALEXPENSIVE ROUTE

Input

  • Graviton Lens production supplying 4.5 lenses/min per fully utilized Mk.I Assembler.

Pipeline

  • Keep the assembler output in deliberately limited storage; this is a scouting supply, not a routine logistics line.

Output

  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Space Warpers, feeding deliberately limited expedition storage.

The standard pre-green recipe is 1 Graviton Lens → 1 Space Warper. Green later changes the bargain to 1 green cube → 8 warpers, which is why this route stays small.

Named rare-resource expeditionOPTIONALDECISION CARD

Input

  • A specific named rare resource and an identified production chain it will replace or simplify.
  • Personal warpers, fuel, construction supplies, and return margin.

Pipeline

  • Scout or retrieve only the target resource; avoid open-ended exploration before cheap warpers and vessel warp.

Output

  • A concrete production problem becomes easier, after which the run returns to the green path.

Watch for

Exploration is very good at becoming the whole evening. Before cheap warpers or vessel warp, that's a large detour rather than harmless sightseeing.

A good pre-green warp trip answers:

“What problem will this resource actually solve for me right now?”

If you can't answer that question cleanly, continue to green.

Ready to move on when

Next

Return to [GREEN].

9. [GREEN] — Green Cubes and Cheap Warp Logistics

Phase dashboard

At a glance What matters now
Main goal Keep green cubes flowing without letting Hydrogen or Deuterium take over the whole factory
Good target 10 green/min starter, 20/min comfortable, scale toward ~40/min for the endgame
Research next Quantum Chip + Gravitational Wave Refraction → Gravity Matrix tech (green cube unlock); then take vessel warp or Gas Giant Exploitation when they solve a real need
Keep an eye on Hydrogen, Deuterium, Strange Matter power use, and whether Orbital Collectors would now save real effort
Move on when Green is stable, cheap warpers exist, and Dyson/photon preparation is already moving

Goal

Green is where the factory begins to feel genuinely interstellar. Keep the cubes running, stabilize their expensive ingredients, and scale far enough that the photon and white-cube research doesn't become a surprise multi-hour wait.

Research first

By now both prerequisite paths should be finished:

  1. Quantum Chip
  2. Gravitational Wave Refraction
  3. Gravity Matrix — unlocks green cubes

After the first stable green line:

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every required output in this phase. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the production chain yourself.

Deuterium supply — 50/min required by the starter green blockMANDATEDCHOOSE A ROUTE

Input

  • Collider route: supply 100 Hydrogen/min to one Miniature Particle Collider at the stated 50 Deuterium/min draw.
  • Fractionator route: provide a Hydrogen loop whose measured output reaches 50 Deuterium/min.
  • Collector/import route: deliver at least 50 Deuterium/min through logistics.

Pipeline

  • Buffer Deuterium between its chosen source and Strange Matter so short transport interruptions remain visible rather than silently stopping green.

Output

  • A buffered Deuterium feed continuously supplies the Strange Matter collider.

One collider can produce much more than 50 Deuterium/min at full load; the 100 Hydrogen/min figure is the actual draw imposed by this 10-green/min build.

Quantum Chips — 5/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • 1 Arc Smelter — Iron Ingots — draws 20 Iron Ore/min.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Copper Ingots — draws 30 Copper Ore/min.
  • 2 Arc Smelters — High-Purity Silicon — draw 80 Silicon Ore/min.
  • 2 Arc Smelters — Titanium Ingots — draw 100 Titanium Ore/min.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Glass — draws 40 Stone/min.
  • Stone Mining Machines — supply another 20 Stone/min for Sulfuric Acid.
  • 2 Arc Smelters — Energetic Graphite — draw 100 Coal/min.
  • 3 Oil Refineries — Plasma Refining — draw 65 Crude Oil/min.
  • Water Pumps — supply 40 Water/min.
  • Hydrogen logistics — supply 120 Hydrogen/min gross to Casimir Crystals.

Pipeline

  • 1 Mk.I Assembler each — Circuit Boards, Microcrystalline Components, and Processors.
  • 1 Chemical Plant each — Plastic, Organic Crystals, Sulfuric Acid, and Graphene.
  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Titanium Crystals.
  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Casimir Crystals.
  • 2 Mk.I Assemblers — Titanium Glass.
  • 3 Mk.I Assemblers — Plane Filters.

Output

  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Quantum Chips.
  • Direct feed: 10 Processors/min + 10 Plane Filters/min.

Surplus Yield

  • 32.5 Hydrogen/min from the required Plasma Refining, reducing the branch to roughly 87.5 Hydrogen/min external net demand.
Strange Matter — 5/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • 3 Arc Smelters — Iron Ingots — draw 130 Iron Ore/min at stated output.
  • 2 Arc Smelters — Magnets — draw 80 Iron Ore/min.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Copper Ingots — draws 60 Copper Ore/min.
  • 1 Arc Smelter — Energetic Graphite — draws 60 Coal/min.
  • 1 Oil Refinery — Plasma Refining — draws 15 Crude Oil/min.
  • Stone Mining Machines — supply 20 Stone/min.
  • Water Pumps — supply 10 Water/min.
  • Deuterium logistics — supply 50 Deuterium/min.

Pipeline

  • 1 Chemical Plant — Sulfuric Acid and 1 — Graphene.
  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Magnetic Coils.
  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Gears.
  • 2 Mk.I Assemblers — Electric Motors.
  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Electromagnetic Turbines.
  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Particle Containers.

Output

  • 1 Miniature Particle Collider — Strange Matter.
  • Direct feed: 10 Particle Containers/min + 10 Iron Ingots/min + 50 Deuterium/min.

Surplus Yield

  • 7.5 Hydrogen/min from the required refining support.
Graviton Lenses — 5/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • 1 Arc Smelter — Energetic Graphite — draws 40 Coal/min at stated output.
  • Strange Matter supply — 5/min.

Pipeline

  • 1 Arc Smelter — Diamonds — supplies 20 Diamonds/min.

Output

  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Graviton Lenses.
  • Direct feed: 20 Diamonds/min + 5 Strange Matter/min.
Green cubes — 10/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • 5 Quantum Chips/min.
  • 5 Graviton Lenses/min.

Pipeline

  • Bring both branches to the green-cube district on separate visible feeds.

Output

  • 2 Matrix Labs — green cubes.
Space Warpers — 36/min from green cubesMANDATEDCHEAP ROUTE

Input

  • Green-cube supply — 4.5 Gravity Matrices/min for one fully utilized Mk.I Assembler.

Pipeline

  • Limit output storage to the warper buffer your personal and ILS logistics actually need.

Output

  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — advanced Space Warper recipe, feeding personal and ILS warper storage.

The recipe converts 1 green cube into 8 warpers. Give the line a limit so it doesn't quietly eat the green cubes reserved for research.

Watch for

Green is where Gas Giant Exploitation often changes from “expensive detour” to “why am I still making all this locally?”

If Hydrogen or Deuterium production is taking over the factory, Orbital Collectors are solving a real problem rather than adding another system for its own sake.

Rare resources can also change the build ratio substantially:

These routes change how you make the materials, not which technology comes next.

Ready to move on when

Next

Take the default route to [DYSON]. Choose [SPHERE] instead only when you deliberately prefer a slower build that doesn't expire.

10. [DYSON] — Build the Photon Swarm

Phase dashboard

At a glanceWhat matters now
Main goalSustain 511 Solar Sail launches/min and ≥1.655 GW live swarm generation at Ray Transmission Efficiency Lv0
Good target23 Mk.I Solar Sail assemblers feeding 80 EM-Rail Ejectors that average at least 32% firing duty
Research nextSolar Collection → Photon Frequency Conversion → Super Magnetic Field Generator → Solar Sail Orbit System → Ray Receiver
Keep an eye onSolar Sail lifetime, star luminosity, measured Ejector firing duty, and the live Dyson generation readout
Move on whenThe live swarm meets the GW target and the Ray Receiver technology is ready for the photon phase

Goal

The swarm route isn't a one-time build; it's a running bill:

raw materials → Solar Sails → EM-Rail Ejectors → sails in orbit → live Dyson power → Ray Receivers in [PHOTON]

Every sail adds power only for its researched lifetime. When sails expire, generation falls with them. Reaching the target once isn't enough: production and long-run launches must keep replacing the sails that disappear.

Why the target is 1.655 GW

The number is large because the photon economy is large. The default finish pace is 40 white cubes/min; the next phase uses four fully warmed, lensed Ray Receivers to make 48 Critical Photons/min. Those receivers convert 960 MW at full output. At the starting 58% Ray Transmission Efficiency, the swarm must generate approximately 1.655 GW to deliver that power after losses.

Why the baseline needs 511 sails/min

At luminosity 1.0 and the base 5,400-second Solar Sail lifetime, a 1.655-GW swarm holds roughly 46,000 active sails. Keeping that population steady requires approximately 511 replacements/min. Use:

required launches/min = target watts × 60 ÷ (36,000 × star luminosity × sail lifetime seconds)

Higher luminosity, longer sail-life research, and better Ray Transmission Efficiency all reduce the replacement stream. Use the calculation to size the factory, then trust the live Dyson generation readout over your spreadsheet.

How the launch block works

An EM-Rail Ejector launches 20 sails/min while it's firing, but planets rotate and injection points wander out of view. The reference block uses 80 Ejectors: at a measured average duty of 32%, they sustain roughly 512 launches/min. If your duty is lower, add Ejectors; if it's higher, enjoy the spare capacity.

Research first

  1. Solar Collection
  2. Photon Frequency Conversion
  3. Super Magnetic Field Generator
  4. Solar Sail Orbit System
  5. Ray Receiver

Solar Sail Orbit System has Super Magnetic Field Generator as an implicit requirement.

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

RequirementBaseline target
Critical Photon capacity prepared for48/min
Fully warmed lensed Ray Receivers prepared for4
Receiver conversion capacity960 MW
Live swarm generation at Ray Transmission Efficiency Lv0≥1.655 GW
Solar Sail production and long-run launches511/min
Reference Ejector block80 at ≥32% average duty

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover the complete production and launch chain for the default swarm route. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the chain yourself.

Solar Sails — 511/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • 5 Arc Smelters — Iron Ingots — draw 255.5 Iron Ore/min.
  • 3 Arc Smelters — Copper Ingots — draw 127.75 Copper Ore/min.
  • 26 Arc Smelters — Glass — draw 1,533 Stone/min.
  • 13 Arc Smelters — Energetic Graphite — draw 766.5 Coal/min.
  • 7 Oil Refineries — Plasma Refining — draw 191.625 Crude Oil/min at stated output.
  • Stone Mining Machines — supply 255.5 Stone/min for Sulfuric Acid.
  • Water Pumps — supply 127.75 Water/min.

Pipeline

  • 3 Mk.I Assemblers — Circuit Boards.
  • 12 Mk.I Assemblers — Prisms.
  • 18 Mk.I Assemblers — Photon Combiners.
  • 4 Chemical Plants — Sulfuric Acid.
  • 7 Chemical Plants — Graphene.

Output

  • 23 Mk.I Assemblers — Solar Sails → 511 Solar Sails/min.

Surplus Yield

  • ~95.81 Hydrogen/min from Plasma Refining.
Solar Sail launches — 511/minMANDATEDLAUNCH

Input

  • 511 Solar Sails/min.
  • 96 MW peak grid capacity for the launch block.

Pipeline

  • 80 EM-Rail Ejectors — 20 launches/min each while firing.
  • 32% measured average firing duty → 512 effective launches/min.

Output

  • ≥511 Solar Sails launched/min as a measured long-run average.

Watch for

Ejector count isn't launch throughput. Measure sail consumption or actual launches over a long enough interval to include day/night and orbit-angle downtime.

The swarm is the faster route to photons, but the meter never stops running. If the continuing sail draw feels disproportionate, use [SPHERE] and turn the same industrial base into permanent structure.

Ready to move on when

Next

Go to [PHOTON].

11. [SPHERE] — Optional Permanent Dyson Sphere

Phase dashboard

At a glanceWhat matters now
Main goalBuild permanent nodes, frames, and shell cells until live Dyson generation reaches the four-receiver power target
Good target5 Small Carrier Rockets/min, 5 rocket launches/min, and 15 shell-cell sails/min
Research nextSolar Collection → Photon Frequency Conversion → Super Magnetic Field Generator → Solar Sail Orbit System → Ray Receiver → High-Strength Lightweight Structure → Vertical Launching Silo
Keep an eye onProcessors, Quantum Chips, Deuteron Fuel Rods, completed frame boundaries, and the live sphere-generation readout
Move on whenThe permanent sphere meets the same GW target required by the receiver array

Goal

The sphere route trades speed for permanence. Instead of maintaining an expiring swarm, you complete a construction project:

raw materials → Frame Material → Dyson Sphere Components → Small Carrier Rockets → Vertical Launching Silo → nodes and frames → Solar Sails absorbed as shell cells → permanent Dyson power

What rockets build

Use the Dyson Sphere Editor to create a layer, place nodes, connect them with frames, and designate enclosed shell areas. Small Carrier Rockets launched by the Vertical Launching Silo build the nodes and frames. Until those boundaries exist, the sails have nowhere permanent to go.

What the Solar Sails do

Once completed structure encloses a shell area, launched Solar Sails can leave the temporary swarm and become permanent cell points. The production block below makes 45 sails/min: 30/min go into Dyson Sphere Components, leaving 15/min for shell-cell filling.

Why this route is slower

The one-Silo reference line launches only 5 rockets/min, and the layer you draw determines how long the project takes. Large radii and dense frames require more structure before sails can be absorbed. This route comes online more slowly than the swarm, but completed structure and cells don't expire.

What counts as complete

Your design determines the final rocket and sail count, so there's no honest universal material total. The endpoint is still numerical: reach ≥1.655 GW at Ray Transmission Efficiency Lv0, or the lower target for your researched level. The live generation readout decides when you're done.

Research first

If you came directly from [GREEN], complete the shared solar-launch path before the sphere-specific technologies:

  1. Solar Collection
  2. Photon Frequency Conversion
  3. Super Magnetic Field Generator
  4. Solar Sail Orbit System
  5. Ray Receiver
  6. High-Strength Lightweight Structure
  7. Vertical Launching Silo

Solar Sail Orbit System has Super Magnetic Field Generator as an implicit requirement. The sphere route still uses Solar Sails, EM-Rail Ejectors, and Ray Receivers; it changes how the power is built, not what happens downstream.

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

RequirementReference target
Small Carrier Rocket production5/min
Vertical Launching Silos1 supplied continuously
Rocket launches5/min
Solar Sails available for shell cells15/min
Reference shell Ejector block2 at ≥40% average duty
Live permanent generation at Ray Transmission Efficiency Lv0≥1.655 GW

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover the complete production and launch chain for this optional route. Open one when you want the numbers; leave it closed when you'd rather solve the chain yourself.

Small Carrier Rockets — 5/minOPTIONAL ROUTEKEEP

Input

  • 7 Arc Smelters — Iron Ingots — draw 362.5 Iron Ore/min at stated output.
  • 3 Arc Smelters — Magnets — draw 110 Iron Ore/min.
  • 4 Arc Smelters — Copper Ingots — draw 201.25 Copper Ore/min.
  • 8 Arc Smelters — High-Purity Silicon — draw 460 Silicon Ore/min.
  • 7 Arc Smelters — Titanium Ingots — draw 400 Titanium Ore/min.
  • 4 Arc Smelters — Glass — draw 215 Stone/min.
  • 14 Arc Smelters — Energetic Graphite — draw 827.5 Coal/min.
  • 14 Oil Refineries — Plasma Refining — draw 401.875 Crude Oil/min.
  • Stone Mining Machines — supply 402.5 Stone/min for Sulfuric Acid.
  • Water Pumps — supply 261.25 Water/min.
  • Hydrogen logistics — supply 439.0625 Hydrogen/min external net demand.

Pipeline

  • 2 Arc Smelters — Steel; 2 Arc Smelters — Titanium Alloy.
  • 6 Chemical Plants — Sulfuric Acid; 7 — Graphene; 4 — Carbon Nanotubes.
  • 2 Chemical Plants — Plastic; 2 — Organic Crystals.
  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Gears; 1 — Magnetic Coils; 2 — Electric Motors; 1 — Electromagnetic Turbines; 1 — Super-Magnetic Rings.
  • 2 Mk.I Assemblers — Circuit Boards; 5 — Microcrystalline Components; 4 — Processors.
  • 2 Mk.I Assemblers — Titanium Crystals; 2 — Casimir Crystals; 3 — Titanium Glass; 6 — Plane Filters; 2 — Quantum Chips.
  • 2 Miniature Particle Colliders — Deuterium; 3 Mk.I Assemblers — Deuteron Fuel Rods.
  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Prisms; 2 — Photon Combiners; 2 — Solar Sails.
  • 4 Mk.I Assemblers — Frame Material → 30/min.
  • 2 Mk.I Assemblers — Dyson Sphere Components → 10/min.

Output

  • 1 Mk.I Assembler — Small Carrier Rockets → 5 Small Carrier Rockets/min.

Surplus Yield

  • 15 Solar Sails/min remain after 30/min are consumed by Dyson Sphere Components.
Small Carrier Rocket launches — 5/minOPTIONAL ROUTELAUNCH

Input

  • 5 Small Carrier Rockets/min.
  • 18 MW active grid capacity.

Pipeline

  • 1 Vertical Launching Silo — 5 launches/min while supplied.

Output

  • 5 Small Carrier Rockets launched/min into the planned Dyson layer.
Solar Sail launches — 15/min for shell cellsOPTIONAL ROUTELAUNCH

Input

  • 15 Solar Sails/min.
  • 2.4 MW peak grid capacity.

Pipeline

  • 2 EM-Rail Ejectors — 20 launches/min each while firing.
  • 40% measured average firing duty → 16 effective launches/min.

Output

  • ≥15 Solar Sails launched/min for shell-cell absorption.

Watch for

Rockets can't fill a shell by themselves, and sails can't become permanent until completed nodes and frames enclose a designated shell area. If either launch stream sits idle, check the Dyson Sphere Editor before building more machines.

Processors feed both Dyson Sphere Components and Quantum Chips. Deuteron Fuel Rods feed both rockets and fusion power. The sphere route therefore leans hardest on lines green science may already be using at full stretch.

Ready to move on when

Next

Return to [PHOTON].

12. [PHOTON] — Critical Photons and Antimatter

Phase dashboard

At a glanceWhat matters now
Main goalSustain 48 Critical Photons/min and convert them into 48 Antimatter/min
Good target4 fully warmed lensed Ray Receivers feeding 1 Miniature Particle Collider
Research nextPlanetary Ionosphere Utilization → Dirac Inversion Mechanism; then Controlled Annihilation Reaction only when Antimatter Fuel Rods are useful
Keep an eye onContinuous Receiving, Receiver Strength, lens supply, available Dyson power, and returned Hydrogen
Move on when48 Critical Photons/min and 48 Antimatter/min are continuous, and all five cube colors can reach 40/min

Goal

This is where the enormous orbital project finally turns back into items on a belt:

live Dyson power → lensed Ray Receivers → Critical Photons → Miniature Particle Collider → Antimatter + Hydrogen → white cubes in [WHITE]

How Ray Receivers become production buildings

Ray Receivers normally turn Dyson output into grid power. Dirac Inversion Mechanism unlocks the Photon Materialization recipe and the Receiver’s Photon Generation mode. In that mode, each fully warmed receiver supplied with a Graviton Lens converts up to 240 MW and produces 12 Critical Photons/min.

Three conditions must agree: Continuous Receiving has to warm up, Receiver Strength must reach 100%, and the swarm or sphere must have enough uncommitted generation to meet the request. A Receiver can be built, lensed, and configured correctly and still underperform if any one of those is missing.

What the Graviton Lenses do

Planetary Ionosphere Utilization allows Graviton Lenses to support the Receiver array. Four lensed Receivers consume only 0.4 lenses/min in total. Your green-science line already makes far more than that, so reserve a feed and local buffer instead of building another factory out of habit.

How Antimatter is made

The Photon Materialization recipe unlocked by Dirac Inversion Mechanism runs in a Miniature Particle Collider. It converts Critical Photons into Antimatter one-for-one and returns the same amount of Hydrogen. One Collider handles 60 photons/min, so the four-Receiver stream of 48/min fits with headroom.

Technology order

The naming is confusing enough to deserve one plain statement: Photon Materialization is a recipe, not a technology, and there's no separate “Antimatter” technology. Research Planetary Ionosphere Utilization, then Dirac Inversion Mechanism.

Controlled Annihilation Reaction is a real later technology. It unlocks Annihilation Constraint Spheres and Antimatter Fuel Rods for Artificial Stars, but you don't need it to manufacture Antimatter or complete the main mission.

Research first

  1. Planetary Ionosphere Utilization
  2. Dirac Inversion Mechanism

After Antimatter is flowing, take Controlled Annihilation Reaction only when you intend to make Antimatter Fuel Rods or continue toward Artificial Star.

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

Finish paceLensed ReceiversCritical Photons/minAntimatter/min available
Relaxed — 20 white/min22424
Comfortable — 40 white/min44848
Fast — 80 white/min78484

The two required technologies also test the older cube lines:

Quick reference — Required builds

The card titles cover every new production output in this phase. Open one when you want the exact buildings and rates; leave it closed when you'd rather make the connection yourself.

Critical Photons — 48/minMANDATEDCOMFORTABLE TARGET

Input

  • ≥1.655 GW live Dyson generation at Ray Transmission Efficiency Lv0, or the corresponding upgraded target.
  • 0.4 Graviton Lenses/min.

Pipeline

  • 4 Ray Receivers — Photon Generation.
  • 240 MW, 0.1 Graviton Lens/min, and 12 Critical Photons/min per fully warmed receiver.

Output

  • 48 Critical Photons/min.
Antimatter — 48/minMANDATEDKEEP

Input

  • 48 Critical Photons/min.

Pipeline

  • 1 Miniature Particle Collider — Photon Materialization.
  • 60 Critical Photons/min maximum collider throughput.

Output

  • 48 Antimatter/min.

Surplus Yield

  • 48 Hydrogen/min.

Watch for

Receivers don't begin at full output. Let Continuous Receiving warm up before declaring the array broken, then verify that the Dyson source is supplying the full requested power.

The Collider returns Hydrogen at the same rate as Antimatter. Give it somewhere to go; the final production chain shouldn't be defeated by a full Hydrogen belt.

Ready to move on when

Next

Go to [WHITE].

13. [WHITE] — White Cubes and Mission Completed!

Phase dashboard

At a glanceWhat matters now
Main goalResearch the white-cube recipe, sustain 40 white cubes/min, and feed the final 4,000 into Mission Completed!
Good target20/min relaxed, 40/min comfortable, or 80/min fast — only if every feeder can match it
Research nextUniverse Matrix → Mission Completed!
Keep an eye onThe slowest older cube line; white-cube production can't run faster than its weakest input
Move on whenMission Completed! finishes

Goal

The last phase is less a new production chain than a roll call for everything you built before:

five established cube lines + Antimatter → white-cube Matrix Labs → white-cube stock and research feed → Mission Completed!

Unlock the recipe first

Universe Matrix unlocks white-cube manufacturing. It consumes 2,000 blue, 2,000 red, 2,000 yellow, 2,000 purple, and 2,000 green cubes. Treat that as the admission price, not part of the production build.

Then build the synchronized production line

Each white cube consumes one cube of every earlier color plus one Antimatter. A baseline Matrix Lab produces 4 white cubes/min, so the comfortable target uses 10 production Labs and requires 40/min from each of the six inputs.

The white Labs are rarely the real bottleneck. All five earlier Matrix lines must now work at once, and the slowest one sets the final rate. Watch the feeds separately and expand the starving color instead of adding more white Labs to stand around looking important.

Finish the main mission

Once white cubes are flowing, queue Mission Completed! in the research Labs. It consumes 4,000 white cubes. At a sustained 40/min, the final batch takes 100 minutes; 20/min takes 200 minutes, and 80/min takes 50 minutes.

Research first

  1. Universe Matrix — unlocks white-cube manufacturing
  2. Mission Completed! — consumes the final 4,000 white cubes

Quick reference — How much is enough

Looking something up mid-build? Start here. These are the numbers you're most likely to need without rereading the whole phase.

White cube rateProduction LabsRequired from each cube colorAntimatter/minTime for 4,000
20/min520/min each20200 min
40/min1040/min each40100 min
80/min2080/min each8050 min

The default [PHOTON] array supplies 48 Antimatter/min, leaving 8/min of headroom over the comfortable white-cube line.

Quick reference — Required builds

White-cube production is the only new factory build in this phase. The two technologies above are research batches, so they stay in the phase text rather than masquerading as build cards.

White cubes — 40/minMANDATEDCOMFORTABLE TARGET

Input

  • 40 blue cubes/min.
  • 40 red cubes/min.
  • 40 yellow cubes/min.
  • 40 purple cubes/min.
  • 40 green cubes/min.
  • 40 Antimatter/min.

Pipeline

  • 6 independent input feeds — each sustained at 40 items/min.

Output

  • 10 Matrix Labs — white cubes → 40 white cubes/min.

Watch for

The most common endgame mistake is assuming the newest line must be the important one. White cubes call every earlier color back to work; the bottleneck may be a tiny blue, red, or yellow setup you stopped thinking about hours ago.

Ready to move on when

Next

Mission Completed!.

After this, the guide stops telling you what comes next because the game finally means it when it says the choice is yours: scale, exploration, combat, larger permanent Dyson construction, rare-resource shortcuts, or a megabase built for no better reason than that you can.

Optional Paths

These aren't side quests you owe the tech tree. Take one when it solves a problem you can already see; otherwise leave it alone and keep moving.

[PLS] — Planetary Logistics as a Spaghetti-Reduction Tool

What it's for

Replace long cross-planet belts with drone transport while preserving functioning local production districts.

Take it when

Before ILS, avoid a broad rollout if it consumes titanium needed for the ILS rush.

Do this

Use:

Producer district → PLS Local Provider → drones → PLS Local Receiver → consumer district

For imported goods:

Remote ILS Provider → vessel → Home ILS Remote Receiver + Local Provider → drones → PLS Local Receiver

Replace one painful long-distance relationship at a time. The rest of the spaghetti can wait its turn.

Return to the main route when

The goal isn't a blueprint-perfect planet.

The goal is:

global spaghetti → drone logistics → local spaghetti

[PILE SORTER] — Integrated Logistics

What it's for

Fix production lines that are being held back by how quickly items can enter or leave the machines.

Take it when

Do this

Research it when machine input or output speed is already the problem—not when the icon merely starts glowing.

Don't take it merely because it's available.

Return to the main route when

Once the sorters are no longer what's slowing the line down, return to the main progression path.

[GAS GIANT] — Orbital Collectors

What it's for

Use Orbital Collectors when making enough Hydrogen, Deuterium, or Fire Ice locally is becoming more trouble than it's worth.

Take it when

Do this

Take Orbital Collectors because you need the gas, not because the technology happens to be sitting there looking affordable.

Green is often the point where the economics become obvious.

Return to the main route when

Once gas supply is no longer slowing green or later production, return to the main route.

[INTERSTELLAR POWER] — Energy Exchangers and Accumulator Shipping

What it's for

Use this when powering remote worlds locally is awkward and shipping charged accumulators is genuinely easier.

Take it when

Do this

Compare the continuing logistics burden with the unglamorous alternative of simply building local generation.

Remember that a new ILS can create a large temporary charging spike; don't mistake that brief load for the remote world's permanent demand.

Return to the main route when

Use the simpler power system. Don't create a logistics network merely to avoid a few easy local generators.

[ADVANCED MINING] — Large Remote Extraction Networks

What it's for

Make large multi-world mining networks quicker and less tedious to build.

Take it when

Do this

Treat it as a convenience upgrade for a factory that's already spread across many worlds, not as permission to spread too early.

It isn't required for an efficient Mission Completed run.

Return to the main route when

If mining is no longer what's slowing expansion down, go fix whatever production or logistics problem actually is.

[DARK FOG] — Hidden Industrial Technology

What it's for

Access the hidden Dark Fog industrial branch in a long-run combat-focused game.

Take it when

Do this

Treat Dark Fog industry as a separate progression lane.

Holo Beacon can help you manage deliberate Relay interaction, but you still need the Dark Fog to reach the right levels and drop the required items.

Return to the main route when

For the default Mission Completed route: don't enter this branch at all.

One-Screen Default Checklist

[BOOTSTRAP]

[BLUE]

[RED]

[FLIGHT]

[TITANIUM]

[YELLOW]

[ILS]

[PURPLE]

[WARP]

[GREEN]

[DYSON]

[PHOTON]

[WHITE]

When you aren't sure what's wrong

When the factory stops making sense, resist the urge to rebuild it on instinct. Ask these questions in order:

  1. Can I research the technology?
    If not, check which earlier technology is still missing.

  2. Can I build the recipe or machine?
    If not, check whether you're missing another technology or the machine that actually makes it.

  3. Can I keep supplying every required material?
    If not, find the material you can't yet mine, make, or import reliably.

  4. Does the line still depend on me carrying or hand-feeding materials?
    If yes, automate the missing transport or storage step.

  5. Does everything work, but progress still crawls?
    Compare your production rates with the numbers in this guide and fix the slowest line.

A line below the minimum for the phase is usually the first thing worth fixing.

A line between minimum and comfortable is usually doing its job. Leave it alone unless the evidence says otherwise.

A line already above the comfortable target has probably earned some peace until the next phase starts asking more of it.