The economy rests on a simple choice: grow, save, or invest in defence. Income from mines and the daily upkeep of a base create the tension that stops you from simply stockpiling and forgetting.
Resources
| Resource | What it is | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Credits | The universal contract currency | Construction, upkeep, ships, services |
| Ore and metal | The basic material | Hulls, structures, ammunition |
| Crystal | A rare material | Electronics, shields, jump drives |
| Energy | Local base power | Production, shields, defence |
| Salvage | Random components from debris | Repair and rare parts |
| Standing | A faction’s attitude to you | Blueprints, contracts, services |
| Blueprints | Permanent unlocks | New ships and modules |
On today’s frontier the working currency is credits and ore. Crystal and energy are local concerns of a colony: they do not sit in a shared wallet, they work where they are produced.
Blueprints are never sold. They are a permanent unlock: once earned, they stay with you and cross the season boundary.
Income
- A mining plant produces 60 cr a minute per level while it runs and is paid for.
- Salvage from wrecks pays credits, ore, and sometimes an artifact or a blueprint.
- Fleet contracts pay for specific work: a patrol leader, a derelict, a convoy, a colony capture.
- The market turns ore into credits, for a fee.
- Starter goals pay 2,500 cr for six steps.
Costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| First base | 5,000 cr |
| Capture beacon | 2,000 cr, up to three in the rack |
| Command post repair | 2,500 cr plus arrears |
| Upkeep | 40 cr plus module upkeep per level each day |
| Module | 1,800 to 9,000 cr for level one |
| Ship part | 110 to 1,200 cr |
| Weapon upgrade | 2,000 cr, then 5,000 cr |
| Corporation | 5,000 cr |
The market
Wayfarer Station runs an ore market. It is simple, and it counts every credit.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Buy ore | 30 cr per unit |
| Sell ore | 25 cr per unit |
| Sale fee | 5% |
| Trade volume | Limited by a 40-unit hold |
| Repricing | Every 5 minutes, within a narrow band |
Quotes move in a wave: the price neither runs away nor stands still. If you carry a full hold, a couple of credits per unit already matters.
Artifacts
An artifact is a rare find that changes how you play rather than the numbers in storage. You can hold at most five; a duplicate turns into 750 cr.
| Artifact | Effect |
|---|---|
| Targeting Core | +2 damage |
| Salvage Rig | +25% loot |
| Siege Analyzer | +3 shield damage, +1 capture |
| Patrol Decryptor | +2 security drop |
| Market Uplink | +5% ore sale |
Every source and chance is in Loot.
Corporations
A corporation costs 5,000 cr and gives you a shared purse and a structure:
- A tag of up to five characters.
- Roles: leader, officer, member.
- A shared treasury that pays for common ventures.
A corporation is more than a chat channel. It is a way to fold several bases into one economy instead of counting every trip alone.
What next
- Modules — what income and defence cost.
- Base and command post — where the credits go.
- Loot — where artifacts and blueprints come from.