First Steps

A comprehensive guide for your first hour of gameplay.

Understanding Your Planet

When you start, you have one planet with:

Fields - Limited building slots (varies by planet size)
Temperature - Affects deuterium and solar production
Position - Determines resource bonuses

Late-Start Catch-Up

If you create your account after the season has already started, your homeworld gets a catch-up boost:

Resources per week since season start: 30,000 Metal, 20,000 Crystal, 10,000 Deuterium
Robotics Factory: +1 level per week
Astrophysics: +1 level per week
Colony Ships: +1 per week

This only applies to your first planet and only counts full weeks since the season began.

Planet Positions

Position	Metal	Crystal	Deuterium	Solar
1-3	High	Low	Very Low	Very High
4-6	Good	Average	Low	High
7-9	Average	Average	Average	Average
10-12	Low	Good	High	Low
13-15	Very Low	High	Very High	Very Low

The Economy Loop

MWarfare is fundamentally an economy game. The basic loop:

Build mines to produce resources
Spend resources on upgrades, ships, or research
Expand to new planets for more production
Repeat at larger scale

Resource Priority

Early game focus (in order):

Metal - Needed for everything
Crystal - Needed for electronics and ships
Energy - Powers your mines
Deuterium - Fuel (less critical early)

Building Efficiently

The Robotics Factory

The Robotics Factory reduces build time for all buildings. Upgrade it early:

Level 2: 20% faster
Level 5: 50% faster
Level 10: 100% faster (2x speed)

The Nanite Factory

Late game, the Nanite Factory dramatically speeds construction:

Each level halves remaining build time
Requires Robotics Factory level 10 and Computer Technology level 10

Research Priorities

Early Game Research Order (Recommended)

This is a recommended order for power growth, not a strict prerequisite chain.

Energy Technology 1
    └── Combustion Drive 1-2
    └── Espionage Technology 1-4
    └── Computer Technology 1-2

Laser Technology 1
    └── Ion Technology 1
        └── Plasma Technology (later)

Defense Technology 1-3
Weapon Technology 1-3
Mobile Shield Technology 1-2

Why These First?

Combustion Drive - Faster ships save time
Espionage Technology - See what enemies have
Computer Technology - First +2 fleet-slot breakpoint at level 2
Combat Technologies - Stronger ships and defenses

Your First Fleet

Essential Ships

Ship	Purpose	Priority
Espionage Probe	Spy on players	High
Small Cargo	Transport resources	High
Light Fighter	Basic combat	Medium
Recycler	Collect debris	Medium

Fleetsaving

Critical concept: Never leave your fleet on your planet when you're offline!

Fleets sitting on planets can be attacked and destroyed. Before logging off:

Send your fleet on a long mission
Choose a distant target
Recall it after you log back in

See Fleetsaving Guide for detailed strategies.

Colonization

Requirements

Astrophysics starts with 3 colony slots at level 0 (each level adds +1 slot)
Shipyard level 4
Colony Ship built

Choosing Colony Locations

Consider:

Size - Larger planets have more building fields
Position - Affects resource production
Distance - Closer colonies are easier to manage

Recommended Strategy

Use your base colony slots first, then research Astrophysics level 1 for an extra slot
Build Colony Ship
Scout positions 4-6 or 8-10 for balanced planets
Send Colony Ship to empty slot
Once colonized, immediately build mines

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring energy - Negative energy stops all production
Not researching - Tech provides massive bonuses
Leaving fleet unprotected - Always fleetsave
Unbalanced production - Keep all resource types flowing
Overbuilding defenses early - Focus on economy first
Attacking too soon - Build strength before raiding

Next Steps

After your first hour:

Get all mines to level 10+
Research key technologies to level 4+
Colonize 2-3 additional planets
Join an alliance for protection
Start building a proper fleet