At A Glance
- Early focus: mining upgrades > shipping > cargo, and unlock 5–7 planets quickly.
- Use auto-sell smartly to turn surplus ores into cash while fueling crafting.
- Reset frequently once progress slows to earn permanent boosts and speed future runs.
What to Do on Day One
When you start your first galaxy, your immediate goal is to push toward a baseline value (often ~$10 million) and then sell the galaxy to gain credits and permanent boosts. During this early period:
- Tap the cheapest planet you can unlock first, then begin the upgrade cycle of mining, ship speed, and cargo.
- Don’t hoard raw ore unnecessarily; excess ore beyond what your smelters/crafters can process should be converted to cash.
- Because mining is usually the bottleneck, prioritize mining upgrades. Invest in speed or cargo only when shipments or storage lag behind.
- Keep speed and cargo roughly matched (so mining level ≈ speed + cargo). Upgrading all three equally can cost nearly three times more than an optimized approach.
- Use auto-sell (or long-press ore types) to sell ore types you’re not using or smelting, so your cash flow remains active.
These choices ensure your early progression is smooth and you generate value to reinvest quickly.
Unlocking Planets, Tech & Upgrades
Planet Unlocking Strategy
- Early on, unlock around 5 to 7 planets. Pushing every planet too fast can spread your resources too thin.
- After unlocking, upgrade them to a decent level (e.g. Mining 12 or so) before pushing further planet unlocks.
- Sometimes outer planets, or those producing ores with resource-star bonuses, can be worth extra investment, especially if their payback time is competitive.
Tech Tree & Crafting
- Don’t dive into the tech tree too early. Wait until your first few planets are stable.
- Focus crafting/smelter upgrades that improve your pipeline throughput. Crafted items yield higher returns than raw ores.
- Pursue one tech project at a time to avoid spreading crafting resources too thin.
- The beacon is weak early; delay investing in it until it gives worthwhile boosts (especially to mining).
Rooms, Managers & Other Systems
- After your first galaxy reset, use credits to upgrade mothership rooms. Focus first on rooms that enhance mining, smelting, or crafting.
- Hire and deploy managers. Mining managers help production; speed/cargo managers help clear backlogs. High-tier managers may have secondary bonuses that boost global stats.
- Resource stars (earned via events and challenges) permanently increase ore sale values. These lower payback times when applied to ores you unlock.
- The Beacon token system should be focused on mining over speed or cargo, especially early.
Idle Time & Boost Usage
Idle Time Management
- Set up your production pipeline so your smelters and crafters are always fed.
- Order your smelters and crafters logically: simpler items earlier, more complex ones later, to avoid idle bottlenecks.
- Adjust your auto-sell settings: during idle periods, reduce auto-sell on ores needed for crafting, so you don’t run dry while you’re away.
- Before stepping away, use remaining cash to do a last round of upgrades (typically mining first, then speed/cargo) to keep things working while idle.
Using Boosts Effectively
- Mining boosts are broadly useful at all stages.
- Planetary boosts (×10 on mining/speed/cargo for a planet) are best used when upgrade payback is short (≤ ~50 minutes).
- Time Warp + Production Boost combination is particularly strong: production upgrades apply over the warp duration.
- Cash boosts are more useful when your base income is struggling to keep up with costs.
Resetting & Long-Term Growth
- When upgrade costs and new planet unlocks begin giving very slow payback times, reset (sell) your galaxy.
- Resetting gives credits and permanent boosts that speed up subsequent galaxies.
- In the early game, shorter runs often yield better gains in credits (for upgrades) than one long run.
- As you progress, asteroid income, debris scanner income, and crafting high-value items become significant revenue sources—plan resets around these transitions.
Common Pitfalls & Tips
- Don’t overspend early on speed or cargo at the expense of mining upgrades.
- Don’t unlock too many planets without stabilizing your existing ones.
- Don’t use dark matter lightly—reserve it for managers or boosts that have persistent benefit.
- Don’t let crafting or smelting stall while mining continues unchecked.
- Don’t toss auto-sell on full auto for ores you’ll need later—adjust habitually.
- Don’t ignore room upgrades or manager bonuses; these permanent systems multiply your progress.
Final Thoughts
For new players in Idle Planet Miner, success depends on prioritizing mining upgrades, unlocking a manageable number of planets, and converting surplus ores into cash. Use auto-sell wisely and invest in tech only after stabilizing your base. When progress slows, reset your galaxy to gain permanent upgrades that drastically boost future runs. Over time, align your decisions with crafting, managers, and boost synergies to scale efficiently. Follow these principles, and your galaxy value will grow steadily with each run.