At A Glance
- Prioritize upgrades that increase long-term income.
- Balance factories, transport, and storage together.
- Permanent global bonuses offer the best return on investment.
Choosing the right upgrades in States Builder: Trade Empire can dramatically speed up your progression. Since coins become increasingly expensive to earn later in the game, investing wisely from the beginning saves countless hours of grinding.
This guide explains the most efficient upgrade order used by experienced players.
Priority 1: Upgrade Your Main Income Factories
Your highest-producing factories should almost always receive your first upgrades.
These buildings generate the majority of your income, meaning every improvement pays for itself relatively quickly.
Whenever a factory consistently produces valuable products, upgrading it should take priority over unlocking another low-level production building.
Priority 2: Increase Production Speed
Production speed affects nearly every aspect of your economy.
Faster production means:
- More products every hour
- Faster order completion
- Increased event progress
- Higher overall profits
Speed upgrades generally provide one of the best returns throughout the game.
Priority 3: Improve Transportation
Your economy is only as fast as your delivery system.
If trucks cannot move products efficiently, factories eventually stop working because warehouses fill up.
Whenever you notice delivery queues growing, transport upgrades should become your next priority.
Priority 4: Upgrade Storage Capacity
Many players overlook storage until production completely stops.
Additional storage allows you to:
- Build larger inventories.
- Continue producing while offline.
- Prepare for expensive upgrades.
- Handle event requirements more efficiently.
It’s better to upgrade storage before it becomes a problem.
Priority 5: Upgrade Entire Production Chains
Rather than heavily upgrading one factory, improve every building involved in producing your highest-value products.
Balanced production prevents shortages and keeps every factory operating at maximum efficiency.
If one building cannot supply enough resources, every factory after it slows down.
Priority 6: Buy Global Bonuses
Whenever available, permanent account upgrades should move near the top of your priority list.
These upgrades often improve:
- Factory speed
- Income
- Worker efficiency
- Transportation
- Resource production
Since they affect your entire empire, their value grows throughout the game.
Priority 7: Expand Into New Regions
Expansion feels exciting, but it shouldn’t happen too early.
Before unlocking another territory, make sure your current economy comfortably supports future production.
Expanding with weak infrastructure usually slows progression instead of speeding it up.
Priority 8: Upgrade Worker Efficiency
Worker upgrades reduce production delays and improve overall efficiency.
Although they may not seem exciting initially, their bonuses become increasingly noticeable once your empire contains dozens of active production facilities.
Priority 9: Improve Offline Earnings
If you don’t play continuously throughout the day, offline income upgrades become extremely valuable.
These upgrades continue generating resources while you’re away and significantly reduce grinding for casual players.
Priority 10: Cosmetic and Convenience Purchases Last
Some upgrades improve appearance or provide minor quality-of-life improvements.
While enjoyable, they should generally be purchased after your economy is producing a healthy profit.
Progression upgrades almost always provide better value.
Common Upgrade Mistakes
Avoid these frequent beginner errors:
- Expanding too quickly.
- Ignoring transport upgrades.
- Forgetting storage capacity.
- Spending premium currency on timers.
- Upgrading low-income factories before profitable ones.
- Ignoring permanent bonuses.
Correcting even one of these mistakes can noticeably improve your progression.
Adjust Your Priorities During Events
Limited-time events sometimes change the ideal upgrade path.
If event objectives reward certain factories or production chains, temporarily prioritize those upgrades before returning to your normal progression.
Checking community discussions after new events launch can reveal the most efficient strategies.
Reevaluate Regularly
The best upgrade order changes as your empire grows.
Every time you unlock a major production chain or new territory, review your economy to identify the current bottleneck.
Sometimes transportation becomes your weakest link, while other times storage or production speed limits growth.
Adapting your upgrades is far more effective than following a rigid strategy throughout the entire game.
Final Thoughts
The most successful States Builder: Trade Empire players don’t simply buy the cheapest upgrades—they invest in improvements that generate more income over time. Prioritizing production speed, efficient transport, balanced supply chains, and permanent bonuses will help your empire grow much faster while avoiding unnecessary grinding later in the game.