The Optimal OGame Build Order for Your First Week

Your first seven days in OGame set the trajectory for everything that follows. Get the build order right and you arrive at week two with a humming economy, a functional research chain, and your first combat-capable fleet. Get it wrong and you spend a month scrambling to fix a lopsided infrastructure while stronger players pick you clean. This guide gives you a concrete, day-by-day sequence — with the reasoning behind every choice — tuned for modern speed universes running at 50x, 99x, and 200x economy.

Why Build Order Matters More Than You Think

OGame is a resource-compounding game. Metal mines, crystal mines, and deuterium synthesizers each produce more per hour as their level rises, but the cost to upgrade them also scales exponentially. Every hour you spend upgrading a Solar Plant instead of a Mine is an hour of missed production at the higher mine level. Every premature Shipyard build delays the Research Lab that unlocks the ships you actually want. Sequencing matters because early resources are scarce and mistakes have long tail costs.

On a classic 1x server the margin for error is wider — a bad day costs you a day. On a fast OGame universe running at 50x or higher, that same mistake costs you the equivalent of weeks of 1x production. The upside is that good decisions compound just as fast. Get your economy humming in the first 48 hours and you will outpace players who started the same day but built in the wrong order.

The principles behind a correct build order are simple:

• Production buildings first: mines scale everything else; never let them fall behind infrastructure.
• Research Lab as early as possible: research unlocks ships, and ships unlock raiding, which is often your fastest resource source mid-week.
• Shipyard only when you have the tech to build something useful: a Shipyard sitting idle is a waste of build slots.
• Energy never bottleneck production: Solar Plants (or Fusion Reactors later) must always slightly exceed your mine consumption.

If you want a deeper breakdown of how the three core resources interact before diving into the day schedule, check out our OGame resources explained guide — it covers the production formulas and why metal is always your first priority.

Day 1: Laying the Economy Foundation

Log in the moment your account is created. In a speed universe your tutorial rewards and starting resources disappear in value very quickly relative to other players building around you. The first build queue should be running within minutes.

Hour 0–2: The Opening Sequence

Start with these upgrades in order, queuing as each completes:

1. Metal Mine → Level 2
2. Metal Mine → Level 3
3. Solar Plant → Level 2 (to cover increased energy draw)
4. Metal Mine → Level 4
5. Crystal Mine → Level 2
6. Solar Plant → Level 3
7. Metal Mine → Level 5

The logic is straightforward: metal is the cheapest resource to produce and the most consumed in early builds. Crystal Mine level 2 comes early because crystal is needed for research and the Research Lab itself costs crystal. Solar Plant upgrades shadow the mine upgrades just enough to keep the energy bar positive — never let your mines run at reduced efficiency due to an energy deficit.

Hour 2–End of Day 1

Continue extending the mine levels in a staircase pattern: Metal Mine to 6, Crystal Mine to 3–4, Deuterium Synthesizer to 2–3. On a 50x economy universe like Andromeda, these levels will produce enough resources to queue multiple upgrades per login session. On Proxima at 200x, you may reach Mine levels 8–9 on metal by end of day one if you stay active.

Target end-of-day-1 state:

• Metal Mine: Level 6–8
• Crystal Mine: Level 4–5
• Deuterium Synthesizer: Level 2–3
• Solar Plant: keeping energy positive throughout
• Robotics Factory: Level 1 (start this late in day 1 — it reduces build times and is a prerequisite for the Research Lab)

Do not build a Shipyard yet. Do not build a Nanite Factory. Do not upgrade your Storage buildings unless you are actively going offline for many hours — storage only matters when you cannot log back in to spend resources before they cap.

Day 2–3: Infrastructure and the Research Lab

By day 2 your mine income is real. Now you invest a portion of it into the infrastructure that unlocks the game's mid-tier systems.

Robotics Factory to Level 2

The Robotics Factory reduces construction time for all buildings on the planet. Getting it to level 2 early pays compound dividends on every subsequent build. Level 2 is sufficient to unlock the Research Lab; do not push it higher than level 2 until late week one or early week two.

Research Lab: Build It and Reach Level 4

This is the single most important infrastructure milestone of your first week. The Research Lab unlocks research, and research unlocks ships. Build the Research Lab as soon as you have the metal, crystal, and deuterium — then upgrade it to at least level 4 before you touch the Shipyard.

Research Lab level requirements for critical early techs:

• Level 1 → Energy Technology (prerequisite chain starter)
• Level 2 → Combustion Drive (unlocks Small Cargo and Light Fighter)
• Level 4 → Impulse Drive (required for Cruisers and Colony Ship)

Research Order: Days 2–3

Once the Research Lab is running, start this tech chain immediately:

1. Energy Technology → Level 1 (prerequisite for almost everything)
2. Combustion Drive → Level 1 (unlocks Small Cargo and Light Fighter at Shipyard)
3. Espionage Technology → Level 2 (you need at least level 2 to get useful spy reports before sending fleets)
4. Computer Technology → Level 1 (unlocks a second fleet slot — critical for safety fleet saving)
5. Combustion Drive → Level 2–3 (increases speed of your early ships significantly)

Continue upgrading mines in parallel. Every time you finish a research, check whether you have enough resources to push Metal Mine or Crystal Mine up another level — if yes, queue it immediately. Research and construction run on separate timers; use both queues simultaneously.

For a deeper look at how espionage fits into this progression, our espionage basics guide walks through probe tech levels and what information you can expect at each tier.

Day 4–5: Shipyard and Your First Fleet

By day 4 you have Combustion Drive researched and enough infrastructure to make the Shipyard worthwhile. Now build it.

Shipyard Level 1–2

Build the Shipyard to level 1, then immediately to level 2. Higher levels come later. The first ships you want to produce are:

• Espionage Probes (10–20): Cheap and essential. You cannot safely raid without knowing what is on the target planet first. Build a probe fleet before anything else.
• Small Cargos (10–30): Your first raiding ships. Low attack, but they carry resources and can hit undefended inactive players. In a speed universe there are always fresh inactives to farm early in the week.
• Light Fighters (20–50): Once you have enough probes to scout targets, Light Fighters let you threaten defended targets and contribute to alliance combat operations.

The exact number of ships depends on your universe speed and how active you plan to be. On Andromeda (50x), 20 Small Cargos and 30 Light Fighters give you a functional early raiding force. On Proxima (200x), you can build those numbers in an afternoon and should be thinking about Cruisers within 48 hours of building the Shipyard.

Start Raiding Inactives

This is where the game opens up. Probe inactive players (marked with the moon icon in the galaxy view) and find resource-rich targets with no defenses. Hit them repeatedly — bashing rules only apply to active players, not inactives. Early farming on a speed server can triple your mine income for the first few days and accelerate your research chain dramatically. Our dedicated first ships guide covers optimal raiding setups if you want to go deeper on this phase.

Continue the Research Chain

While your Shipyard churns out ships, keep your Research Lab busy:

1. Weapons Technology → Level 1–3: Directly increases Light Fighter damage. Essential if you plan to fight defended targets.
2. Shielding Technology → Level 1–2: Reduces losses in combat. Even one level matters in close fights.
3. Armour Technology → Level 1–2: The third combat stat. Balance all three rather than maxing one.
4. Impulse Drive → Level 1: Opens the door to the Cruiser and Colony Ship research chains.

Day 6–7: Expansion Decisions

By the end of the first week you face your first major strategic fork: expand to a second planet, deepen your home planet's economy, or push aggressively into military tech. The right answer depends on your playstyle and universe, but here is how to think through each option.

Option A: Colonize a Second Planet

Colonization requires a Colony Ship, which requires Impulse Drive level 3 and a Shipyard of sufficient level. On a 200x universe you might have this ready by day 5. On 50x it typically lands around day 6–7. A second planet doubles your mine slots and eventually your total production — the long-term value is enormous.

For slot selection strategy, see our colonization guide covering which galaxy positions give you the most fields and why position 8 is the classic deuterium planet slot.

Option B: Deepen the Home Planet Economy

If you are behind on research or your mines are lower than your peers, skip colonization for now and push Mine levels to 10–12 on metal, 8–10 on crystal, and 6–8 on deuterium. Higher mines compound everything. A planet with a Metal Mine at 12 produces roughly three times more metal than one at 8 — that gap is enormous in the first week when you are competing with players on the same server.

Option C: Military Push

If your alliance is planning coordinated early attacks, or if you have found high-value farming targets, invest the week-end resources into a larger fleet instead of infrastructure. This is situational but valid — raided resources are often more efficient than mine upgrades in the very early game on high-speed servers where inactives accumulate quickly.

Fleet Safety: Non-Negotiable

Whatever you choose, implement fleet saving before you go offline each night. Send your fleet on a long deployment mission — to a distant system, with return timing set so it lands after you are back online. Losing your first fleet to a raid while you sleep is a week-one mistake that can set you back days. Every veteran takes this seriously. Check the defense basics guide for early defense recommendations that reduce your planetary vulnerability while your fleet is away.

Adjusting the Build Order for 50x–200x Speed Universes

The sequence above is universe-agnostic in structure, but the pacing changes dramatically based on your chosen universe. Here is how to tune it.

Andromeda (50x Economy / 100x Research)

At 50x economy the build cadence is fast but not frantic. You can comfortably log in 3–4 times per day and maintain efficient queues. The day-by-day schedule above maps almost directly. You receive 5,000 Dark Matter on signup plus 1,000 DM free weekly, which you should spend on a Commander or second build queue early — the extra queue slot multiplies your construction efficiency. The debris field returns 43% of destroyed ships and 17% of defense, making post-combat recycling worthwhile from your very first fight.

Nebula (99x Economy / 198x Research)

Double the pace. Mine level targets for day 1 should be 2–3 levels higher than Andromeda. Research completes in roughly half the time. You will reach your first Combat-capable fleet by day 3 rather than day 4–5. Nebula's 10,000 DM signup bonus and 10,000 weekly DM mean you can activate multiple commander bonuses simultaneously — prioritize the Engineer (energy bonus) and General (fleet slots) if you plan to play aggressively. Debris recovery here is 55%/22%, making recycler investment worthwhile sooner.

Proxima (200x Economy / 400x Research)

Proxima is a different game. The 200x multiplier means what takes a week on a 1x server happens in under an hour. Compress the entire first-week schedule into two to three days of active play. Mine level 15+ on metal is achievable in the first 72 hours for dedicated players. Proxima's 20,000 DM signup and 50,000 DM weekly reward mean all commander slots can be active almost immediately — use them. Debris is 80%/32%, so always bring Recyclers to your combat missions from the start. The moon chance of 40% means a moderately sized battle has a realistic chance of creating a moon, making early moon-building a viable week-one goal.

Universal Adjustments Regardless of Speed

• Check your Character Class: Collector boosts mine production and cargo capacity. Explorer helps with expeditions. General boosts combat stats. Pick based on your week-one strategy.
• Daily Login Rewards: OGames provides daily login streak bonuses. Log in every day even if you only have five minutes — the compounding rewards are meaningful.
• Academy Quests: The daily quest system gives resource rewards for completing standard actions. Many week-one build steps trigger quest completion, so check the quest log regularly for free resources.
• Lifeform Technologies: Unlocked later in the research chain, lifeforms provide passive production and combat bonuses that scale strongly. Do not neglect them once unlocked — they are a significant power multiplier on OGames private servers.

Common First-Week Mistakes to Avoid

Veterans watching new players make the same errors repeatedly. Here are the ones that hurt most in week one:

• Building the Shipyard before the Research Lab: A Shipyard with no tech to research is nearly useless. You can only build Rocket Launchers — which are not what you need week one.
• Ignoring energy: A mine running at 50% efficiency due to an energy deficit is the same as having a mine two levels lower. Always keep energy positive.
• Spending DM on speed-ups instead of permanent bonuses: Commander slots provide permanent production boosts. Using DM to rush a single building is almost never worth it compared to activating a Commander.
• Leaving resources on the planet overnight: Experienced players check galaxy views for active newcomers. If your planet is showing high resources and no defenses, you will be farmed. Spend resources into building queues before logging off.
• Not joining an alliance: Alliances provide protection, intel sharing, and ACS combat opportunities. A solo player in week one is a target. Find an active alliance as soon as the option unlocks.
• Skipping Espionage Technology: Probing before attacking is not optional. Sending a fleet blind into a defended planet and losing it to defenses is a week-one disaster that is entirely avoidable.

End-of-Week-1 Targets: What Good Looks Like

Use this checklist to evaluate where you stand at the end of day 7:

If you are behind these targets it is not catastrophic — the game is long. But use the gap as a diagnostic: were you offline more than expected, or did you build in the wrong order? Identifying the bottleneck now lets you correct it in week two.

For broader context on how your first planet choices influence all of this, the OGame first planet guide covers slot selection, field count, and starting planet strategy in detail.

FAQ

Should I build defenses in the first week?

Light defenses are worth building if you have resources that would otherwise sit idle when you cannot log in. Rocket Launchers are the cheapest deterrent and push weak raiders toward easier targets. However, do not sacrifice mine upgrades or research for heavy defenses in week one — a strong fleet and fleet saving are more reliable protection. If you want a full breakdown, our defense basics guide covers when defenses are worth the investment versus when to rely on fleet saving.

Is it better to focus on one resource type early?

Metal first, always. Metal has the lowest crystal cost to upgrade and is consumed in the largest quantities by every building, ship, and research. Crystal mine follows second. Deuterium Synthesizer comes third because deuterium consumption is low early but becomes significant once you are flying fleets — especially on longer-range raids or with ships like Bombers and Destroyers that burn large amounts of fuel.

How does fleet saving work on a speed server?

Fleet saving means sending your fleet on a mission timed to return after you plan to be back online. The classic method is a long-distance deployment or transport mission with the return time set for your next login window. On high-speed universes with fast flight times, you need to send fleets further or use moon-to-moon recall tricks to extend the travel window. Never leave your fleet sitting on a planet while you sleep — this is how week-one players lose everything overnight.

When should I worry about other players attacking me?

From day one. The moment you have visible resources in your planet report (which any player with espionage probes can read), you are a target. New players often assume they are too small to be worth attacking — but even 50,000 metal sitting on a planet is worth a Small Cargo launch to an efficient farmer. Keep your resources spent into build queues, keep defenses minimal but present, and fleet save nightly. Active players on OGames can also use the buddy system and alliance umbrella for added protection early on.

Does the Character Class choice affect the build order?

Indirectly, yes. The Collector class gives a production bonus to mines, which means your economy ramps faster — you can hit higher mine levels sooner and push the research and shipyard timelines forward. The General class gives combat and fleet bonuses, which makes your early raiding more effective but does not help your base economy. For a pure week-one optimization, Collector is the strongest choice if you plan to be less active. General is better if you will be logging in frequently and raiding aggressively enough to supplement your mine income with raided resources.

Ready to put this build order to work? Register on OGames and choose your universe — Andromeda for a balanced start, Nebula for fast progression, or Proxima if you want to see how far you can push in a single week. All three universes launched April 2026 with active communities and open slots, so week one is still competitive for newcomers right now.