Producing Iron, Crystal, and Aether

The game distinguishes between resources, passive production, and units.

The actual resources are:

• Iron, Crystal, and Aether, the three main economic resources on each planet;
• Energy, a planetary balance rather than a stored resource;
• Astrium, a global empire resource with no storage cap.

Alongside these resources, there are also:

• Weave Resonators, which provide special energy for activating the Pillars;
• Soldiers, the basic ground troops produced passively by the Barracks.

Example

You can run out of Energy without running out of Aether: Energy reflects how your planet operates, while Aether is a resource you store and spend.

Natural production and elapsed time

Production depends on buildings, active bonuses, and elapsed time.

The server credits production according to the formula:

gain = hourly production × elapsed time

The base minimum natural production is:

• 30 Iron
• 30 Crystal
• 30 Aether

before global production multipliers.

Example

Even a poorly developed planet continues to produce a minimum amount of natural resources.

Bonus sources and stacking

Bonuses applied to Iron, Crystal, and Aether include:

• planet modifiers;
• specialized production technologies;
• the alliance production bonus;
• faction skills that enhance production or energy;
• pack bonuses;
• Miners, whose planetary production bonus is detailed in population roles;
• artifacts that enhance production.

Energy also has its own technological bonus.

Planet modifiers are applied first to the resource base: mine output after adjustment, energy efficiency, and the planet's minimum production. The other bonuses are then additive: each source adds effective base × bonus percentage. Energy bonuses follow the same logic for power plant production, while the Impulse Power Plant's Aether consumption remains separate, follows the universe production multiplier, receives no bonus, and does not apply when the Aether stock is at 0.

In the faction Forge, a Stabilizer costs 7 Mnemonic Substrates, 5 Pillar Ceramics, and 3 Breach Condensates to craft. Installing it on the active planet consumes the item and permanently adds +1 percentage point to Iron, Crystal, or Aether, whether the current value is a penalty, zero, or a positive bonus. The main planet is eligible; there is no cap or progressive cost. An upgrade attached to a colony disappears without a refund if that colony is abandoned.

The production amounts for the Monarch and Emperor packs are detailed in the packs article.

Example

Two planets with the same buildings can produce very different amounts if one has more bonuses.

Each production building follows a formula per level, then applies a multiplier specific to its role.

The calculation basis is:

level × 1,1^level

Then each building applies its multiplier:

• Iron Mine: × 33
• Crystal Extractor: × 22
• Aether Synthesizer: × 12.1
• Power Plant: × 30 in Energy, based on level × 1,16^(level - 1)
• Impulse Power Plant: × 38 in Energy, based on level × 1,185^(level - 1)

All three resource mines receive a cumulative ×1,25 production milestone at levels 20, 30, 40, and 50, for ×2,44140625 at level 50. These milestones apply before production bonuses from the planet, technologies, factions, artifacts, and packs.

Mines also consume Energy, without a milestone multiplier:

• Iron Mine: -11
• Crystal Extractor: -11
• Aether Synthesizer: -22

The Impulse Power Plant produces Energy, but also consumes Aether. Its energy production follows 38 × level × 1,185^(level - 1), while its Aether consumption follows 12,5 × level × 1,08^(level - 1) and the universe's production speed: in an x8 universe, the consumption is multiplied by 8. When the reserve is depleted, the Aether produced can fund automatic intermittent operation. If the net Aether flow is positive with the plant off (q_off) and negative while it is running (q_on), the fraction of time it runs is q_off / (q_off - q_on). The game averages production, consumption, and yields across the two operating states according to this fraction. Without Aether production capable of supplying it while stopped, it stays stopped. No additional adjustment or manual restart is needed.

Example

An Impulse Power Plant can greatly improve your energy balance while reducing your net Aether gain if it runs at full output.

If the Impulse Power Plant operates intermittently because its Aether reserve is depleted, the displayed yield is the average of its yields while running and stopped. It is not recalculated from the displayed average Energy.

Weave Resonators are produced automatically by the Barracks on a weekly basis.

The formula is:

60 + (Barracks level - 1) × 6 per week

This production is passive and fuels the use of Pillars.

Example

A Barracks at level 1 produces 60 Weave Resonators per week. A Barracks at level 5 produces 84 per week.

Weave Resonators cannot be built manually at the Space Shipyard or recycled like a standard device.

Threshold and duration

During the first 8 hours of a planet's inactivity, its recent natural production of Iron, Crystal, and Aether is neither detectable through espionage nor lootable.

The inactivity threshold is 5 minutes, with an accuracy of about one minute: with a normal connection, it takes effect about 4 to 5 minutes after your last interaction. Automatic page refreshes do not extend your activity.

What this protection covers

This protection applies only to:

• recent natural production of Iron;
• recent natural production of Crystal;
• recent natural production of Aether.

It does not protect:

• constructions;
• research;
• production queues;
• fleet returns;
• inbound transports;
• direct rewards and credits;
• the passive production of Soldiers;
• the passive production of Weave Resonators.

Visibility returns

The owner does receive this production when they return. It simply remains hidden from other players for the duration of the sanctuary.

Once the 8 hours have passed, all this production becomes visible and lootable again as usual.

Example

A planet inactive for 3 hours may have produced resources its owner can use, while those resources remain invisible to an enemy spy.